Why were the soviets proud of sputnik 1

The Soviet Government was proud of the launch because they were the first to send anything into space which could be used. The Soviet Government would later send a dog and human into space but the Sputnik 1 itself had stroked terror into the Americans since they considered that it could be used for spying on the American military action and bases.

When the Soviets began using Sputnik in their propaganda, they emphasized pride in the achievement of Soviet technology, arguing that it demonstrated the Soviets' superiority over the West.

Explanation:

I Googled it.