2001 in spaceflight

2001 in spaceflight
	The Mir space station, which was deorbited on 23 March
Orbital launches
First	9 January
Last	28 December
Total	59
Successes	58
Failures	1
Catalogued	58
Rockets
Maiden flights	GSLV; H-IIA 202; Proton-M; Soyuz-FG
Retirements	Ariane 4 44P; Ariane 4 44LP; Athena I
Crewed flights
Orbital	8
Total travellers	44
	v; t; e;

This article outlines notable events occurring in 2001 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.

Deorbit of Mir

The Russian space station Mir ended its mission on 23 March 2001, when it was brought out of its orbit, entered the atmosphere and was destroyed. Major components ranged from about 5 to 15 years in age, and included the Mir Core Module, Kvant-1, Kvant-2, Kristall, Spektr, Priroda, and Docking Module. Although Russia was optimistic about Mir's future, the country's commitments to the International Space Station programme left no funding to support Mir.^[1]

Launches

← Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec →


Date and time (UTC)	Rocket		Flight number	Launch site		LSP
		Payload (⚀ = CubeSat)	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (UTC)	Outcome
		Remarks
January [edit]
9 January 17:00	Long March 2F			Jiuquan

		Shenzhou 2	CMSA	Low Earth	Test spacecraft	16 January 11:22	Successful
		Shenzhou spacecraft orbital module	CMSA	Low Earth	Test spacecraft	24 August 09:05	Successful
10 January 22:09	Ariane 4 44P			Kourou ELA-2		Arianespace

		Türksat 2A	Eurasiasat SAM	Geosynchronous	Communications	In orbit	Operational
24 January 04:28	Soyuz-U			Baikonur Site 1/5		Roskosmos

		Progress M1-5	Roskosmos	Low Earth (Mir)	Deorbit Mir	23 March 05:50	Successful
		Final spacecraft to dock with the Mir space station. Remained docked during re-entry.
30 January 07:55	Delta II 7925-9.5			Cape Canaveral SLC-17A		Boeing IDS

		GPS IIR-7 (USA-156)	US Air Force	Medium Earth	Navigation	In orbit	Operational
February [edit]
7 February 23:05	Ariane 4 44L			Kourou ELA-2		Arianespace

		Sicral		Geostationary	Communications	In orbit	Operational
		Skynet 4F	MoD (UK)	Geostationary	Communications	In orbit	Operational
		Skynet 4F is the final ECS-class satellite.
7 February 23:13	Space Shuttle Atlantis			Kennedy LC-39A		United Space Alliance

		STS-98	NASA	Low Earth (ISS)	ISS assembly	20 February 20:33	Successful
		Destiny	NASA	Low Earth (ISS)	ISS component	In orbit	Operational
		Crewed orbital flight with 5 astronauts
20 February 08:48	Start-1			Svobodniy Site 5

		Odin	SSC	Low Earth	Infrared astronomy	In orbit	Operational
26 February 08:09	Soyuz-U			Baikonur Site 1/5		Roskosmos

		Progress M-44	Roskosmos	Low Earth (ISS)	Logistics	16 April 13:23	Successful
		ISS flight 3P
27 February 21:20	Titan IVB (401)/Centaur			Cape Canaveral SLC-40		Lockheed Martin

		Milstar 2 (USA-157)	US Air Force	Geosynchronous	Communications	In orbit	Operational
March [edit]
8 March 11:42	Space Shuttle Discovery			Kennedy LC-39B		United Space Alliance

		STS-102	NASA	Low Earth (ISS)	ISS assembly	21 March 07:31	Successful
		Leonardo MPLM	ASI/NASA	Low Earth (ISS)	Logistics	21 March 07:31	Successful
		Crewed orbital flight with 7 astronauts, ISS crew exchange (launched Expedition 2) Maiden flight of Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
8 March 22:51	Ariane 5G			Kourou ELA-3		Arianespace

		Eurobird	Eutelsat	Geosynchronous	Communications	In orbit	Operational
		BSAT-2A	BSAT	Geosynchronous	Communications	In orbit	Operational
18 March 22:33	Zenit-3SL			Ocean Odyssey		Sea Launch

		XM-2 "Rock"	XM Satellite Radio	Geosynchronous	Communications	In orbit	Partial satellite failure
		Design fault with solar panels led to shorter operational life, deactivated November 2006
April [edit]
7 April 03:47	Proton-M/Briz-M			Baikonur Site 81/24

		Ekran-M 18	GPKS	Geosynchronous	Communications	In orbit	Operational
		Maiden flight of Proton-M
7 April 15:02	Delta II 7925-9.5			Cape Canaveral SLC-17A		Boeing IDS

		2001 Mars Odyssey	NASA	Areocentric	Mars orbiter	In orbit	Operational
18 April 10:13	GSLV			Satish Dhawan FLP		ISRO

		GSAT-1	ISRO	Geosynchronous	Communications	In orbit	Failure
		Payload placed in incorrect orbit due to underpowered upper stage of launch vehicle Maiden flight of GSLV
19 April 18:40	Space Shuttle Endeavour			Kennedy LC-39A		United Space Alliance

		STS-100	NASA	Low Earth (ISS)	ISS assembly	1 May 16:10	Successful
		Raffaello MPLM	ASI/NASA	Low Earth (ISS)	Logistics	1 May 16:10	Successful
		Canadarm2	NASA	Low Earth (ISS)	ISS component	In orbit	Operational
		Crewed orbital flight with 7 astronauts
28 April 07:37	Soyuz-U			Baikonur Site 1/5		Roskosmos

