Which country launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1?

On 4 October 1957 a 184‑pound metal sphere called Sputnik 1 beeped over Earth, shocking the world. The Soviet Union had launched the first artificial satellite, igniting the space race.
Its radio pulses spurred U.S. science drives and birthed NASA. Within twelve years rivalry planted footprints on the Moon, and satellites became integral to modern life.