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1972 saw humanity's last crewed mission to the Moon of the 20th century, Apollo 17.
This is a list of spaceflights launched in 1972.
Launch date/time | Rocket | Launch site | Launch contractor | Payload | Operator | Orbit | Mission/ function | Reentry/ destruction | Outcome | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
January 23 00:12 GMT | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur | LC-36B, Cape Canaveral | Intelsat 4 F-4 | Intelsat | Geosynchronous | Comsat | Still in orbit | Successful | ||
January 31 17:20 GMT | Thor Delta L | SLC-2E, Vandenberg AFB | HEOS 2 | ESRO | High eccentricity LEO/HEO | Particle and field research | August 2, 1974 | Successful | Final flight of Thor Delta L | |
February 14 03:27 GMT | Proton 8K82K | LC-81, Baikonur | RVSN | Luna 20 | RVSN | Lunar | Lunar sample return | February 21, 1972 (at Moon) | Successful | |
March 3 01:49 GMT | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur | LC-36A, Cape Canaveral | Pioneer 10 | NASA | Heliocentric to Solar Escape | Jupiter flyby | N/A | Successful | First spacecraft to cross asteroid belt First flyby of Jupiter First probe to leave Solar System | |
March 12 01:55 GMT | Thor Delta N | SLC-2E, Vandenberg AFB | TD-1A | ESRO | LEO | Technology research | January 9, 1980 | Successful | Final flight of Thor Delta N | |
March 24 08:46 GMT | Thor Burner II | SLC-10W, Vandenberg AFB | US Air Force | DMSP 5B F2 | US Air Force | LEO | Weather satellite | Still in orbit | Successful | |
April 16 17:45 GMT | Saturn V | LC-39A, Kennedy | NASA | Apollo 16 CSM "Casper" 3 astronauts | NASA | Lunar | Crewed Lunar orbiter | April 27, 1972 | Successful | Penultimate Moonshot |
Apollo 16 lunar module "Orion" | NASA | Lunar | Crewed Lunar landing | April 20, 1972 14:23 GMT (at Moon) | Successful | |||||
Apollo 16 Subsatellite | NASA | Lunar | Study lunar particles | May 29, 1972 (at Moon) | Partial Failure | Deployed on April 24 Placed in wrong orbit, shorter lifespan than planned | ||||
April 19 21:43 GMT | Thorad Agena-D SLV-2H | SLC-3W, Vandenberg AFB | US Air Force | KH-4B 1116 | US Air Force | LEO | Surveillance satellite | May 12, 1972 | ||
May 25 18:41 GMT | Thorad Agena-D SLV-2H | SLC-3W, Vandenberg AFB | US Air Force | KH-4B 1117 | US Air Force | LEO | Surveillance satellite | June 4, 1972 | Successful | Final flight of Thorad Agena-D SLV-2H |
June 13 21:53 GMT | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur | LC-36B, Cape Canaveral | Intelsat 4 F-5 | Intelsat | Geosynchronous | Comsat | Still in orbit | Successful | ||
June 26 14:53 GMT | R-7 11A511 (Soyuz/A-2) | LC-1/5, Baikonur | RVSN | Kosmos 496 (Soyuz 7K-T) | RVSN | LEO | Test redesigned Soyuz 7K-T spacecraft | July 2, 1972 | Successful | |
July 23 18:41 GMT | Delta 0100 (0900) | SLC-2W, Vandenberg AFB | Landsat 1 | NASA | LEO | Earth resources satellite | Still in orbit | Successful | Maiden flight of Delta 0100 | |
August 21 10:28 GMT | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur | LC-36B, Cape Canaveral | OAO 3 | NASA | LEO | Ultraviolet astronomy | Still in orbit | Successful | Final flight of Atlas SLV-3C Centaur | |
September 23 01:20 GMT | Delta 1000 (1604) | LC-17B, Cape Canaveral | Explorer 47 | NASA | HEO | Magnetosphere research satellite | Still in orbit | Successful | Maiden flight of Delta 1000 Maiden flight of Extended Long-Tank Thor | |
October 2 20:09 GMT | Atlas F | BMRS-A1, Vandenberg AFB | US Air Force | OPS 8180 (RADCAT) | US Air Force | LEO | Technology research | 2 August 2012 | Successful | |
Radsat | US Air Force | LEO | Technology research | Still in orbit | Successful | |||||
October 15 17:19 GMT | Delta 0100 (0300) | SLC-2W, Vandenberg AFB | NOAA 2 (ITOS-B) | NOAA | LEO | Weather satellite | Still in orbit | Successful | ||
Amsat-Oscar 6 | Amsat | LEO | Amateur comsat | Still in orbit | Successful | |||||
November 9 03:23 GMT | Thor Burner II | SLC-10W, Vandenberg AFB | US Air Force | DMSP 5B F3 | US Air Force | LEO | Weather satellite | Still in orbit | Successful | |
November 10 01:14 GMT | Delta 1000 (1914) | LC-17B, Cape Canaveral | Anik A1 | Telesat | Geosynchronous | Comsat | Still in orbit | Successful | ||
December 7 05:33 GMT | Saturn V | LC-39A, Kennedy | NASA | Apollo 17 CSM "America" 3 astronauts | NASA | Lunar | Crewed Lunar orbiter | December 19, 1971 | Successful | Final Moonshot Final flight of Saturn V |
