Orbital launches | |
---|---|
First | 16 January |
Last | 29 December |
Total | 74 |
Successes | 70 |
Failures | 4 |
Partial failures | 0 |
Catalogued | 70 |
Rockets | |
Maiden flights | Atlas V 501 Atlas V 531 Falcon 9 v1.0 GSLV Mk. II Minotaur IV |
Retirements | Delta II 7420 Molniya-M Kosmos-3M |
Crewed flights | |
Orbital | 7 |
Total travellers | 31 |
The year 2010 saw a number of notable events in worldwide spaceflight activities. These included the first test flight of the SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply spacecraft, which is intended to resupply the International Space Station (ISS), and the maiden flights of the Falcon 9 and Minotaur IV rockets. In June 2010, South Korea conducted a second Naro-1 launch, after the failure of the rocket's maiden flight in 2009; however, the second attempt also failed. The Kosmos-3M was retired from service, making its final flight in April. The Molniya-M was also retired from service, making its final flight in September. [1]
The first suborbital launch of 2010 was conducted at 23:00 GMT on 10 January, when a Black Brant IX sounding rocket was launched as a target for the Boeing YAL-1 airborne-laser platform. On 11 January, China conducted an ABM test, involving two missiles. The first orbital launch occurred at 16:12 UTC on 16 January, when a Long March 3C launched the Compass-G1 navigation satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre.
Seventy-four orbital launches were attempted in 2010, with seventy being successful and four ending in failure. The last orbital launch was made on 29 December, when an Ariane 5ECA launched the Hispasat-1E and Koreasat 6 spacecraft from Guiana Space Centre, near Kourou.
Akatsuki, the first Japanese mission to Venus, was launched on an H-IIA carrier rocket in May. It is intended to look for lightning and volcanoes on Venus. [2] Despite a successful launch, [3] the spacecraft failed to enter Cytherocentric orbit in December, but it managed to enter the orbit around Venus five years later in December 2015. IKAROS, the first operational solar sail, was launched on the same rocket as Akatsuki.
The first Japanese asteroid probe, Hayabusa, returned to Earth on 13 June, having landed on 25143 Itokawa in an effort to collect samples. [4] It was also the world's first successful sample return mission from an asteroid. [5]
On 1 October at 10:59:57 UTC, China successfully launched the Chang'e-2 spacecraft, the nation's second mission to explore the Moon. A Long March 3C rocket was used for the launch, which occurred from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre. The spacecraft conducted a mission similar to that of the earlier Chang'e-1 spacecraft, but with a focus on mapping potential landing sites in preparation for the Chang'e-3 uncrewed lunar lander. [6]
Seven crewed launches were planned for 2010, with three Space Shuttle missions and four Soyuz flights for International Space Station (ISS) crew rotation. STS-130, using orbiter Endeavour , was the first crewed flight of the year, launching on 8 February with the Tranquility node and Cupola for the ISS. On 5 April, Discovery launched on mission STS-131, with the Leonardo MPLM to resupply the outpost.
Soyuz TMA-18 launched the Expedition 23 crew to the ISS on 2 April; it was scheduled to spend around six months docked to the station to facilitate crew escape in an emergency. Shortly before, Soyuz TMA-16 undocked, transporting former ISS crewmembers back to Earth. On 14 May, Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on its second-to-last flight, STS-132, carrying the Rassvet module to the ISS. Soyuz TMA-19 launched with Expedition 24 on 15 June. Soyuz TMA-01M, the first flight of a modernised Soyuz-TMA spacecraft, launched on 8 October with the Expedition 25 crew for the ISS. Then, to end the year, Expedition 26 launched aboard Soyuz TMA-20 on 15 December.
Four orbital launch failures occurred in 2010, two affecting Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicles, one affecting a Naro-1 rocket, and one affecting a Proton rocket. The first occurred on 15 April, when the GSLV Mk.II launched on its maiden flight. The rocket's third stage malfunctioned, resulting in the stage, and the GSAT-4 satellite, failing to achieve orbit and falling into the sea. The second failure occurred during the second launch of the Naro-1 rocket, carrying the STSAT-2B spacecraft. The rocket exploded 137 seconds into the flight. [7]
The third failure occurred on 5 December, when a Proton-M with the first Blok DM-03 upper stage failed to inject three Glonass-M satellites into orbit. Before launch, the Blok DM was fuelled incorrectly, resulting in the rocket being too heavy to reach its parking orbit. [8] The fourth failure occurred on 25 December 2010, when a GSLV Mk.I exploded during the launch of GSAT-5P. The rocket was destroyed by range safety, after control of the liquid-fuelled boosters attached to the first stage was lost. [9]
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload (⚀ = CubeSat) | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
