sputnik is the name of the first __________.
(Other dogs had gone into space before Laika, but only for sub-orbital launches.) The mission was another in a series of coups for the Soviet Union, which was then leading the way in space exploration while the United States lagged. Just a month earlier, they had launched Sputnik, the worldâs first satellite. When Laikaâs vessel, Sputnik 2, shot into orbit, the U.S. fell even further behind. News media alternated between mockery and pity for the dog sent into space. âThe Chicago American noted: âThe Russian sputpup isnât the first dog in the sky.