Orbital launches | |
---|---|
First | 9 January |
Last | 19 December |
Total | 77 |
Successes | 72 |
Failures | 2 |
Partial failures | 3 |
Catalogued | 75 |
National firsts | |
Satellite | Hungary Poland Romania Belarus North Korea |
Orbital launch | North Korea |
Rockets | |
Maiden flights | |
Retirements | |
Crewed flights | |
Orbital | 5 |
Total travellers | 15 |
EVAs | 5 |
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.
A total of 77 orbital launches were attempted in 2012, of which 72 were successful, three were partially successful and two were failures. Five crewed orbital missions were conducted over the course of the year, all successfully, carrying a total of 15 individuals into orbit. The year also saw five EVAs by ISS astronauts. The majority of the year's orbital launches were conducted by Russia, China and the United States, with 29, 19 and 13 launches respectively. A total of 139 payloads were launched during the year, including communication and navigation satellites, logistics spacecraft and scientific probes. Additionally, a large number of suborbital sounding rockets and ballistic missiles were launched by scientific and military organisations.
A total of 77 orbital launches were attempted in 2012, with 72 being reported as successful, and a total of 139 payloads launched. [1] The three most prolific spacefaring nations were Russia, with 29 launches and 27 successes; China, with 19 launches, all of which succeeded; and the United States, with 13 launches, of which 12 succeeded and one was a partial failure. [1] European nations conducted eight orbital launches, all successfully, while India and Japan conducted two each, also successfully. Iran and North Korea both achieved one successful orbital launch during 2012, but Iran also suffered one launch failures, while North Korea suffered one. [2] [3]
Five crewed orbital launches were conducted during 2012, all successfully, carrying a total of 15 astronauts into orbit. Four of these missions were flown using Russian Soyuz spacecraft, while the fifth was a Chinese Shenzhou launch. [4] All of the year's crewed missions rendezvoused with space stations – the four Soyuz missions docked with the International Space Station (ISS), while China's Shenzhou 9 docked with the Tiangong-1 orbital laboratory. Five spacewalks were also undertaken in 2012, all by ISS crewmembers. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
Numerous significant milestones in robotic spaceflight occurred in 2012, including the landing of NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars in August, [10] and the first commercial resupply missions to the ISS in May and October. [11] [12] The latter also marked the first fully operational use of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. Elsewhere in the Solar System, NASA's Dawn spacecraft completed its mission to 4 Vesta in September 2012, [13] while China achieved its first asteroid flyby in December.
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload (⚀ = CubeSat) | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
11 January 13:25 | Terrier-Improved Malemute [169] | Wallops Island | NASA | ||||
NASA | Suborbital | Test flight | 11 January | Successful [170] | |||
11 January 20:51 | S-520 | Uchinoura | JAXA | ||||
JAXA/HU/TU/TU/TPU/KU/KUT | Suborbital | Atmospheric science | 11 January | Successful [171] | |||
24 January | Arrow III | Negev | IAI | ||||
IAI/IDF | Suborbital | ABM Test | 24 January | Successful [172] | |||
First test flight of the Arrow-III | |||||||
10 February 04:40 | Prithvi | ITR IC-4 | DRDO | ||||
DRDO | Suborbital | Target | 10 February | Successful [173] | |||
Target for ABM test, successfully intercepted | |||||||
10 February | Blue Sparrow | F-15 Eagle, Israel | IAF | ||||
Israeli Air Force | Suborbital | ABM target | 10 February | Successful [174] | |||
Arrow-3 tracking target | |||||||
13 February 09:32 | VSB-30 | Esrange | EuroLaunch | ||||
MASER-12 | SSC | Suborbital | Microgravity | 13 February | Successful [175] | ||
19 February 05:41 | Black Brant IX | Poker Flat | NASA | ||||
UNH | Suborbital | Auroral research | 19 February | Successful [176] | |||
22 February | UGM-133 Trident II D5 | USS Tennessee, ETR | US Navy | ||||
US Navy | Suborbital | Missile test | 22 February | Successful [177] | |||
Demonstration and Shakedown Operation 23 (DASO-23) | |||||||
25 February 10:46 | LGM-30G Minuteman III | Vandenberg LF-09 | US Air Force | ||||