Apollo 17 lunar module "Challenger" | NASA | Lunar | Crewed Lunar landing | December 14, 1971 GMT (at Moon) | Successful | |||||
December 11 07:56 GMT | Delta 0100 (0900) | SLC-2W, Vandenberg AFB | Nimbus 5 | NASA | LEO | Environmental research satellite | Still in orbit | Successful | ||
December 16 | Scout | Western Space and Missile Center at Vandenberg AFB | NASA | Aeros 1 | NASA | Successful | ||||
December 20 22:20 GMT | Atlas- Agena SLV-3A | LC-13, Cape Canaveral | US Air Force | OPS 9390 Canyon 5 | US Air Force | Geosynchronous | Military Comsat | Still in orbit | Successful | |
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload (⚀ = CubeSat) | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
22 February 22:58 | Luna 20 Ascent stage | Terra Apollonius (Luna) | |||||
Luna 16 Return capsule | Highly elliptical | Sample return | 25 February | Successful | |||
Second uncrewed lunar sample return mission | |||||||
24 April 01:25:47 | Lunar Module Ascent Stage | Descartes Highlands (Luna) | NASA | ||||
Apollo 16 LM | NASA | Selenocentric (CSM) | Crewed | Unknown | Successful | ||
Carrying two astronauts back to CSM after lunar landing | |||||||
14 December 22:54:37 | Lunar Module Ascent Stage | Taurus-Littrow (Luna) | NASA | ||||
Apollo 17 LM | NASA | Selenocentric (CSM) | Crewed | 15 December 06:50 | Successful | ||
Carrying two astronauts back to CSM after lunar landing | |||||||
The year 1966 saw the peak and the end of the Gemini program. The program proved that docking in space and human EVA's could be done safely. It saw the first launch of the Saturn IB rocket, an important step in the Apollo program, and the launch of Luna 9, the first spacecraft to make a soft landing on a celestial object.
The year 1967 in spaceflight saw the most orbital launches of the 20th century and more than any other year until 2021, including that of the first Australian satellite, WRESAT, which was launched from the Woomera Test Range atop an American Sparta rocket. The United States National Space Science Data Center catalogued 172 spacecraft placed into orbit by launches which occurred in 1967.
1969 saw humanity step onto another world for the first time. On 20th July 1969, the Apollo 11 Lunar Module, Eagle, landed on the Moon's surface with two astronauts aboard. Days later the crew of three returned safely to Earth, satisfying U.S. President John F. Kennedy's 1962 challenge of 25 May 1961, that "this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth."
Japan and China each launched their first satellites in 1970, bringing the total number of nations with independent launch capability to five.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 2002 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
1973 saw the launch of the first American Space station known as Skylab on a Saturn rocket.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 1995 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
The following is an outline of 1981 in spaceflight.
The following is an outline of 1983 in spaceflight.
The following is an outline of 1984 in spaceflight.
The following is an outline of 1985 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 1992 in spaceflight.
In 1975 several notable events happened in spaceflight such as the launch and arrival at Venus of Venera 9 and 10, the launch to Mars of the Viking orbiter/landers missions, the joint Apollo–Soyuz Test Project, and the launch of satellite Aryabhatta.
1978 saw the launch of the Pioneer Venus missions launched by the United States, on 20 May and 8 August. The Pioneer Venus Multiprobe landed four spacecraft on the planet, one of which transmitted data for 67 minutes before being destroyed by atmospheric pressure. ISEE-C, which was launched on 8 December, flew past comet 21P/Giacobini–Zinner in 1985, and Halley's Comet in 1986.
The following is an outline of 1976 in spaceflight.
The following is an outline of 1987 in spaceflight.
This is a list of spaceflights launched between July and December 1961. For launches between January and June, see 1961 in spaceflight (January–June). For an overview of the whole year, see 1961 in spaceflight.
This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations .(March 2022) |