What was the event that started the Space Race?

the Mercury mission

the Sputnik launch

the Apollo program

the moon landing

the sputnik launch because american's feared that it was a Russian weapon so the american government started projects to beat Russia to space

The Sputnik launch started the Space Race. Option B is correct.

The Space Race Begins in 1957 when the U. S. and the Soviet Union were fighting in the Cold War. The Soviet Union launched the world's first satellite, Sputnik. In order to avoid Soviet military control of space, the Americans quickly ready a rocket.

he world's first artificial satellite was about the size of a beach ball, about 23 inches diameter and weighing less than 190 pounds,