‘Sputnik’ (English: ‘sputnik’, German: ‘Sputnik’, French: ‘spoutnik’) – a word that, after the launch of the first space vehicle on October 4, 1957, entered the world's languages without translation. It became a symbol of the dawn of the space age and the technological superiority of the USSR. It also marked the beginning of the ‘Space Race’ between the U.S. and the USSR.