Soon after, on January 31, 1958, the United States launched its answer to Sputnik, Explorer 1. It also later became the first nation to walk on the moon in 1969, with Apollo 11, flown by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
These two launches marked the beginning of the era of space exploration. This was one of the only aspects of the Cold War which led to increased cooperation, on projects such as the International Space Station.