		Soyuz TM-32	Roskosmos	Low Earth (ISS)	ISS escape craft	31 October	Successful
		Crewed orbital flight with three cosmonauts including the first space tourist, whose flight was arranged by the American company Space Adventures
May [edit]
8 May 22:10	Zenit-3SL			Ocean Odyssey		Sea Launch

		XM-1 "Roll"	XM Satellite Radio	Geosynchronous	Communications	In orbit	Partial satellite failure
		Design fault with solar panels led to shorter operational life, deactivated November 2006
15 May 01:11	Proton-K/DM-2M			Baikonur Site 81/23		International Launch Services

		Panamsat 10	PanAmSat	Geosynchronous	Communications	In orbit	Operational
18 May 17:45	Delta II 7925-9.5			Cape Canaveral SLC-17B		Boeing IDS

		GeoLITE (USA-158)	NRO	Geostationary	Experimental communications	In orbit	Operational
		NROL-17 Mission.
20 May 22:32	Soyuz-FG			Baikonur Site 1/5		Roskosmos

		Progress M1-6	Roskosmos	Low Earth (ISS)	Logistics	22 August	Successful
		Maiden flight of Soyuz-FG ISS flight 4P
29 May 17:55	Soyuz-U			Plesetsk Site 43/4		VKS

		Kosmos 2377	MO RF	Low Earth	Reconnaissance	10 October	Successful
June [edit]
8 June 15:08	Kosmos-3M			Plesetsk Site 132		VKS

		Kosmos 2378	MO RF	Low Earth	Navigation	In orbit	Operational
9 June 06:45	Ariane 4 44L			Kourou ELA-2		Arianespace

		Intelsat 901	Intelsat	Geosynchronous	Communications	In orbit	Operational
16 June 01:49	Proton-K/DM-2M			Baikonur Site 81/23		International Launch Services

		Astra 2C	SES Astra	Geosynchronous	Communications	In orbit	Operational
19 June 04:41	Atlas IIAS			Cape Canaveral SLC-36B		International Launch Services

		ICO F2	ICO	Medium Earth	Communications	In orbit	Operational
30 June 17:45	Delta II 7425-10			Cape Canaveral SLC-17B		Boeing IDS

		WMAP	NASA	Earth-Sun L₂ Lagrange Point	Astronomy	In orbit	Successful
		Ceased operations on 20 August 2010, subsequently manoeuvred into heliocentric orbit on 8 September^[2]
July [edit]
12 July 09:03	Space Shuttle Atlantis			Kennedy LC-39B		United Space Alliance

		STS-104	NASA	Low Earth (ISS)	ISS assembly	25 July 03:38	Successful
		Quest	NASA	Low Earth	ISS component	In orbit	Operational
		Crewed orbital flight with five astronauts
12 July 21:58	Ariane 5G			Kourou ELA-3		Arianespace

		Artemis	ESA	Geosynchronous	Navigation	In orbit	Partial launch failure Operational
		BSAT-2B	BSAT	Intended: Geosynchronous Achieved: Medium Earth	Communications	28 January 2014	Launch failure
		Premature cutoff of 2nd stage. Artemis reached correct orbit under own power, BSAT abandoned in useless orbit
20 July 00:17	Molniya-M			Plesetsk Site 43/4		VKS

		Molniya 3–51	MO RF	Molniya	Communications	19 December 2016^[3]	Successful
23 July 07:23	Atlas IIA			Cape Canaveral SLC-36A

		GOES-12 (GOES-M)	NOAA	Geosynchronous	Weather satellite	In orbit	Operational
31 July 08:00	Tsyklon-3			Plesetsk Site 32/2		VKS

		Koronas F	RAKA	Sun-synchronous	Solar observation	6 December 2005^[4]	Successful
August [edit]
6 August 07:28	Titan IVB (402)/IUS			Cape Canaveral SLC-40		Lockheed Martin

		DSP-21 (USA-159)	US Air Force	Geosynchronous	Missile early warning	In orbit	Operational
8 August 16:13	Delta II 7326-9.5			Cape Canaveral SLC-17A		Boeing IDS

		Genesis	NASA	Earth-Sun L₁ Lagrange Point	Solar wind sample return	8 September 2004	Partial failure
		Parachute failed to deploy upon return to Earth, some samples recovered from wreckage
10 August 21:10	Space Shuttle Discovery			Kennedy LC-39A		United Space Alliance

		STS-105	NASA	Low Earth (ISS)	ISS assembly	22 August 03:38	Successful
		Leonardo MPLM	ASI/NASA	Low Earth (ISS)	Logistics	22 August 03:38	Successful
		Simplesat	NASA	Low Earth	Astronomy	30 January 2002	Failure
		Crewed orbital flight with seven astronauts ISS crew exchange (launched Expedition 3) Simplesat released 20 August 18:30 UTC, and failed to contact ground
21 August 09:23	Soyuz-U			Baikonur Site 1/5		Roskosmos

		Progress M-45	Roskosmos	Low Earth (ISS)	Logistics	22 November	Successful
		ISS flight 5P
24 August 20:35	Proton-K/DM-2			Baikonur Site 81/24		VKS

