10 Kopecks 15 orbits

This piece commemorates Sputnik 1's launch on October 4, 1957 — the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth, completing roughly 1,440 orbits before re-entering the atmosphere in January 1958. The "15 orbits" designation reflects the number of orbits completed during the first day of operation, a figure the Soviet state considered worth commemorating in circulating coinage within the same calendar year as the launch itself.

Struck at the Leningrad Mint, production moved quickly enough that examples entered circulation before the year ended.