The concept of a spaceship, as we understand it today, began to take shape in the early 20th century. The idea of traveling beyond Earth’s atmosphere was first seriously proposed by scientists and visionaries like Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Robert H. Goddard, and Hermann Oberth. These pioneers laid the groundwork for modern rocketry and space travel.
However, the first actual spaceship, designed to carry humans into space, was developed during the mid-20th century. The Vostok 1, launched by the Soviet Union on April 12, 1961, is often considered the first true spaceship. It carried Yuri Gagarin, the first human to orbit the Earth, marking a significant milestone in space exploration.
In summary, while the idea of spaceships has been around for centuries, the first functional spaceship was invented and launched in the 20th century, specifically in 1961 with the Vostok 1 mission.