US Air Force | Suborbital | Test flight | 25 February | Successful [178] | |||
22 March 09:00 | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
CIBER | Caltech | Suborbital | Astronomy | 22 March | Successful [179] | ||
27 March 08:58 | Terrier-Oriole | Wallops Island | NASA | ||||
ATREX | Clemson | Suborbital | Geospace | 27 March | Successful [180] | ||
27 March 08:59 | Terrier-Improved Malemute | Wallops Island | NASA | ||||
ATREX | Clemson | Suborbital | Geospace | 27 March | Successful [180] | ||
27 March 09:00 | Terrier-Orion | Wallops Island | NASA | ||||
ATREX | Clemson | Suborbital | Geospace | 27 March | Successful [180] | ||
27 March 09:02 | Terrier-Improved Malemute | Wallops Island | NASA | ||||
ATREX | Clemson | Suborbital | Geospace | 27 March | Successful [180] | ||
27 March 09:03 | Terrier-Orion | Wallops Island | NASA | ||||
ATREX | Clemson | Suborbital | Geospace | 27 March | Successful [180] | ||
5 April 14:18 | SpaceLoft XL | Spaceport America | UP Aerospace | ||||
ORS | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 5 April | Successful [181] | |||
Apogee: 117 kilometres (73 mi), successfully recovered | |||||||
14 April | UGM-133 Trident II D5 | USS Maryland, ETR | US Navy | ||||
US Navy | Suborbital | Test flight | 14 April | Successful [182] | |||
Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test 45 | |||||||
14 April | UGM-133 Trident II D5 | USS Maryland, ETR | US Navy | ||||
US Navy | Suborbital | Test flight | 14 April | Successful [182] | |||
Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test 45 | |||||||
16 April | UGM-133 Trident II D5 | USS Maryland, ETR | US Navy | ||||
US Navy | Suborbital | Test flight | 16 April | Successful [182] | |||
Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test 46 | |||||||
16 April | UGM-133 Trident II D5 | USS Maryland, ETR | US Navy | ||||
US Navy | Suborbital | Test flight | 16 April | Successful [182] | |||
Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test 46 | |||||||
19 April 02:37 | Agni-V | Integrated Test Range | DRDO | ||||
DRDO | Suborbital | Test flight | 19 April | Successful [183] | |||
Apogee: 800 kilometres (500 mi), maiden flight of Agni-V | |||||||
23 April | VS-30/Orion | Andøya | DSTO | ||||
HiFire-5 | DSTO | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 23 April | Launch failure | ||
Hypersonic research experiment, second stage of launch vehicle failed to ignite | |||||||
25 April | Shaheen-IA | Sonmiani | ASFC | ||||
ASFC | Suborbital | Test flight | 25 April | Successful [184] | |||
10 May 06:18 | Terrier Orion (ARAV-A) | FTM-16 E2a | Kauai | MDA | |||
MDA | Suborbital | ABM target | 10 May | Successful [185] | |||
SM-3 Block 1B target | |||||||
10 May 06:21 | RIM-161C SM-3 Block 1B | FTM-16 E2a | USS Lake Erie, Pacific Ocean | US Navy | |||
US Navy | Suborbital | ABM test | 10 May | Successful [185] | |||
ARAV-A interceptor, successful intercept | |||||||
23 May 06:15 | RS-26 Rubezh | Plesetsk | RVSN | ||||
RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 23 May | Successful [186] | |||
7 June 17:39 | RS-12M Topol | Kapustin Yar | RVSN | ||||
RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 7 June | Successful [187] | |||
21 June 10:40 | Terrier Improved Orion | Wallops Island | NASA | ||||
RockOn | Colorado | Suborbital | Student experiments | 21 June | Successful [188] | ||
22 June 19:18 | VS-40 | Andøya | Andøya | ||||
SHEFEX II | DLR | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 22 June | Successful [189] | ||
23 June 19:30 | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
EVE | CU Boulder | Suborbital | SDO calibration | 23 June | Successful [190] | ||
27 June 09:15 | Castor 4B | FTM-18 | Kauai | MDA | |||
MDA | Suborbital | ABM target | 27 June | Successful [191] | |||
SM-3 Block 1B target | |||||||
27 June 09:18 | RIM-161C SM-3 Block 1B | FTM-18 | USS Lake Erie, Pacific Ocean | US Navy | |||
US Navy | Suborbital | ABM test | 27 June | Successful [191] | |||
Castor 4B interceptor, successful intercept | |||||||
3 July | Shahab-1 | Iran | IRGC | ||||
IGRC | Suborbital | Missile test | 3 July | Successful [192] | |||
Apogee: ~100 kilometres (62 mi) | |||||||
3 July | Shahab-2 | Iran | IGRC | ||||
IRGC | Suborbital | Missile test | 3 July | Successful [192] | |||
Apogee: ~100 kilometres (62 mi) | |||||||
3 July | Shahab-3 | Iran | IRGC | ||||
IRGC | Suborbital | Missile test | 3 July | Successful [192] | |||
Apogee: ~150 kilometres (93 mi) | |||||||
