Sputnik 2
Sputnik 2 (Russian pronunciation: [ˈsputʲnʲɪk], Russian: Спутник-2, Satellite 2), or Prosteyshiy Sputnik 2 (PS-2, Russian: Простейший Спутник 2, Simplest Satellite 2),: 155 launched on 3 November 1957, was the second spacecraft launched into Earth orbit, and the first to carry an animal into orbit, a Soviet space dog named Laika.
Model of Sputnik 2 at the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics in Moscow | |
| Mission type | Bioscience |
|---|---|
| Operator | OKB-1 |
| Harvard designation | 1957 Beta 1 |
| COSPAR ID | 1957-002A |
| SATCAT no. | 00003 |
| Mission duration | 162 days |
| Orbits completed | 2570 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Launch mass | 508.3 kilograms (1,121 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 1 |
| Members | Laika |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 3 November 1957, 02:30 UTC |
| Rocket | Sputnik 8K71PS |
| Launch site | Baikonur 1/5 |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 14 April 1958 |
| Decay date | 14 April 1958 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Semi-major axis | 7,306 kilometres (4,540 mi) |
| Eccentricity | 0.0990965 |
| Perigee altitude | 212 kilometres (132 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 1,659 kilometres (1,031 mi) |
| Inclination | 65.33° |
| Period | 103.73 minutes |
| Epoch | 3 November 1957 |
Launched by the Soviet Union via a modified R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile, Sputnik 2 was a 4-metre-high (13 ft) cone-shaped capsule with a base diameter of 2 metres (6.6 ft) that weighed around 500 kilograms (1,100 lb), though it was not designed to separate from the rocket core that brought it to orbit, bringing the total mass in orbit to 7.79 tonnes (17,200 lb). It contained several compartments for radio transmitters, a telemetry system, a programming unit, a regeneration and temperature-control system for the cabin, and scientific instruments. A separate sealed cabin contained the dog Laika.
Though Laika died shortly after reaching orbit, Sputnik 2 marked another huge success for the Soviet Union in The Space Race, lofting a (for the time) huge payload, sending an animal into orbit, and, for the first time, returning scientific data from above the Earth's atmosphere for an extended period. The satellite reentered Earth's atmosphere on 14 April 1958.