The satellite shell is made of two aluminum alloy hemispherical shells which are butted and sealed, and filled with nitrogen. Battery pack, radio transmitter and other instruments and equipment are all installed in the housing. There are four whip antennas outside the satellite, two of which are 2.4m long and two are 2.9m long. Spaceborne radio transmitters use frequencies of 20.005 MHz and 40.002 MHz to transmit radio signals.
This satellite initiated the space age of mankind. The satellite was launched by a satellite launch vehicle at Baikonur launch site on June 4, 1957 and 10. It is mainly used to obtain the measurement data of the upper total density and radio ionospheric transmission. The satellite ran in orbit for 2 1 day and then burned in the earth's atmosphere.