10 January 23:00:00 [93] | Black Brant IX | San Nicolas | NASA | ||||
MARTI | U.S. Air Force | Suborbital | Target | 10 January | Successful | ||
11 January 11:55 [94] | CSS-X-11 | Shuangchengzi Space and Missile Center | PLA | ||||
PLA | Suborbital | ABM target | 11 January | Successful | |||
Target | |||||||
11 January 12:00 | SC-19 | Korla Missile Test Complex | PLA | ||||
PLA | Suborbital | ABM test | 11 January | Successful [95] | |||
Interceptor | |||||||
14 January 06:50 [96] | RH-300 Mk.II | TERLS | ISRO | ||||
ISRO | Suborbital | Solar/Aeronomy | 14 January | Successful | |||
Apogee: 116 km (72 mi) [97] | |||||||
14 January 07:35 [96] | RH-300 Mk. II | TERLS | ISRO | ||||
ISRO | Suborbital | Solar/Aeronomy | 14 January | Successful | |||
Apogee: 116 km (72 mi) [97] | |||||||
14 January [96] 07:45 | RH-560 Mk.II | Satish Dhawan | ISRO | ||||
ISRO | Suborbital | Solar/Aeronomy | 14 January | Successful | |||
Apogee: 548 km (341 mi) [97] | |||||||
15 January 06:50 [96] | RH-300 Mk. II | TERLS | ISRO | ||||
ISRO | Suborbital | Solar/Aeronomy | 15 January | Successful | |||
Apogee: 116 km (72 mi) [97] | |||||||
15 January 07:35 [96] | RH-300 Mk. II | TERLS | ISRO | ||||
ISRO | Suborbital | Solar/Aeronomy | 15 January | Successful | |||
Apogee: 116 km (72 mi) [97] | |||||||
15 January 10:30 [96] | RH-300 Mk. II | TERLS | ISRO | ||||
ISRO | Suborbital | Solar/Aeronomy | 15 January | Successful | |||
Apogee: 116 km (72 mi) [97] | |||||||
15 January [96] 07:45 | RH-560 Mk. II | Satish Dhawan | ISRO | ||||
ISRO | Suborbital | Solar/Aeronomy | 15 January | Successful | |||
Apogee: 523 km (325 mi) [97] | |||||||
27 January 08:25 [94] | M51 | Le Terrible, Audierne Bay | DGA | ||||
DGA | Suborbital | Missile test | 27 January | Successful | |||
First launch of M51 from a submarine [98] | |||||||
31 January 11:40 [99] | UGM-96 Trident I C4 (LV-2) | FTG-06 | Meck | MDA | |||
MDA | Suborbital | ABM target | 30 January | Successful [99] | |||
Maiden flight of Trident I in LV-2 configuration, interceptor failed [99] | |||||||
31 January | Ground Based Interceptor | FTG-06 | Vandenberg LF-23 | MDA | |||
MDA | Suborbital | ABM test | 30 January | Spacecraft failure [99] | |||
Radar tracking problem caused by unexpected "chuffing", compounded by thruster problem on interceptor, resulted in failure to intercept Trident [99] | |||||||
3 February | Kavoshgar (Naze'at-based) | Semnan Space Center | ISA | ||||
Kavoshgar-3 | ISA | Suborbital | Biological | 3 February | Successful [100] | ||
4 February 08:03:07 | Black Brant IX | San Nicolas | NASA | ||||
MARTI | U.S. Air Force | Suborbital | Target | 4 February | Successful [93] | ||
7 February 05:20 | Agni-III | ITR IC-4 | DRDO | ||||
DRDO | Suborbital | Missile test | 7 February | Successful [101] | |||
Travelled 3,500 km (2,175 mi) downrange | |||||||
9 February 09:01:00 | Terrier-Orion | Poker Flat | NASA | ||||
Alaska | Suborbital | Auroral | 9 February | Successful [93] | |||
12 February 04:44 [102] | R-17 Elbrus | Ship, Pacific Ocean | U.S. Air Force | ||||
U.S. Air Force | Suborbital | Target | 12 February | Successful [102] | |||
Destroyed by Boeing YAL-1 aircraft | |||||||
12 February 05:31:20 | Black Brant IX | San Nicolas | NASA | ||||
MARTI | U.S. Air Force | Suborbital | Target | 12 February | Successful [93] | ||
15 February 09:49:11 | Black Brant XII | Poker Flat | NASA | ||||
Dartmouth | Suborbital | Auroral | 15 February | Successful [93] | |||
Apogee: 803 km (499 mi) [97] | |||||||
17 February | Juno | Fort Wingate LC-96 | US Army | ||||
US Army | Suborbital | Target | 17 February | Successful | |||
Target for MIM-104 Patriot PAC-3 MSE test, successful intercept | |||||||
4 March 04:50 | R-29RMU Sineva | K-114 Tula, Barents Sea | VMF | ||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 4 March | Successful | |||
15 March | Prithvi | ITR IC-4 | DRDO | ||||
DRDO | Suborbital | Target | 15 March | Launch failure | |||
Target for ABM test, deviated from planned course, interceptor not launched [103] | |||||||
22 March | Terrier Mk.70-Orion | Woomera LA-2 | DSTO/U.S. Air Force | ||||
HIFiRE-1 | DSTO/U.S. Air Force | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 22 March | Successful | ||
Hypersonic research experiment | |||||||
26 March 13:43 | / Maxus | Esrange | EuroLaunch | ||||
MAXUS-8 | SSC / ESA | Suborbital | Microgravity | 26 March 13:55 | Successful [104] | ||
Apogee: 700 km (435 mi) [97] | |||||||
27 March 00:14 [97] | Dhanush [105] | INS Subhadra Indian Ocean | DRDO | ||||
DRDO | Suborbital | Missile test | 27 March | Successful | |||
27 March 00:18 [97] | Prithvi II [105] | Integrated Test Range IC-3 | DRDO | ||||
DRDO | Suborbital | Missile test | 27 March | Successful | |||
27 March 14:09:56 [106] | Terrier-Improved Malemute | Wallops Island LA-1/50K | NASA | ||||
NASA | Suborbital | Test flight | 27 March | Successful | |||
SOCEM | CalPoly | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 27 March | Successful | ||
ADAMASat | Kentucky Space | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 27 March | Successful | ||
