The US didn't launch the Sputnik, any of them. The sputniks, with Sputnik 1 being the most famous, was launched by Soviet Union, the USSR. Or the Russians if you wish.
Sputnik wasn't American it was Russian. It was launched Oct. 4, 1957. It weighed 184 pounds and a month later they sent a larger satellite in orbit that was 1120 pounds and it carried a dog. By Feb. 5, 1961 32 American satellites were in space.
