However, by that time, the Soviet Union had already placed the Sputnik 1 satellite into orbit, and so project Vanguard was more or less forced to launch its own satellite as soon as possible.
V tom čase však Sovietsky zväz už mal na obežnej dráhe svoj Sputnik 1, takže program Vanguard bol viac-menej tlačený do čo najskoršieho vypustenia družice na orbitu.