Maiden flight of Terrier-Improved Malemute, apogee: 270 km (168 mi) [97] | |||||||
27 March 19:37 [97] | Agni I [107] | Integrated Test Range IC-4 | Indian Army | ||||
Indian Army | Suborbital | Missile test | 28 March | Successful | |||
22 April 23:00 [15] | Minotaur IV Lite | Vandenberg SLC-8 | Orbital Sciences | ||||
HTV-2a | U.S. Air Force | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 22 April | Spacecraft failure [108] | ||
Maiden flight of Minotaur IV, loss of contact with HTV nine minutes after launch. [108] | |||||||
3 May 09:47:00 | Black Brant IX | San Nicolas | NASA | ||||
MARTI | U.S. Air Force | Suborbital | Target | 3 May | Successful | ||
3 May 18:32:00 | Black Brant IX [109] | White Sands | NASA | ||||
EVE | CU Boulder | Suborbital | Geospace/Solar | 3 May | Successful | ||
Used to calibrate the Solar Dynamics Observatory [110] | |||||||
4 May 12:41:02 [111] | SpaceLoft XL | Spaceport America | UP Aerospace | ||||
RocketSat | CSG | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 4 May | Successful | ||
NMSU | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | Successful | ||||
UNM | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | Successful | ||||
Pioneer | Celestis | Suborbital | Space burial | Successful | |||
Reached an apogee of 113 km (70 mi), successfully recovered. [112] | |||||||
6 May 03:50 [113] [114] | Taiwan Sounding Rocket | Sounding Rocket VII | Jiu Peng Air Base | NSPO | |||
Ion probe | NSPO/NCU | Suborbital | Ionospheric research | 6 May | Successful | ||
Apogee: 289 km (180 mi) [113] | |||||||
8 May | Ghaznavi | Sonmiani | ASFC | ||||
ASFC | Suborbital | Missile test | 8 May | Successful | |||
8 May | Shaheen-I | Sonmiani | ASFC | ||||
ASFC | Suborbital | Missile test | 8 May | Successful | |||
17 May 11:29 | Agni-II | ITR IC-3 | Indian Army | ||||
Indian Army | Suborbital | Missile test | 17 May | Successful | |||
Travelled 2,500 km (1,553 mi) downrange | |||||||
21 May 09:00:00 | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
DICE | CU Boulder | Suborbital | Astronomy | 21 May | Spacecraft failure [93] | ||
6 June 22:25 [97] | Ground Based Interceptor | Vandenberg LF-24 | MDA | ||||
MDA | Suborbital | Test flight | 6 June | Successful | |||
Two stage test vehicle, non-intercept test | |||||||
8 June | UGM-133 Trident II D5 | USS Maryland, ETR | US Navy | ||||
US Navy | Suborbital | Test flight | 8 June | Successful | |||
Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test 42 | |||||||
8 June | UGM-133 Trident II D5 | USS Maryland, ETR | US Navy | ||||
US Navy | Suborbital | Test flight | 8 June | Successful | |||
Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test 42 | |||||||
9 June | UGM-133 Trident II D5 | USS Maryland, ETR | US Navy | ||||
US Navy | Suborbital | Test flight | 9 June | Successful | |||
Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test 43 | |||||||
9 June | UGM-133 Trident II D5 | USS Maryland, ETR | US Navy | ||||
US Navy | Suborbital | Test flight | 9 June | Successful | |||
Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test 43 | |||||||
16 June 10:01 | LGM-30G Minuteman III | Vandenberg LF-10 | U.S. Air Force | ||||
U.S. Air Force | Suborbital | Missile test | 16 June | Successful | |||
Travelled 6,743 km (4,190 mi) to Kwajalein Atoll | |||||||
24 June 11:17:00 | Terrier-Orion | Wallops Island LA-2/MRL | NASA | ||||
RockOn! | Colorado | Suborbital | Student research | 24 June | Successful | ||
30 June 10:40:01 [97] | LGM-30G Minuteman III | Vandenberg LF-04 | U.S. Air Force | ||||
U.S. Air Force | Suborbital | Missile test | 30 June | Successful | |||
10 July 11:32 [115] | M51 | Le Terrible, Audierne Bay | DGA/Marine nationale | ||||
DGA/Marine nationale | Suborbital | Test flight | 10 July | Successful | |||
11 July | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
CIBER | Caltech [116] | Suborbital | Astronomy | 11 July | Successful | ||
27 July | Prithvi | ITR IC-4 | DRDO | ||||
DRDO | Suborbital | Target | 27 July | Successful | |||
Target for ABM test, intercepted successfully by AAD | |||||||
30 July 18:18 | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
SUMI | NASA | Suborbital | Solar | 30 July | Successful | ||
4 August 09:15 | Black Brant X | Wallops Island LA-1/50K | NASA | ||||
NASA | Suborbital | Test flight Technology | 4 August | Successful | |||
Tests of Nihka rocket motor, with secondary technology experiments | |||||||
6 August [117] | R-29RMU Sineva | K-114 Tula, Barents Sea | VMF | ||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 6 August | Successful | |||
6 August [117] | R-29RMU Sineva | K-114 Tula, Barents Sea | VMF | ||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 6 August | Successful | |||
23 August 17:57 | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
RAISE | SwRI | Suborbital | Solar | 23 August | Successful | ||
30 August 20:00 [118] | S-520 | Uchinoura | JAXA | ||||
JAXA/TMU/Kagawa /Shizuoka | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 30 August | Partial spacecraft failure [119] | |||
High-voltage control experiments not conducted as planned [119] | |||||||
