The first orbital flight of an artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched in October 1957, by the Soviet Union. In November, the second orbital flight took place. The Soviet Union launched the first animal to orbit the Earth, a dog, Laika, who died in orbit a few hours after launch.Thor, Atlas, and R-7 rocket families all have maiden flights this year, all three of which will have long legacies for the next 50+ years Australia and the UK go to space with sounding rockets; first space launches from Australia The R-12 makes its maiden flight The US makes its first orbital attempt and fails

Explorer 1 was the first American satellite to reach orbit on 31 January 1958.