alternatehistory.com

IOTL, of course, the first satellite ever launched into space was Sputnik 1, in 1957. However, the US had actually been studying the possibility of launching a satellite for some purpose for a number of years, since 1946 in fact, when (what would become) RAND published a report on the idea. It did not, though, start an actual program into launching satellites until 1955, with one public project (Vanguard) and one secret project (involving, significantly, Lockheed, and focused on spy satellites).

Suppose, however, that that was not true. Suppose that the Air Force (well, the Army Air Forces), the Department of Defense, or at any rate the Truman administration started a satellite launch program in 1946 instead. (Speculation on why they would do such a thing would be appreciated--my guess is that the most likely scenario is deciding that ICBMs, not supersonic cruise missiles, are the best way forward for an unmanned nuclear launch capability, as they indeed proved to be). How soon could they have developed and launched a satellite, and what would the repercussions of that be?
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