This timeline of spaceflight may require cleanup to ensure consistency with other timeline of spaceflight articles. See Wikipedia:WikiProject Spaceflight/Timeline of spaceflight working group for guidelines on how to improve the article. Details Concerns have been raised that:
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National firsts | |
---|---|
Space traveller | Mexico Saudi Arabia |
Rockets | |
Maiden flights | Space Shuttle Atlantis M-3SII |
Crewed flights | |
Orbital | 11 |
Total travellers | 63 |
The following is an outline of 1985 in spaceflight.
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload (⚀ = CubeSat) | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
January | |||||||
24 January 19:50 | Space Shuttle Discovery | Kennedy LC-39A | United Space Alliance | ||||
STS-51-C | NASA | Low Earth | Satellite deployment | 27 January 21:23 | Successful | ||
USA-8 (Magnum 1) | NRO | Geosynchronous | ELINT | In orbit | Successful | ||
Crewed orbital flight with five astronauts | |||||||
February | |||||||
8 February 06:10 | Titan 34B | Vandenberg SLC-4W | |||||
USA-9 (SDS) | US Air force | Molniya | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
8 February 23:22 | Ariane 3 | Kourou ELA | Arianespace | ||||
Arabsat-1A | Arabsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
Brasilsat-A1 | Embratel | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
Arabsat 1A failed in March 1992 | |||||||
March | |||||||
13 March 02:00 | Atlas E/OIS | Vandenberg SLC-3W | |||||
Geosat | US Navy | Sun-synchronous | Earth observation | In orbit | Successful | ||
Mission ended in January 1990 | |||||||
22 March 23:55 | Atlas G | Cape Canaveral LC-36B | |||||
Intelsat 510 | Intelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
April | |||||||
12 April 13:59 | Space Shuttle Discovery | Kennedy LC-39A | United Space Alliance | ||||
STS-51-D | NASA | Low Earth | Satellite deployment | 19 April 13:54 | Successful | ||
Anik C1 | Telesat Canada | Current: Graveyard Operational: Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
Leasat 3 | US Navy | Current: Graveyard Operational: Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
Crewed orbital flight with seven astronauts including the first sitting member of the United States Congress to fly in space (Senator Jake Garn). Anik C1 was retired on 5 May 2003. Leasat 3 failed to maneuver to geosynchronous orbit and was re-captured by mission STS-51-I in August, repaired and subsequently maneuvered to geosynchronous orbit. Discovery suffered extensive brake and tyre damage upon landing at Kennedy Space Center. | |||||||
29 April 16:02 | Space Shuttle Challenger | Kennedy LC-39A | United Space Alliance | ||||
STS-51-B | NASA | Low Earth | Microgravity research | 6 May 16:11 | Successful | ||
Spacelab Long Module 1 | NASA/ESRO | Low Earth (Challenger) | Microgravity research | Successful | |||
GLOMAR | Intended: Low Earth | Getaway Special | Deployment failure | ||||
NUSAT | Low Earth | Getaway Special | 15 December | Successful | |||
Crewed orbital flight with seven astronauts; GLOMAR failed to deploy from its GAS canister | |||||||
May | |||||||
8 May 01:15 | Ariane 3 | Kourou ELA | Arianespace | ||||
GStar 1 | GTE Spacenet | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
Telecom 1B | France Télécom | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
June | |||||||
6 June 06:39 | Soyuz-U2 | Baikonur Site 1/5 | |||||
Soyuz T-13 | Low Earth (Salyut 7) | Salyut 7 EO-4 | 26 September 09:51 | Successful | |||
Crewed orbital flight with two cosmonauts | |||||||
17 June 11:33 | Space Shuttle Discovery | Kennedy LC-39A | United Space Alliance | ||||
STS-51-G | NASA | Low Earth | Satellite deployment | 24 June 13:11 | Successful | ||
Morelos 1 | Morelos | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
Arabsat-1B | Arabsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
Telstar 303 | AT&T | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
Spartan 101 | NASA | Low Earth | Astronomy | 24 June 13:11 | Successful | ||
Crewed orbital flight with seven astronauts including the first Saudi Arabian space traveller and member of royalty to fly in space (Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud) Arabsat 1B retired in 1993. | |||||||
21 June 00:39 | Soyuz-U | Baikonur Site 1/5 | |||||
Progress 24 | Low Earth (Salyut 7) | Logistics | 15 July 22:33 | Successful | |||
30 June 00:44 | Atlas G | Cape Canaveral LC-36B | |||||
Intelsat 511 | Intelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
July | |||||||
2 July 11:23 | Ariane 1 | Kourou ELA | Arianespace | ||||
Giotto | ESA | Heliocentric | Flyby of Halley's Comet | In orbit | Successful | ||
