1969 in spaceflight

Humanity's first crewed lunar landing (Apollo 11)

Rockets
Maiden flights|

* Delta L
* N-1
* Thorad-SLV2H Agena-D
* Tsyklon-2
* Apollo LM ascent stage

Retirements|

* Delta C1
* Molniya M/Blok VL
* Tsyklon-2A

Crewed flights
Orbital| 9
Total travellers| 22

* v
* t
* e

* v
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* e

Timeline of spaceflight

* Spaceflight before 1951

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* Future

1969 saw humanity step onto another world for the first time. On 20 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."[1][2]

There were four Apollo missions in total in 1969, three of which traveled to the Moon, with Apollo 12 also landing on the surface. The success of the Apollo program was a testament to the efforts of over 500,000 American engineers, scientists and technicians.

In 1969, the Soviet Union's space program had success with the docking of two crewed spacecraft as well as the success of their Venus and Lunar probes. The Soviets, however, suffered severe blows to their crewed Lunar aspirations when their N1 rocket failed twice during two 1969 launches.

## Orbital launches

[edit]

* ← 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

[edit]

5 January
06:28[3] |  Molniya-M / Blok VL  |  |  Baikonur Site 1/5 |
Venera 5 |  | Heliocentric | Venus lander | 16 May 1969 | Successful
Lander operated for 53 minutes in the atmosphere of Venus.
10 January
05:51[3] |  Molniya-M / Blok-VL  |  |  Baikonur Site 1/5 |
Venera 6 |  | Heliocentric | Venus lander | 17 May 1969 | Successful
Lander operated for 51 minutes in the atmosphere of Venus.
12 January
12:10[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 263 (Zenit-2)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 20 January 1969[5] | Successful
14 January
07:30  |  Soyuz |  |  Baikonur LC-31 |  RVSN
Soyuz 4 | RVSN | Low Earth | Crewed orbital flight | 17 January 1969 | Successful
First docking between two crewed spacecraft (with Soyuz 5)
15 January
07:04  |  Soyuz |  |  Baikonur LC-1/5 |  RVSN
Soyuz 5 | RVSN | Low Earth | Crewed orbital flight | 18 January 1969 | Successful
First docking between two crewed spacecraft (with Soyuz 4)
20 January
04:14[6] |  Proton-K/D  |  |  Baikonur Site 81/23 |
Soyuz 7K-L1 (Zond-1969A)  |  | Selenocentric | Test flight | 20 January 1969 | Failure
One of the RD-0210 engines in the second stage failed, resulting in automatic shutdown of the vehicle. Capsule was successfully recovered after successful launch abort.
22 January
16:48[7] |  Delta C1  |  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-17 |
OSO 5 | NASA | Low Earth | Astronomy | 2 April 1984[5] | Successful
22 January
19:10[9] |  Titan IIIB |  |  Vandenberg SLC-4W |
OPS 7585 (GAMBIT-3 4319)  | NRO | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 3 February 1969[5] | Partial failure
Apogee was too high as the Agena rocket stage failed to switch off at a correct time.[8]
23 January
09:15[6] |  Voskhod |  |  Baikonur Site 1/5 |
Kosmos 264 (Zenit-4M)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 5 February 1969[5] | Successful
25 January
11:10[6] |  Tsyklon-2A |  |  Baikonur Site 90/19 |
Kosmos 265 (US-AO No.5)  |  | Low Earth | Naval surveillance | 23 January 1969 | Failure
30 January
06:46[9] |  Delta E1  |  |  Vandenberg SLC-2E |
ISIS 1 | CSA | Medium Earth | Science | In orbit | Successful

### February

[edit]

