What was the name of first artificial satellite launched into space ?

Sputnik 1 was the first artificial earth satellite. The Soviet Union launched it into an elliptical low earth orbit on 4 October 1957. It was a 58 cm (23 in) diameter polished metal sphere, with four external radio antennae to broadcast radio pulses. It's radio pulses were detectable all over the earth. Sputnik 1 was launched during the international geophysical year from Site no. 1/5, at the 5th Tyuratam range, in Kazakh SSR (now known as the Baikonur Cosmodrome). The satellite travelled at about 29,000 kph (18,000 mph; 8,100 m/s), taking 96.2 minutes to complete each orbit. It transmitted on frequency of 20.005 and 40.002 MHz, which were monitored by amateur radio operators throughout the world. The signals continued for 21 days until the transmitter batteries ran out on 26 October 1957. Sputnik 1 burned up on 4 January 1958, as it fell from orbit upon reentering earth's atmosphere, after travelling about 70 million km (43.5 million miles) and spending three months in the orbit.

This surprise success precipitated the American Sputnik crisis and triggered the Space Race, a part of the larger Cold War. The launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments.