See also Born on this Day On this day in: 1934 - Launch Vehicle: ARS.
1945 - Launch Vehicle: V-2. -
American tanks reach Bleicherode at Bad Sachsen. Nation: Germany. Just ahead of the troops the rocket team's documentation was moved in a truck convoy to the south. Kammler, Dornberger, and Von Braun hold their last meeting. In Bavaria, spring is just emerging from the snow.
1948 -
1951 -
1955 -
1960 - Launch Vehicle: Saturn I.
1961 - Launch Vehicle: Saturn V.
1961 - Launch Site: ETR Launch Area. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Polaris. Model: Polaris A1. LV Configuration: Polaris A1E-19. -
Operational test Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Apogee: 500 km (310 mi).
1962 -
1962 - Launch Vehicle: Little Joe II. -
Request for proposal for the Little Joe II launch vehicle Nation: USA. Program: Apollo. Spacecraft: Apollo CSM. The request for a proposal on the Little Joe II test launch vehicle was submitted to bidders by a letter from MSC, together with a Work Statement. Five launches, which were to test boilerplate models of the Apollo spacecraft command module in abort situations, were called for: three in 1963 and two in 1964.
- Additional details.
1962 - Launch Vehicle: Atlas. Model: Atlas D. -
Symposium on the results of Mercury MA-6 Nation: USA. Program: Mercury. NASA sponsored a 1-day symposium in Washington on the results of the Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6) three-orbit flight of John Glenn. One of the items of particular interest was Glenn's 'fire-flies,' or luminous particles, and their possible origin.
1962 - 17:15 GMT - Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Complex: Mayak-2. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 2. Model: Kosmos 63S1. LV Configuration: Kosmos 63S1 5LK.
1963 -
1963 - Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Complex: Mayak-2. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 2. Model: Kosmos 63S1. FAILURE: First stage failed.
1963 - 04:03 GMT - Launch Site: Fort Churchill. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Black Brant. Model: Black Brant 1. LV Configuration: Black Brant I AD-1-26. -
Ionosphere / fields Aurora / aeronomy / ionosphere mission Nation: Canada. Agency: NRCC. Apogee: 144 km (89 mi).
1963 - 07:25 GMT - Launch Site: Fort Churchill. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Black Brant. Model: Black Brant 1. LV Configuration: Black Brant I AD-1-23. -
Aurora / ionosphere / fields mission Nation: Canada. Agency: NRCC. Apogee: 140 km (80 mi).
1964 - 16:30 GMT - Launch Site: ETR Launch Area. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Polaris. Model: Polaris A2. LV Configuration: Polaris A2P-320. -
Operational test Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi).
1965 - 13:34 GMT - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: 576B1. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Atlas. Model: Atlas D. LV Configuration: Atlas D 150D. -
ABRES WAC-4 re-entry vehicle test flight Nation: USA. Agency: USAF AFSC. Apogee: 1,800 km (1,100 mi).
1965 - 16:34 GMT - Launch Site: Pacific Ocean. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: 35.2 S x 74.3 W. Launch Vehicle: Apache. Model: Nike Apache. LV Configuration: Nike Apache NASA 14.26UA.
1965 - 23:47 GMT - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC17A. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Delta. Model: Delta D. LV Configuration: Thor Delta D 426/D30.
1966 - 11:40 GMT - Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Complex: LC41/1. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. Model: Voskhod 11A57. LV Configuration: Voskhod 11A57 U15001-02.
1966 - 15:30 GMT - Launch Site: Hammaguira. Launch Complex: Blandine. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Veronique. Model: Veronique AGI. LV Configuration: Veronique AGI AGI/57.
1967 - Launch Site: Green River. Launch Complex: Pad 1. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Athena RTV. LV Configuration: Athena B031. -
USN B031 re-entry vehicle test flight Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
1967 - Launch Site: Green River. Launch Complex: Pad 1. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Athena RTV. LV Configuration: Athena D043. -
USN D043 re-entry vehicle test flight Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
1967 - 03:23 GMT - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC12. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Atlas. Model: SLV-3 Agena D. LV Configuration: SLV-3 Agena D 5102 (AA21) / Agena D 6152. FAILURE: Partial Failure.
