1959 in spaceflight

1959 in spaceflight

Orbital launches
First	2 January
Last	26 November
Total	23
Successes	10
Failures	11
Partial failures	2
Catalogued	14
Rockets
Maiden flights	Thor-Agena Atlas-Able Atlas D (suborbital test)
Retirements	Vanguard
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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.

1959 in spaceflight

Timeline of spaceflight ←  1958 1960  →

Orbital and suborbital launches

Main articles: 1959 in spaceflight (January–June) and 1959 in spaceflight (July–December)

Deep Space Rendezvous

Date (GMT)	Spacecraft	Event	Remarks
4 January	Luna 1	First Lunar flyby	Failed impactor, closest approach: 6,000 kilometres (3,700 mi)
4 March	Pioneer 4	Lunar flyby	Closest approach: 60,200 kilometres (37,400 mi)
14 September	Luna 2	First Lunar impact	Landed in Mare Imbrium , first spacecraft to reach the surface of a celestial body
6 October	Luna 3	Lunar flyby	First Circumlunar flight, returned 29 pictures including first images of the far side of the Moon; closest approach 6,200 kilometres (3,900 mi)

Orbital launch summary

By country

		Soviet Union   United States
Orbital launch attempts by country in 1959

Country	Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures	Remarks
Soviet Union	4	2	1	1
United States	19	9	9	1

By rocket

Rocket	Country	Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures	Remarks
Atlas-Able	United States	1	0	1	0	Maiden flight
Juno II	United States	4	1	2	1
Luna 8K72	Soviet Union	4	2	1	1
Thor DM-18 Agena-A	United States	8	5	3	0	Maiden flight
Thor DM-18 Able-II	United States	1	0	1	0
Thor DM-18 Able-III	United States	1	1	0	0
Vanguard	United States	4	2	2	0	Final flight

By orbit

Orbital regime	Launches	Successes	Failures	Accidentally Achieved	Remarks
Low Earth	12	7	5	0
Medium Earth	4	1	3	0
High Earth	2	2	0	0	Including Highly elliptical orbits
Heliocentric	5	3	2	0

See also

• Timeline of spaceflight

References

• Bergin, Chris. "NASASpaceFlight.com".
• Clark, Stephen. "Spaceflight Now".
• Kelso, T.S. "Satellite Catalog (SATCAT)". CelesTrak.
• Krebs, Gunter. "Chronology of Space Launches".
• Kyle, Ed. "Space Launch Report". Archived from the original on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
• McDowell, Jonathan. "GCAT Orbital Launch Log".
• Pietrobon, Steven. "Steven Pietrobon's Space Archive".
• Wade, Mark. "Encyclopedia Astronautica".
• Webb, Brian. "Southwest Space Archive".
• Zak, Anatoly. "Russian Space Web".
• "ISS Calendar". Spaceflight 101.
• "NSSDCA Master Catalog". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
• "Хроника освоения космоса" [Chronicle of space exploration]. CosmoWorld (in Russian).
• "Rocket Launch Manifest". Next Spaceflight.

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