 | This timeline of spaceflight may require cleanup to ensure consistency with other timeline of spaceflight articles. See Wikipedia:WikiProject Spaceflight/Timeline of spaceflight working group for guidelines on how to improve the article. Details Concerns have been raised that:
|  |
| Rockets | |
|---|---|
| Maiden flights | Atlas H Space Shuttle Challenger |
| Retirements | Atlas-Centaur SLV-3D |
| Crewed flights | |
| Orbital | 6 |
| Total travellers | 25 |
The following is an outline of 1983 in spaceflight.
 |
| Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payload (⚀ = CubeSat) | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
| Remarks | |||||||
January | |||||||
| 20 January 17:26 |  Vostok-2M | Plesetsk Site 16/2 | | ||||
| Kosmos 1437 (Tselina-D 39) | Low Earth | ELINT | 4 January 2022 00:04 | Successful | |||
February | |||||||
| 9 February 13:47 |  Atlas H | Vandenberg SLC-3E | | ||||
| OPS-0252 (NOSS 5) | US Navy | Low Earth | SIGINT | In orbit | Successful | ||
| Maiden flight of Atlas H | |||||||
March | |||||||
| 2 March 09:37 | Proton-K | Baikonur Site 200/39 | | ||||
| Kosmos 1443 (TKS-3) FGB | Low Earth (Salyut 7) | Logistics | 19 September 00:28 | Successful | |||
| Kosmos-1443 (TKS-3) VA | Low Earth (Salyut 7) | Sample return | 23 August | Successful | |||
| 28 March 15:52 | Atlas E/Star-37S-ISS | Vandenberg SLC-3W | | ||||
| NOAA-8 (NOAA-E) | NOAA | Sun-synchronous | Meteorology | In orbit | Spacecraft failure | ||
| Spacecraft failed in June 1984 [1] | |||||||
April | |||||||
| 4 April 18:30 | Space Shuttle Challenger | Kennedy LC-39A | United Space Alliance | ||||
| STS-6 | NASA | Low Earth | Satellite deployment | 9 April 18:53 | Successful | ||
| TDRS-1 (TDRS-A) | NASA | Geostationary | Communications | In orbit | Operational | ||
| Crewed orbital flight with four astronauts; Maiden flight of Space Shuttle Challenger | |||||||
| 15 April 18:45 | Titan 24B | Vandenberg SLC-4W | | ||||
| OPS-2925 (KH-8-53) | NRO | Sun-synchronous | Reconnaissance | 21 August | Successful | ||
| 20 April 13:10 | Soyuz-U | Baikonur Site 1/5 | | ||||
| Soyuz T-8 | Low Earth Planned: Docked to Salyut 7 | Salyut 7 EO-2 | 22 April 13:28 | Docking failure | |||
| Crewed orbital flight with three cosmonauts; Failed to dock with Salyut 7 | |||||||
May | |||||||
| 19 May 22:26 | Atlas-Centaur SLV-3D | Cape Canaveral LC-36A | | ||||
 Intelsat 506 | Intelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
| Final flight of Atlas-Centaur SLV-3D | |||||||
June | |||||||
| 9 June 23:23 | Atlas H | Vandenberg SLC-3E | | ||||
| OPS-6432 (NOSS 6) | US Navy | Low Earth | SIGINT | In orbit | Successful | ||
| 16 June 11:59 |  Ariane 1 |  Kourou ELA | CNES | ||||
| Eutelsat 1F1 | Eutelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
 Oscar 10 | AMSAT | Geosynchronous transfer | Amateur radio | In orbit | Successful | ||
| Eutelsat 1F1 retired in 1996 | |||||||
| 18 June 11:33 | Space Shuttle Challenger | Kennedy LC-39A | United Space Alliance | ||||
| STS-7 | NASA | Low Earth | Satellite deployment | 24 June 14:56 | Successful | ||
 Anik C2 | Telesat Canada | Current: Graveyard Operational: Geostationary | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
 Palapa B1 | Telkom Indonesia | Geostationary | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
| SPAS-I | NASA | Low Earth (Challenger) | Microgravity research | 24 June 14:56 | Successful | ||
| OSTA-2 | NASA | Low Earth (Challenger) | Scientific experiments | 24 June 14:56 | Successful | ||
| Crewed orbital flight with five astronauts; including the first female American astronaut, Sally Ride Anik C2 retired 7 January 1998 | |||||||
| 20 June 18:45 | Titan 34D | Vandenberg SLC-4E | | ||||
| OPS-0721 (KH-9-18) | NRO | Sun-synchronous | Reconnaissance | 21 March 1984 | Successful | ||
| OPS-3899 (SSF-C-7) | NRO | Sun-synchronous | ELINT | In orbit | Successful | ||
| 27 June 09:12 | Soyuz-U | Baikonur Site 1/5 | | ||||
| Soyuz T-9 | Low Earth (Salyut 7) | Salyut 7 EO-2 | 23 November 19:58 | Successful | |||
| Crewed orbital flight with two cosmonauts | |||||||
July | |||||||
| 14 July 10:21 | Atlas E/SGS-2 | Vandenberg SLC-3W | | ||||
| GPS-8 | US Air Force | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Successful | ||
| 31 July 15:41 | Titan 34B | Vandenberg SLC-4W | | ||||
| OPS-7304 (Jumpseat 7) | NRO | Molniya | SIGINT | In orbit | Successful | ||
August | |||||||
| 17 August 12:08 | Soyuz-U | Baikonur Site 1/5 | | ||||
| Progress 17 | Low Earth (Salyut 7) | Logistics | 17 September 23:43 | Successful | |||
| 30 August 06:32 | Space Shuttle Challenger | Kennedy LC-39A | United Space Alliance | ||||
| STS-8 | NASA | Low Earth | Satellite deployment | 5 September 07:40 | Successful | ||
 INSAT 1B | ISRO | Geostationary | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
| Payload Flight Test Article | NASA | Low Earth (Challenger) | Payload compatibility testing | 5 September 07:40 | Successful | ||
| Crewed orbital flight with five astronauts | |||||||
October | |||||||
| 19 October 00:45 | Ariane 1 | Kourou ELA | CNES | ||||
| Intelsat 507 | Intelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
