This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(July 2023) |
Orbital launches | |
---|---|
First | 20 January |
Last | 28 December |
Total | 84 |
Successes | 78 |
Failures | 6 |
Catalogued | 80 |
National firsts | |
Satellite | Isle of Man |
Rockets | |
Maiden flights | Zenit-3F Long March 2F/G Atlas V 541 |
Retirements | Space Shuttle Delta II Heavy |
Crewed flights | |
Orbital | 7 |
Total travellers | 28 |
EVAs | 10 |
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. [1] 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.
A total of 84 orbital launches were attempted in 2011, with 78 being reported as successful; 80 launches reached orbit. 35 launches were conducted using Russian and former Soviet rockets, whilst China launched 19 rockets, and the United States launched 18. Europe conducted five launches, India and Japan launched three rockets each, and Iran conducted one launch.
Seven crewed spaceflights – four Soyuz and three Space Shuttle missions – were launched in 2011, carrying a total of 28 astronauts and cosmonauts into orbit. At the beginning of the year, the Expedition 26 crew was aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The first crewed flight of 2011 was STS-133, the final flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery, which launched from the Kennedy Space Center on 24 February. STS-133 carried Leonardo , the final American pressurised module of the ISS, for installation. Discovery returned to Earth on 9 March.
On 16 March, Expedition 27 began aboard the ISS with the departure of the Soyuz TMA-01M spacecraft, which had been docked since October 2010. On 4 April, Soyuz TMA-21 launched to the space station, delivering a further three crewmembers. On 16 May, Space Shuttle Space Shuttle Endeavour launched to the station on its final mission, STS-134, delivering and installing the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, before returning to Earth on 1 June. Expedition 28 began aboard the ISS on 23 May with the departure of Soyuz TMA-20, which had been launched in December 2010, and landed in the early morning of 24 May. Three more crewmembers were launched to the space station aboard Soyuz TMA-02M on 7 June.
The final Space Shuttle mission, STS-135, began on 8 July with the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis, carrying supplies for the ISS aboard the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM). After resupplying the space station, Atlantis returned to Earth, landing at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility at 09:57 UTC on 21 July, and concluding thirty years of Space Shuttle operations. Two days before landing, Atlantis deployed PSSC-2, the last satellite to be launched from a Space Shuttle.
On 29 September, China launched its first space station module, Tiangong-1, which was placed into orbit by a Long March 2F/G carrier rocket flying from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. Although no crewed missions to Tiangong-1 were conducted in 2011, the uncrewed Shenzhou 8 spacecraft, which was launched on 31 October, docked twice with the module to test its systems in preparation for a successful 2012 crewed docking.
ISS Expedition 28 ended, and Expedition 29 began, with the undocking of Soyuz TMA-21 on 16 September. The launch of Soyuz TMA-22 did not take place until 14 November, having been delayed by reliability concerns surrounding the Soyuz rocket after an uncrewed launch failure in August. A week later, Soyuz TMA-02M undocked, beginning Expedition 30, with the Soyuz spacecraft landing on 22 November. The final crewed launch of the year took place on 21 December, when Soyuz TMA-03M was launched to bring a further three crewmembers to the ISS.
Ten spacewalks were conducted in 2011, all of them by ISS or Space Shuttle astronauts. The final spacewalk by a Space Shuttle crew was conducted on 27 May, during the STS-134 mission.
Numerous scientific exploration missions were begun in 2011. In March 2011, the MESSENGER probe became the first artificial satellite of the planet Mercury. In July, the Dawn spacecraft became the first artificial satellite of the asteroid 4 Vesta. The Mars Science Laboratory – at the time, the largest Mars rover ever constructed – was launched in November, conducting a successful landing on Mars in August 2012. [2]
Six orbital launches failed in 2011, four of which failed to achieve orbit and the remaining two reached lower orbits than expected. The first failure occurred on 1 February, when a Rokot with a Briz-KM upper stage placed Kosmos 2470 into a useless orbit, from which it could not recover. The failure was later traced to a software problem on the Briz-KM.
The next failure occurred on 4 March, when the payload fairing of a Taurus-XL failed to separate, resulting in the rocket being too heavy to reach orbit. The Glory climate research satellite was lost in the failure, along with the KySat-1, Hermes and Explorer-1 [PRIME] CubeSats. The previous Taurus-XL launch, carrying the Orbiting Carbon Observatory in February 2009, also failed due to the fairing not separating.
