R7 Rocket Launch with Sputnik 1 1957

Description

R7 rocket launch with Sputnik 1, photo; Licensed article; Original: 5740×4315; Photographer: Unknown; subject to licensing; Rights: a9 Bleek/zb Media. The photos show the historic launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, marking the beginning of the space era.

R-7 rocket on the launch pad: The Soviet R-7 intercontinental missile, originally developed for military purposes, was converted into a carrier rocket for the first artificial Earth satellite.
Rocket launch: The images capture the moment of launch – a striking sight with fire and smoke, as the R-7 lifts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome into space.
Sputnik 1 in space: The spherical satellite model with four long antennas orbits the Earth. Sputnik transmits radio signals that can be received worldwide.

The Sputnik launch marked the start of the space age and triggered the Sputnik shock in the West. The US was surprised by the technological superiority of the Soviet Union, intensifying the space race between the superpowers.