The Times of India

Meet Laika: The Moscow stray dog who became the first animal to orbit Earth in 1957, but was never meant to come home

Laika, a stray dog, became the first living creature in Earth orbit aboard Sputnik 2. The spacecraft was built in haste and lacked any return system for the animal. Soviet officials initially claimed Laika survived for days before a peaceful death. However, a scientist later revealed she died within hours due to system failure. This mission accelerated American efforts to develop a human space program.