No more launch failures occurred until mid-August when, over the space of a week, three consecutive orbital launches failed. On 17 August, a Proton-M/Briz-M launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying the Ekspress-AM4 communications satellite. In the morning of 18 August, the rocket's upper stage failed to conduct the fourth of five planned burns due to an attitude control system malfunction, leaving the spacecraft in a parking orbit. Later that same day, a Long March 2C launched from Jiuquan carrying the Shijian XI-04 satellite. The second stage vernier engine's mounting suffered a structural failure, resulting in a loss of control, and the rocket failed to reach orbit. Finally, on 24 August, a Soyuz-U carrying the Progress M-12M cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station suffered a third-stage engine failure and also failed to attain orbit.
The final launch failure of 2011 occurred on 23 December, when a Soyuz-2-1b/Fregat carrying the Meridian 5 satellite failed to achieve orbit due to a third-stage malfunction. Debris fell over Novosibirsk Oblast, with one piece hitting a house; however, no casualties were reported.
In November 2011, Russia's Fobos-Grunt Martian sample return probe launched successfully, but experienced a malfunction post-launch and became stranded in orbit. The spacecraft, which was Russia's first attempt at an interplanetary mission since the 1996 Mars 96 mission, disintegrated over the Pacific Ocean on 15 January 2012. [3] [4] China's first Mars probe, Yinghuo-1, which was being carried by the same rocket as Fobos-Grunt, was also lost in the incident.
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload (⚀ = CubeSat) | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
22 January 06:10 [85] | Terrier-Oriole | Wallops Island | MDA | ||||
Aegis Radar Test | MDA | Suborbital | Radar target | 22 January | Successful | ||
Aegis Radar target, not intercepted, Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi) | |||||||
28 January 10:46:00 [86] | Black Brant IX | Poker Flat | NASA | ||||
FIRE | Colorado | Suborbital | Astronomy | 28 January | Spacecraft failure [86] | ||
5 February 08:11:11 [86] | Black Brant IX | Poker Flat | NASA | ||||
Polar NOx | VPI | Suborbital | Geospace | 5 February | Spacecraft failure [86] | ||
February [85] | Shahab-3 | IRGC | |||||
IGRC | Suborbital | Missile test | February | Successful | |||
Two missiles with a range of 1,900 kilometres were fired into the Indian Ocean prior to 19 February[ citation needed ] | |||||||
February [85] | Sejjil-2 | IRGC | |||||
IGRC | Suborbital | Missile test | February | Successful | |||
Two missiles with a range of 1,900 kilometres were fired into the Indian Ocean prior to 19 February[ citation needed ] | |||||||
1 March 21:00 [85] | UGM-133 Trident II D5 | USS Nevada, Pacific Ocean | US Navy | ||||
US Navy | Suborbital | Missile test | 1 March | Successful | |||
Demonstration and Shakedown Operation 22 (DASO-22) | |||||||
2 March 13:40 [85] | Juno | Fort Wingate LC-96 | U.S. Army | ||||
U.S. Army | Suborbital | Target | 2 March | Successful | |||
Target for MIM-104 Patriot PAC-3 MSE test, successfully intercepted | |||||||
9 March [85] | Terrier-Oriole | Kauai | MDA | ||||
ARAV-B | MDA | Suborbital | Radar target | 9 March | Successful | ||
Tracked by STSS satellites | |||||||
11 March | Dhanush | Sea launch from Indian Ocean | DRDO | ||||
DRDO | Suborbital | Target | 11 March | Successful | |||
Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi) | |||||||
11 March | Prithvi II | Integrated Test Range IC-3 | DRDO | ||||
DRDO | Suborbital | Missile test | 11 March | Successful | |||
Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi) | |||||||
15 March [85] | Kavoshgar (Zelzal-based) | Semnan Space Center | ISA | ||||
Kavoshgar-4 | ISA | Suborbital | Test flight | 15 March | Successful | ||
Test of biological capsule. Apogee: 120 kilometres (75 mi) | |||||||
16 March [85] | Terrier-Oriole | Kauai | MDA | ||||
ARAV-B | MDA | Suborbital | Radar target | 16 March | Successful | ||
Tracked by both STSS Demo satellites | |||||||
23 March 18:50:00 [86] | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
EVE | CU Boulder | Suborbital | SDO calibration [87] | 23 March | Successful [86] | ||
29 March 04:01 [88] | VSB-30 | Esrange | EuroLaunch | ||||
TEXUS-49 | DLR/ESA | Suborbital | Microgravity | 29 March | Successful | ||
Apogee: 268 kilometres (167 mi) | |||||||
15 April 06:52 [85] | UGM-96 Trident I C4 (LV-2) [89] | FTM-15 | Meck | MDA | |||
MDA | Suborbital | ABM target | 15 April | Successful | |||
15 April 07:03 [85] | RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 | FTM-15 | USS O'Kane, Pacific Ocean | US Navy | |||
FTM-15 | US Navy | Suborbital | ABM test | 15 April | Successful | ||
First intercept of an IRBM by an SM-3 (FTM-15 Stellar Charon) | |||||||
26 April [85] | R-29RMU Sineva | K-84 Ekaterinburg, Barents Sea | VMF | ||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 26 April | Successful | |||
27 April 08:00:00 [86] | Black Brant IX | Poker Flat | NASA | ||||
WFF | Suborbital | Test flight | 27 April | Successful [86] | |||
6 May [90] 23:02 [91] | Tianying 3C | Hainan | CNSA | ||||
Kunpeng-1 | CSSAR | Suborbital | Environment monitoring | 23:09 | Successful | ||
Apogee: 196.6 kilometres (122.2 mi). | |||||||
11 May 18:00 [85] | Improved Orion | Barreira do Inferno | AEB | ||||
INPE | Suborbital | Microgravity | 11 May | Successful | |||
20 May 13:21[ citation needed ] | SpaceLoft XL | Spaceport America | UP Aerospace | ||||
Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 20 May | Successful | ||||
Goddard | Celestis | Suborbital | Space burial | Successful | |||
Apogee: 118.3 kilometres (73.5 mi), successfully recovered. | |||||||
20 May 14:50 [85] | R-29RMU2.1 Layner | K-84 Ekaterinburg, Barents Sea | VMF | ||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 20 May | Successful | |||
Maiden flight of Layner missile | |||||||
10 June 11:11:16 [86] | Terrier-Orion | Wallops Island | NASA | ||||
SubTec IV [85] | GSFC | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 10 June | Successful [86] | ||
22 June 13:35 | LGM-30G Minuteman III | Vandenberg LF-10 | U.S. Air Force | ||||
U.S. Air Force | Suborbital | Test flight | 22 June | Successful | |||
23 June 10:18:00 [86] | Terrier-Orion | Wallops Island | NASA | ||||
RockOn | Colorado | Suborbital | Student experiments | 23 June | Successful [86] | ||
28 June 11:55 [85] | RSM-56 Bulava | K-535 Yuri Dolgorukiy, White Sea | VMF | ||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 28 June | Successful | |||
28 June [85] | Shahab-1 | Iran | IRGC | ||||
IGRC | Suborbital | Missile test | 28 June | Successful | |||
Part of an exercise with 14 missile launches, apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi) | |||||||
28 June [85] | Shahab-1 | Iran | IGRC | ||||
IRGC | Suborbital | Missile test | 28 June | Successful | |||
Part of an exercise with 14 missile launches, apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi) | |||||||
28 June [85] | Shahab-2 | Iran | IRGC | ||||
IRGC | Suborbital | Missile test | 28 June | Successful | |||
Part of an exercise with 14 missile launches, apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi) | |||||||
28 June [85] | Shahab-2 | Iran | IRGC | ||||
IRGC | Suborbital | Missile test | 28 June | Successful | |||
Part of an exercise with 14 missile launches, apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi) | |||||||
28 June [85] | Ghadr-1 [85] | Iran | IRGC | ||||
IRGC | Suborbital | Missile test | 28 June | Successful | |||
Part of an exercise with 14 missile launches, apogee: 500 kilometres (310 mi) | |||||||
9 July 02:04 [85] | SRALT | C-17, Pacific Ocean | MDA | ||||
FTX-17 | MDA | Suborbital | Radar target | 9 July | Successful | ||
Tracked by STSS Demo satellites | |||||||
9 July 09:00:00 [86] | Black Brant VB | Wallops LA-2 [85] | NASA | ||||
Daytime Dynamo | NASA | Suborbital | Geospace | 9 July | Successful [86] | ||
9 July 09:00:15 [86] | Terrier-Orion | Wallops LA-2 [85] | NASA | ||||
Daytime Dynamo | NASA | Suborbital | Geospace | 9 July | Successful [86] | ||
11 July 15:35 [85] | Gradicom II | Chamical | CITEFA | ||||
CITEFA | Suborbital | Test flight | 11 July | Successful | |||
Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi) | |||||||
21 July 07:00 [92] | Nike-Improved Orion | Esrange | EuroLaunch | ||||
PHOCUS | Stockholm/SSC | Suborbital | Atmospheric | 21 July | Successful | ||
21 July 11:58:00 [86] | Terrier-Orion | Wallops Island | NASA | ||||
RockSat-X | Wallops Flight Facility | Suborbital | Student experiments | 21 July | Successful [86] | ||
27 July 10:01 [85] | LGM-30G Minuteman III | Vandenberg LF-04 | U.S. Air Force | ||||
U.S. Air Force | Suborbital | Test flight | 27 July | Launch failure | |||
An anomaly was detected five minutes after launch and the flight was terminated. | |||||||
27 July [85] | R-29RMU Sineva | K-84 Ekaterinburg, Barents Sea | VMF | ||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 27 July | Successful | |||
11 August 14:45 [85] | Minotaur IV Lite | Vandenberg SLC-8 | Orbital | ||||
HTV-2b | U.S. Air Force | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 11 August | Spacecraft failure | ||
Second flight of the HTV-2, loss of contact approximately 20 minutes after launch at Mach 20. | |||||||
27 August 03:20 [85] | RSM-56 Bulava | K-535 Yuri Dolgorukiy, White Sea | VMF | ||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 27 August | Successful | |||
1 September 13:53 [85] | Terrier-Oriole | FTM-16 E2 | Kauai | MDA | |||