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Research Payload Module 481 Nation: USA. Program: ATS. Payload: Module 481. Agency: NASA LeR. Perigee: 160 km (90 mi). Apogee: 10,732 km (6,668 mi). Inclination: 28.40 deg. Period: 213.28 min. COSPAR: 1967-031B. USAF Sat Cat: 2744. Decay Date: 1968-06-29.
1968 -
1968 - 01:15 GMT - Launch Site: Kiruna. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Apache. Model: Nike Apache. LV Configuration: Nike Apache K-NA-10. -
DLR K-NA-10 Aurora mission Nation: Germany. Agency: DLR. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
1968 - 02:45 GMT - Launch Site: Fort Churchill. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Black Brant. Model: Black Brant 4A. LV Configuration: Black Brant IVA AKF-4-10. -
Calgary CR / ionos Ionosphere / chemical release mission Nation: Canada. Agency: NRCC. Apogee: 862 km (535 mi).
1968 - 09:59 GMT - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: 576A2. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Atlas. Model: Atlas F. LV Configuration: Atlas F 107F / OV-1 (2x).
1971 - -
DOS cosmonauts fly to Tyuratam. Nation: USSR. Program: Salyut. Spacecraft: Salyut 1. Flight: Soyuz 10, Soyuz 11, Soyuz 12 / DOS 1. Kamanin, the DOS crews, and 40 VVS specialists fly to Tyuratam. VVS medical officers have to battle outbreaks of measles, rabies, and dysentery at the cosmodrome. The crews are medically isolated in the Hotel Kosmonavt. In the evening they watch the film '300 Spartans'.
1971 - 18:00 GMT - Launch Site: Thule AFB. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Arcas. Model: Sparrow Arcas. LV Configuration: Sparrow Arcas PCA. -
Ionosphere mission Nation: USA. Agency: AFCRL. Apogee: 108 km (67 mi).
1972 - 08:00 GMT - Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. Model: Voskhod 11A57.
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Nauka Cosmos 484 Nation: USSR. Payload: Nauka. Spacecraft: Nauka. Agency: MOM. Perigee: 168 km (104 mi). Apogee: 177 km (109 mi). Inclination: 81.30 deg. Period: 87.94 min. COSPAR: 1972-026C. USAF Sat Cat: 6002. Decay Date: 1972-04-18.
1973 - Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: LC177. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: MR-UR-100. Model: MR-UR-100. -
State trials missile test Nation: USSR. Agency: RVSN. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi).
1973 - Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: LC104. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: R-36M. -
State trials missile test Nation: USSR. Agency: RVSN. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi).
1973 - 02:11 GMT - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC36B. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Atlas. Model: SLV-3D Centaur. LV Configuration: SLV-3D Centaur AC-30 / Centaur D-1AR 5011D. -
Pioneer 11 Nation: USA. Program: Pioneer. Payload: Pioneer G. Mass: 259 kg (570 lb). Class: Planetary. Type: Outer Planets. Spacecraft: Pioneer 10-11. Agency: NASA ARC. COSPAR: 1973-019A. USAF Sat Cat: 6421. Jupiter flyby December 1974; Saturn flyby September 1979. Solar system escape trajectory. Pioneer 11 was the second mission to investigate Jupiter and the outer solar system and the first to explore the planet Saturn and its main rings. Pioneer 11, like Pioneer 10, used Jupiter's gravitational field to alter its trajectory radically. It passed close to Saturn and then it followed an escape trajectory from the solar system. During its closest approach, December 4, 1974, Pioneer 11 passed to within 34,000 km of Jupiter's cloud tops. It passed by Saturn on September 1, 1979, at a distance of 21,000 km from Saturn's cloud tops. The spacecraft has operated on a backup transmitter since launch. Instrument power sharing began in February 1985 due to declining RTG power output. Science operations and daily telemetry ceased on September 30, 1995 when the RTG power level was insufficient to operate any experiments. As of the end of 1995 the spacecraft was located at 44.7 AU from the Sun at a nearly asymptotic latitude of 17.4 degrees above the solar equatorial plane and was heading outward at 2.5 AU/year. Routine tracking and project data processing operations were terminated on March 31, 1997 for budget reasons.