		Kosmos 2379	VKS	Geosynchronous	Early warning	In orbit	Operational
29 August 07:00	H-IIA 202			Tanegashima LA-Y1

		LRE	NASDA	Geostationary transfer	Orbit determination	In orbit	Successful
		VEP-2	NASDA	Geostationary transfer	Boilerplate spacecraft	In orbit	Successful
		Maiden flight of H-IIA
30 August 06:46	Ariane 4 44L			Kourou ELA-2		Arianespace

		Intelsat 902	Intelsat	Geosynchronous	Communications	In orbit	Operational
September [edit]
8 September 15:25	Atlas IIAS			Vandenberg SLC-3E		Lockheed Martin

		NOSS C1-1 (USA-160)	NRO	Low Earth	SIGINT	In orbit	Operational
		NOSS C1-1 (USA-160-2)	NRO	Low Earth	SIGINT	In orbit	Operational
14 September 23:34	Soyuz-U			Baikonur Site 1/5		Roscosmos

		Progress M-SO1	Roscosmos	Low Earth (ISS)	Space tug / ISS assembly	26 September	Successful
		Pirs	Roscosmos	Low Earth (ISS)	ISS component	26 July 2021 14:51^[5]	Successful
		ISS flight 4R
21 September 18:49	Taurus 2110			Vandenberg LC-576E		Orbital Sciences

		Orbview-4	OrbImage	Intended: Low Earth (SSO)	Earth observation	21 September	Launch failure
		QuikTOMS	NASA	Intended: Low Earth (SSO)	Ozone observation
		SBD / Celestis-4	Orbital Sciences / Celestis	Intended: Low Earth (SSO)	Technology demonstration / Space burial
		Failed to reach orbit after control issues. SBD and Celestis-4 were hosted payloads on the third stage.
25 September 23:21	Ariane 4 44P			Kourou ELA-2		Arianespace

		Atlantic Bird 2	Eutelsat	Geosynchronous	Communications	In orbit	Operational
		Final flight of Ariane 4 44P.
30 September 02:40	Athena I			Kodiak LP-1		Lockheed Martin

		Starshine 3	NASA	Low Earth	Laser ranging	21 January 2003	Successful
		Picosat 9	U.S. Air Force	Low Earth	Technology demonstration	In orbit	Successful
		PCSat	U.S. Air Force	Low Earth	Communications	In orbit	Operational
		SAPPHIRE	Stanford University	Low Earth	Education	In orbit	Successful
		Kodiak Star, Space Test Program mission. Final flight of Athena I, and at the time final flight of the Athena family, which was later reactivated. First orbital launch from Kodiak Island.
October [edit]
5 October 21:21	Titan IVB (404)			Vandenberg SLC-4E		Lockheed Martin

		EIS-2 (USA-161)	NRO	Sun-synchronous	Reconnaissance	In orbit	Operational
6 October 16:45	Proton-K/DM-2			Baikonur Site 81		VKS

		Raduga-1	VKS	Geosynchronous	Communications	In orbit	Operational
11 October 02:32	Atlas IIAS			Cape Canaveral SLC-36B

		Aquila (USA-162)	NRO	Geosynchronous	Communications	In orbit	Operational
18 October 18:51	Delta II 7320-10			Vandenberg SLC-2W		Boeing IDS

		QuickBird 2	DigitalGlobe	Low Earth	Earth observation	27 January 2015^[6]	Successful
21 October 08:59	Soyuz-U			Baikonur Site 1/5		Roskosmos

		Soyuz TM-33	Roskosmos	Low Earth (ISS)	ISS escape craft	5 May 2002 03:52	Successful
		Crewed orbital flight with three cosmonauts
22 October 04:53	PSLV			Satish Dhawan FLP		ISRO

		TES	ISRO	Low Earth	Reconnaissance	In orbit	Operational
		PROBA	ESA	Low Earth	Technology demonstration	In orbit	Operational
		BIRD	DLR	Low Earth	Earth imaging	In orbit	Operational
25 October 11:34	Molniya-M			Plesetsk Site 43/3		VKS

		Molniya 3–52	VKS	Molniya	Communications	6 December 2011	Successful
November [edit]
26 November 18:24	Soyuz-FG			Baikonur Site 1/5		Roskosmos

		Progress M1-7	Roskosmos	Low Earth (ISS)	Logistics	20 March 2002	Successful
		Kolibri	RAKA	Low Earth	Technology demonstration	4 May 2002	Successful
		ISS flight 6P Kolibri deployed from Progress on 19 March 2002
27 November 00:35	Ariane 4 44LP			Kourou ELA-2		Arianespace

		DirecTV-4S	DirecTV	Geosynchronous	Communications	In orbit	Operational
		Final flight of Ariane 4 44LP
December [edit]
1 December 18:04	Proton-K/DM-2			Baikonur		VKS

		Kosmos 2382 (GLONASS)	KNITs	Medium Earth	Navigation	In orbit	Operational
		Kosmos 2383 (GLONASS)	KNITs	Medium Earth	Navigation	In orbit	Operational
		Kosmos 2384 (GLONASS)	KNITs	Medium Earth	Navigation	In orbit	Operational
5 December 22:19	Space Shuttle Endeavour			Kennedy LC-39B		United Space Alliance

