Animals were used in early space missions long before humans stepped into orbit
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Warning: This article discusses content that some readers may find upsetting.
Many people are only now learning about a lesser-known but incredibly tragic chapter of the early space race that shaped everything that followed.
During the intense Cold War rivalry, the US and the USSR pushed harder and faster to claim major achievements in space, and both sides were willing to take extreme measures to get ahead.
The race to launch the first satellite and eventually reach the Moon became a worldwide symbol of political power and scientific ambition.
Yet several landmark accomplishments were only possible because of the sacrifice of the very first living passengers sent beyond Earth, even though they were not human astronauts.
Before anyone attempted to send people into orbit, scientists turned to animals to evaluate the risks involved.
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These early experiments were designed to see whether spacecraft life support systems truly worked under real conditions, because it was far more difficult to predict what would happen once outside Earth’s atmosphere.
Leaders of the program viewed the loss of an animal as a smaller setback compared to losing a trained astronaut, which led to a long list of tests using different species.
When mammals such as monkeys or dogs survived the harsh conditions during these missions, engineers believed it meant humans could potentially survive them, too.
Laika in the Sputnik 2 capsule
Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Because of this approach, several animals ended up having important but tragically short-lived roles in early space exploration.
One of the most famous cases is Laika, originally named Kudryavka, a stray terrier mix chosen for a flight that would change history but cost her life.
On November 3, 1957, after being secured inside the Sputnik 2 capsule, Laika was launched into space as part of a mission that scientists believed would offer vital data about orbiting conditions.
Her journey was meant to show whether a living creature could survive the physical and psychological stress of being in space, but Laika was never intended to return home.
Reports later revealed that her heart rate spiked to more than triple its normal speed during launch and only settled once she reached weightlessness.
Between five and seven hours after liftoff, she died due to a combination of overheating and extreme stress.
Laika was strapped into capsule
Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The most devastating part of Laika’s story is that mission planners never created a plan for her to come back alive, because they always knew she would die in orbit.
Even if she had not overheated soon after the launch, she would have eventually suffocated once the oxygen supply ran out after roughly ten days.
Engineer Yevgeniy Shabarov later described her final moments in heartbreaking detail, saying: "After placing Laika in the container and before closing the hatch, we kissed her nose and wished her bon voyage, knowing that she would not survive the flight."
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Many people today are learning about Laika’s fate for the first time, and reactions online show just how emotional the response has been.
One person wrote: "That's disgusting and so cruel."
Another added: "I cry whenever I am reminded of Laika. Her last moments being full of confusion, fear, and stress. No animal should ever have to endure this sort of thing."
Someone else commented: "This broke my heart omg."
Despite the tragedy, the Soviet Union praised the mission as a landmark accomplishment, and Laika earned her place in history as the first animal to orbit Earth.