MDA | Suborbital | ABM target | 1 September | Successful | |||
SM-3 Block 1B target | |||||||
1 September 13:54 [85] | RIM-161C SM-3 Block 1B | FTM-16 E2 | USS Lake Erie, Pacific Ocean | US Navy | |||
US Navy | Suborbital | ABM test | 1 September | Spacecraft failure | |||
First launch of SM-3 Block 1B, intercept failed | |||||||
3 September 09:46 [85] | RS-12M Topol | Plesetsk | RVSN | ||||
RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 3 September | Successful | |||
15 September [93] | Kavoshgar (Zelzal-based) | Semnan | ISA | ||||
Kavoshgar-5 | ISA | Suborbital | Biological | 15 September | Launch failure | ||
First Iranian attempt to launch a monkey into space; failed, resulting in death of the monkey | |||||||
26 September [94] 03:20 [85] | Prithvi II | Integrated Test Range IC-3 [85] | DRDO | ||||
DRDO | Suborbital | Missile test | 27 September | Successful | |||
27 September 07:08 [93] | RS-26 Rubezh | Plesetsk | RVSN | ||||
RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 27 September | Launch failure | |||
29 September[ citation needed ] | R-29RMU2.1 Layner | K-114 Tula, Barents Sea | VMF | ||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 30 September | Successful | |||
30 September 04:02 [95] | Agni-II | ITR IC-4 [85] | Indian Army | ||||
Indian Army | Suborbital | Missile test | 30 September | Successful | |||
Travelled 2,500 kilometres (1,600 mi) downrange | |||||||
5 October 05:56 [85] | SRALT | FTT-12 | C-17, Pacific Ocean | MDA | |||
U.S. Army / MDA | Suborbital | ABM target | 5 October | Successful | |||
Intercepted by THAAD missile | |||||||
5 October 05:56 [85] | R-17 Elbrus | FTT-12 | MLP, Barking Sands | U.S. Army | |||
U.S. Army / MDA | Suborbital | ABM target | 5 October | Successful | |||
Intercepted by THAAD missile | |||||||
5 October 06:00 [85] | THAAD | FTT-12 | Barking Sands | U.S. Army | |||
U.S. Army / MDA | Suborbital | ABM test | 5 October | Successful | |||
Intercepted target missile | |||||||
5 October 06:00 [85] | THAAD | FTT-12 | Barking Sands | U.S. Army | |||
U.S. Army / MDA | Suborbital | ABM test | 5 October | Successful | |||
Intercepted target missile | |||||||
8 October 10:25:01 [86] | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
PICTURE | Boston | Suborbital | Astronomy | 8 October | Spacecraft failure [86] | ||
11 October 21:15:00 [86] | Terrier-Orion | Andøya | NASA | ||||
CHAMPS | Colorado | Suborbital | Geospace | 11 October | Successful [86] | ||
13 October 13:50:00 [86] | Terrier-Orion | Andøya | NASA | ||||
CHAMPS | Colorado | Suborbital | Geospace | 13 October [86] | Successful | ||
28 October 03:40 [85] | RSM-56 Bulava | K-535 Yuri Dolgorukiy, White Sea | VMF | ||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 28 October | Successful | |||
2 November 07:50 [85] | Jericho III | Palmachim | Israeli Air Force | ||||
Israeli Air Force | Suborbital | Missile test | 2 November | Successful | |||
3 November 06:45 [85] | RS-12M Topol | Plesetsk | RVSN | ||||
RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 3 November | Successful | |||
6 November 07:00 [86] | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
XQC F5 | Wisconsin | Suborbital | Astronomy | 6 November | Successful [86] | ||
15 November 03:30 [96] | Agni IV | Integrated Test Range IC-4 | DRDO | ||||
Indian Army | Suborbital | Missile test | 15 November | Successful | |||
17 November 11:30 | UGM-27 Polaris (STARS) | Barking Sands LC-42 | U.S. Air Force | ||||
AHW Flight 1A | U.S. Army | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 17 November | Successful | ||
25 November 23:00 [85] | Improved Orion | Barreira do Inferno | AEB | ||||
INPE | Suborbital | Microgravity | 25 November | Successful | |||
27 November 09:10 [97] | VSB-30 | Esrange | EuroLaunch | ||||
/ TEXUS-48 | DLR/ESA | Suborbital | Microgravity | 27 November | Successful | ||
2 December 22:00 [85] | VS-30 | Barreira do Inferno | AEB | ||||
Brasil-Alemanha | INPE | Suborbital | Microgravity | 2 December | Successful | ||
3 December 07:21:31 [85] | VS-30/Improved Orion | Ny-Ålesund | Andøya | ||||
ICI-3 (CanoRock 4) | Oslo/Andøya | Suborbital | Atmospheric | 3 December | Successful [98] | ||
10 December 10:30:00 [99] | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
Colorado | Suborbital | Astronomy | 10 December | Successful | |||
19 December 14:48 [100] | S-310 | Uchinoura | JAXA | ||||
JAXA/TPU/TU | Suborbital | Ionospheric | 19 December | Successful | |||
19 December | MN-300 | Kapustin Yar | Roshydromet | ||||
MR-30 | Roshydromet | Suborbital | Meteorology Test flight | 19 December | Successful | ||
Maiden flight of MN-300 | |||||||
23 December | RSM-56 Bulava | K-535 Yuri Dolgorukiy, White Sea | VMF | ||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 23 December | Successful | |||