1 February
12:11[4] |  Vostok-2M |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 265 (Meteor-1)  | RVSN | Low Earth | Meteorology | 1 February 1969 | Failure
5 February
06:46[9] |  Thorad-SLV2G-Agena-D |  |  Vandenberg SLC-3W |
KH-4B 6 (OPS 3890)  | CIA | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 24 February 1969[5] | Successful
P-801 2 (OPS 2644)  | USAF | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful
6 February
00:39[7] |  Delta M |  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-17A |  NASA
Intelsat III F-3 | Intelsat | Geostationary | Communications | In orbit | Successful
7 February
13:59[4] |  Kosmos-2I |  |  Plesetsk Site 133/1 |
Kosmos 265 (DS-P1-Yu No.21)  | RVSN | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 1 May 1969[5] | Successful
9 February
21:09[7] |  Titan IIIC |  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-41 |
TACSAT-1 (OPS 0757)  | USAF | Geostationary | Communications | In orbit | Successful
19 February
06:48[6] |  Proton-K / Blok D  |  |  Baikonur Site 81/24 |
Luna 15a \+ Lunokhod 1A (Ye-8 №201)  |  | Selenocentric | Lunar lander and rover | 19 February 1969 | Failure
Engine failure in the first stage, rocket crashed 15 km from the pad.
21 February
09:18  |  N1/L3 |  |  Baikonur LC-110/38 |  RVSN
Zond L1S-1 | RVSN | Selenocentric | Test flight | 21 February | Failure
Dummy LK | RVSN | Selenocentric | Mass simulator | 21 February | Failure
25 February
01:29[7] |  Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D |  |  Cape Canaveral LC-36 |
Mariner 6 | NASA | Heliocentric | Mars flyby | In orbit | Successful
25 February
10:20[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 266 (Zenit-2)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 5 March 1969[5] | Successful
26 February
07:47[7] |  Delta E1  |  |  Cape Canaveral LC-17B |
ESSA-9 | ESSA | Low Earth (SSO)  | Meteorology | In orbit | Successful
26 February
08:30[6] |  Voskhod |  |  Baikonur Site 31/6 |
Kosmos 267 (Zenit-4)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 6 March 1969[5] | Successful

### March

[edit]

3 March
16:00  |  Saturn V |  |  KSC LC-39A |  NASA
Apollo 9 CSM Gumdrop | NASA | Low Earth | Crewed orbital flight | 13 March 1969 | Successful
Apollo 9 LM Spider | NASA | Low Earth | Test flight | 13 March 1969 | Successful
First crewed orbital test of lunar module
4 March
16:48[9] |  Titan IIIB |  |  Vandenberg SLC-4W |
KH-8 Gambit 3 (OPS 4248)  | USAF | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 18 March 1969[5] | Successful
Apogee was too high as the Agena rocket stage failed to switch off at a correct time.[8]
5 March
13:04[10] |  Kosmos-2I |  |  Kapustin Yar Site 86/4  |
Kosmos 268 (DS-P1-Yu No.18)  |  | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 9 May 1970[5] | Successful
5 March
17:25[4] |  Kosmos-3M |  |  Plesetsk Site 132/2 |
Kosmos 269 (Tselina-O-4)  |  | Low Earth | ELINT | 21 October 1978[5] | Successful
6 March
12:15[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 270 (Zenit-4 No.52)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 14 March 1969[5] | Successful
15 March
12:15[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 271 (Zenit-4 No.53)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 23 March 1969[5] | Successful
17 March
17:25[4] |  Kosmos-3M |  |  Plesetsk Site 132/2 |
Kosmos 272 (Sfera No.4)  |  | Low Earth | Geodesy | In orbit | Successful
18 March
07:40[9] |  Atlas F-OV1  |  |  Vandenberg ABRES-A2 |
OV1-17  | USAF | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | 5 March 1970[5] | Successful
OV1-17A ORBISCAL  | USAF | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | 24 March 1969[5] | Successful
OV1-18  | USAF | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | 28 August 1972[5] | Successful
OV1-19  | USAF | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Successful
19 March
21:38[9] |  Thorad-SLV2G-Agena-D |  |  Vandenberg SLC-3W |
KH-4A 50 (OPS 3722)  | CIA | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 24 March 1969[5] | Successful
P-11 (OPS 2285)  | USAF | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 6 December 1971[5] | Successful
22 March
12:15[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 273 (Zenit-2 No.72)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 30 March 1969[5] | Successful
24 March
10:10[6] |  Voskhod |  |  Baikonur Site 31/6 |
Kosmos 274 (Zenit-4 No.54)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 1 April 1969[5] | Successful
26 March
12:30[4] |  Vostok-2M |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Meteor-1 1 |  | Low Earth | Meteorology | 26 March 2012 | Successful
27 March
10:40[6] |  Proton-K/D  |  |  Baikonur Site 81/23 |
Mars 2M No.521 |  | Areocentric | Mars orbiter | 27 March 1969 | Failure
Payload fairing failed at T+51. Third stage failed to ignite.
27 March
22:22[7] |  Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D |  |  Cape Canaveral LC-36A |
Mariner 7 | NASA | Heliocentric | Mars flyby | In orbit | Successful
28 March
16:00[4] |  Kosmos-2I |  |  Plesetsk Site 133/1 |
Kosmos 275 (DS-P1-I No.5)  | RVSN | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 7 February 1970[5] | Successful

