 The launch escape system fires following the failed launch of Mercury-Redstone 1 | |
| Orbital launches | |
|---|---|
| First | 4 February |
| Last | 22 December |
| Total | 38 |
| Successes | 19 |
| Failures | 19 |
| Partial failures | 0 |
| Catalogued | 19 |
| National firsts | |
| Spaceflight |  Japan  China |
| Rockets | |
| Maiden flights | Atlas-Agena Molniya Scout Thor DM-18 Able-IV Thor DM-21 Ablestar Thor DM-21 Agena-B Thor DM-19 Delta Vostok-L Vostok-K |
| Retirements | Atlas-Able Luna Thor-Able Thor DM-18 Agena-A Vostok-L |
 |
| |||||
| Orbital launch attempts by country in 1960 | ||||||
| Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Soviet Union | 9 | 3 | 6 | ||
 United States | 29 | 16 | 13 | 0 |
| Rocket | Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlas-Able | United States | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | Retired |
| Atlas LV-3A Agena-A | United States | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | Maiden flight |
| Juno II | United States | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Luna 8K72 | Soviet Union | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | Retired |
| Molniya 8K78 | Soviet Union | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | Maiden flight |
| Scout X-1 | United States | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Maiden flight |
| Thor DM-18 Able-II | United States | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Retired |
| Thor DM-18 Able-IV | United States | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Only flight |
| Thor DM-21 Ablestar | United States | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | Maiden flight |
| Thor DM-18 Agena-A | United States | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | Retired |
| Thor DM-21 Agena-B | United States | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | Maiden flight |
| Thor DM-19 Delta | United States | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Maiden flight |
| Vostok-L 8K72 | Soviet Union | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Only flights |
| Vostok-K 8K72K | Soviet Union | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Maiden flight |
| Orbital regime | Launches | Successes | Failures | Accidentally Achieved | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Earth | 26 | 16 | 10 | 0 | |
| Medium Earth | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| High Earth | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Including Highly elliptical orbits |
| Heliocentric | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
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.
Explorer 1 was the first American satellite to reach orbit on 31 January 1958.
1972 saw humanity's last crewed mission to the Moon of the 20th century, Apollo 17.
1973 saw the launch of the first American Space station known as Skylab on a Saturn rocket.
The following is an outline of 1981 in spaceflight.
The following is an outline of 1983 in spaceflight.
The following is an outline of 1985 in spaceflight.
The year 1986 saw the destruction of Space Shuttle Challenger shortly after lift-off, killing all seven aboard, the first in-flight deaths of American astronauts. This accident followed the successful flight of Columbia just weeks earlier, and dealt a major setback to the U.S. crewed space program, suspending the Shuttle program for 32 months.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 1994 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
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.
The following is an outline of 1989 in spaceflight.
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.
The following is an outline of 1979 in spaceflight.
The following is an outline of 1980 in spaceflight.
The following is an outline of 1987 in spaceflight.
The following is an outline of 1988 in spaceflight.
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations .(March 2022) |