23 December | RSM-56 Bulava | K-535 Yuri Dolgorukiy, White Sea | VMF | ||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 23 December | Successful | |||
27 December 12:00 | RS-18 UR-100N | Baikonur | RVSN | ||||
RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 27 December | Successful | |||
? | UGM-133 Trident II D5 | USS ?, Pacific Ocean | US Navy | ||||
US Navy | Suborbital | Missile test | ? | Successful | |||
Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test 44 | |||||||
? | UGM-133 Trident II D5 | USS ?, Pacific Ocean | US Navy | ||||
US Navy | Suborbital | Missile test | ? | Launch failure | |||
Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test 44 ? |
Date (UTC) | Spacecraft | Event | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
9 January | Mars Express | Flyby of Phobos | Closest approach: 100 kilometres (62 mi). Mars Express made a total of 8 flybys of Phobos at a distance of less than 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) between 20 December and 16 January. |
9 January | Artemis P1 | Spacecraft left LL2 orbit and joined Artemis P2 in LL1 orbit | |
11 January | Cassini | 3rd flyby of Rhea | Closest approach: 76 kilometres (47 mi) [101] |
15 February | Stardust (NExT) | Flyby of Tempel 1 | Closest approach: 181 kilometres (112 mi). Observed changes since Deep Impact flyby and imaged crater created by Deep Impact impactor, as well as new terrain. |
18 February | Cassini | 74th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 3,651 kilometres (2,269 mi) |
18 March | MESSENGER | Hermocentric orbit injection | First artificial satellite of Mercury; elliptical orbit with a periapsis of 200 kilometers (120 mi) and an apoapsis of 15,000 km (9,300 mi). [102] |
19 April | Cassini | 75th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 10,053 kilometres (6,247 mi) |
8 May | Cassini | 76th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 1,873 kilometres (1,164 mi) |
8 June | Chang'e 2 | Departed lunar orbit | Travelled to L2 Lagrangian point, which it reached in August 2011. [103] |
20 June | Cassini | 77th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 1,359 kilometres (844 mi) |
27 June | Artemis P1 | Lunar orbit insertion | Initial orbital parameters were: apogee 3,543 kilometres (2,202 mi), perigee 27,000 kilometres (17,000 mi). Over the following three months, the orbit was lowered to an apogee of 97 kilometres (60 mi) and a perigee of 18,000 kilometres (11,000 mi), with an inclination of 20 degrees; retrograde orbit. |
16 July | Dawn | Vestiocentric orbit injection | First artificial satellite of 4 Vesta. [104] Initial orbit was 16,000 kilometres (9,900 mi) high and was reduced to 2,700 kilometres (1,700 mi) until 11 August. |
17 July | Artemis P2 | Lunar orbit insertion | Initial orbital parameters were similar to Artemis P1. Over the following three months the orbit was lowered to an apogee of 97 kilometres (60 mi) and a perigee of 18,000 kilometres (11,000 mi), with an inclination of 20 degrees; prograde orbit. |
25 August | Cassini | Second-closest flyby of Hyperion [105] | Closest approach: 25,000 kilometres (16,000 mi) |
12 September | Cassini | 78th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 5,821 kilometres (3,617 mi) |
16 September | Cassini | Flyby of Hyperion | Closest approach: 58,000 kilometres (36,000 mi) |
1 October | Cassini | 14th flyby of Enceladus | Closest approach: 99 kilometres (62 mi) |
19 October | Cassini | 15th flyby of Enceladus | Closest approach: 1,231 kilometres (765 mi) |
6 November | Cassini | 16th flyby of Enceladus | Closest approach: 496 kilometres (308 mi) |
12 December | Cassini | 3rd flyby of Dione | Closest approach: 99 kilometres (62 mi) |
13 December | Cassini | 79th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 3,586 kilometres (2,228 mi) |
31 December | GRAIL-A | Lunar orbit insertion | Twin satellite Grail-B's insertion occurred a day later, on 1 January 2012. |
Start Date/Time | Duration | End Time | Spacecraft | Crew | Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
21 January 10:05 | 5 hours 23 minutes | 15:49 | Expedition 26 ISS Pirs | Dmitri Kondratyev Oleg Skripochka | Prepared the ISS Poisk module for future dockings. [106] | |
16 February 13:15 | 6 hours 23 minutes | 18:15 | Expedition 26 ISS Pirs | Dmitri Kondratyev Oleg Skripochka | Installed a radio antenna, deployed a nanosatellite, installed two experiments and retrieved two exposure panels on a third experiment. | |
28 February 15:46 | 6 hours 34 minutes | 22:20 | STS-133 ISS Quest | Stephen Bowen Alvin Drew | Removed a failed coolant pump and routed a power extension cable. | |
2 March 15:41 | 6 hours 14 minutes | 21:55 | STS-133 ISS Quest | Stephen Bowen Alvin Drew | Removed or repaired thermal insulation, swapped out an attachment bracket on the Columbus module, installed a camera assembly on Dextre and installed a light on a cargo cart. | |
