1946 April 2 - Launch Vehicle: Atlas. -
 MX-774 strategic missile study contract awarded Nation: USA. Convair received contract W33-038-AC-14168 for a $1.4 million, one-year study of two missile designs. References: 4460.
1946 April 16 - 21:47 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 2. FAILURE: Failure. - Test / chemical release mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/WSPG. Apogee: 8.00 km (4.90 mi). First flight test of American-assembled V-2 rocket launched by the Army at White Sands Proving Ground. Launched 14:47 local time. Reached 5.5 km. Carried cosmic radiation (Applied Physics Lab, John Hopkins University) experiments for General Electric. References: 2.
1946 April 22 - Launch Vehicle: Matador. - Matador missile project begun. Nation: USA. Glenn L. Martin Co. contracted with the AAF to produce (under Project MX-771) a surface-to-surface guided missile (later designated the Matador). References: 17.
1946 May 1 - - RAND study of a capsule with wings for manned space flight. Nation: USA. Spacecraft: Dynasoar. RAND authorities determined that it was feasible to design a capsule with wings for manned space flight.
1946 May 1 - Launch Site: Wallops Island. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: FFAR. - RM-5 Model test flight Nation: USA. Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi). References: 2.
1946 May 8 - LV Configuration: Navy HATV. - Navy preliminary investigations of earth satellite vehicles. Nation: USA. The Chief of Naval Operations directed the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics to make preliminary investigations in the field of earth satellite vehicles. References: 483.
1946 May 10 - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Wac. Model: WAC A. LV Configuration: WAC A 12. - Test mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA OR. Apogee: 20 km (12 mi). References: 2.
1946 May 10 - 21:15 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 3. - Chemical release mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/WSPG. Apogee: 112 km (69 mi). Launched 14:15 local time. Reached 112.9 km. Carried cosmic radiation (Applied Physics Lab, John Hopkins University) experiments for General Electric. References: 2.
1946 May 12 - - Douglas Aircraft Company study on the feasibility of a man-carrying satellite. Nation: USA. Douglas Aircraft Company, Inc., completed an engineering study on the feasibility of designing a man-carrying satellite. The study showed that if a vehicle could be accelerated to a speed of 27 360 km per hr and aimed properly it would revolve on a circular orbit above the Earth's atmosphere as a new satellite. Such a vehicle would make a complete circuit of the Earth approximately every hour and a half.
Additional Details: Douglas Aircraft Company study on the feasibility of a man-carrying satellite..
1946 May 12 - LV Configuration: Word Circling Space Ship. - Preliminary Design of an Experimental World Circling Space Ship Nation: USA. Project RAND filed a report entitled 'Preliminary Design of an Experimental World Circling Space Ship,' which indicated the technical feasibility of building and launching an artificial satellite. References: 483.
1946 May 13 - Launch Vehicle: R-1, V-2. -
 Committee formed to implement German rocket technology in Russia. Nation: USSR. Council of Soviet Ministers (SM) Decree 1017-419ss 'Questions of Reactive Armaments-formation of Special Committee for Reactive Technology (later Special Committee No. 2) of Council of Ministers for the co-ordination of work on missiles' was issued. This decree set up a number of new research institutes to exploit German rocket technology.
References: 474.
1946 May 17 - Launch Vehicle: Aerobee. - Aerobee rocket project begun. Nation: USA. Original design and development of Aerobee sounding rocket begun when contract was given to Aerojet Engineering Corp. References: 17.
1946 May 22 - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Wac. Model: WAC. LV Configuration: WAC A. - Ordnance WAC Flight 2 Nation: USA. Apogee: 80 km (49 mi). First American rocket to escape earth's atmosphere, the JPL-Ordnance Wac, reached 80 km altitude after launch from WSPG. First fully successful production WAC flight. References: 2.
1946 May 29 - 21:12 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 4. - Chemical release mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/GE. Apogee: 112 km (69 mi). Launched 14:10 local time. Reached 112.4 km. Carried cosmic radiation (Applied Physics Lab, John Hopkins University) experiments for General Electric. References: 2.
1946 June 1 - Launch Vehicle: Redstone. - Hermes C1 Nation: USA. General Electric began a feasibility study of the Hermes C1 which later formed the basis for early Redstone missile research.
1946 June 1 - Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: RNII Sounding Rocket. FAILURE: Failure. - Test mission Nation: USSR. Agency: FIAN. Apogee: 0 km ( mi). References: 2.
1946 June 1 - Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: RNII Sounding Rocket. - Test mission Nation: USSR. Agency: FIAN. Apogee: 35 km (21 mi). References: 2.
1946 June 1 - Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: RNII Sounding Rocket. FAILURE: Failure. - Test mission Nation: USSR. Agency: FIAN. Apogee: 0 km ( mi). References: 2.
1946 June - Launch Vehicle: R-1. - Groettrup team completes R-2 design. Nation: USSR. Groettrup team in Nordhausen completes design of the K1 (R-1). The design uses some parts manufactured in reopened factories in the German east zone. Factory 88 at Podlipki (later Kaliningrad, then Korolev) 16 km north-west of Moscow, and Factory 456, at Khimki, 7 km north-west of Moscow, are to be the first two Soviet rocket assembly factories.
References: 86.
1946 June 13 - 23:40 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 5. - UVS / Ionosphere properties Solar ultraviolet / ionosphere mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/GE. Apogee: 117 km (72 mi). Launched 16:40 local time. Reached 117.7 km. Carried solar radiation, ionosphere (Naval Research Lab) experiments for General Electric. References: 2.
1946 June 21 - Launch Vehicle: R-1. - NII-4 founded. Nation: USSR. Decree 'On establishment of NII-4' was issued. References: 474.
1946 June 28 - 19:25 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 6. - UVS / Ionosphere properties Solar ultraviolet mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/NRL. Apogee: 108 km (67 mi). Launched 12:03 local time. Reached 108.1 km. Carried cosmic radiation, solar radiation, pressure, and temperature experiments for Naval Research Lab. References: 2.
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