<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 cancelled 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 cancelled them and concentrated on Earth orbital space stations . </P>
when did the space race start and finish
when did the space race start and finish
August 2 , 1955 July 20 , 1969
August 2 , 1955 July 20 , 1969