20 May 07:10 | 6 hours 19 minutes | 13:29 | STS-134 ISS Quest | Andrew Feustel Gregory Chamitoff | Completed installation of a new set of MISSE experiments, started installing a new wireless video system, installed an ammonia jumper, a new light on the CETA cart on the S3 truss segment, and a cover on the starboard SARJ. | |
22 May 06:05 | 8 hours 07 minutes | 14:12 | STS-134 ISS Quest | Andrew Feustel Michael Fincke | Hooked up a jumper to transfer ammonia to the Port 6 PVTCS, lubricated the SARJ and one of the "hands" on Dextre, and installed a stowage beam on the S1 truss. | |
25 May 05:43 | 6 hours 54 minutes | 12:37 | STS-134 ISS Quest | Andrew Feustel Michael Fincke | Installed PDGF (except for data cable), routed power cables from Unity to Zarya , finished installation of wireless video system, took pictures of Zarya's thrusters and captured infrared video of an experiment in ELC 3. | |
27 May 04:15 | 7 hours 24 minutes | 11:39 | STS-134 ISS Quest | Gregory Chamitoff Mike Fincke | Installed OBSS on S1 truss, removed the EFGF and replaced it with a spare PDGF, and released some torque on the bolts that were holding the spare arm for Dextre down against ELC 3. Final shuttle spacewalk. [107] | |
12 July 13:22 | 6 hours 31 minutes | 19:53 | Expedition 28 ISS Quest | Ronald Garan Michael Fossum | Moved a failed cooling pump from the station to the shuttle Atlantis, transferred a robotic refuelling apparatus from the shuttle to the ISS, installed a materials science experiment on the station's truss, serviced a robot arm attachment fitting, installed a thermal cover over the unused docking port PMA-3, and fixed a protruding wire on a grapple fixture on the Zarya module. | |
3 August 14:51 | 6 hours 22 minutes | 21:22 | Expedition 28 ISS Pirs | Sergei Volkov Aleksandr Samokutyayev | Launched Kedr satellite, installed BIORISK experiment outside Pirs , and installed laser communication equipment to transmit scientific data from the Russian Orbital Segment. |
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, Soyuz launches by Arianespace in Kourou are counted under Russia because Soyuz-2 is a Russian rocket.
Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
China | 19 | 18 | 1 | 0 | ||
Europe | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||
India | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
Iran | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
Japan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
Russia | 29 | 25 | 4 | 0 | Includes two European Soyuz launches from Kourou, French Guiana by Arianespace. Fobos-Grunt launched successfully, but failed while on its parking orbit. [108] | |
Ukraine | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | Includes one Zenit from Sea Launch and one from Land Launch. | |
United States | 18 | 17 | 1 | 0 | ||
World | 84 | 78 | 6 | 0 |
Family | Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ariane | Europe | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
Atlas | United States | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
Delta | United States | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
H-II | Japan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March | China | 19 | 18 | 1 | 0 | |
Minotaur | United States | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
PSLV | India | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
R-7 | Russia | 19 | 17 | 2 | 0 | |
R-36 | Ukraine | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Safir | Iran | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Space Shuttle | United States | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Final flight |
Universal Rocket | Russia | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | |
Zenit | Ukraine | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Rocket | Country | Family | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ariane 5 | Europe | Ariane | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
Atlas V | United States | Atlas | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
Delta II | United States | Delta | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Delta IV | United States | Delta | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Dnepr | Ukraine | R-36 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
H-IIA | Japan | H-II | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
H-IIB | Japan | H-II | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 2 | China | Long March | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | |
Long March 3 | China | Long March | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 4 | China | Long March | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Minotaur I | United States | Minotaur | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Minotaur IV | United States | Minotaur | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