Closest approach of Halley's Comet (596 kilometres (370 mi)) achieved on 13 March 1986 Closest approach of 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup (200 kilometres (120 mi)) achieved on 10 July 1992 | |||||||
19 July 13:05 | Soyuz-U | Baikonur Site 1/5 | |||||
Kosmos 1669 (Progress) | Low Earth (Salyut 7) | Logistics | 30 August 01:20 | Successful | |||
29 July 21:00 | Space Shuttle Challenger | Kennedy LC-39A | United Space Alliance | ||||
STS-51-F | NASA | Low Earth | Astronomical experiments | 6 August 19:45 | Successful | ||
PDP | NASA | Low Earth | Plasma research | Successful | |||
Spacelab 2 (three pallets) | NASA/ESRO | Low Earth (Challenger) | Astronomy | Successful | |||
Crewed orbital flight with seven astronauts; A main engine shut-down during ascent caused an Abort to Orbit, the first (and only) abort of the Space Shuttle program. | |||||||
August | |||||||
27 August 10:58 | Space Shuttle Discovery | Kennedy LC-39A | United Space Alliance | ||||
STS-51-I | NASA | Low Earth | Satellite deployment and repair | 3 September 13:15 | Successful | ||
Aussat 1 | Aussat Pty Ltd | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
ASC-1 | ASC | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
Leasat 4 | US Navy | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Spacecraft failure | ||
Crewed orbital flight with five astronauts Leasat 4 failed in orbit after becoming operational for a short period Retrieved Leasat 3, deployed by STS-51-D in April and repaired the malfunctioning perigee motor to allow the satellite to reach geosynchronous orbit. | |||||||
28 August 21:20 | Titan 34D | Vandenberg SLC-4E | |||||
KH-11-7 | NRO | Intended: Sun-synchronous | Reconnaissance | 28 August | Launch Failure | ||
First stage propellant feed malfunction | |||||||
September | |||||||
12 September 23:26 | Ariane 3 | Kourou ELA | Arianespace | ||||
Eutelsat 1F3 | Eutelsat | Intended: Geosynchronous | Communications | 12 September | Launch Failure | ||
Spacenet F3 | Spacenet | Intended: Geosynchronous | Communications | ||||
Third stage failed to ignite | |||||||
13 September | ASM-135 ASAT | Celestial Eagle, Vandenberg | US Air Force | ||||
US Air Force | Suborbital | Anti-satellite weapon | 13 September | Successful | |||
Successful intercept and destruction of Solwind P78-1. | |||||||
17 September 12:38 | Soyuz-U2 | Baikonur Site 1/5 | |||||
Soyuz T-14 | Low Earth (Salyut 7) | Salyut 7 EP-5 | 21 November 10:31 | Successful | |||
Crewed orbital flight with three cosmonauts | |||||||
27 September 08:41 | Proton-K | Baikonur Site 200/39 | |||||
Kosmos 1686 (TKS) | Low Earth (Salyut 7) | Logistics | 7 February 1991 | Successful | |||
TKS-4; remained docked with Salyut 7 through that station's re-entry | |||||||
28 September 23:17 | Atlas G | Cape Canaveral LC-36B | |||||
Intelsat 512 | Intelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
October | |||||||
3 October 15:15 | Space Shuttle Atlantis | Kennedy LC-39A | United Space Alliance | ||||
STS-51-J | NASA | Low Earth | Satellite deployment | 7 October 17:00 | Successful | ||
USA-11 (DSCS-III) | US Air Force | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
USA-12 (DSCS-III) | US Air Force | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
Crewed orbital flight with five astronauts; Maiden flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis | |||||||
9 October 02:53 | Atlas E/SGS-2 | Vandenberg SLC-3W | |||||
USA-10 (GPS-11) | US Air Force | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Successful | ||
30 October 17:00 | Space Shuttle Challenger | Kennedy LC-39A | United Space Alliance | ||||
STS-61-A | NASA | Low Earth | Microgravity research | 6 November 17:44 | Successful | ||
Spacelab Long Module 2 | NASA | Low Earth (Challenger) | Spacelab D1 | Successful | |||
GLOMAR | DLR | Low Earth | Getaway Special | 26 December 1986 | Successful | ||
Crewed orbital flight with eight astronauts Maiden flight of Spacelab Long Module #2 | |||||||
November | |||||||
27 November 00:29 | Space Shuttle Atlantis | Kennedy LC-39A | United Space Alliance | ||||
STS-61-B | NASA | Low Earth | Satellite deployment | 2 December 21:33 | Successful | ||
Morelos 2 | Morelos | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
Aussat A2 | Aussat Pty Ltd | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
Satcom K2 | RCA Americom | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
OEX Target | NASA | Low Earth | 2 March 1987 | Successful | |||
EASE/ACCESS | NASA | Low Earth (Atlantis) | Structure assembly experiment | 2 December 21:33 | Successful | ||
Crewed orbital flight with seven astronauts including the first Mexican space traveller. | |||||||
