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Q. Which countries were first to launch satellites? — Tanya E.
A. Satellites are part of daily life, used around the world for communications, weather forecasting, navigation, observing land, sea and air, scientific research, military reconnaissance and numerous other purposes. In addition, hundreds of men and women have lived and worked aboard space shuttles and space stations, which are manned satellites in Earth orbit.

The majority of satellites have been built by Russia and the United States, but the countries of Western Europe in the European Space Agency, as well as Japan, China, India, Canada, Israel, Brazil and others have been actively engaged in satellite development.

We refer to a spacefaring nation as a country with a rocket powerful enough for space launches. Spacefaring nations are those which launch their own satellites to orbit.

In chronological order, the first countries to loft their artificial moons to orbit above Earth were:

1. USSR
   1957 Oct 4
   satellite: Sputnik 1
   rocket: Old Number Seven
   launch site: Baikonur Cosmodrome
   
   
2. USA
   1958 Jan 31
   satellite: Explorer 1
   rocket: Jupiter-C
   launch site: Cape Canaveral
   
   
3. France
   1965 Nov 26
   satellite: Asterix 1
   rocket: Diamant
   launch site: Algeria
   
   
4. Japan
   1970 Feb 11
   satellite: Ohsumi
   rocket: Lambda 4S-5
   launch site: Kagoshima
   
   
5. China
   1970 Apr 24
   satellite: Mao 1
   rocket: Long March-1
   launch site: Inner Mongolia
   
   
6. Great Britain
   1971 Oct 28
   satellite: Black Knight 1
   rocket: Black Arrow
   launch site: Woomera Australia
   
   
7. Europe
   1979 Dec 24
   satellite: CAT
   rocket: Ariane
   launch site: Kourou, French Guiana
   
   
8. India
   1980 Jul 18
   satellite: Rohini 1
   rocket: Satellite Launch Vehicle
   launch site: Sriharikota Island
   
   
9. Israel
   1988 Sep 19
   satellite: Horizon 1
   rocket: Shavit
   launch site: Negev Desert
   
   
10. Iran
    2009 Feb 3
    satellite: Omid (Hope)
    rocket: Safir-2 two-stage
    launch site: Semnan
    Dasht-e-Kavir desert
    
    
11. North Korea
    2012 Dec 12
    satellite: Kwangmyongsong 3
    (Lode Star 3)
    rocket: Unha three-stage
    launch site: Sohae
    Satellite Launching Station

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