		STS-108	NASA	Low Earth (ISS)	ISS assembly	17 December 17:55	Successful
		Raffaello MPLM	ASI/NASA	Low Earth (ISS)	Logistics	17 December 17:55	Successful
		Starshine 2	NASA	Low Earth	Technology demonstration	26 April 2002	Successful
		Crewed orbital flight with seven astronauts ISS crew exchange (launched Expedition 4) Starshine 2 released 16 December, 15:02 UTC
7 December 15:07	Delta II 7920-10			Vandenberg SLC-2W		Boeing IDS

		Jason 1	CNES/NASA	Low Earth	Oceanography	In orbit	Operational
		TIMED	NASA	Low Earth	Solar research	In orbit	Operational
10 December 17:18	Zenit-2			Baikonur Site 45/1

		Meteor 3M-1	Rosaviakosmos	Low Earth	Weather satellite	In orbit	Operational
		Kompas	IZMIRAN	Low Earth	Earthquake prediction	In orbit	Operational
		Badr-B	SUPARCO	Low Earth	Earth imaging	In orbit	Partially Successful
		Maroc-Tubsat	Centre Royal de Teledetection Spatiale/TU Berlin	Low Earth	Earth imaging/Communications	In orbit	Operational
		Reflector	Rosaviakosmos/US Air Force	Low Earth	Space debris research	In orbit	Operational
21 December 04:00	Tsyklon-2			Baikonur Site 90/20

		Kosmos 2383 (US-PM)	Russian Navy	Low Earth	Reconnaissance	20 March 2004 18:54^[7]	Successful
28 December 03:24	Tsyklon-3			Plesetsk Site 32/2		VKS

		Kosmos 2384 (Strela)	VKS	Low Earth	Communications	In orbit	Operational
		Kosmos 2385 (Strela)	VKS	Low Earth	Communications	In orbit	Operational
		Kosmos 2386 (Strela)	VKS	Low Earth	Communications	In orbit	Operational
		Gonets D1-10 (Gonets)	VKS	Low Earth	Communications	In orbit	Operational
		Gonets D1-11 (Gonets)	VKS	Low Earth	Communications	In orbit	Operational
		Gonets D1-12 (Gonets)	VKS	Low Earth	Communications	In orbit	Operational

← Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec →

Suborbital launches

← Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec →


Date and time (UTC)	Rocket		Flight number	Launch site		LSP
		Payload	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (UTC)	Outcome
		Remarks
January-March [edit]
26 January 03:57	Aries			Kauai Test Facility		US Navy

		Aegis TTV-2	USN	Suborbital	ABM target	26 January	Intercepted
		Target for FTR-1A. Apogee: ~300 km
26 January 04:03	RIM-161 SM-3		FTR-1A "Stellar Gemini"	USS Lake Erie (CG-70), Pacific Ocean launch area, off Kauai		US Navy

		LEAP	USN	Suborbital	Missile test	26 January	Successful
		Intercepted Aries target missile. Apogee: 100 km
April-June [edit]
8 May 09:55	Skylark 7			Esrange, Skylark launch tower		Sounding Rocket Services

		TEXUS 39	DLR	Suborbital	Microgravity research	8 May	Successful
		Apogee: 248 km
July-September [edit]
31 August 20:00	GBI BV		BV-2	Vandenberg AFB, LF-21		US Air Force

		Dummy EKV	BMDO	Suborbital	Missile test	31 August	Successful
		Maiden flight of the Boeing Boost Vehicle. Apogee: ~200 km
October-December [edit]
24 October 2001 16:00	Taiwan Sounding Rocket		Sounding Rocket II	Jiu Peng Air Base		NSPO

		TMA release experiment	NSPO	Suborbital	Ionosphere research	24 October	Failure
		Second stage failed to ignite at T+20 seconds.^[8]
13 December 18:15	GBI BV		BV-3	Vandenberg AFB, LF-21		US Air Force

		Dummy EKV	BMDO	Suborbital	Missile test	13 December	Failure
		Missile steered off course 30 seconds after launch, flight was terminated by range safety

← Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec →

Deep space rendezvous

Date (GMT)	Spacecraft	Event	Remarks
15 January	Stardust	1st flyby of the Earth
12 February	NEAR	Landed on 433 Eros	First-ever asteroid landing
25 May	Galileo	8th flyby of Callisto
6 August	Galileo	4th flyby of Io
22 September	Deep Space 1	Flyby of 19P/Borrelly
24 October	Mars Odyssey	Areocentric orbit injection