| 20 October 09:59 | Soyuz-U | Baikonur | | ||||
| Progress 18 | Low Earth (Salyut 7) | Logistics | 16 November 04:18 | Successful | |||
November | |||||||
| 18 November 06:32 | Atlas E/Star-37S-ISS | Vandenberg SLC-3W | | ||||
| DMSP 5D-2 F7 | US Air Force | Sun-synchronous | Meteorology | In orbit | Successful | ||
| 28 November 16:00 | Space Shuttle Columbia | Kennedy LC-39A | United Space Alliance | ||||
| STS-9 | NASA | Low Earth | Microgravity research | 8 December 23:47 | Successful | ||
| Spacelab Long Module 1 | NASA/ESRO | Low Earth (Columbia) | Microgravity research | ||||
| Crewed orbital flight with six astronauts; Maiden flight of Spacelab Long Module | |||||||
| Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
| Remarks | |||||||
January-March | |||||||
| 7 February 08:44 | Minuteman 1B | Vandenberg AFB, LF-06 | US Air Force | ||||
| Reentry vehicle | USAF | Suborbital | ABM target | 7 February | Successful | ||
| Target for HOE 1, was not intercepted. | |||||||
| 7 February 09:10 | HOE | HOE 1 | Meck Island, Kwajalein Missile Range | US Air Force | |||
| HOE 1 | USAF | Suborbital | ABM test | 7 February | Spacecraft failure | ||
| Failed to intercept the target. | |||||||
April-June | |||||||
| 28 May | Minuteman 1B | Vandenberg AFB, LF-03 | US Air Force | ||||
| Reentry vehicle | USAF | Suborbital | ABM target | 28 May | Successful | ||
| Target for HOE 2, was not intercepted. | |||||||
| 28 May | HOE | HOE 2 | Meck Island, Kwajalein Missile Range | US Air Force | |||
| HOE 2 | USAF | Suborbital | ABM test | 28 May | Spacecraft failure | ||
| Failed to intercept the target. | |||||||
July-September | |||||||
October-December | |||||||
| 15 December | Minuteman 1B | Vandenberg AFB, LF-03 | US Air Force | ||||
| Reentry vehicle | USAF | Suborbital | ABM target | 15 December | Successful | ||
| Target for HOE, was not intercepted. | |||||||
| 15 December | HOE | HOE 3 | Meck Island, Kwajalein Missile Range | US Air Force | |||
| HOE 3 | USAF | Suborbital | ABM test | 15 December | Spacecraft failure | ||
| Failed to intercept the target. | |||||||
| Date (GMT) | Spacecraft | Event | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 October | Venera 15 | Entered Cytherean orbit | Radar mapper mission |
| 14 October | Venera 16 | Entered Cytherean orbit | Radar mapper mission |
| 21 October | ISEE-3/ICE | 4th flyby of the Moon | Closest approach: 17,440 kilometres (10,840 mi) |
| 22 December | ISEE-3/ICE | 5th flyby of the Moon | Closest approach: 120 kilometres (75 mi) |
| Start Date/Time | Duration | End Time | Spacecraft | Crew | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 April 21:05 | 4 hours 10 minutes | 8 April 01:15 | STS-6 ( Challenger) | Story Musgrave Donald H. Peterson | Test spacesuits and tools for future space construction. [2] First spacewalk from a Space Shuttle. [3] |
| 1 November 04:47 | 2 hours 50 minutes | 07:36 | Salyut 7 EO-2 | Vladimir Lyakhov Aleksandr Aleksandrov | Installed a new solar panel to increase the station's electrical output. |
| 3 November 03:47 | 2 hours 55 minutes | 06:42 | Salyut 7 EO-2 | Vladimir Lyakhov Aleksandr Aleksandrov | Installed a second new solar panel, increasing electrical output by 50%. |
The United States National Space Science Data Center catalogued 157 spacecraft placed into orbit by launches which occurred in 1968. The first crewed Apollo missions occurred in 1968. It was also the year in which Earth lifeforms first left low Earth orbit, during the successful Zond 5 mission to the Moon and the Zond 6 lunar mission which crashed upon return, and the year that humans first left low Earth orbit, during the successful Apollo 8 mission to the Moon.
Explorer 1 was the first American satellite to reach orbit on 31 January 1958.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 2003 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 2000 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
1973 saw the launch of the first American Space station known as Skylab on a Saturn V rocket.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 1996 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 1995 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
The following is an outline of 1981 in spaceflight.
The following is an outline of 1984 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.
The following is an outline of 1993 in spaceflight.
The following is an outline of 1992 in spaceflight.
This was the final year of the Soviet Union, and thus the end of the Cold War competition between the two space superpowers. The number of launches subsequently declined in the 1990s, and 2018 was the first year since 1990 to have more than 100 orbital launches.
In 1975, several notable events occurred in spaceflight, including the launches of Venera 9 and 10 and their Venus arrivals, the launches of the Viking Mars missions, the joint American-Soviet Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (ASTP), the failure of Soyuz 7K-T 39, and the launch of Aryabhatta, India's first satellite.
The following is an outline of 1976 in spaceflight.
The following is an outline of 1987 in spaceflight.