1974 - 04:10 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Aerobee. Model: Aerobee 350. LV Configuration: Aerobee 350 NASA 17.12CG. -
Astronomy mission Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Apogee: 237 km (147 mi).
1976 - 04:14 GMT - Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Complex: LC132/1. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 3. Model: Kosmos 11K65M. LV Configuration: Kosmos 11K65M 53731-280.
1977 - -
Vertical stabilizer on dock, Palmdale (STA-099) Nation: USA. Program: STS.
1977 - 01:55 GMT - Launch Site: Kheysa. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: MR-12. -
Ionosphere/Chemical release/Plasma/Fields mission Nation: USSR. Apogee: 174 km (108 mi).
1977 - 03:01 GMT - Launch Site: Kheysa. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: MR-12. -
Aeronomy/Ionosphere mission Nation: USSR. Apogee: 171 km (106 mi).
1978 - 09:10 GMT - Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: LC1. Launch Pad: LC1 or LC31. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. Model: Soyuz 11A511U.
1979 - -
Complete Phase I qualification tests, aft RCS Nation: USA. Program: STS.
1980 - 03:33 GMT - Launch Site: Fort Churchill. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Black Brant. Model: Black Brant 8B. LV Configuration: Black Brant 8B AAF-NVB-07. -
Waterhole 1 Aurora / aeronomy / ionosphere mission Nation: Canada. Agency: NRCC. Apogee: 317 km (196 mi).
1983 - 12:00 GMT - Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Complex: LC132/1. Launch Pad: LC132?/pad?. Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 3. Model: Kosmos 11K65M. LV Configuration: Kosmos 11K65M 53719-512.
1984 - 13:58 GMT - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC39A. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. LV Configuration: Space Shuttle STS-13/41-C. -
STS-41-C Nation: USA. Program: STS. Payload: Challenger F05 / LDEF 1 / MMU 3. Mass: 17,357 kg (38,265 lb). Class: Manned. Type: Spaceplane. Spacecraft: Challenger. Agency: NASA JSC. Perigee: 222 km (137 mi). Apogee: 468 km (290 mi). Inclination: 28.50 deg. Period: 91.40 min. COSPAR: 1984-034A. USAF Sat Cat: 14897. Duration: 6.99 days. Decay Date: 1984-04-13. Crew: Crippen, Hart, Nelson, Scobee, van Hoften. Flight: STS-41-C. Manned five crew. First repair on orbit of a satellite, Solar Maximum Mission, by James van Hoften and George Nelson. Deployed LDEF. Payloads:Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) repair, manned maneuvering unit (MMU) satellite support, deployment of Long-Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) in earth orbit free drift. LDEF contained 57 experiments and weighed about 10,000 kg. Cinema 360 and IMAX 70-mm cameras.
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MMU 3 Nation: USA. Program: STS. Agency: NASA. COSPAR: 1984-034xx. USAF Sat Cat: 14897. Decay Date: 1984-04-13.
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MMU 2 Nation: USA. Program: STS. Agency: NASA. COSPAR: 1984-034xx. USAF Sat Cat: 14897. Decay Date: 1984-04-13.
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SMRM-FSS Nation: USA. Program: STS. Agency: NASA. COSPAR: 1984-034xx. USAF Sat Cat: 14897. Decay Date: 1984-04-13.
1989 - 14:00 GMT - Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. Model: Soyuz 11A511U.