EVAs

Start Date/Time	Duration	End Time	Spacecraft	Crew	Function	Remarks
10 February 15:50	7 hours 34 minutes	23:24	STS-98 ISS Atlantis	Thomas D. Jones Robert Curbeam	Removed protective launch covers and disconnected power and cooling cables between Destiny and Atlantis, while crewmembers inside moved the 3,800-cubic-foot (110 m³) laboratory from the payload bay to its home on the Unity node. Curbeam and Jones then connected electrical, data and cooling lines to the lab, during which a small amount of ammonia crystals leaked from one of the hoses, prompting a decontamination procedure.^[9]^[10]
12 February 15:59	6 hours 50 minutes	22:49	STS-98 ISS Atlantis	Thomas D. Jones Robert Curbeam	Installed the shuttle docking adapter onto Destiny, installed insulating covers over the pins that held Destiny in place during launch, attached a vent to the lab's air system, installed handrails and sockets on the exterior of Destiny, and attached a base for the future space station robotic arm.^[11]
14 February 14:48	5 hours 25 minutes	20:13	STS-98 ISS Atlantis	Thomas D. Jones Robert Curbeam	Attached a spare communications antenna to the station, double-checked connections between the Destiny lab and its docking port, released a cooling radiator on the station, inspected solar array connections at the top of the station, and tested the ability of a spacewalker to carry an immobile crew member back to the shuttle airlock.^[12]	100th American spacewalk.
11 March 05:12	8 hours 56 minutes	14:08	STS-102 ISS Discovery	James S. Voss Susan J. Helms	Prepared PMA-3 for repositioning from Unity's Earth-facing berth to the port-side berth to make room for the Leonardo MPLM. Removed a Lab Cradle Assembly from the shuttle's cargo bay and installed it on the side of Destiny, and installed a cable tray to Destiny for later use by the station's robot arm. After re-entering the shuttle's airlock, the spacewalkers remained ready to assist if any troubles were encountered by the crew inside the shuttle.^[13]	Longest-duration EVA in history.
13 March 05:23	6 hours 21 minutes	11:44	STS-102 ISS Discovery	/Andy Thomas Paul W. Richards	Installed an External Stowage Platform for spare station parts, attached a spare ammonia coolant pump to the platform, finished connecting several cables put in place on the first EVA for the station's robotic arm. Inspected a Unity node heater connection, and inspected of an exterior experiment, the Floating Potential Probe.^[14]
22 April 11:45	7 hours 10 minutes	18:55	STS-100 ISS Endeavour	Chris Hadfield Scott E. Parazynski	Installed the station's UHF antenna, and the Canadian Space Agency made Canadarm2. Connected cables to give the arm power and allow it to accept computer commands from inside the lab.^[15]	Hadfield became the first Canadian spacewalker.
24 April 12:34	7 hours 40 minutes	20:14	STS-100 ISS Endeavour	Chris Hadfield Scott E. Parazynski	Connected the Power Data Grapple Fixture circuits for Canadarm2 onto Destiny, removed an early communications antenna, transferred a spare Direct Current Switching Unit from the shuttle's payload bay to an equipment storage rack on the outside of Destiny.^[16]
8 June 14:21	19 minutes	14:40	Expedition 2 ISS Zvezda	Yury Usachyov James S. Voss	Installed the docking cone onto the Zvezda module, in preparation for the arrival of the Russian Pirs docking compartment.^[17]	Conducted from the transfer compartment of the Zvezda Service Module.
15 July 03:10	5 hours 59 minutes	09:09	STS-104 ISS Atlantis	Michael L. Gernhardt James F. Reilly	Installed the Quest Joint Airlock onto the Unity node.^[18]^[19]^[20]
18 July 03:04	6 hours 29 minutes	09:33	STS-104 ISS Atlantis	Michael L. Gernhardt James F. Reilly	Installed one of two high-pressure nitrogen tanks, and one of two high-pressure oxygen tanks onto Quest, and installed grapple fixture and trunion covers.^[18]^[20]^[21]
21 July 04:35	4 hours 2 minutes	08:37	STS-104 ISS Quest	Michael L. Gernhardt James F. Reilly	Installed the second high-pressure nitrogen tank, and the second oxygen tank onto the Quest airlock.^[20]^[22]^[23]	First EVA conducted from the Quest airlock.
16 August 13:58	6 hours 16 minutes	20:14	STS-105 ISS Discovery	Daniel T. Barry Patrick G. Forrester	Installed an Early Ammonia Servicer onto the station's P6 truss, co-location of the foot restraint in a stowed location, and installed the MISSE-1 and 2 containers onto the Quest airlock.^[24]^[25]
18 August 13:42	5 hours 29 minutes	19:11	STS-105 ISS Discovery	Daniel T. Barry Patrick G. Forrester	Installed heater cables and handrails onto the Destiny laboratory.^[24]^[25]
8 October 14:24	4 hours 58 minutes	19:22	Expedition 3 ISS Pirs	Vladimir Dezhurov Mikhail Tyurin	Installed cables between Pirs, and Zvezda to allow spacewalk radio communications between the two sections. Installed handrails onto Pirs, and installed an exterior ladder to assist spacewalkers leaving Pirs. Installed a Strela cargo crane.^[26]	First EVA conducted from the Pirs docking compartment.
15 October 09:17	5 hours 51 minutes	15:08	Expedition 3 ISS Pirs	Vladimir Dezhurov Mikhail Tyurin	Installed Russian commercial experiments (MPAC-SEEDS) onto the exterior of the Pirs docking compartment.^[26]
12 November 21:41	5 hours 5 minutes	13 November 02:46	Expedition 3 ISS Pirs	Vladimir Dezhurov Frank L. Culbertson	Connected cables on the exterior of Pirs for the Kurs automated docking system, completed checks of the Strela cargo crane, and inspected and photographed a panel of a solar array on Zvezda that had a portion of a panel not fully unfolded.^[26]
3 December 13:20	2 hours 46 minutes	16:06	Expedition 3 ISS Pirs	Vladimir Dezhurov Mikhail Tyurin	Removed an obstruction that prevented a Progress resupply ship from firmly docking with the station, and took pictures of the debris and of the docking interface.^[26]
10 December 17:52	4 hours 12 minutes	22:04	STS-108 ISS Endeavour	Linda M. Godwin Daniel M. Tani	Installed insulating blankets around two Beta Gimbal Assemblies that rotate the station's solar array wings, and performed get-ahead tasks in preparation for STS-110's spacewalks.^[27]^[28]^[29]

Orbital launch summary

By country

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.

