But just like von Braun in America, Korolev was fascinated by the possibility of exploring space, and he knew that the R-7 was also capable of carrying a small payload into space. In May 1954, he sent a secret document, Report on an artificial Satellite of the Earth, to the Soviet government. This report pointed out that American scientists were already interested in space and recommended using the R-7 to launch a small satellite into Earth’s orbit.