5 July 18:50 | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
SUMI | NASA/MSFC | Suborbital | Solar research | 5 July | Successful [193] | ||
11 July 18:50 | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
Hi-C | NASA/MSFC | Suborbital | Solar research | 11 July | Successful [194] | ||
13 July 04:36 | Agni-I | Integrated Test Range | IDRDL | ||||
IDRDL | Suborbital | Missile test | 13 July | Successful [195] | |||
Apogee: ~200 kilometres (120 mi) | |||||||
23 July 11:01 | Black Brant XI | Wallops Island | NASA | ||||
IRVE-3 | NASA/Langley | Suborbital | Atmospheric entry test | 23 July | Successful [196] | ||
Apogee: ~285 miles (459 km); part of the Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator programme | |||||||
24 July 19:17 | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
DFS | USC | Suborbital | Solar research | 24 July | Successful [197] | ||
7 August 07:30:00 [198] | S-310 | Uchinoura | JAXA | ||||
[200] | UT/JAXA/AGU/TKD/NU/TU/KIT | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 7 August | Successful [201] | ||
9 August 03:16 | Agni-II | ITR IC-4 | Indian Army | ||||
Indian Army | Suborbital | Missile test | 9 August | Successful [202] | |||
Apogee: 220 kilometres (140 mi) | |||||||
12 September | Terrier-Lynx | Wallops Island | DoD | ||||
Shark | DoD | Suborbital | Radar target | 12 September | Successful [203] | ||
Apogee: ~300 kilometres (190 mi) | |||||||
13 September 12:30 | Juno | Fort Wingate LC-96 | US Army | ||||
US Army | Suborbital | Target | 13 September | Successful [204] | |||
Target for MIM-104 Patriot PAC-3 MSE test, successfully intercepted | |||||||
13 September | VS-30/Orion | Andøya | DSTO | ||||
HiFire-3 | DSTO | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 13 September | Successful [205] | ||
Hypersonic research experiment, Apogee: 349 kilometres (217 mi) | |||||||
19 September 11:45 [206] | Agni-IV | ITR IC-4 | Indian Army | ||||
Indian Army | Suborbital | Missile test | 19 September | Successful | |||
Apogee: 800 kilometres (500 mi) | |||||||
21 September 13:15 [207] | Agni-III | ITR IC-4 | Indian Army | ||||
Indian Army | Suborbital | Missile test | 21 September | Successful | |||
Apogee: 450 kilometres (280 mi) | |||||||
21 September 11:16 | Terrier Improved Malemute | Wallops Island | NASA | ||||
RockSat-X | NASA | Suborbital | Student experiments | 21 September | Successful [208] | ||
Apogee: ~153 kilometres (95 mi) | |||||||
22 September 11:00 | Talos Terrier Oriole | Wallops Island | NASA | ||||
NASA | Suborbital | Rocket test | 22 September | Successful [209] | |||
Apogee: ~269 kilometres (167 mi) | |||||||
4 October 03:37 | Prithvi II | Integrated Test Range Launch Complex 3 | DRDO | ||||
DRDO | Suborbital | Missile test | 4 October | Successful [210] | |||
Apogee: ~100 kilometres (62 mi) | |||||||
5 October 05:55 | Dhanush | Ship, Indian Ocean | DRDO | ||||
DRDO | Suborbital | Target | 5 October | Successful [211] | |||
Apogee: ~100 kilometres (62 mi) | |||||||
19 October 09:12 | Topol M2 | Plesetsk | RVSN | ||||
RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 19 October | Successful [212] | |||
19 October | R-29R Volna | K-433 Svyatoy Georgiy Pobedonosets, Sea of Okhotsk | VMF | ||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 19 October | Successful [212] | |||
23 October | UGM-133 Trident II D5 | HMS Vigilant | Royal Navy | ||||
Royal Navy | Suborbital | Missile test | 23 October | Successful [213] | |||
24 October 18:29 | RS-26 Rubezh | Kapustin Yar | RVSN | ||||
RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 24 October | Successful [214] | |||
25 October | Long Range Air Launch Target | FTI-01 | C-17 Globemaster III, Pacific Ocean | MDA | |||
MDA/IMDO | Suborbital | ABM target | 25 October | Successful [215] | |||
Target for THAAD, successful intercept | |||||||
25 October | THAAD | FTI-01 | Meck Island | US Army | |||
US Army/MDA | Suborbital | ABM test | 25 October | Successful [215] | |||
Intercepted target missile | |||||||
25 October | Terrier Oriole (ARAV-B) | FTI-01 | Wake Island | MDA | |||
MDA | Suborbital | ABM target | 25 October | Successful [215] | |||
SM-3 Block 1A target | |||||||
25 October | SM-3 Block 1A | FTI-01 | USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), Pacific Ocean | US Navy | |||
US Navy | Suborbital | ABM test | 25 October | Spacecraft failure [215] | |||
ARAV-B interceptor, intercept failed | |||||||
25 October | SRBM | Kwajalein | MDA | ||||