1990 - 03:13 GMT - Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Complex: LC133/3. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 3. Model: Kosmos 11K65M. LV Configuration: Kosmos 11K65M 65061-259.
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Cosmos 2065 Nation: USSR. Program: Strela. Payload: Strela-1M no. 338. Mass: 45 kg (99 lb). Class: Communications. Type: Military Store-dump. Spacecraft: Strela-1M. Agency: MO SSSR. Perigee: 1,462 km (908 mi). Apogee: 1,475 km (916 mi). Inclination: 74.00 deg. Period: 115.30 min. COSPAR: 1990-029B. USAF Sat Cat: 20550.
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Cosmos 2066 Nation: USSR. Program: Strela. Payload: Strela-1M no. 339. Mass: 45 kg (99 lb). Class: Communications. Type: Military Store-dump. Spacecraft: Strela-1M. Agency: MO SSSR. Perigee: 1,386 km (861 mi). Apogee: 1,463 km (909 mi). Inclination: 74.00 deg. Period: 114.30 min. COSPAR: 1990-029C. USAF Sat Cat: 20551.
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Cosmos 2067 Nation: USSR. Program: Strela. Payload: Strela-1M no. 340. Mass: 45 kg (99 lb). Class: Communications. Type: Military Store-dump. Spacecraft: Strela-1M. Agency: MO SSSR. Perigee: 1,401 km (870 mi). Apogee: 1,463 km (909 mi). Inclination: 74.00 deg. Period: 114.50 min. COSPAR: 1990-029D. USAF Sat Cat: 20552.
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Cosmos 2068 Nation: USSR. Program: Strela. Payload: Strela-1M no. 341. Mass: 45 kg (99 lb). Class: Communications. Type: Military Store-dump. Spacecraft: Strela-1M. Agency: MO SSSR. Perigee: 1,415 km (879 mi). Apogee: 1,463 km (909 mi). Inclination: 74.00 deg. Period: 114.60 min. COSPAR: 1990-029E. USAF Sat Cat: 20553.
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Cosmos 2069 Nation: USSR. Program: Strela. Payload: Strela-1M no. 342. Mass: 45 kg (99 lb). Class: Communications. Type: Military Store-dump. Spacecraft: Strela-1M. Agency: MO SSSR. Perigee: 1,429 km (887 mi). Apogee: 1,463 km (909 mi). Inclination: 74.00 deg. Period: 114.80 min. COSPAR: 1990-029F. USAF Sat Cat: 20554.
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Cosmos 2070 Nation: USSR. Program: Strela. Payload: Strela-1M no. 343. Mass: 45 kg (99 lb). Class: Communications. Type: Military Store-dump. Spacecraft: Strela-1M. Agency: MO SSSR. Perigee: 1,443 km (896 mi). Apogee: 1,464 km (909 mi). Inclination: 74.00 deg. Period: 115.00 min. COSPAR: 1990-029G. USAF Sat Cat: 20555.
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Cosmos 2071 Nation: USSR. Program: Strela. Payload: Strela-1M no. 344. Mass: 45 kg (99 lb). Class: Communications. Type: Military Store-dump. Spacecraft: Strela-1M. Agency: MO SSSR. Perigee: 1,458 km (905 mi). Apogee: 1,464 km (909 mi). Inclination: 74.00 deg. Period: 115.10 min. COSPAR: 1990-029H. USAF Sat Cat: 20556.
1993 - 19:07 GMT - Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Complex: LC43/4. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. Model: Molniya 8K78M. LV Configuration: Molniya 8K78M-2BL.
1997 - 03:45 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC36. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Black Brant. Model: Black Brant 9CM1. LV Configuration: Black Brant 9CM1 NASA 36.156UG. -
JHU FOT 13 Ultraviolet astronomy mission Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Apogee: 300 km (180 mi).