Date (GMT) | Spacecraft | Event | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
11 June | Vega 1 | delivered lander and balloon on Venus | |
15 June | Vega 2 | delivered lander and balloon on Venus | |
11 September | ISEE-3/ICE | Flyby of 21P/Giacobini-Zinner |
Start Date/Time | Duration | End Time | Spacecraft | Crew | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
16 April | 3 hours 6 minutes | STS-51-D Discovery | Jeffrey A. Hoffman S. David Griggs | Installed an improvised switch-pulling tool, called the Flyswatter, on the RMS robotic arm. The Flyswatter was used in an effort to push the sequencer start lever on the Leasat-3 in the proper position for deployment. [1] This attempted repair was the first unplanned spacewalk in NASA history. [2] | |
2 August 07:15 | 5 hours | 12:15 | Salyut 7 EO-4 | Vladimir Dzhanibekov Viktor Savinykh | Installed a third pair of solar arrays on exterior of Salyut 7. |
31 August | 7 hours 20 minutes | STS-51-I Discovery | William Fisher James van Hoften | Van Hoften rode the RMS to capture the Leasat 3 satellite and pulled it into payload bay. Fisher and Van Hoften secured and started repairs on the satellite in the payload bay. The retrieval was complicated by a malfunction of the RMS that made operation of the arm more complicated. [3] | |
1 September | 4 hours 26 minutes | STS-51-I Discovery | William Fisher James van Hoften | Completed repairs on the Leasat 3 satellite. Then Van Hoften, riding the RMS, heaved the satellite out of the payload bay, imparting the required spin needed to fire the perigee motor. [3] | |
29 November | 5 hours 32 minutes | STS-61-B Atlantis | Jerry L. Ross Sherwood C. Spring | Practiced construction techniques in the payload bay and assembled and disassembled the two experimental EASE/ACCESS structures. [4] | |
1 December | 6 hours 41 minutes | STS-61-B Atlantis | Jerry L. Ross Sherwood C. Spring | Conducted supplementary experiments on the EASE and ACCESS structures, including a test of the RMS to aid in the construction experiments. [4] |
This article outlines notable events occurring in 2006 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs. 2006 saw Brazil, Iran, and Sweden all get a national into space for the first time.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 2005 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs. 2005 saw Iran launch its first satellite.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 2003 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs. The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on 1 February 2003.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 2002 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 2001 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
The table below shows 208 satellite launches were made in 1999.
81 (39%) of these launches were communications satellites.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 1997 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 1996 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 1995 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
The following is an outline of 1983 in spaceflight.
The following is an outline of 1984 in spaceflight.
The year 1986 saw the destruction of Space Shuttle Challenger shortly after lift-off, killing all seven aboard, the first in-flight deaths of American astronauts. This accident followed the successful flight of Columbia just weeks earlier, and dealt a major setback to the U.S. crewed space program, suspending the Shuttle program for 32 months.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 1994 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
On March 29, 1974 Mariner 10 became the first spacecraft to fly by Mercury, that saw a spacecraft for the first and last time in the 20th century.
The following is an outline of 1993 in spaceflight.
The following is an outline of 1992 in spaceflight.
This was the final year of the Soviet Union, and thus the end of the Cold War competition between the two space superpowers. The number of launches subsequently declined in the 1990s, and 2018 was the first year since 1990 to have more than 100 orbital launches.
Spaceflight in 1977 included some important events such as the roll out of the Space Shuttle orbiter, Voyager 1 and Voyager space probes were launched. NASA received the Space Shuttle orbiter later named Enterprise, on 14 January. This unpowered sub-orbital space plane was launched off the top of a modified 747 and was flown uncrewed until 13 August until a human crew landed the Enterprise for the first time.
The following is an outline of 1976 in spaceflight.
The following is an outline of 1980 in spaceflight.