The first animal sent into orbit was a dog named Laika. Laika was launched aboard the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 on November 3, 1957. This mission marked a significant milestone in space exploration, as Laika became the first living creature to orbit the Earth. Unfortunately, the mission was not designed for her safe return, and Laika died a few hours after launch due to overheating. Despite this tragedy, Laika's journey provided valuable data that contributed to future human spaceflight missions, paving the way for advancements in space exploration and our understanding of living conditions in space.