Sputnik 2 – The Satellite That Took Laika Into Space

In November 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, just a month after the world’s first artificial satellite. While Sputnik 1 proved we could put a metal ball in orbit, Sputnik 2 went a step further – it carried a living creature, a stray dog named Laika.

Why send a dog? The engineers wanted to see if a living being could survive launch stresses, weightlessness, and radiation. They didn’t plan a safe return – the technology for re‑entry hadn’t been figured out yet – but the data would tell them if future human missions were possible.

Launch and Mission Details

Sputnik 2 was a sphere about 2 meters in diameter, weighing nearly 500 kilograms. It housed a pressurized cabin for Laika, a small heater, a radio beacon, and scientific instruments to measure temperature, pressure, and radiation.

The launch took place on 3 November 1957 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Within seconds the rocket roared, shaking the launch pad, and then the satellite was on its way. About 30 minutes after liftoff, Sputnik 2 completed one orbit and began sending back data.

Laika’s telemetry showed her heart rate climbing, but the signal stayed steady for a few days. Scientists later learned she likely died from overheating within a few hours, but the mission still proved that a living organism could endure space conditions long enough to collect useful data.

Why Sputnik 2 Still Matters

Sputnik 2 sparked a huge reaction in the United States. The media called it a “space dog” and worried that the Soviets were racing ahead. The event pushed NASA (then still forming) to accelerate its own human spaceflight plans, eventually leading to Mercury and Apollo.

Beyond politics, Sputnik 2 gave engineers real‑world experience with life‑support systems, thermal control, and telemetry. Those lessons fed directly into the design of the first crewed capsules.

Today, Laika is remembered as a pioneer, not just a tragedy. Her story reminds us that space exploration always involves risk, sacrifice, and a lot of learning by doing.

If you’re curious about modern parallels, think of the animals aboard recent sub‑orbital flights testing commercial space tourism. The same basic question remains: how do living beings cope with the harsh environment of space?

Sputnik 2 may be over seven decades old, but its impact is still felt every time a rocket lifts off, every time we whisper about sending humans back to the Moon, and every time we look up at the night sky and wonder what comes next.