MDA | Suborbital | ABM target | 25 October | Successful [215] | |||
FTI-01, Patriot PAC-3 target, successfully intercepted | |||||||
2 November 17:55 | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
FOXSI | UC Berkeley | Suborbital | Solar research | 2 November | Successful [216] | ||
14 November 11:07 | LGM-30G Minuteman III | Vandenberg LF-10 | US Air Force | ||||
US Air Force | Suborbital | Test flight | 14 November | Successful [217] | |||
21 November 10:55 | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
IMAGER | University of Massachusetts | Suborbital | Astronomy | 21 November | Successful [218] | ||
23 November | Prithvi | ITR IC-4 | DRDO | ||||
DRDO | Suborbital | Target | 23 November | Successful [219] | |||
Target for ABM test, successfully intercepted | |||||||
25 November 11:20 | Nike-Orion | Esrange | EuroLaunch | ||||
MAPHEUS-3 | DLR | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 25 November | Successful [220] | ||
Apogee: 140 kilometres (87 mi) | |||||||
28 November | Ghauri | Tilla | Army of Pakistan | ||||
Haft-5 | Army of Pakistan | Suborbital | Missile test | 28 November | Successful [221] | ||
Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi) | |||||||
8 December 21:00 | VS-30/Orion | Alcântara | AEB | ||||
Iguaiba | INPE | Suborbital | Microgravity | 8 December | Successful [222] | ||
Apogee: 428 kilometres (266 mi) | |||||||
13 December 05:20 | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
DXL | U of M | Suborbital | Astronomy | 13 December | Successful [223] | ||
17 December 07:00 [224] | S-520 | Uchinoura | JAXA | ||||
Tohoku/JAXA/Tokai | Suborbital | Microgravity | 17 December | Successful [225] | |||
Apogee: 312 kilometres (194 mi) | |||||||
20 December 03:51 | Prithvi II | ITR IC-3 | DRDO | ||||
Strategic Force Command | Suborbital | Missile test | 20 December | Successful [226] | |||
Apogee: ~100 kilometres (62 mi) |
Date (UTC) | Spacecraft | Event | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
1 January | GRAIL-B | Lunar orbit insertion | Joined its twin, GRAIL-A, which entered lunar orbit on 31 December 2011. [227] |
2 January | Cassini | 80th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 29,415 kilometres (18,278 mi). [228] |
30 January | Cassini | 81st flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 31,131 kilometres (19,344 mi). [228] |
19 February | Cassini | 82nd flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 3,803 kilometres (2,363 mi). [228] |
9 March | Cassini | Flyby of Enceladus | Closest approach: 9,000 kilometres (5,600 mi). [228] |
27 March | Cassini | 17th flyby of Enceladus | Closest approach: 74 kilometres (46 mi). [228] |
14 April | Cassini | 18th flyby of Enceladus Flyby of Tethys | Closest approach to Enceladus: 74 kilometres (46 mi). [228] Closest approach to Tethys: 9,000 kilometres (5,600 mi). [228] |
2 May | Cassini | 20th flyby of Enceladus Flyby of Dione | Closest approach to Enceladus: 74 kilometres (46 mi). [228] Closest approach to Dione: 8,000 kilometres (5,000 mi). [228] |
20 May | Cassini | Flyby of Methone Flyby of Telesto | Closest approach to Methone: 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi). [228] Closest approach to Telesto: 11,000 kilometres (6,800 mi). [228] |
21 May | Cassini | 83rd flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 955 kilometres (593 mi). [228] |
6 June | Cassini | 84th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 959 kilometres (596 mi). [228] |
24 July | Cassini | 85th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 1,012 kilometres (629 mi). [228] |
6 August | Curiosity | Landing on Mars in Gale Crater | Used the Sky Crane soft landing system. Successful landing at 05:14 UTC at coordinates 4°35′22″S137°26′30″E / 4.5895°S 137.4417°E . [10] |
5 September [13] [229] | Dawn | Leaving Vestiocentric orbit | Headed for Ceres, which it reached on 6 March 2015. [230] |
26 September | Cassini | 86th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 956 kilometres (594 mi). [228] |
13 November | Cassini | 87th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 973 kilometres (605 mi). [228] |
29 November | Cassini | 88th flyby of Titan | Closest approach to Titan: 1,014 kilometres (630 mi). [228] |
13 December | Chang'e 2 | Flyby of 4179 Toutatis | First Chinese asteroid flyby. Closest approach to 4179 Toutatis: less than 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) (770 metres). [231] |
