The term "Sputnik" is actually the name of the first artificial satellite launched into Earth's orbit by the Soviet Union in 1957. The name itself means "traveling companion" or "fellow traveler" in Russian.
Since then, the term "Sputnik" has become synonymous with Soviet, and later Russian, satellites. It is often used to describe a series of satellites, similar to the way NASA uses the "Explorer" or "Vanguard" prefixes for its satellites.
For example, the Russian "Sputnik" series includes:
* Sputnik 1: The first artificial satellite ever launched.
* Sputnik 2: The first satellite to carry a living organism (a dog named Laika).
* Sputnik 3: The first satellite designed for scientific experiments.
Therefore, "Sputnik" is the most fitting Russian name for a satellite series that could be called "Fellow Traveler" in English.