Country		Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures
	China	1	1	0	0
	Europe	8	7	0	1
	India	2	1	1	0
	Japan	1	1	0	0
	Russia	19	19	0	0
	Ukraine	6	6	0	0
	United States	22	21	1	0
World		59	56	2	1

By rocket

5

10

15

20

By family

Family	Country	Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures	Remarks
Ariane	Europe	8	7	0	1
Athena	United States	1	1	0	0	Final flight
Atlas	United States	4	4	0	0
Delta	United States	7	7	0	0
GSLV	India	1	0	1	0	Maiden flight
H-II	Japan	1	1	0	0
Long March	China	1	1	0	0
Minotaur	United States	1	0	1	0
PSLV	India	1	1	0	0
R-7	Russia	11	11	0	0
R-14	Russia	1	1	0	0
R-36	Ukraine	3	3	0	0
RT-2PM	Russia	1	1	0	0
Space Shuttle	United States	6	6	0	0
Titan	United States	3	3	0	0
Universal Rocket	Russia	6	6	0	0
Zenit	Ukraine	3	3	0	0

By type

Rocket	Country	Family	Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures	Remarks
Ariane 4	Europe	Ariane	6	6	0	0
Ariane 5	Europe	Ariane	2	1	0	1
Athena I	United States	Athena	1	1	0	0	Final flight
Atlas II	United States	Atlas	4	4	0	0
Delta II	United States	Delta	7	7	0	0
GLSV	India	GSLV	1	0	1	0	Maiden flight
H-IIA	Japan	H-II	1	1	0	0	Maiden flight
Kosmos	Russia	R-14	1	1	0	0
Long March 2	China	Long March	1	1	0	0
Molniya	Russia	R-7	2	2	0	0
PSLV	India	PSLV	1	1	0	0
Proton	Russia	UR	6	6	0	0
Soyuz	Russia	R-7	9	9	0	0
Space Shuttle	United States	Space Shuttle	6	6	0	0
Start	Russia	RT-2PM	1	1	0	0
Taurus	United States	Minotaur	1	0	1	0
Titan IV	United States	Titan	3	3	0	0
Tsyklon	Ukraine	R-36	3	3	0	0
Zenit	Ukraine	Zenit	3	3	0	0

By configuration

Rocket	Country	Type	Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures	Remarks
Ariane 4 44P	Europe	Ariane 4	2	2	0	0	Final flight
Ariane 4 44LP	Europe	Ariane 4	1	1	0	0	Final flight
Ariane 4 44L	Europe	Ariane 4	3	3	0	0
Ariane 5G	Europe	Ariane 5	2	1	0	1
Athena I	United States	Athena	1	1	0	0	Final flight
Atlas IIA	United States	Atlas II	1	1	0	0
Atlas IIAS	United States	Atlas II	3	3	0	0
Delta II 7320-10	United States	Delta II	1	1	0	0
Delta II 7326-9.5	United States	Delta II	1	1	0	0
Delta II 7425-10	United States	Delta II	1	1	0	0
Delta II 7920-10	United States	Delta II	1	1	0	0
Delta II 7925-9.5	United States	Delta II	3	3	0	0
GLSV Mk I	India	GSLV	1	0	1	0	Maiden flight
H-IIA 202	Japan	H-IIA	1	1	0	0	Maiden flight
Kosmos-3M	Russia	Kosmos	1	1	0	0
Long March 2F	China	Long March 2	1	1	0	0
Molniya-M	Russia	Molniya	2	2	0	0
PSLV-G	India	PSLV	1	1	0	0
Proton-K / Blok DM-2	Russia	Proton	3	3	0	0
Proton-K / Blok DM-2M	Russia	Proton	2	2	0	0
Proton-M / Briz-M	Russia	Proton	1	1	0	0	Maiden flight
Soyuz-U	Russia	Soyuz	7	7	0	0
Soyuz-FG	Russia	Soyuz	2	2	0	0	Maiden flight
Space Shuttle	United States	Space Shuttle	6	6	0	0
Start-1	Russia	Start	1	1	0	0
Taurus 2110	United States	Taurus	1	0	1	0
Titan IVB	United States	Titan IV	1	1	0	0
Titan IVB / Centaur-T	United States	Titan IV	1	1	0	0
Titan IVB / IUS	United States	Titan IV	1	1	0	0
Tsyklon-2	Ukraine	Tsyklon	1	1	0	0
Tsyklon-3	Ukraine	Tsyklon	2	2	0	0
Zenit-2	Ukraine	Zenit	1	1	0	0
Zenit-3SL	Ukraine	Zenit	2	2	0	0

By spaceport

5

10

15

20

25

30

China

France

India

International waters

Japan

Kazakhstan

Russia

United States

Site	Country	Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures	Remarks
Baikonur	Kazakhstan	16	16	0	0
Cape Canaveral	United States	10	10	0	0
Jiuquan	China	1	1	0	0
Kennedy	United States	6	6	0	0
Kodiak	United States	1	1	0	0	First orbital launch
Kourou	France	8	7	0	1
Ocean Odyssey	International waters	2	2	0	0
Plesetsk	Russia	6	6	0	0
Satish Dhawan	India	2	1	1	0
Svobodny	Russia	1	1	0	0
Tanegashima	Japan	1	1	0	0
Vandenberg	United States	5	4	1	0
Total		59	56	2	1