### April

[edit]

2 April
10:33[6] |  Proton-K/D  |  |  Baikonur Site 81/24 |
Mars 2M No.522 |  | Areocentric | Mars orbiter and lander | 2 April 1969 | Failure
Rocket crashed near pad after 1st stage engine failure.
4 April
10:20[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 276 (Zenit-4 No.55)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 11 April 1969[5] | Successful
4 April
13:00[4] |  Kosmos-2I |  |  Plesetsk Site 133/1 |
Kosmos 277 (DS-P1-Yu No.20)  |  | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 6 July 1969[5] | Successful
9 April
13:00[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 278 (Zenit-2 No.73)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 17 April 1969[5] | Successful
11 April
02:30[6] |  Molniya-M/Blok ML  |  |  Baikonur Site 1/5 |
Molniya-1 No.11 |  | Molniya | Communications | 17 April 1974 | Successful
13 April
02:24[7] |  Atlas-SLV3A Agena-D |  |  Cape Canaveral LC-13 |
Canyon 2 (OPS 3148)  | NRO | Geostationary | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful
14 April
07:54[9] |  Thorad-SLV2G-Agena-D |  |  Vandenberg SLC-2E |
Nimbus 3 | NASA, NOAA | Low Earth | Meteorology | In orbit | Successful
SECOR-13  | US Army | Low Earth | Geodesy | In orbit | Successful
15 April
08:14[6] |  Voskhod |  |  Baikonur Site 31/6 |
Kosmos 279 (Zenit-4 No.56)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 23 April 1969[5] | Successful
15 April
17:30[9] |  Titan IIIB |  |  Vandenberg SLC-4W |
KH-8 Gambit 3 (OPS 5310)  | USAF | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 30 April 1969[5] | Successful
23 April
09:55[6] |  Voskhod |  |  Baikonur Site 1/5 |
Kosmos 280 (Zenit-4M No.3)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 6 May 1969[5] | Successful

### May

[edit]