17 September 10:03 | LGM-30G Minuteman III | Vandenberg LF-09 | U.S. Air Force | ||||
U.S. Air Force | Suborbital | Test flight | 17 September | Successful | |||
21 September 13:07:30 [120] | Terrier-Orion | Wallops Island LA-2/MRL | NASA | ||||
SubTec-III | NASA | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 21 September 13:23 [120] | Successful [120] | ||
6 October | ARAV-B (Terrier-Oriole)? | Kauai | MDA | ||||
MDA | Suborbital | Aegis radar target | 6 October | Successful | |||
Aegis radar target, detected by STSS-Satellites | |||||||
6 October | ARAV-B (Terrier-Oriole)? | Kauai | MDA | ||||
MDA | Suborbital | Aegis radar target | 6 October | Successful | |||
Aegis radar target, detected by STSS-Satellites | |||||||
7 October[ citation needed ] 03:10 | RSM-56 Bulava | TK-208 Dmitri Donskoi, White Sea | VMF | ||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 7 October | Successful | |||
21 October [121] 17:00 | Black Brant IX | San Nicolas | NASA | ||||
U.S. Air Force | Suborbital | Target | 21 October | Successful | |||
27 October 10:15 [122] | Nike Orion | Esrange | EuroLaunch | ||||
MAPHEUS-2 | DLR | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 27 October | Successful | ||
Apogee: 153 km (95 mi) | |||||||
28 October[ citation needed ] 09:59 | RS-12M Topol | Plesetsk | RVSN | ||||
RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 28 October | Successful | |||
28 October 10:30[ citation needed ] | R-29RMU Sineva | K-117 Bryansk, Barents Sea | VMF | ||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 28 October | Successful | |||
28 October 10:30[ citation needed ] | R-29R Volna | K-433 Svyatoy Georgiy Pobedonosets, Sea of Okhotsk | VMF | ||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 28 October | Successful | |||
29 October[ citation needed ] 01:10 | RSM-56 Bulava | TK-208 Dmitri Donskoi, White Sea | VMF | ||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 29 October | Successful | |||
29 October 03:06 | JFTM-4 | Kauai | MDA | ||||
JMSDF/MDA | Suborbital | ABM target | 29 October | Successful | |||
Apogee: 161 km (100 mi), intercepted by SM-3 | |||||||
29 October 03:09 | RIM-161 SM-3 | JFTM-4 | JDS Kirishima, Pacific Ocean | JMSDF | |||
JMSDF | Suborbital | ABM test | 29 October | Successful | |||
Apogee: 161 km (100 mi), intercepted target | |||||||
25 November 04:40 | Agni I | Integrated Test Range IC-4 | Indian Army | ||||
Indian Army | Suborbital | Missile test | 25 November | Successful | |||
4 December 04:21 [123] | Nike-Improved Orion | Andøya | Andøya | ||||
ECOMA 2010-1 | Andøya/DLR | Suborbital | Aeronomy | 4 December | Successful | ||
5 December 19:11 | RS-12M Topol | Kapustin Yar | RVSN | ||||
RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 5 December | Successful | |||
6 December 16:45 | Terrier-Orion | White Sands | NASA | ||||
TRaiNED | NASA | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 6 December | Successful | ||
6 December 17:19 | Improved Orion | Alcântara | AEB | ||||
Maracati 2 | INPE | Suborbital | Microgravity | 6 December | Successful | ||
Test for Operation Maracati 2 [124] | |||||||
10 December | Agni-II Plus | ITR IC-3 | Indian Army | ||||
Indian Army | Suborbital | Missile test | 10 December | Launch failure | |||
Upgraded Agni II version, fell into the sea shortly after launch | |||||||
12 December 06:38 [125] | Black Brant XII | Andøya | NASA | ||||
RENU 1 | New Hampshire | Suborbital | Geospace | 12 December | Launch failure [126] | ||
12 December 12:35 | VSB-30 | Alcântara | AEB | ||||
Maracati 2 | INPE | Suborbital | Microgravity | 12 December 12:51 | Successful | ||
Operation Maracati 2, MICROG 1A payload [127] | |||||||
13 December 03:24 | Nike-Improved Orion | Andøya | Andøya | ||||
ECOMA 2010-2 | Andøya/DLR | Suborbital | Aeronomy | 13 December | Successful | ||
15 December | UGM-96 Trident I C4 (LV-2) | FTG-06a | Meck | MDA | |||
MDA | Suborbital | ABM target | 15 December | Successful | |||
15 December | Ground Based Interceptor | FTG-06a | Vandenberg LF-23 | MDA | |||
MDA | Suborbital | ABM test | 15 December | Spacecraft failure | |||
Interceptor failed, the cause is under investigation | |||||||
19 December 02:36 | Nike-Improved Orion | Andøya | Andøya | ||||
ECOMA 2010-3 | Andøya/DLR | Suborbital | Aeronomy | 19 December | Successful | ||
21 December | Ghauri | Tilla | Army of Pakistan | ||||
Haft-5 | Army of Pakistan | Suborbital | Missile test | 21 December | Successful | ||
Apogee: 100 km (62 mi) | |||||||
22 December | Prithvi II [105] | Integrated Test Range IC-3 | DRDO | ||||
DRDO | Suborbital | Missile test | 22 December | Successful | |||
22 December | Prithvi II [105] | Integrated Test Range IC-3 | DRDO | ||||
DRDO | Suborbital | Missile test | 22 December | Successful |
Date | Spacecraft | Event | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
12 January | Cassini | 65th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 1,073 km (667 mi) |
28 January | Cassini | 66th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 7,490 km (4,654 mi) |
31 January | Artemis P1 | Lunar flyby | Closest approach: 11,992 km (7,451 mi) at 08:13 UTC [128] |
