Starting with the Space Race of the 20th century, humans have embarked on a journey through time and space with some of the most pioneering and life-changing space missions.
As we stand on the cusp of another age of space exploration with the upcoming Artemis missions and other space observatories set to go online this year, here are 15 space missions that not only set the groundwork for the future, but also ignite our curiosity about the universe we inhabit.
1. Sputnik 1
(Credit: NASA/Asif A. Siddiqi
Sputnik 1 was the first successful artificial satellite placed in low-Earth orbit in 1957. While in orbit, Sputnik 1 gathered data on the upper layers of Earth's atmosphere. During its mission, the satellite completed 1400 orbits around Earth.