PSLV | India | PSLV | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Proton | Russia | Universal Rocket | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | |
Safir | Iran | Safir | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Soyuz | Russia | R-7 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | |
Soyuz-2 | Russia | R-7 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | |
Space Shuttle | United States | Space Shuttle | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Final flight |
UR-100 | Russia | Universal Rocket | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Taurus | United States | Minotaur | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Zenit | Ukraine | Zenit | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Rocket | Country | Type | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ariane 5 ECA | Europe | Ariane 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Ariane 5 ES | Europe | Ariane 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Atlas V 401 | United States | Atlas V | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Atlas V 411 | United States | Atlas V | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Atlas V 501 | United States | Atlas V | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Atlas V 541 | United States | Atlas V | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Atlas V 551 | United States | Atlas V | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Delta II 7320 | United States | Delta II | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Delta II 7920 | United States | Delta II | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Delta II 7920H | United States | Delta II | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final flight |
Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | United States | Delta IV | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Delta IV Heavy | United States | Delta IV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Dnepr | Ukraine | Dnepr | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
H-IIA 202 | Japan | H-IIA | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
H-IIB | Japan | H-IIB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 2C | China | Long March 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
Long March 2D | China | Long March 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 2F | China | Long March 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 2F/G | China | Long March 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight |
Long March 3A | China | Long March 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 3B | China | Long March 3 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 3C | China | Long March 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 4B | China | Long March 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Minotaur I | United States | Minotaur I | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Minotaur IV+ | United States | Minotaur IV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
PSLV-G | India | PSLV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
PSLV-CA | India | PSLV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
PSLV-XL | India | PSLV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Proton-M / Briz-M | Russia | Proton | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | |
Rokot / Briz-KM | Russia | UR-100 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Safir-B | Iran | Safir | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Soyuz-2.1a / Fregat-M | Russia | Soyuz-2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Soyuz ST-A / Fregat | Russia | Soyuz-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Soyuz-2.1b / Fregat-M | Russia | Soyuz-2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
Soyuz ST-B / Fregat-MT | Russia | Soyuz-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Soyuz-FG | Russia | Soyuz | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Soyuz-U | Russia | Soyuz | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | |
Space Shuttle | United States | Space Shuttle | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Final flight |
Taurus-XL | United States | Taurus | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Zenit-2M | Ukraine | Zenit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Zenit-3F | Ukraine | Zenit | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight |
Zenit-3SL | Ukraine | Zenit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Zenit-3SLB | Ukraine | Zenit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Site | Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baikonur | Kazakhstan | 25 | 23 | 2 | 0 | |
