Background
Satellite: a natural body that revolves around a planet; a moon.
An object designed to be launched into orbit around the
Earth, another planet, the Sun etc.
History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. The world's first artificial satellite was about the size of a basketball, weighed only 83 kg, and took about 98 minutes to orbit the Earth on its elliptical path. That launch saw the beginnings of new political, military, technological, and scientific developments. The Sputnik launch also marked the start of the space age and the American - Russian space race, and ultimately led to the creation of NASA and the Apollo Moon landings.
Of course, the Earth has its own natural satellite – the Moon. This takes 27.3 days to orbit around our planet at a distance of some 384,400 km. Just as man-made satellites affect our everyday lives, some believe that the Moon has influence over our lives controlling our moods and behaviour!