Belka and Strelka: The First Space Dogs Who Made It Back Alive
Sixty-five years ago, on August 19, 1960, two furry space pioneers – a pair of stray dogs named Belka and Strelka – blasted off into space aboard the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 5. They became the first living beings to perform an orbital flight and safely return home. In this article, we’d like to commemorate these remarkable animals and reveal interesting facts about their journey into space.
Contents
- Space Dogs History
- Belka and Strelka's Flight: Stray Dogs in Space
- One Small Step for Dogkind: The Successful Conclusion of Belka and Strelka's Mission
- F.A.Q.
- Paws to the Stars: The Final Word on the Space Dogs Who Opened the Cosmos to Humanity
Space Dogs History
The Soviets had been launching dogs into space since the early 1950s, using them as living test pilots to study how the body reacts to extreme conditions like weightlessness and G-forces. Why dogs? Because they were small, hardy, and – in the case of strays – already used to harsh environments.
The most famous of these early space dogs was Laika in 1957, the first animal to orbit Earth. Tragically, Laika didn’t survive the journey — a sad chapter in the history of space exploration. But let’s fast-forward to a more uplifting tale.
Later in 1957, under the direction of USSR lead spacecraft designer Sergei Korolev, scientists selected 12 stray dogs and began training them for future spaceflights. The Soviets had a new goal: to prove they could safely send a living creature into orbit and bring it back alive. The intensive training sessions lasted several months and involved teaching the dogs to live in confined spaces, endure extreme acceleration, and eat gelatinous food dispensed automatically. Throughout this time, the training specialists developed close relationships with the dogs, getting to know them very well.
Two of the dogs who performed best in training were Belka ("Whitey") and Strelka ("Little Arrow"), two-and-a-half-year-old female dogs. They were chosen for a one-day flight around Earth on the Sputnik 5 spacecraft.
Belka and Strelka's Flight: Stray Dogs in Space
On August 19, 1960, Sputnik 5 was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome with two dogs on board. During launch, the dogs' pulse and breathing rates increased, but once the spacecraft reached Earth's orbit, Belka and Strelka slowly calmed down. Their condition was closely monitored and analyzed using special devices that measured blood pressure, heart rate, brain activity, and many other parameters. These measurements were taken to protect the dogs and to learn how the stresses of spaceflight would affect humans. The spacecraft was also equipped with a TV camera that transmitted images of the dogs back to Earth.
Curious to see the real footage of Belka and Strelka in action? Check out our video here.
Belka and Strelka were not alone in their capsule, by the way. Sputnik 5 also carried mice, insects, plants, seeds, fungi, and microbial cultures.
Overall, the flight went well. After the stressful launch, the dogs were calm most of the time and enjoyed their meals. According to the monitoring systems, exposure to weightlessness also didn’t bother them much. There was one disturbing moment after the ship orbited the Earth four times when Belka suddenly became anxious and started barking. She was feeling sick for an unknown reason. Due to this incident, scientists limited Yuri Gagarin's flight — the first by a human — to one orbit around the Earth.
One Small Step for Dogkind: The Successful Conclusion of Belka and Strelka's Mission
On August 20, 1960, the Sputnik 5 spacecraft successfully landed after completing 17 orbits around Earth. The dogs Belka and Strelka spent more than 25 hours in space and traveled 700,000 kilometers. After landing, the dogs appeared to be in good health, and medical tests revealed no abnormalities. Thus, Belka and Strelka became the first living creatures to survive an orbital flight.
Several months after the flight, Strelka gave birth to six healthy puppies. One of them, Pushinka ("Fluffy"), was given as a gift to U.S. President John F. Kennedy. After arriving in the U.S., Pushinka settled in the White House and soon had puppies with Charlie, a Welsh terrier who also lived with the Kennedy family. These puppies were jokingly nicknamed "pupniks" in reference to their Soviet mother.
F.A.Q.
What was the first animal in space?
The first animals in space were actually fruit flies, launched by the United States aboard a V-2 rocket in 1947 to study the effects of radiation at high altitudes. They were the real pioneers before larger animals followed. Want to test your space knowledge? Take our quiz on the famous space firsts and meet those who paved the way to the cosmos!
Were Belka and Strelka the first dogs in space?
Belka and Strelka were not the first dogs in space, but they were the first to orbit Earth and return safely. The very first dogs to travel to space were Dezik and Tsygan, two strays from Moscow, launched by the Soviet Union on July 22, 1951. Later, in 1957, Laika became the first dog to orbit Earth, but her mission was not designed for survival.
What was the first cat in space?
The first (and only) cat in space was Félicette, a French stray who was launched by France in 1963. She traveled to space on a suborbital flight, survived the mission, and provided valuable data on brain activity during space travel. However, Félicette's fate after the mission was sad. Read our article to learn more about the first cat in space.
What other animals have been to space?
Quite a few animals have been to space. These include:
- Monkeys (e.g., Albert II, the first primate in space)
- Dogs (Laika, Belka, Strelka, and many more, mostly launched by the Soviet Union)
- The cat Félicette
- Tortoises (the Soviets even sent some to travel around the Moon)
- Insects (including fruit flies, spiders, and bees)
- Fish and jellyfish
- Mice, rats, rabbits, and frogs
These missions helped scientists understand how living organisms respond to microgravity and space conditions.
Was animal testing necessary for the space race?
Though controversial by today’s standards, animal testing was crucial in the early years of space exploration. It allowed scientists to study how spaceflight affected living bodies before risking human lives. The data gathered from these missions, including heart rate, respiration, and survival conditions, directly shaped the safety protocols for human astronauts.
Paws to the Stars: The Final Word on the Space Dogs Who Opened the Cosmos to Humanity
After their historic mission, Belka and Strelka spent the rest of their lives at a Soviet research facility, cared for and celebrated as national treasures. Their journey captured hearts around the world and made a lasting impact on our understanding of space.
And while their achievements may not be as widely celebrated as those of Yuri Gagarin or Neil Armstrong, these brave dogs accomplished something just as vital: they proved that life could endure the harsh conditions of space and return safely to Earth. Their successful flight didn’t just make history — it cleared the path for human space travel and reminded the world that heroes can come on four paws.
