Sputnik launchers

Latest answer — July 30, 2026

4 Down

They were the ones sending the first dogged little traveler into orbit 🚀

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

LA Times Crossword

This clue's Thursday, July 30, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Thompson of "Creed"
  2. 6One crunch, e.g.
  3. 9Accord, for one
  4. 14Dined on, quaintly
  5. 15Big bird
  6. 16Año Nuevo month
  7. 17Car named for a California beach city
  8. 20South American monkey
  9. 21In and of itself
  10. 22Toolbar image
  11. 23Carefully considering something
  12. 26Alien-seeking field: Abbr.
  13. 27Pin number?
  14. 28Loch with a legend
  15. 29Mach 1 breaker
  16. 31Author Rand
  17. 32Catch a few winks
  18. 35Cereal-based snack
  19. 39With 59-Down, "Tommy" band
  20. 42Land measure
  21. 44Strong suit?
  22. 45Due, as an apology
  23. 46Home of the Frontier Days rodeo
  24. 49"__ hoping!"
  25. 50Nav. rank
  26. 51__-nez
  27. 52West Texas city
  28. 54Having raised surfaces, as teeth
  29. 55California restaurant opened by Alice Waters in 1971
  30. 59"Hold your horses!"
  31. 61Yank at
  32. 62Pet food brand
  33. 65Like some cheese
  34. 66Revise, as prose
  35. 67Gumbo vegetable
  36. 68Shoppe adjective
  37. 69"Mighty" batter who strikes out in a classic poem
  38. 70Tiny amt. of time

Down

  1. 1Social finesse
  2. 2Standards of right and wrong
  3. 3Stew
  4. 4Sputnik launchers
  5. 5Chad's continent: Abbr.
  6. 6Cave
  7. 7Come to light
  8. 8Antes up
  9. 9Zooplankton habitat
  10. 10Jazz up
  11. 11Frees of frost
  12. 12Leafy retreats
  13. 13Gin or tonic
  14. 18Nail polish brand
  15. 19Came together
  16. 24Cheesehead's st.
  17. 25Semiprecious stone with black-and-white bands
  18. 30Holier-__-thou
  19. 31Well-ventilated
  20. 32__ cheese
  21. 33Was sore
  22. 34Prepare for later broadcast
  23. 36Coastal raptor
  24. 37Marvel Comics mutants
  25. 38Does lawn work
  26. 39Cult classic of 1990s TV
  27. 40Therefore
  28. 41"O, turn thy __ sword another way; / Strike those that hurt, and hurt not those that help": "Henry VI, Part 1"
  29. 43Sun visor
  30. 45Sin of __
  31. 47To be, in Latin
  32. 48Cataloged work
  33. 53Pyramid builders of Mexico
  34. 54Supermodel Crawford
  35. 56Big cat
  36. 57Seemingly forever
  37. 58Zip
  38. 59See 39-Across
  39. 60Shakespearean prince
  40. 63Army fare, briefly
  41. 64Cul-de-__

The answer to “Sputnik launchers” in the LA Times crossword is SOVIETS — a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the LA Times crossword on July 30, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 4-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Sputnik launchers” answer

SOVIETS (7 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is SOVIETS.

Why the answer is SOVIETS

They were the ones sending the first dogged little traveler into orbit 🚀

What does SOVIETS mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of SOVIETS is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • an elected local, district, or national council in the former Soviet Union
  • a citizen of the former Soviet Union

When else has “Sputnik launchers” appeared?

LA Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

July 30, 2026 (most recent) → SOVIETS. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Sputnik launchers”?

The answer is SOVIETS, a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the LA Times crossword on July 30, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Sputnik launchers”?

7 letters: SOVIETS.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the LA Times crossword on July 30, 2026 (a Thursday puzzle), at 4-Down.

Can “Sputnik launchers” have a different answer?

Yes — LA Times sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's LA Times answers?

The full grid for July 30, 2026 is on the LA Times answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

LA Times Crossword is published by Los Angeles Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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