1 February | Artemis P2 | Lunar flyby | Closest approach: 69,222 km (43,013 mi) at 14:44 UTC [128] |
13 February | Artemis P1 | Lunar flyby | Closest approach: 2,958 km (1,838 mi) at 10:06 UTC [128] |
13 February | Cassini | Flyby of Mimas | Closest approach: 9,520 km (5,915 mi) |
16 February | Mars Express | Flyby of Phobos | Closest approach: 991 km (616 mi) |
22 February | Mars Express | Flyby of Phobos | Closest approach: 574 km (357 mi) |
25 February | Mars Express | Flyby of Phobos | Closest approach: 398 km (247 mi) |
28 February | Mars Express | Flyby of Phobos | Closest approach: 226 km (140 mi) |
1 March | Artemis P2 | Lunar flyby | Closest approach: 68,036 km (42,276 mi) at 04:11 UTC [128] |
2 March | Cassini | 2nd flyby of Rhea | Closest approach: 100 km (62 mi) |
3 March | Cassini | Flyby of Helene | Closest approach: 1,803 km (1,120 mi) |
3 March | Mars Express | Flyby of Phobos | Closest approach: 67 km (42 mi) |
7 March | Mars Express | Flyby of Phobos | Closest approach: 107 km (66 mi) |
10 March | Mars Express | Flyby of Phobos | Closest approach: 286 km (178 mi) |
13 March | Mars Express | Flyby of Phobos | Closest approach: 476 km (296 mi) |
16 March | Mars Express | Flyby of Phobos | Closest approach: 662 km (411 mi) |
19 March | Mars Express | Flyby of Phobos | Closest approach: 848 km (527 mi) |
23 March | Mars Express | Flyby of Phobos | Closest approach: 1,341 km (833 mi) |
26 March | Mars Express | Flyby of Phobos | Closest approach: 1,304 km (810 mi) |
28 March | Artemis P2 | Lunar flyby | Closest approach: 9,366 km (5,820 mi) at 07:34 UTC [128] |
5 April | Cassini | 67th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 7,462 km (4,637 mi) |
7 April | Cassini | 2nd flyby of Dione | Closest approach: 504 km (313 mi) |
28 April | Cassini | 9th flyby of Enceladus | Closest approach: 103 km (64 mi) |
18 May | Cassini | 10th flyby of Enceladus | Closest approach: 201 km (125 mi) |
20 May | Cassini | 68th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 1,400 km (870 mi) |
5 June | Cassini | 69th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 2,044 km (1,270 mi) |
13 June | Hayabusa | First sample return mission from asteroid | Sample canister successful recovered to Earth |
21 June | Cassini | 70th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 955 km (593 mi) |
7 July | Cassini | 71st flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 1,005 km (624 mi) |
10 July | Rosetta | Flyby of 21 Lutetia | Closest approach: 3,100 km (1,926 mi) [129] |
13 August | Cassini | 11th flyby of Enceladus | Closest approach: 2,554 km (1,587 mi) |
25 August | Artemis P1 | LL2 orbit insertion | |
24 September | Cassini | 72nd flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 8,175 km (5,080 mi) |
6 October | Chang'e 2 | Lunar orbit insertion | |
16 October | Cassini | Flyby of Pallene | Closest approach: 36,000 km (22,369 mi) |
22 October | Artemis P2 | LL1 orbit insertion | |
4 November | Deep Impact | Flyby of Hartley 2 | Closest approach: 700 km (435 mi) [130] |
11 November | Cassini | 73rd flyby of Titan | |
30 November | Cassini | 12th flyby of Enceladus | Closest approach: 47.9 km (30 mi) |
7 December | Akatsuki | 1st flyby of Venus | Cytherocentric orbit insertion failure Closest approach: 550 km (342 mi) |
8 December | IKAROS | Flyby of Venus | Closest approach: 80,800 km (50,207 mi) |
21 December | Cassini | 13th flyby of Enceladus | Closest approach: 50 km (31 mi) |
December | Shin'en | Flyby of Venus | not confirmed. |
Start Date/Time | Duration | End Time | Spacecraft | Crew | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 January 10:05 | 5 hours 44 minutes | 15:49 | Expedition 22 ISS Pirs | Oleg Kotov Maksim Surayev | Prepared the Poisk module for future dockings. [131] [132] |
12 February 02:17 | 6 hours 32 minutes | 08:49 | STS-130 ISS Quest | Robert L. Behnken Nicholas Patrick | Removed a protective cover on a port on the Unity node where Tranquility was berthed halfway through the spacewalk. The pair then transferred a spare parts platform for the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator from the shuttle to the station. Once that task is completed Behnken and Patrick made several connections on the newly installed Tranquility node to begin its activation. [133] [134] |
14 February 02:20 | 5 hours 54 minutes | 08:14 | STS-130 ISS Quest | Robert L. Behnken Nicholas Patrick | Installed ammonia plumbing and connectors between Unity, Destiny and Tranquility and covered them with thermal insulation. Prepared the nadir port on Tranquility for the relocation of the Cupola, and installed handrails on the exterior of Tranquility. [135] [136] |
17 February 02:15 | 5 hours 48 minutes | 08:03 | STS-130 ISS Quest | Robert L. Behnken Nicholas Patrick | Installed additional ammonia plumbing between Unity and Tranquility, removed insulation and launch locks from the Cupola, installed additional handrails on the exterior of Tranquility and performed get-ahead tasks to support the installation of a Power Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF) on the exterior of Zarya with cable installation on Unity and the S0 truss. [137] [138] |