2 May
01:46[9] |  Thorad-SLV2G-Agena-D |  |  Vandenberg SLC-3W |
KH-4A 51 (OPS 1101)  | CIA | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 23 May 1969[5] | Successful
P-11 (OPS 1721)  | USAF | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 16 February 1970[5] | Successful
13 May
09:15[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 281 (Zenit-2 No.74)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 21 May 1969[5] | Successful
18 May
16:49  |  Saturn V |  |  KSC LC-39B |  NASA
Apollo 10 CSM Charlie Brown | NASA | Selenocentric | Crewed Lunar orbital flight | 26 May 1969 | Successful
Apollo 10 LM Snoopy | NASA | Selenocentric | Test flight | In orbit | Successful
First test of lunar module in lunar orbit. "Dress rehearsal" of Apollo 11 landing.
20 May
08:40[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 282 (Zenit-4 No.57)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 28 May 1969[5] | Successful
22 May
02:00[7] |  Delta M |  |  Cape Canaveral LC-17A |  NASA
Intelsat III F-4 | Intelsat | Geostationary | Communications | In orbit | Successful
23 May
07:57[7] |  Titan IIIC |  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-41 |
Vela 9, 10  | USAF | High Earth | Nuclear detection | In orbit | Successful
OV5 5, 6, 9  | USAF | High Earth | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Successful
27 May
12:59[4] |  Kosmos-2I |  |  Plesetsk Site 133/1 |
Kosmos 283 (DS-P1-Yu No.21)  |  | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 10 December 1969[5] | Successful
29 May
06:59[6] |  Voskhod |  |  Baikonur Site 31/6 |
Kosmos 284 (Zenit-4 No.58)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 6 June 1969[5] | Successful

### June

[edit]

3 June
12:57[4] |  Kosmos-2I |  |  Plesetsk Site 133/1 |
Kosmos 285 (DS-P1-Yu No.22)  |  | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 7 October 1969[5] | Successful
3 June
16:49[9] |  Titan IIIB |  |  Vandenberg SLC-4W |
KH-8 Gambit 3 (OPS 1077)  | USAF | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 14 June 1969[5] | Successful
5 June
14:42[9] |  Thorad-SLV2H Agena-D |  |  Vandenberg SLC-3W |
OGO 6 | NASA | Low Earth | Research | 12 October 1979[5] | Successful
14 June
04:00[6] |  Proton-K/Blok D |  |  Baikonur Site 81/24 |
Luna E-8-5 No. 402 |  | Selenocentric | Lunar sample return | 14 June 1969 | Failure
Blok D upper stage failed to ignite, thus leaving the payload on a suborbital trajectory.
15 June
08:59[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 286 (Zenit-4 No.59)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 23 June 1969[5] | Successful
21 June
08:47[9] |  Delta E1  |  |  Vandenberg SLC-2W |
Explorer 41 (IMP-G)  | NASA | Highly elliptical | Magnetospheric research | In orbit | Successful
24 June
06:50[6] |  Voskhod |  |  Baikonur Site 31/6 |
Kosmos 287 (Zenit-2 No.75)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 2 July 1969[5] | Successful
27 June
06:59[6] |  Voskhod |  |  Baikonur Site 1/5 |
Kosmos 288 (Zenit-4 No.60)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 5 July 1969[5] | Successful
29 June
03:15[7] |  Delta N |  |  Cape Canaveral LC-17A |
Biosatellite 3 | NASA | Low Earth | Life science | 7 July 1969[5] | Successful

### July

[edit]

