The US was set to launch the first satellite. This was the cold war, and the US government was worried that the USSR would take an overflight as a provocation.

The US was set to launch the first satellite. This was the cold war, and the US government was worried that the USSR would take an overflight as a provocation. The USSR was getting close to launching Sputnik, so the US government decided to let the USSR launch first. That set the precedent that it was OK for overflight as long as it was in space. When the US launched, the USSR could not use it as an excuse. https://www.inventionandtech.com/content/how-america-chose-not-beat-sputnik-space-0 https://www.inventionandtech.com/content/how-america-chose-n...