Soviet Union, 1957

A satellite orbiting the Earth on a dark blue background.

Illustration of a historical stamp for learning, shown at screen size. Not valid for postage.

How to read it

ПОЧТА СССР at the bottom and a satellite circling the Earth.

Inscription: ПОЧТА СССР · 40 коп.
Meaning: ПОЧТА СССР: “USSR Post”. The text says “The world’s first Soviet artificial Earth satellite”.
Issued by: Soviet Union
Today: 15 countries, including Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan
Year: 1957. Issued 5 November 1957.
Made by: Yevgeny Gundobin (drawing)

Issued a month after Sputnik 1 was launched on 4 October 1957, the date printed at the top.

Russian official signs of postage. A sign of postal payment of the Soviet state. Under Russian law, state symbols and signs (flags, coats of arms, orders, money and the like) are not objects of copyright, and the postal law defines postage stamps as state signs of postal payment. Wikimedia Commons applies the same reading to stamps of the Russian Empire, the RSFSR and the Soviet Union, to which Russia is the legal successor. Applies only to issuers ru and su. Legal sources: Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Art. 1259(6)(2), Federal Law 176-FZ “On Postal Communications”, Art. 2, Wikimedia Commons stamp guidance (community summary, read through a mirror).

Scan: The Soviet Union 1957 CPA 2093 stamp (Launching of First Artificial Earth Satellite. Sputnik 1 encircling Globe) 1200dpi another.jpg on Wikimedia Commons (revision 1272600453), licence templates {{PD-RU-exempt}}. Downloaded 2026-10-19, sha256 a1c265da5cf5…; cropped and cleaned for this site. Facts checked 2026-10-19 against source 1 and source 2. Research record, not legal advice; a human rights review is pending. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.