1959 in spaceflight

1959 in spaceflightOrbital launches

First| 2 January
Last| 26 November
Total| 23
Successes| 10
Failures| 11
Partial failures| 2
Catalogued| 14
Rockets
Maiden flights| Thor-Agena
Atlas-Able
Atlas D (suborbital test)
Retirements| Vanguard

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* t
* e

Luna 1 was the first spacecraft to leave the gravitational influence of Earth. Also in 1959, Luna 2 was the first spacecraft to reach the surface of another celestial body, impacting the Moon, and Luna 3 returned the first images of the far side of the Moon.

1959 in spaceflight

Timeline of spaceflight

← 1958

1960 →

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Timeline of spaceflight

* Spaceflight before 1951

1950s|

* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958 (H1, H2)
* 1959 (H1, H2)

1960s|

* 1960 (T1, T2, T3)
* 1961 (H1, H2)
* 1962 (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)
* 1963 (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)
* 1964 (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)
* 1965 (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)
* 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 (H1, H2)
* 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 (H1, H2)
* 2019 (H1, H2)

2020s|

* 2020
* 2021 (H1, H2)
* 2022 (H1, H2)
* 2023 (H1, H2)
* 2024 (H1, H2)
* 2025 (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)
* 2026
* 2027
* 2028
* 2029

* Future

## Overview

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## Orbital and suborbital launches

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Main articles: 1959 in spaceflight (January–June) and 1959 in spaceflight (July–December)

## Deep Space Rendezvous

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Date (GMT)  | Spacecraft  | Event  | Remarks

|
|
|

4 January | Luna 1 | First Lunar flyby | Failed impactor, closest approach: 6,000 kilometres (3,700 mi)
4 March | Pioneer 4 | Lunar flyby | Closest approach: 60,200 kilometres (37,400 mi)
14 September | Luna 2 | First Lunar impact | Landed in Mare Imbrium, first spacecraft to reach the surface of a celestial body
6 October | Luna 3 | Lunar flyby | First Circumlunar flight, returned 29 pictures including first images of the far side of the Moon; closest approach 6,200 kilometres (3,900 mi)

## Orbital launch statistics

[edit]

### By country

[edit]

Country  | Launches  | Successes  | Failures  | Partial
failures

|
|
|
|

|  Soviet Union | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1
|  United States | 19 | 9 | 9 | 1
World  | 23 | 11 | 10 | 2

### By rocket

[edit]

Rocket  | Country  | Launches  | Successes  | Failures  | Partial failures  | Remarks

|
|
|
|
|
|

Atlas-Able |  United States | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Maiden flight
Juno II |  United States | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Luna 8K72 |  Soviet Union | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Thor DM-18 Agena-A |  United States | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | Maiden flight
Thor DM-18 Able-II |  United States | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Thor DM-18 Able-III |  United States | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Vanguard |  United States | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Final flight

### By orbit

[edit]

Orbital regime  | Launches  | Successes  | Failures  | Accidentally
Achieved  | Remarks

|
|
|
|
|

Low Earth | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 |
Medium Earth | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
High Earth | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Including Highly elliptical orbits
Heliocentric | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |

## See also

[edit]

* Timeline of spaceflight

## References

[edit]

* Bergin, Chris. "NASASpaceFlight.com".
* Clark, Stephen. "Spaceflight Now".
* Kelso, T.S. "Satellite Catalog (SATCAT)". CelesTrak.
* 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.
* "Хроника освоения космоса" [Chronicle of space exploration]. CosmoWorld (in Russian).
* "Rocket Launch Manifest". Next Spaceflight.
* "Space Launch Plans". Novosti Kosmonavtiki.

Generic references:

* view
* talk
* edit

Spaceflight portal

### Footnotes

[edit]

* v
* t
* e

Timeline of spaceflight

* Spaceflight before 1951

1950s|

* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958 (H1, H2)
* 1959 (H1, H2)

1960s|

* 1960 (T1, T2, T3)
* 1961 (H1, H2)
* 1962 (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)
* 1963 (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)
* 1964 (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)
* 1965 (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)
* 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 (H1, H2)
* 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 (H1, H2)
* 2019 (H1, H2)

2020s|

* 2020
* 2021 (H1, H2)
* 2022 (H1, H2)
* 2023 (H1, H2)
* 2024 (H1, H2)
* 2025 (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)
* 2026
* 2027
* 2028
* 2029

* Future

* v
* t
* e

← 1958

Orbital launches in 1959

1960 →

* Mechta
* Vanguard 2
* Discoverer 1
* Pioneer 4
* Discoverer 2
* Unnamed, Unnamed
* Discoverer 3
* Luna E-1A No.1
* Vanguard SLV-6
* Discoverer 4
* Explorer S-1
* Explorer 6
* Discoverer 5
* Beacon 2
* Discoverer 6
* Luna 2
* Transit 1A
* Vanguard 3
* Luna 3
* Explorer 7
* Discoverer 7
* Discoverer 8
* Pioneer P-3

Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in (brackets).
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