The V-2 missile was the world’s first ballistic missile and the first object to go into space. It was designed in Nazi Germany, and assembled underground by concentration camp prisoners. Though more than 3,000 V-2s were launched, more people were killed building the rocket than those hit by it. The V-2 was not a successful weapon for Germany; however, it marked a breakthrough in technology that propelled the Soviet Union and U.S. into an arms race and into space.