The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word SPUTNIK
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
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More clues leading to the result SPUTNIK
- Backwards family with sheep triggered the space race
- It travels round place in sink with an internal twist
- A 9’s unusual input into cover for schoolbook
- Invest in a film after the king and knight trade places to get a Russian satellite
- Nut kips around a spacecraft
- Satellite placed, outer skin damaged
- Russian flier in second place ... family flipped
- High-flier‘s position? Family’s taken aback about that
- Satellite from southern place over northern relative
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "triggered the space race/triggered the space race" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case triggered the space race/triggered the space race = sputnik.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does SPUTNIK mean?
SPUTNIK noun- Any of a series of Soviet robotic space satellites, especially the first one in 1957.
- Any artificial satellite.