The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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The 4 October 2017 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the launch of the first satellite: Sputnik. The Soviet spacecraft was only equipped with a simple transmitter, but its incessant beeping sent shockwaves around the world and its flight marked the beginning of the space race.
Today’s sophisticated satellites can trace their origins back to Sputnik and astronauts still begin their journey from the same launch site in Baikonur.
This report contains footage of the Sputnik launch, an interview (and set-up shots) in the private museum of RSC Energia – the company that built Sputnik – as well as interior and drone shots of the Cosmonautics museum in Moscow.
B-roll contains additional soundbites, including from Alexei Leonov – the first man to walk in space (in Russian). Interviews in French or Russian.