The Space Race was a period of competition between the United States and the Soviet Union over who could conquer space exploration first. It was a series of competitive technology demonstrations, aiming to show superiority in spaceflight. The Space Race began as an arms race between the respective militaries of the United States and the Soviet Union, with both countries locked in a race to have the most superior technology. Following the end of World War II, a bitter ideological conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union known as the Cold War began, and the battle to conquer the exploration of space first became another area of conflict. The first aim of this "space race" was the launching of an unmanned object, a satellite, which could successfully orbit Earth. The Space Race brought pioneering launches of artificial satellites, robotic space probes to the Moon, Venus, and Mars, and human spaceflight in low Earth orbit and ultimately to the Moon. The Space Race became a symbol of the broad ideological and political contest between two rival world powers. The impact of the Space Race is irrefutable, as it led to the development of powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and advanced technology.