\<COLOUR 1> LAUNCH DATE: \<COLOUR 0> October 4, 1957
\<COLOUR 1> LAUNCH SITE: \<COLOUR 0> Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Central Asia
\<COLOUR 1> LAUNCH VEHICLE: \<COLOUR 0> A/SL-1
\<COLOUR 1> ORBIT: \<COLOUR 0> 215/939 km
\<COLOUR 1> SIZE: \<COLOUR 0> Diameter - 58 cm
\<COLOUR 1> WEIGHT: \<COLOUR 0> 84 kg
\<COLOUR 1> COUNTRY: \<COLOUR 0> USSR
\<COLOUR 1> COMMENTS: \<COLOUR 0> The first artificial Earth satellite, which launched the Space Age; it 'beep-beeps' its way around the world every 96 minutes and remains in orbit until January 4, 1958.