NEW BLOG SERIES: Payloads of the Past: November - Sputnik II and the Legacy of Laila

November is a landmark month in satellite history, marked indelibly by a mission that not only expanded our technical horizons but also forced us to confront difficult ethical questions that still resonate today. As part of a new monthly series, “Payloads of the Past", I take a look back at a pivotal, yet often controversial, moment in the story of satellites and space. Remembering Sputnik II: Breaking New Ground On November 3, 1957, the Soviet Union’s Sputnik II became the first spacecraft to carry a living passenger into Earth orbit. That passenger was Laika, a stray dog from Moscow who, to this day, symbolises both the bold promise and the moral complexities of early space exploration. Laika’s journey, just one month after the world-awakening launch of Sputnik I proved rapid progress…