By orbit

5

10

15

20

25

30

Low Earth

Medium Earth / Molniya

Geosynchronous / transfer

Heliocentric / Planetary transfer

Low Earth
Low Earth (Mir)
Low Earth (ISS)
Low Earth (SSO)
Medium Earth
Molniya
Geosynchronous
Heliocentric

Orbital regime	Launches	Achieved	Not achieved	Accidentally achieved	Remarks
Low Earth / Sun-synchronous	29	28	1	0	Including flights to ISS and Mir
Geosynchronous /GTO	22	21	1	0	GSLV launch failure left satellite in useless transfer orbit
Medium Earth / Molniya	5	5	0	1	Ariane 5 partial failure left payloads in a useless medium earth orbit. One satellite was able to correct itself to the intended geostationary transfer orbit.
Heliocentric orbit / Planetary transfer	3	3	0	0
Total	59	57	2	1

References

Bergin, Chris. "NASASpaceFlight.com".
Clark, Stephen. "Spaceflight Now".
Kelso, T.S. "Satellite Catalog (SATCAT)". CelesTrak.^{[dead link‍]}
Krebs, Gunter. "Chronology of Space Launches".
Kyle, Ed. "Space Launch Report". Archived from the original on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
McDowell, Jonathan. "GCAT Orbital Launch Log".
Pietrobon, Steven. "Steven Pietrobon's Space Archive".
Wade, Mark. "Encyclopedia Astronautica".
Webb, Brian. "Southwest Space Archive".
Zak, Anatoly. "Russian Space Web".
"ISS Calendar". Spaceflight 101.
"NSSDCA Master Catalog". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
"Space Calendar". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.^{[dead link‍]}
"Space Information Center". JAXA.^{[dead link‍]}
"Хроника освоения космоса" [Chronicle of space exploration]. CosmoWorld (in Russian).

Generic references:

Spaceflight portal

Footnotes

^ "Mir Destroyed in Fiery Descent". CNN. 22 March 2001. Archived from the original on 21 November 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
^ Clark, Stephen (6 October 2010). "WMAP finishes nine-year probe of infant universe". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 10 October 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
^ "MOLNIYA 3-51". N2YO.com. Archived from the original on 1 September 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
^ "CORONAS F". N2YO.com. Archived from the original on 1 September 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
^ Gebhardt, Chris (25 July 2021). "Farewell, Pirs; ISS module decommissioned, destructively reentered". NASASpaceFlight. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
^ "QUICKBIRD 2". N2YO.com. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
^ Podvig, Pavel (20 March 2004). "Reentry of the Cosmos-2383 naval reconnaissance satellite". Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
^ Chern, Jeng-Shing; Wu, Bill; Chen, Yen-Sen; Wu, An-Ming (2012). "Suborbital and low-thermospheric experiments using sounding rockets in Taiwan". Acta Astronautica. 70: 159–164. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2011.07.030. ISSN 0094-5765.
^ NASA (2001). "STS-98 Day 4 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ Boeing/NASA/United Space Alliance (2001). "Three Space Walks Will Add Sophisticated Laboratory". Shuttle Press Kits. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ NASA (2001). "STS-98 Day 6 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ NASA (2001). "STS-98 Day 8 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ NASA (2001). "STS-102 Day 4 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ NASA (2001). "STS-102 Day 6 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ NASA (2001). "STS-100 Day 4 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ NASA (2001). "STS-100 Day 6 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ NASA (2001). "ISS Status Report #01-18 Friday, June 9, 2001 – Expedition Two Crew". NASA. Archived from the original on 6 November 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ ^a ^b Jim Banke (2001). "First spacewalk concludes". Space.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ Boeing/NASA/United Space Alliance (2001). "STS-104 Spacewalks: Installing a Spacewalking Portal". Shuttle Press Kits. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c NASA (2001). "STS-104 Extravehicular Activities". NASA. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ NASA (2001). "STS-104". NASA. Archived from the original on 21 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ Todd Halvorson (2001). "Quest Airlock Makes Orbital Debut as Astronauts Wrap Up Station Construction Work". Space.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ Jim Banke (2001). "Historic milestone at Alpha". Space.com. Archived from the original on 23 May 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ ^a ^b NASA (2001). "STS-105 Extravehicular Activities". NASA. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ ^a ^b NASA/Boeing/United Space Alliance (2001). "Two Spacewalks to Lay Groundwork for Future ISS Construction". Shuttle Press Kit. Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d NASA (2001). "Expedition Three Spacewalks". NASA. Archived from the original on 4 October 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ NASA (2001). "STS-108 Extravehicular Activities". NASA. Archived from the original on 2 February 2002. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ NASA (2001). "STS-108, Mission Control Center Status Report #11". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ Jim Banke (2001). "STS-108 Mission Update Archive". Space.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[1] "Mir Destroyed in Fiery Descent". CNN. 22 March 2001. Archived from the original on 21 November 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2009.

[2] Clark, Stephen (6 October 2010). "WMAP finishes nine-year probe of infant universe". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 10 October 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2010.

[3] "MOLNIYA 3-51". N2YO.com. Archived from the original on 1 September 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2019.

[4] "CORONAS F". N2YO.com. Archived from the original on 1 September 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2019.