17 December | GRAIL | Lunar impact at "Sally K. Ride" site | Both GRAIL satellites concluded their mission by impacting the Moon's surface. [232] [233] |
22 December | Cassini | Distant flyby of Titan Flyby of Rhea | Closest approach to Titan: 715,000 kilometres (444,000 mi). [228] Closest approach to Rhea: 23,000 kilometres (14,000 mi). [228] |
Start Date/Time | Duration | End Time | Spacecraft | Crew | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
16 February 14:31 [5] | 6 hours 15 minutes | 20:46 | Expedition 29/30 | Oleg Kononenko | Moved Strela 1 crane from ISS Pirs module to Poisk module, installed four materials experiments on the exterior of the ISS, and installed supporting struts on the EVA ladder on Pirs. |
20 August 16:37 [6] | 5 hours 51 minutes | 22:28 | Expedition 31/32 ISS Pirs | Gennady Padalka | Relocated Strela 2 telescoping boom from Pirs docking compartment to Zarya control module, in preparation for undocking of Pirs, which will pave the way for arrival of the Russian Multipurpose Laboratory Module in 2013. Also installed micrometeoroid debris shields on Zvezda service module, retrieved two experiments from Pirs' exterior, installed two support struts for hatch ladder and deployed two small tracking satellites. [104] |
30 August 12:16 | 8 hours 17 minutes | 20:33 | Expedition 31/32 | Sunita Williams | Connected two power cables between the US and Russian orbital segments; removed and replaced Main Bus Switching Unit (MBSU) 1. The crew had difficulty in removing connecting bolts of the old MBSU, and were unable to tighten up the bolts for the new unit. The new MBSU was tied down for future trouble-shooting, with all other tasks deferred to a future EVA. Third-longest EVA in history. [7] |
5 September 11:06 | 6 hours 28 minutes | 17:34 | Expedition 31/32 ISS Quest | Sunita Williams | Installed the new MBSU unit, working around difficulty with one of the bolts; replaced one of the cameras mounted on the Canadarm2. During this spacewalk, Sunita Williams broke Peggy Whitson's 2007 record for most total time spacewalking by a woman. [8] [234] |
1 November 12:29 | 6 hours 38 minutes | 19:07 | Expedition 32/33 ISS Quest | Sunita Williams | Reconfigured and isolated a leak in the ammonia cooling system of power channel 2B on the P6 truss by bypassing a leaking cooling loop and re-connecting jumpers to an unused loop of the Early External Thermal Control System (EETCS), and by redeploying the trailing Thermal Control Radiator of the system. [9] [235] |
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 | 19 | 0 | 0 | ||
Europe | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | ||
India | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
Iran | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
Japan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
North Korea | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | First successful orbital launch | |
Russia | 26 | 24 | 1 | 1 | Includes two European Soyuz launches from Kourou, French Guiana by Arianespace | |
Ukraine | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Includes three Zenit from Sea Launch | |
United States | 13 | 12 | 0 | 1 | ||
World | 77 | 72 | 3 | 2 |
Family | Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ariane | Europe | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |
Atlas | United States | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
Delta | United States | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Falcon | United States | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 October rocket failure only affected one of two payloads [126] |
H-II | Japan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March | China | 19 | 19 | 0 | 0 | |
Pegasus | United States | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
PSLV | India | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
R-7 | Russia | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | |
Safir | Iran | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
Unha | North Korea | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | First successful launch |
Universal Rocket | Russia | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | |
Vega | Europe | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight |
Zenit | Ukraine | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Rocket | Country | Family | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ariane 5 | Europe | Ariane | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |
Atlas V | United States | Atlas | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
Delta IV | United States | Delta | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Falcon 9 | United States | Falcon | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Failure only affected one of two payloads |
H-IIA | Japan | H-II | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
H-IIB | Japan | H-II | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 2 | China | Long March | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 3 | China | Long March | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 4 | China | Long March | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Pegasus | United States | Pegasus | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
PSLV | India | PSLV | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Proton | Russia | Universal Rocket | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | |
Safir | Iran | Safir | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
Soyuz | Russia | R-7 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | |
Soyuz-2 | Russia | R-7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Unha | North Korea | Unha | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | First successful launch |
UR-100 | Russia | Universal Rocket | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Vega | Europe | Vega | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight |
Zenit | Ukraine | Zenit | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Rocket | Country | Type | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ariane 5 ECA | Europe | Ariane 5 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
Ariane 5 ES | Europe | Ariane 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Atlas V 401 | United States | Atlas V | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Atlas V 501 | United States | Atlas V | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Atlas V 531 | United States | Atlas V | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Atlas V 551 | United States | Atlas V | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | United States | Delta IV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Delta IV Medium+ (5,2) | United States | Delta IV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight [236] |
Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) | United States | Delta IV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Delta IV Heavy | United States | Delta IV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Falcon 9 v1.0 | United States | Falcon 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Failure only affected one of two payloads |
H-IIA 202 | Japan | H-IIA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
H-IIB | Japan | H-IIB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 2C | China | Long March 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 2D | China | Long March 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 2F | China | Long March 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 3A | China | Long March 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 3B | China | Long March 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final flight |
Long March 3B/E | China | Long March 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 3C | China | Long March 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Final flight |
Long March 4B | China | Long March 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Long March 4C | China | Long March 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Pegasus XL | United States | Pegasus | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
PSLV-CA | India | PSLV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
PSLV-XL | India | PSLV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Proton-K / Block DM-2 | Russia | Proton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final flight [41] |
Proton-M / Briz-M | Russia | Proton | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | |
Rokot / Briz-KM | Russia | UR-100 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Safir-1B | Iran | Safir | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