9 April 05:31 | 6 hours 27 minutes | 11:58 | STS-131 ISS Quest | Richard Mastracchio Clayton Anderson | Relocated new an ammonia tank from the Shuttle's payload bay to a temporary stowage location and disconnected the fluid lines to the old ammonia tank on the S1 truss. Retrieved a Japanese seed experiment from the exterior of the Kibo laboratory for return to earth and replaced a failed gyroscope on the S0 truss. Performed get-ahead tasks including the opening of a window flap on the zenith CBM of Harmony, and removed launch restraint bolts from a Flex Hose Rotary Coupler (FHRC) on the P1 truss. [139] [140] |
11 April 05:30 | 7 hours 26 minutes | 12:56 | STS-131 ISS Quest | Richard Mastracchio Clayton Anderson | The old ammonia tank was removed from the S1 truss and was replaced with the new tank. The electrical connections to the tank were made, but the fluid lines were deferred to the mission's third EVA due to time constraints since the installation was prolonged by a problem with the bolts that hold the tank to the truss. The old tank was relocated to a temporary stowage location on the station and a foot restraint was relocated in preparation for a future shuttle mission's spacewalk. [141] [142] |
13 April 06:14 | 6 hours 24 minutes | 12:36 | STS-131 ISS Quest | Richard Mastracchio Clayton Anderson | The fluid lines were connected to the new ammonia tank and the old tank was moved to the shuttle's payload bay for return to Earth. Micro-meteoroid debris shields from the Quest airlock which were no longer necessary were brought inside the airlock for return to Earth inside the Leonardo MPLM. The Z1 truss was prepared for the installation of a spare antenna on the next shuttle mission, and a foot restraint was relocated in preparation for a future spacewalk. The retrieval of an external carrier plate on Columbus was deferred to another shuttle mission due to time constraints after problems were encountered with attaching the old ammonia tank to a carrier in the payload bay, and several other tasks were deferred to later EVAs due to the replanning from the problems with the mission's second EVA. [143] [144] |
17 May 11:54 | 7 hours 25 minutes | 19:19 | STS-132 ISS Quest | Garrett Reisman Stephen G. Bowen | Installed a spare space-to-ground Ku-band antenna on the Z1 truss; installed new tool platform on Dextre, and broke torque on bolts holding replacement batteries to the ICC-VLD cargo carrier. [145] [146] |
19 May 10:38 | 7 hours 9 minutes | 17:47 | STS-132 ISS Quest | Stephen G. Bowen Michael T. Good | Repaired Atlantis' Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS); P6 battery replacement (4 of 6 units); and removed gimbal locks from the Ku-band antenna installed on the first EVA of the mission. [147] [148] |
21 May 10:27 | 6 hours 46 minutes | 17:13 | STS-132 ISS Quest | Michael T. Good Garrett Reisman | P6 battery replacement (final 2 of 6 units); installed ammonia "jumpers" at the P4/P5 interface; retrieved a spare PDGF from Atlantis' payload bay and stowed it inside the Quest airlock. The spacewalkers also replenished supplies of EVA tools in toolboxes on the exterior of the station. [149] [150] |
27 July 04:11 | 6 hours 42 minutes | 10:53 | Expedition 24 ISS Pirs | Fyodor Yurchikhin Mikhail Korniyenko | Replaced an ATV video camera on Zvezda, routed command and data handling lines from Zvezda and Zarya to the new Rassvet module as well as made KURS connections between Rassvet and Zarya to allow future automated dockings to the new module. Then the two cosmonauts jettisoned the old ATV video camera. [151] [152] |
7 August 11:19 | 8 hours 3 minutes | 19:22 | Expedition 24 ISS Quest | Douglas H. Wheelock Tracy Caldwell Dyson | Attempted to replace failed S1 ammonia pump module. The spacewalkers did not complete all of the planned tasks due to a quick disconnect that got stuck and would not release. The pair had to complete a "bake-out" in order to ensure there was no ammonia on their suits before re-entering the Space Station. [153] [154] |
11 August 12:27 | 7 hours 26 minutes | 19:53 | Expedition 24 ISS Quest | Douglas H. Wheelock Tracy Caldwell Dyson | Completed removal of failed pump module from the S1 truss and began installation preparations on the replacement pump. [155] [156] |
16 August 10:20 | 7 hours 20 minutes | 17:40 | Expedition 24 ISS Quest | Douglas H. Wheelock Tracy Caldwell Dyson | Installed new pump module on the S1 truss. [157] [158] |
15 November 14:55 | 6 hours 27 minutes | 21:22 | Expedition 25 ISS Pirs | Fyodor Yurchikhin Oleg Skripochka | Install a multipurpose workstation on Zvezda, retrieve camera, retrieve kontur, install new materials experiment, collect samples below insulation. [159] [160] |
For the purposes of this section, the yearly tally of orbital launches by country assigns each flight to the country of origin of the rocket, not to the launch services provider or the spaceport. For example, Dnepr rockets are counted under Ukraine even though they are launched from Russia.
Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
China | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | ||
Europe | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||
India | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
Israel | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
Japan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
South Korea | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | With Russian assistance | |
Russia | 28 | 27 | 1 | 0 | ||
Ukraine | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Launched from Russia | |
United States | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | ||
World | 74 | 70 | 4 | 0 |
Family | Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Angara | Russia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Ariane | Europe | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
Atlas | United States | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Delta | United States | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Falcon | United States | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
GLSV | India | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
H-II | Japan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March | China | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | |
Minotaur | United States | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
PSLV | India | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
R-7 | Russia | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 | |
R-14 | Russia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
R-36 | Ukraine | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Shavit | Israel | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Space Shuttle | United States | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Universal Rocket | Russia | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
Rocket | Country | Family | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ariane 5 | Europe | Ariane | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
Atlas V | United States | Atlas | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Delta II | United States | Delta | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Delta IV | United States | Delta | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Dnepr | Ukraine | R-36 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Falcon 9 | United States | Falcon | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight |
GSLV | India | GSLV | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
H-IIA | Japan | H-II | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Kosmos | Russia | R-12/R-14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 2 | China | Long March | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 3 | China | Long March | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 4 | China | Long March | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Minotaur IV | United States | Minotaur | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight |
Molniya | Russia | R-7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final flight |
Naro | Russia South Korea | Angara | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Proton | Russia | Universal Rocket | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | |
PSLV | India | PSLV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Shavit | Israel | Shavit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Soyuz | Russia | R-7 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | |
Soyuz-2 | Russia | R-7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Space Shuttle | United States | Space Shuttle | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
UR-100 | Russia | Universal Rocket | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Rocket | Country | Type | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ariane 5 ECA | Europe | Ariane 5 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
Atlas V 401 | United States | Atlas V | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Atlas V 501 | United States | Atlas V | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight |
Atlas V 531 | United States | Atlas V | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight |
Delta II 7420 | United States | Delta II | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final flight [80] |
Delta IV-M+(4,2) | United States | Delta IV | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Delta IV Heavy | United States | Delta IV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Dnepr | Ukraine | Dnepr | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Falcon 9 v1.0 | United States | Falcon 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight |
GSLV Mk I(c) | India | GSLV | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Only flight |
GSLV Mk II | India | GSLV | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Maiden flight |
H-IIA 202 | Japan | H-IIA | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Kosmos-3M | Russia | Kosmos | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final flight |
Long March 2D | China | Long March 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 3A | China | Long March 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 3B | China | Long March 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 3C | China | Long March 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 4B | China | Long March 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 4C | China | Long March 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Minotaur IV | United States | Minotaur IV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight |
Minotaur IV / HAPS | United States | Minotaur IV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight |
Molniya-M / 2BL | Russia | Molniya | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final flight [1] |
Naro-1 | Russia South Korea | Naro | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Proton-M / DM-2 | Russia | Proton | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Proton-M / DM-03 | Russia | Proton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Proton-M / Briz-M | Russia | Proton | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | |
PSLV-CA | India | PSLV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Rokot / Briz-KM | Russia | UR-100 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Shavit-2 | Israel | Shavit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Soyuz-2.1a / Fregat-M | Russia | Soyuz-2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Soyuz-U | Russia | Soyuz | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
Soyuz-FG | Russia | Soyuz | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Space Shuttle | United States | Space Shuttle | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Site | Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baikonur | Kazakhstan | 24 | 23 | 1 | 0 | |
Cape Canaveral | United States | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | |
Dombarovsky | Russia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Jiuquan | China | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Kennedy | United States | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Kodiak | United States | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Kourou | France | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
Naro | South Korea | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Palmachim | Israel | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Plesetsk | Russia | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
Satish Dhawan | India | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
Taiyuan | China | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Tanegashima | Japan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Vandenberg | United States | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Xichang | China | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 74 | 70 | 4 | 0 |
Orbital regime | Launches | Successes | Failures | Accidentally achieved | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Transatmospheric | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Low Earth | 37 | 36 | 1 | 0 | 12 to ISS |
Medium Earth / Molniya | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | |
Geosynchronous / GTO | 29 | 27 | 2 | 0 | |
High Earth / Lunar transfer | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Heliocentric / Planetary transfer | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 74 | 70 | 4 | 0 |
Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko is a retired Russian cosmonaut. Malenchenko became the first person to marry in space, on 10 August 2003, when he married Ekaterina Dmitrieva, who was in Texas, while he was 240 miles (390 km) over New Zealand, on the International Space Station. As of December 2023, Malenchenko ranks third for career time in space due to his time on both Mir and the International Space Station (ISS). He is a former commander of the International Space Station.
