Transport beyond the atmosphere in which a spacecraft reaches and sustains a velocity high enough to remain in orbit around a body such as Earth, rather than simply rising and falling back along a suborbital arc. Orbital spaceflight carries crew, satellites and cargo to destinations such as low Earth orbit space stations, and requires far more propulsive energy than a suborbital flight, which never achieves the speed needed to complete even one full orbit.
Facts
Core ConcernSpaceflight in which a spacecraft is placed on a trajectory sufficient to complete at least one full orbit. 1 Connections
Pioneered By
Source Wikipedia: Sergei Korolev
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Orbital spaceflight
WikipediaIntroduction
An orbital spaceflight (or orbital flight) is a spaceflight in which a spacecraft is placed on a trajectory where it could remain in space for at least one orbit.
History
Sputnik 1 was the first human-made object to achieve orbital spaceflight. It was launched on 4 October 1957 by the Soviet Union.
View the Source Wikipedia: Sergei Korolev
WikipediaPioneered By: Sergei Korolev, IntroductionQuote, Pioneered By: Sergei Korolev, Introduction
Under his leadership, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite; Laika, the first animal to orbit Earth; Luna 2, the first human-made object to reach another celestial body; and Belka and Strelka, the first animals to survive orbital spaceflight.
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