Cape Canaveral | United States | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |
Dombarovsky | Russia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Kourou | France | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |
Jiuquan | China | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | |
Kennedy Space Center | United States | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Kodiak | United States | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
MARS | United States | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Ocean Odyssey | International waters | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Plesetsk | Russia | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | |
Satish Dhawan | India | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Semnan | Iran | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Tanegashima | Japan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Taiyuan | China | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Vandenberg | United States | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | |
Xichang | China | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 84 | 78 | 6 | 0 |
Orbital regime | Launches | Successes | Failures | Accidentally achieved | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Transatmospheric | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Low Earth | 44 | 40 | 4 | 0 | 14 to ISS, 1 to Tiangong-1 |
Medium Earth / Molniya | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | |
Geosynchronous / GTO | 27 | 26 | 1 | 1 | |
High Earth / Lunar transfer | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Heliocentric / Planetary transfer | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 84 | 78 | 6 | 1 |
The Soyuz programme is a human spaceflight programme initiated by the Soviet Union in the early 1960s. The Soyuz spacecraft was originally part of a Moon landing project intended to put a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon. It was the third Soviet human spaceflight programme after the Vostok (1961–1963) and Voskhod (1964–1965) programmes.
The Guiana Space Centre, also called Europe's Spaceport, is a spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, an overseas region of France in South America. Kourou is located approximately 500 kilometres north of the equator at a latitude of 5°. In operation since 1968, it is a suitable location for a spaceport because of its near equatorial location and open sea to the east and north.
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 2003 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 2001 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
Soyuz‑2 is a modernized expendable medium-lift launch vehicle and the seventh major version of the Soyuz rocket family. It includes key enhancements over its predecessors, including improved engines along with digital flight control and telemetry systems, enabling launches from fixed platforms and the use of large payload fairings.
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.
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.
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.
Several new rockets and spaceports began operations in 2016.
In 2013, the maiden spaceflight of the Orbital Sciences' Antares launch vehicle, designated A-ONE, took place on 13 April. Orbital Science also launched its first spacecraft, Cygnus, that docked with the International Space Station in late September 2013.
This article documents notable spaceflight events during the year 2019.
Notable spaceflight activities in 2017 included the maiden orbital flight of India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III on 5 June and the first suborbital test of Rocket Lab's Electron rocket, inaugurating the Mahia spaceport in New Zealand. The rocket is named for its innovative Rutherford engine which feeds propellants via battery-powered electric motors instead of the usual gas generator and turbopumps.
This article documents notable spaceflight events during the year 2018. For the first time since 1990, more than 100 orbital launches were performed globally.
This article documents notable spaceflight events during the year 2020.
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 is also marred by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, leading to tension between Roscosmos and Western space agencies, threats of ending collaboration on the International Space Station (ISS), and delays on space missions.
U.S. Strategic Command's (USSTRATCOM) Joint Force Space Component Command (JFSCC), through the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC), confirmed Tiangong-1 reentered the Earth's atmosphere over the southern Pacific Ocean at approximately 5:16 p.m. (PST) April 1, 2018.