Why was sputnik built?
Sputnik 1 and the other space satellites were the cumination of an effort by the USSR to gain dominance in the use of Earth orbits. In addition to improving reconnaisance, navigation, and weather forecasting, satellites would yield valuable scientific data for military use (including the interaction of the Earth’s magnetic field with communications transmission). During the Cold War with the US, each side sought an edge in technology, including space exploitation.