Soyuz-2.1a / Fregat-M | Russia | Soyuz-2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Soyuz ST-A / Fregat | Russia | Soyuz-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Soyuz ST-B / Fregat-MT | Russia | Soyuz-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Soyuz-FG | Russia | Soyuz | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Soyuz-FG / Fregat | Russia | Soyuz | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Soyuz-U | Russia | Soyuz | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
Unha-3 | North Korea | Unha | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Maiden flight |
Vega | Europe | Vega | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight |
Zenit-3SL | Ukraine | Zenit | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Site | Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baikonur | Kazakhstan | 21 | 19 | 1 | 1 | |
Cape Canaveral | United States | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | |
Kourou | France | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | |
Jiuquan | China | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
Kwajalein | Marshall Islands | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Ocean Odyssey | International waters | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Plesetsk | Russia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Satish Dhawan | India | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Semnan | Iran | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
Sohae | North Korea | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
Tanegashima | Japan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Taiyuan | China | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
Vandenberg | United States | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Xichang | China | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 77 | 72 | 3 | 2 |
Orbital regime | Launches | Successes | Failures | Accidentally achieved | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Transatmospheric | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Low Earth | 39 | 37 | 2 | 0 | 12 to ISS, 1 to Tiangong-1 |
Medium Earth / Molniya | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | |
Geosynchronous / GTO | 32 | 31 | 1 | 0 | |
High Earth / Lunar transfer | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Heliocentric / Planetary transfer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 77 | 74 | 3 | 1 |
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.
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.
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.
Cygnus is an expendable American automated cargo spacecraft designed for International Space Station (ISS) resupply missions. It was initially developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation with financial support from NASA under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. To create Cygnus, Orbital paired a pressurized cargo module, largely based on the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, built by Thales Alenia Space and previously used by the Space Shuttle for ISS resupply, with a service module based on Orbital's GEOStar, a satellite bus. After a successful demonstration flight in 2013, Orbital was chosen to receive a Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract. A larger Enhanced Cygnus was introduced in 2015. Orbital Sciences merged into Orbital ATK in 2015; Northrop Grumman purchased Orbital ATK in 2018 and has continued to operate Cygnus missions. A further enlarged Mission B Cygnus is expected to be introduced in 2025.
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.
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.
Progress M-13M, identified by NASA as Progress 45P, is a Progress spacecraft which reached the International Space Station (ISS) on 2 November 2011. The Progress M-13M spacecraft lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 10:11 UTC on 30 October 2011, starting off the 45th uncrewed Russian space station resupply mission. The spacecraft was manufactured by RKK Energia, and is operated by the Russian Federal Space Agency. The Soyuz-U rocket carrying the cargo ship functioned nominally as advertised. Approximately nine minutes into the launch, Progress M-13M reached its planned preliminary orbit.
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.
Future launches of the domestically produced rockets will be handled by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., the rockets' manufacturer, as opposed to previous launches managed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Successfully deployed from the ISS, but no signal were received.