1997 - 16:04 GMT - Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: LC1. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. Model: Soyuz 11A511U. -
Progress M-34 Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Payload: Progress M s/n 234. Mass: 7,156 kg (15,776 lb). Class: Manned. Type: Logistics. Spacecraft: Progress M. Manufacturer: RKK Energiya im. S.P. Korolyov, Kaliningrad-Korolyov. Agency: RKA. Perigee: 375 km (233 mi). Apogee: 393 km (244 mi). Inclination: 51.70 deg. Period: 92.20 min. COSPAR: 1997-014A. USAF Sat Cat: 24757. Duration: 86.60 days. Completed Operations Date: 1997-07-02 06:31:45. Decay Date: 1997-07-02 06:31:45. Flight: Mir NASA-3, Mir EO-23. Unmanned resupply vessel to Mir. It carried supplies for the Mir station and repair equipment for Mir's oxygen generators, replacement oxygen-generating 'candles' and a pair of new spacesuits. Docked with Mir at the rear Kvant module port on 8 Apr 1997 17:30:03 GMT. The Mir complex raised its orbit by 5 km on 15 Apr 1997 at 12:00 GMT, using Progress M-34's engine. Undocked on 24 Jun 1997 10:22:50 GMT. It was then used to perform a redocking test using newly developed remote-control procedures which were to replace the automatic system that Russia could no longer afford to buy from Ukraine. At 25 Jun 1997 09:18 GMT Mir commander Tsibliev was remotely commanding the approach of Progress to the Kvant module. This involved guiding the Progress via a television monitor. The Progress was difficult to see against the cloudy earth background at the time of the attempted docking. It went off course and collided with a solar array on the Spektr module and then the module itself. A large hole was made in a solar panel, one of the radiators was buckled, a hole was punched into Spektr's hull, and the module began to depressurize. This was not a slow leak - the crew heard a hissing sound and felt their ears pop. They disconnected the power cables leading from Mir to the main station and closed the hatch on the core module transfer section that led to Spektr. The Spektr module became fully depressurized, remaining docked to Mir with its docking hatch open. The loss of electrical connection between Spektr's solar panels and the main station cut the available power supply to the station, crippling its operations until later repairs reconnected the electrical lines. Tsibliev was also the pilot on a previous orbital collision, when he banged Soyuz TM-17 into Mir in Jan 1994. After the return of the crew to earth he was found to be to blame for the incident, although the fines assessed were later dismissed. The Progress M-34 cargo ship was backed to a safe distance from the station and was destroyed in reentry on 2 Jul 1997 06:31:50 GMT. Total free-flight time 9.90 days. Total docked time 76.70 days.
1998 - Launch Site: Tilla. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Ghauri. -
Test mission Nation: Pakistan. Agency: Pakistan. Apogee: 150 km (90 mi).
1998 - Launch Site: Sriharikota. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: RH. Model: RH-560/300 Mk II. -
Aeronomy mission Nation: India. Agency: ISRO. Apogee: 464 km (288 mi).
1998 - 13:35 GMT -
2000 -
2000 - Launch Site: Negev. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Jericho. Model: Jericho 1. -
Operational test Nation: Israel. Agency: IDF. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).
2000 - Launch Site: Barents Sea Launch Area. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: 69.5 N x 34.2 E. Launch Vehicle: R-29. Model: Shtil. -
Operational test Nation: Russia. Agency: VMF RF. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi).
2002 - -
HETE-1 Spacecraft Re-Enters Earth's Atmosphere Nation: USA. Spacecraft: HETE.
Born on this day in:
- 1935 - Thomas C McMurtry. American Pilot Test Pilot. Birth City: Crawfordsville. Birth State: Indiana. Birth Country: USA.
- 1957 - Paolo Alberto Nespoli. Italian Mission Specialist Astronaut. Birth City: Milan. Birth Country: Italy.
Died on this day in: . American Writer.
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© Mark Wade, 1997 - 2008 except where otherwise noted.
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