<P> The Space Race began on August 2 , 1955 , when the Soviet Union responded to the US announcement four days earlier of intent to launch artificial satellites for the International Geophysical Year , by declaring they would also launch a satellite `` in the near future '' . The Soviet Union beat the US to this , with the October 4 , 1957 , orbiting of Sputnik 1 , and later beat the US to the first human in space , Yuri Gagarin , on April 12 , 1961 . The `` race '' peaked with the July 20 , 1969 , US landing of the first humans on the Moon with Apollo 11 . The USSR tried but failed crewed lunar missions , and eventually canceled them and concentrated on Earth orbital space stations . </P>
<P> The Space Race began on August 2 , 1955 , when the Soviet Union responded to the US announcement four days earlier of intent to launch artificial satellites for the International Geophysical Year , by declaring they would also launch a satellite `` in the near future '' . The Soviet Union beat the US to this , with the October 4 , 1957 , orbiting of Sputnik 1 , and later beat the US to the first human in space , Yuri Gagarin , on April 12 , 1961 . The `` race '' peaked with the July 20 , 1969 , US landing of the first humans on the Moon with Apollo 11 . The USSR tried but failed crewed lunar missions , and eventually canceled them and concentrated on Earth orbital space stations . </P>
who was leading the space race in april of 1961
who was leading the space race in april of 1961
The Soviet Union
The Soviet Union