The Space Race was a struggle between the Soviet Union and the USA to be the first to achieve key milestones in the exploration of space - including the launch of the first artificial satellite, sending the first living creature into space, and sending the first human being into space.

There were two main reasons why the Space Race happened.

• ❖ Both superpowers wanted to prove the superiority of their ideology, by showing that they could develop space travel more quickly than the other.
• ❖ Each superpower was concerned that its rival would gain a military advantage in space, especially by being able to launch nuclear ICBMs from space.

There were 5 major milestones in the Space Race.

• ❖ In October 1957, the Soviets launched Sputnik - the first man-made satellite - into space. This was seen as a huge victory for communism.
• ❖ In November 1957, the Soviets put the first living creature into space - a dog named Laika.
• ❖ In August 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space.
• ❖ In July 1963, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space.
• ❖ In July 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon.

Although Neil Armstrong's moon landing is arguably the best-remembered event, the Soviet Union achieved almost all other major milestones first. By 1975, the two superpowers had begun to cooperate, and they launched a joint space flight as part of the Apollo-Soyuz project.