Space exploration began on October 4 1957 when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 what other spacecraft were between that date and last mission to Moon in 1972?

Between the launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, and the last mission to the Moon in 1972, many spacecraft were launched into space by various countries. Here is a list of some notable spacecraft during that period:

Soviet Union:

- Sputnik 2 (November 3, 1957): Carried the dog Laika, the first living creature to orbit Earth.

- Luna 1 (January 2, 1959): First spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon.

- Vostok 1 (April 12, 1961): Yuri Gagarin became the first human to journey into space and orbit Earth.

- Vostok 6 (June 16, 1963): Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to travel into space.

- Luna 9 (January 31, 1966): First spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon and transmit images from its surface.

- Soyuz 11 (June 7, 1971): Three-person crew perished during re-entry, marking the first fatalities in space.

United States:

- Explorer 1 (February 1, 1958): First U.S. satellite to orbit Earth.

- Mercury-Atlas 6 (February 20, 1962): John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth.

- Apollo 8 (December 21, 1968): First crewed mission to orbit the Moon.

- Apollo 11 (July 20, 1969): Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon.

- Apollo 17 (December 7, 1972): Last crewed mission to the Moon.