![]() Soyuz-U launch vehicle | |
Orbital launches | |
---|---|
First | 5 January |
Last | 2 December |
![]() |
On March 29, 1974 Mariner 10 became the first spacecraft to fly by Mercury, that saw a spacecraft for the first and last time in the 20th century.
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload (⚀ = CubeSat) | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
January | |||||||
5 January 01:45 [1] | ![]() | ![]() | NASA | ||||
NASA | Sub-orbital | Aeronomy/Ultraviolet astronomy | 5 January 1974 | Successful | |||
8 January 01:40 [2] | ![]() | ![]() | NASA | ||||
NASA/NRL | Sub-orbital | Aeronomy/Ultraviolet astronomy | 8 January 1974 | Successful | |||
12 January 19:12 [3] | ![]() | ![]() | NASA | ||||
![]() | DFVLR | Sub-orbital | Astronomy | 12 Jan 1974 | Successful | ||
11 January 22:00 [4] | ![]() | ![]() | RVSN | ||||
![]() | RVSN | Sub-orbital | ICBM test | 12 January 1974 | Successful | ||
15 January 20:00 [5] | ![]() | ![]() | NASA | ||||
NASA | Sub-orbital | Solar research | 15 January 1974 | Successful | |||
16 January 02:00 [6] | ![]() | ![]() | ISAS | ||||
ISAS | Sub-orbital | Ionosphere & Solar research | 16 January 1974 | Successful | |||
16 January 17:40 [2] | ![]() | ![]() | NASA | ||||
NASA | Sub-orbital | Aeronomy | 16 January 1974 | Successful | |||
16 January 18:13 [7] | ![]() | ![]() | NASA | ||||
NASA | Sub-orbital | Ionosphere research | 16 January 1974 | Successful | |||
16 January [2] 01:40 | ![]() | ![]() | NASA | ||||
NASA | Sub-orbital | Solar research | 16 January 1974 | Successful | |||
17 January 02:37 [2] | ![]() | ![]() | NASA | ||||
NASA/NRL | Sub-orbital | Plasma research | 17 January 1974 | Successful | |||
17 January 10:07 [8] | ![]() | ![]() | VKS | ||||
![]() | MOM | LEO | Navigation | In orbit | Successful | ||
19 January 01:39 [9] | ![]() | ![]() | UK Ministry of Defence | ||||
![]() | UK MOD | Intended: GEO Achieved: LEO | Comms | 25 January 1974 | Failure | ||
Placed in incorrect orbit due to carrier rocket malfunction | |||||||
19 January 11:34 | ![]() | ![]() | RAE | ||||
RAE | Sub-orbital | Ionosphere research | 19 January 1974 | Success | |||
19 January | ![]() | ![]() | RVSN | ||||
POR | RVSN | Sub-orbital | ICBM Test | 20 January 1974 | Success | ||
21 January 02:39 | ![]() | ![]() | NASA | ||||
NASA | Sub-orbital | Plasma research | 21 January 1974 | Success | |||
21 January 11:30 | ![]() | ![]() | RAE | ||||
RAE | Sub-orbital | Ionosphere research | 21 January 1974 | Success | |||
22 January 02:41 | ![]() | ![]() | NASA | ||||
NASA | Sub-orbital | Plasma research | 22 January 1974 | Success | |||
22 January 11:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ISAS | ||||
ISAS | Sub-orbital | X-ray astronomy | 22 January 1974 | Success | |||
22 January 01:40 | ![]() | ![]() | NASA | ||||
NASA/NRL | Sub-orbital | Solar research | 22 January 1974 | Successful | |||
22 January 01:40 | ![]() | ![]() | USAF | ||||
USAF | Sub-orbital | ICBM test | 22 January 1974 | Successful | |||
23 January 11:30 | ![]() | ![]() | RAE | ||||
RAE | Sub-orbital | Ionosphere research | 23 January 1974 | Success | |||
23 January 12:50 | ![]() | ![]() | NRC | ||||
NRC | Sub-orbital | Aeronomy/Ionosphere/Aurora research | 23 January 1974 | Success | |||
24 January 15:00 | ![]() | ![]() | MOM | ||||
![]() | MOM | LEO | Recon | 5 February 1974 | Success | ||
25 January 11:30 | ![]() | ![]() | RAE | ||||
RAE | Sub-orbital | Ionosphere research | 25 January 1974 | Success | |||
25 January | ![]() | ![]() | RVSN | ||||
RVSN | Sub-orbital | ICBM test | 25 January 1974 | Success | |||
26 January | ![]() | ![]() | USAF | ||||
GT-24GB-1 | USAF | Sub-orbital | ICBM test | 26 January 1974 | Success | ||
26 January | ![]() | ![]() | RVSN | ||||
GT-24GB-1 | RVSN | Sub-orbital | ICBM test | 26 January 1974 | Success | ||
27 January 19:08 | ![]() | ![]() | NASA | ||||
Ferdinand 35 (Polar 3) | NDRE | Sub-orbital | Aurora research | 27 January 1974 | Success | ||