[5] Gebhardt, Chris (25 July 2021). "Farewell, Pirs; ISS module decommissioned, destructively reentered". NASASpaceFlight. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.

[6] "QUICKBIRD 2". N2YO.com. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2019.

[7] Podvig, Pavel (20 March 2004). "Reentry of the Cosmos-2383 naval reconnaissance satellite". Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.

[AA-8] Chern, Jeng-Shing; Wu, Bill; Chen, Yen-Sen; Wu, An-Ming (2012). "Suborbital and low-thermospheric experiments using sounding rockets in Taiwan". Acta Astronautica. 70: 159–164. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2011.07.030. ISSN 0094-5765.

[STS98b-9] NASA (2001). "STS-98 Day 4 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[sts98a-10] Boeing/NASA/United Space Alliance (2001). "Three Space Walks Will Add Sophisticated Laboratory". Shuttle Press Kits. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[STS98c-11] NASA (2001). "STS-98 Day 6 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[STS98d-12] NASA (2001). "STS-98 Day 8 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[13] NASA (2001). "STS-102 Day 4 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[STS102b-14] NASA (2001). "STS-102 Day 6 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[STS100a-15] NASA (2001). "STS-100 Day 4 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[STS100b-16] NASA (2001). "STS-100 Day 6 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[Exp2-17] NASA (2001). "ISS Status Report #01-18 Friday, June 9, 2001 – Expedition Two Crew". NASA. Archived from the original on 6 November 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[STS104a-18] Jim Banke (2001). "First spacewalk concludes". Space.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[STS104b-19] Boeing/NASA/United Space Alliance (2001). "STS-104 Spacewalks: Installing a Spacewalking Portal". Shuttle Press Kits. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[STS104f-20] NASA (2001). "STS-104 Extravehicular Activities". NASA. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[STS104c-21] NASA (2001). "STS-104". NASA. Archived from the original on 21 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[quest1-22] Todd Halvorson (2001). "Quest Airlock Makes Orbital Debut as Astronauts Wrap Up Station Construction Work". Space.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[STS104d-23] Jim Banke (2001). "Historic milestone at Alpha". Space.com. Archived from the original on 23 May 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[STS105b-24] NASA (2001). "STS-105 Extravehicular Activities". NASA. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[STS105a-25] NASA/Boeing/United Space Alliance (2001). "Two Spacewalks to Lay Groundwork for Future ISS Construction". Shuttle Press Kit. Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[Exp3a-26] NASA (2001). "Expedition Three Spacewalks". NASA. Archived from the original on 4 October 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[27] NASA (2001). "STS-108 Extravehicular Activities". NASA. Archived from the original on 2 February 2002. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[28] NASA (2001). "STS-108, Mission Control Center Status Report #11". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

[29] Jim Banke (2001). "STS-108 Mission Update Archive". Space.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

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v t e Timeline of spaceflight
Spaceflight before 1951
1950s	1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960s	1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970s	1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980s	1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990s	1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000s	2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010s	2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
2020s	2020 2021 (H1, H2) 2022 (H2, H2) 2023 (H1, H2) 2024 (H1, H2) 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
Future

v t e Timeline of spaceflight
Spaceflight before 1951
1950s	1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960s	1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970s	1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980s	1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990s	1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000s	2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010s	2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
2020s	2020 2021 (H1, H2) 2022 (H2, H2) 2023 (H1, H2) 2024 (H1, H2) 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
Future

v t e ← 2000 Orbital launches in 2001 2002 →
January ,	Shenzhou 2 Türksat 2A Progress M1-5 USA-156
February ,	Sicral 1, Skynet 4F STS-98 (Destiny) Odin Progress M-44 USA-157
March ,	STS-102 (Leonardo MPLM) Eurobird 1, BSAT-2a XM-2
April ,	Ekran-M No.18L 2001 Mars Odyssey GSAT-1 STS-100 (Raffaello MPLM) Soyuz TM-32
May ,	XM-1 PAS-10 USA-158 Progress M1-6 Kosmos 2377
June ,	Kosmos 2378 Intelsat 901 Astra 2C ICO F2 MAP
July ,	STS-104 (Quest) Artemis, BSAT-2b Molniya-3K No.11 GOES 12 Koronas-F
August ,	USA-159 Genesis STS-105 (Leonardo MPLM, Simplesat) Progress M-45 Kosmos 2379 VEP-2, LRE Intelsat 902
September ,	USA-160 Progress M-SO1 (Pirs) OrbView-4, QuickTOMS, SBD, Odyssey Atlantic Bird 2 Starshine 3, PICOSat, PCSat, SAPPHIRE
October ,	USA-161 Globus No.14L USA-162 QuickBird-2 Soyuz TM-33 TES, PROBA, BIRD Molniya-3 No.64
November ,	Progress M1-7 (Kolibri 2000) DirecTV-4S
December ,	Kosmos 2380, Kosmos 2381, Kosmos 2382 STS-108 (Raffaello MPLM, Starshine 2 Jason-1, TIMED Meteor-3M #1, Kompass, Badr-B, Maroc-Tubsat, Reflektor Kosmos 2383 Kosmos 2384, Kosmos 2385, Kosmos 2386, Gonets-D1 No.10, Gonets-D1 No.11, Gonets-D1 No.12
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).

2001 in spaceflight

Deorbit of Mir

Launches

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December