LaikaOn 3 November, 1957, Laika became the first animal launched into Earth orbit, paving the way for human spaceflight during the upcoming years. This photograph shows her in a flight harness.
Other name(s) | Kudryavka ("Curly")
Species | Canis familiaris
Breed | Mongrel, possibly part-husky (or part-Samoyed) and part-terrier
Sex | Female
Born | Laika (Лайка)
c. 1954
Moscow, Soviet Union
Died | November 3, 1957 (aged 2–3)
Sputnik 2, in Low Earth orbit
Years active | 1957
Known for | First animal to orbit the Earth
Owner | Soviet space program
Weight | 5 kg (11 lb) Part of a series of articles on the
Soviet space program
Soviet crewed lunar programs Luna program
Soviet human spaceflight programs
Soviet space probes
Expendable launch vehicles
Notable figures
Cosmonauts
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Laika (Russian: Лайка; c. 1954 – 3 November 1957) was a Soviet space dog who became one of the first animals in space, and the first animal to orbit the Earth. Laika, a stray mongrel from the streets of Moscow, was selected to be the occupant of the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 that was launched into low orbit on 3 November 1957. No capacity for her recovery and survival was planned, and she died of overheating or asphyxiation shortly before she was to be remotely euthanized via poison. 

Little was known about the impact of spaceflight on living creatures at the time of Laika's mission, and the technology to de-orbit had not yet been developed, so Laika's survival was never expected. Some scientists believed humans would be unable to survive the launch or the conditions of outer space, so engineers viewed flights by animals as a necessary precursor to human missions.^[1] The experiment aimed to prove that a living passenger could survive being launched into orbit and endure a micro-g environment, paving the way for human spaceflight and providing scientists with some of the first data on how living organisms react to spaceflight environments. 

Laika died within hours from overheating, possibly caused by a failure of the central R-7 sustainer to separate from the payload. The true cause and time of her death were not made public until 2002; instead, it was widely reported that she died when her oxygen ran out on day six or, as the Soviet government initially claimed, she was euthanised prior to oxygen depletion. 

On 11 April 2008, Russian officials unveiled a monument to Laika. A small monument in her honour was built near the military research facility in Moscow that prepared Laika's flight to space. It portrayed a dog standing on top of a rocket. She also appears on the Monument to the Conquerors of Space in Moscow. 

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