30 January 11:00 | ![]() | ![]() | MOM | ||||
![]() | MOM | LEO | Aurora research | 13 February 1974 | Success | ||
30 January | ![]() | ![]() | DMA | ||||
DMA | Sub-orbital | Aurora research | 30 January 1974 | Success | |||
February | |||||||
1 February 06:30 | ![]() | ![]() | NADSA | ||||
![]() | NASDA | Sub-orbital | Test flight | 1 February 1974 | Successful | ||
4 February 14:40 | ![]() | ![]() | BAC | ||||
BAC | Sub-orbital | Astronomy | 4 February 1974 | Successful | |||
4 February | ![]() | ![]() | RVSN | ||||
RVSN | Sub-orbital | ICBM test | 4 February 1974 | Successful | |||
6 February 00:34 | ![]() | ![]() | VKS | ||||
![]() | VKS | LEO | ELINT | 3 October 1980 | Successful | ||
6 February 22:48 | ![]() | ![]() | DLR | ||||
DLR | Sub-orbital | Aurora research (DLR A-BB4-63 Auroral mission) | 6 February 1974 | Successful | |||
6 February | ![]() | ![]() | US Navy | ||||
US Navy | Sub-orbital | SLBM test | 6 February 1974 | Successful | |||
6 February | ![]() | ![]() | US Navy | ||||
US Navy | Sub-orbital | SLBM test | 6 February 1974 | Successful | |||
9 February 02:10 | ![]() | ![]() | NASA | ||||
NASA | Sub-orbital | Astronomy | 9 February 1974 | Successful | |||
9 February 06:30 | ![]() | ![]() | NASDA | ||||
NASDA | Sub-orbital | Test flight | 9 February 1974 | Successful | |||
11 February 13:48 | ![]() | ![]() | NASA | ||||
Boilerplate | NASA | Intended: GSO | Test carrier rocket | 12 February 1974 | Failure | ||
![]() | NASA | Intended: GSO | Plasma research | 12 February 1974 | Failure | ||
Upper stage turbopump malfunction | |||||||
18 February | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() ![]() | CRS / NASA | Low Earth | Atmospheric | In orbit | Successful | ||
March | |||||||
April | |||||||
May | |||||||
June | |||||||
July | |||||||
3 July | ![]() | ![]() | |||||
![]() | LEO, docked to Salyut 3 | Crewed orbital flight | 19 July 1974 | Successful | |||
16 July | ![]() | ![]() | NASA | ||||
![]() | NASA | ||||||
August | |||||||
28 August 10:08 | ![]() | ![]() | |||||
![]() | LEO Plan: Dock to Salyut 3 | Crewed orbital flight | 28 August 1974 | Failure | |||
Failed to dock with Salyut 3 | |||||||
September | |||||||
October | |||||||
15 October 07:47 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() ![]() | SERC / NASA | Low Earth | X-ray astronomy | 14 March 1980 | Successful | ||
November | |||||||
December | |||||||
2 December 15:00 | ![]() | ![]() | |||||
![]() | LEO | Crewed orbital flight | 8 December 1974 | Successful | |||
First successful crewed use of Soyuz-U launch vehicle | |||||||
10 December 07:11:01 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() ![]() | NASA / DFVLR | Heliocentric | Solar probe | In orbit | Successful | ||
Achieved a closest approach to the Sun of 46.5 million km (0.31 AU) in February 1975, the closest approach achieved by an artificial satellite at that point; it was succeeded later by Helios-B. | |||||||
Date (GMT) | Spacecraft | Event | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
5 February | Mariner 10 | Flyby of Venus | Gravity assist; Closest approach: 5,768 kilometres (3,584 mi) |
10 February | Mars 4 | Flyby of Mars | Closest approach: 2,200 kilometres (1,400 mi) (orbiter mission) |
12 February | Mars 5 | Areocentric orbit injection | |
9 March | Mars 7 | Lander missed mars by 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) | |
12 March | Mars 6 | Lander lost a few seconds before anticipated landing | |
29 March | Mariner 10 | 1st flyby of Mercury | Closest approach: 703 kilometres (437 mi) |
2 June | Luna 22 | Selenocentric orbit injection | Photographic mission |
21 September | Mariner 10 | 2nd flyby of Mercury | Closest approach: 48,069 kilometres (29,869 mi) |
2 November | Luna 23 | Landed rough at Mare Crisium, the Moon | Sample return mission |
3 December | Pioneer 11 | Flyby of Jupiter | Gravity assist; Closest approach: 42,960 kilometres (26,690 mi) |