Yury Valentinovich Lonchakov is a Russian former cosmonaut and a veteran of three space missions. He has spent 200 days in space and has conducted two spacewalks. From 2014 to 2017, Lonchakov served as head of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
Scott Joseph Kelly is an American engineer, retired astronaut, and naval aviator. A veteran of four space flights, Kelly commanded the International Space Station (ISS) on Expeditions 26, 44, 45, and 46.
Expedition 4 was the fourth expedition to the International Space Station.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 2006 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs. 2006 saw Brazil, Iran, and Sweden all get a national into space for the first time.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 2005 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs. 2005 saw Iran launch its first satellite.
The year 2007 contained several significant events in spaceflight, including a Chinese ASAT test, the launches of the US Phoenix and Dawn missions to study Mars and Asteroid belt respectively, Japan's Kaguya Lunar orbiter, and the first Chinese Lunar probe, Chang'e 1.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 2001 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
The year 2008 contained several significant events in spaceflight, including the first flyby of Mercury by a spacecraft since 1975, the discovery of water ice on Mars by the Phoenix spacecraft, which landed in May, the first Chinese spacewalk in September, the launch of the first Indian Lunar probe in October, and the first successful flight of a privately developed orbital launch vehicle by SpaceX's Falcon 1.
Several significant events in spaceflight occurred in 2009, including Iran conducting its first indigenous orbital launch, the first Swiss satellite being launched and New Zealand launching its first sounding rocket. The H-IIB and Naro-1 rockets conducted maiden flights, whilst the Tsyklon-3, Falcon 1 and Ariane 5GS were retired from service. The permanent crew of the International Space Station increased from three to six in May, and in the last few months of the year, Japan's first resupply mission to the outpost, HTV-1, was conducted successfully.
NASA Astronaut Group 16 was a group of 44 astronauts announced by NASA on May 1, 1996. The class was nicknamed "The Sardines" for being such a large class, humorously implying that their training sessions would be as tightly packed as sardines in a can. These 44 candidates compose the largest astronaut class to date. NASA selected so many candidates in preparation for the anticipated need for ISS crew members, along with regular shuttle needs. Nine of the 44 astronauts selected were from other countries, including 1 each from 5 Europe nations and 2 each from Canada and Japan.
The year 2011 saw a number of significant events in spaceflight, including the retirement of NASA's Space Shuttle after its final flight in July 2011, and the launch of China's first space station module, Tiangong-1, in September. A total of 84 orbital launches were conducted over the course of the year, of which 78 were successful. Russia, China and the United States conducted the majority of the year's orbital launches, with 35, 19 and 18 launches respectively; 2011 marked the first year that China conducted more successful launches than the United States. Seven crewed missions were launched into orbit during 2011, carrying a total of 28 astronauts to the International Space Station. Additionally, the Zenit-3F and Long March 2F/G carrier rockets made their maiden flights in 2011, while the Delta II Heavy made its last.
NASA Astronaut Group 14 was a group of 24 astronauts announced by NASA on 31 March 1992. The group's name derived from The Muppet Show skit "Pigs in Space" and from the group's sponsorship of a pot-bellied pig at the Houston Zoo.
The year 2012 saw a number of significant events in spaceflight. In May and October, the first Commercial Orbital Transportation Services resupply missions took place, during which the SpaceX Dragon became the first private spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station (ISS). In June, China launched the crewed Shenzhou 9 orbital mission, and North Korea achieved its first successful orbital launch in December. 2012 also saw China's first successful asteroid exploration mission, and the landing of NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars. The Vega and Unha-3 rockets made their maiden flights in 2012, while the Proton-K made its last.
In 2015, the maiden spaceflights of the Chinese Long March 6 and Long March 11 launch vehicles took place.
In 2014, the maiden flight of the Angara A5, Antares 120 and Antares 130 took place.
The year 2021 broke the record for the most orbital launch attempts till then (146) and most humans in space concurrently (19) despite the effects of COVID-19 pandemic.
The year 2022 witnessed the number of launches of SpaceX's Falcon rocket family surpassing the CNSA's Long March rocket family, making the United States the country with the highest number of launches in 2022 instead of China. This year also featured the first successful launch of Long March 6A, Nuri, Angara 1.2, Vega C, Kinetica-1, and Jielong-3. National space agencies' activities in this year was also affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which led to tensions between Roscosmos and Western space agencies, leading to threats of ending collaboration on the International Space Station (ISS), and resulting in several delays on various space missions.