Silver Ounce 2007 Soviet Space - Sputnik 1, Coin from Mongolia - detailed information

The currency of Mongolia since 1925 has been the tögrög, which currently circulates mostly as banknotes due to the low value of earlier coins and the reluctance of the government to issue large denomination coins; however, the government has authorises many non-circulating legal tender (NCLT) coins to be issued for collector's purposes.

Collector coins are dedicated to historical or general popular culture themes and are often not related to the country itself. Many of them are in standard bullion sizes, including the internationally popular one ounce of silver format.

This coin is part of the Soviet Space series and commemorates Sputnik 1.

Спутник-1 (Sputnik 1) was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space program. It sent a radio signal back to Earth for three weeks before its three silver-zinc batteries ran out, and continued in orbit for two months until aerodynamic drag caused it to fall back into the atmosphere on 4 January 1958.

It was a polished metal sphere 58 cm in diameter with four external radio antennas to broadcast radio pulses. Its radio signal was easily detectable by amateur radio operators, and the 65° orbital inclination made its flight path cover virtually the entire inhabited Earth.