Start Date/Time | Duration | End Time | Spacecraft | Crew | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 February 15:19 | 5 hours 19 minutes | 20:38 | Skylab SLM-3 | ![]() ![]() | Retrieved the final film from the solar observatory and photographed Kohoutek using an electronographic camera. |
This is the timeline of known spaceflights, both crewed and uncrewed, sorted chronologically by launch date. Owing to its large size, the timeline is split into smaller articles, one for each year since 1951. There is a separate list for all flights that occurred before 1951.
The year 1966 saw the peak and the end of the Gemini program. The program proved that docking in space and human EVA's could be done safely. It saw the first launch of the Saturn IB rocket, an important step in the Apollo program, and the launch of Luna 9, the first spacecraft to make a soft landing on a celestial object.
The year 1967 in spaceflight saw the most orbital launches of the 20th century and more than any other year until 2021, including that of the first Australian satellite, WRESAT, which was launched from the Woomera Test Range atop an American Sparta rocket. The United States National Space Science Data Center catalogued 172 spacecraft placed into orbit by launches which occurred in 1967.
Japan and China each launched their first satellites in 1970, bringing the total number of nations with independent launch capability to five.
The first orbital flight of an artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched in October 1957, by the Soviet Union. In November, the second orbital flight took place. The Soviet Union launched the first animal to orbit the Earth, a dog, Laika, who died in orbit a few hours after launch.
Luna 1 was the first spacecraft to leave the gravitational influence of Earth. Also in 1959, Luna 2 was the first spacecraft to reach the surface of another celestial body, impacting the Moon, and Luna 3 returned the first images of the far side of the Moon.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 2000 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
The following is an outline of 1983 in spaceflight.
This is a list of spaceflight related events which occurred in 1956.
The following is an outline of 1993 in spaceflight.
The following is an outline of 1992 in spaceflight.
In 1975 several notable events happened in spaceflight such as the launch and arrival at Venus of Venera 9 and 10, the launch to Mars of the Viking orbiter/landers missions, the joint Apollo–Soyuz Test Project, and the launch of satellite Aryabhatta.
1978 saw the launch of the Pioneer Venus missions launched by the United States, on 20 May and 8 August. The Pioneer Venus Multiprobe landed four spacecraft on the planet, one of which transmitted data for 67 minutes before being destroyed by atmospheric pressure. ISEE-C, which was launched on 8 December, flew past comet 21P/Giacobini–Zinner in 1985, and Halley's Comet in 1986.
The following is an outline of 1976 in spaceflight.
This is a list of spaceflights launched between July and September 1964. For launches in the rest of the year, see 1964 in spaceflight (January–March), 1964 in spaceflight (April–June) and 1964 in spaceflight (October–December). For an overview of the whole year, see 1964 in spaceflight.
This is a list of spaceflights launched between January and June 1961. For launches between July and December, see 1961 in spaceflight (July–December). For an overview of the whole year, see 1961 in spaceflight.
This is a list of spaceflights launched between July and December 1961. For launches between January and June, see 1961 in spaceflight (January–June). For an overview of the whole year, see 1961 in spaceflight.
This article documents expected notable spaceflight events during the 2020s.
This article needs additional citations for verification .(April 2023) |