2 July
07:04  |  Europa-1 |  |  Woomera LA-6A  |  ELDO
STV-2  | ELDO |  | Test flight | 2 July 1969 | Failure
3 July
20:18  |  N1/L3 |  |  Baikonur LC-110/38 |
Zond L1S-2 |  | Selenocentric | Test flight | 3 July 1969 | Failure
Dummy LK |  | Selenocentric | Mass simulator | 3 July 1969 | Failure
Exploded due to faulty engines and a bolt that was sucked into a fuel pump.
10 July
09:00[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 289 (Zenit-4 No.61)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 15 July 1969[5] | Successful
13 July
02:54[6] |  Proton-K/D |  |  Baikonur Site 81/24 |
Luna 15 (Ye-8-5 №401)  |  | Selenocentric | Lunar sample return | 20 July 1969 | Success
Lander crashed to the surface of the Moon in an attempted landing.
16 July
13:32  |  Saturn V |  |  KSC LC-39A |  NASA
Apollo 11 CSM Columbia | NASA | Selenocentric | Crewed Lunar orbital flight | 24 July 1969 | Successful
Apollo 11 LM Eagle | NASA | Selenocentric | Crewed Lunar landing | In orbit | Successful
First crewed Moon landing.
22 July
12:30[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 290 (Zenit-2 No.76)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 30 July 1969[5] | Successful
22 July
12:55[6] |  Molniya-M/Blok ML  |  |  Baikonur Site 1/5 |
Molniya-1 No.12 |  | Molniya | Communications | 18 June 1971[5] | Successful
23 July
04:39[9] |  Thor-LV2F Burner-2 |  |  Vandenberg SLC-10W |
DSAP-4B F3 (OPS 1127)  | USAF, NRO | Low Earth | Meteorology | In orbit | Successful
23 July
09:00[4] |  Kosmos-2I |  |  Plesetsk Site 133/1 |
DS-P1-Yu No.23  |  | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 23 July 1969 | Failure
Second stage failed at T+267 seconds.
24 July
01:30[9] |  Thorad-SLV2H-Agena-D |  |  Vandenberg SLC-3W |
KH-4B 7 (OPS 3654)  | CIA | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 23 August 1969[5] | Successful
26 July
02:06[7] |  Delta M |  |  Cape Canaveral LC-17A |
Intelsat III F-5 | Intelsat | Geostationary | Communications | 14 October 1988[5] | Failure
Third stage failure left the spacecraft in an unusable orbit.
31 July
10:19[9] |  Thorad-SLV2G-Agena-D |  |  Vandenberg SLC-1W |
Strawman-2 (OPS 8285)  | USAF | Low Earth | ELINT | 4 January 1973[5] | Successful

### August

[edit]

6 August
05:40[6] |  Tsyklon-2 |  |  Baikonur Site 90/19 |
Kosmos 291 (IS-GVM)  |  | Low Earth | Mass simulator | 8 September 1969 | Successful
First test flight of Tsyklon-2 booster. Flew with a dummy payload planned to be used as an ASAT target but the ASAT interceptor test flight was later cancelled.
7 August
23:48[6] |  Proton-K/Blok D |  |  Baikonur Site 81/23 |
Zond 7 |  | High Earth | Lunar flyby | 13 August 1969 | Successful
The only successful test flight of Soyuz 7K-L1 spacecraft. Circumlunar flight, perilune 1,984 km.
9 August
07:52[7] |  Delta N |  |  Cape Canaveral LC-17A |
OSO 6 | NASA | Low Earth | Solar observatory | 7 March 1981[5] | Successful
PAC 1 | NASA | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | 28 April 1977[5] | Successful
12 August
11:01[7] |  Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D |  |  Cape Canaveral LC-36A |
ATS-5 | NASA | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful
13 August
22:00[4] |  Kosmos-3M |  |  Plesetsk Site 132/2 |
Kosmos 292 (Zaliv No.3)  |  | Low Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Successful
16 August
11:59[6] |  Voskhod |  |  Baikonur Site 31/6 |
Kosmos 293 (Zenit-2M No.4) / Nauka 5KS L.1  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 28 August 1969[5] | Successful
19 August
13:00[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 294 (Zenit-4 No.62)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 27 August 1969[5] | Successful
22 August
14:14[4] |  Kosmos-2I |  |  Plesetsk Site 133/1 |
Kosmos 295 (DS-P1-Yu No.24)  |  | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 1 December 1969[5] | Successful
23 August
16:00[9] |  Titan IIIB |  |  Vandenberg SLC-4W |
KH-8 Gambit 3 (OPS 7807)  | USAF | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 7 September 1969[5] | Successful
27 August
21:59[7] |  Delta L |  |  Cape Canaveral LC-17A |
Pioneer E | NASA | Heliocentric | Solar orbiter | 27 August 1969 | Failure
TETR 3 | NASA | Low Earth orbit | Technology demonstration | 27 August 1969 | Failure
First flight of Delta L rocket. First stage hydraulics failure threw the second stage far off course and the vehicle was destroyed by range safety at T+383 seconds.
29 August
09:05[6] |  Voskhod |  |  Baikonur Site 31/6 |
Kosmos 296 (Zenit-4 No.63)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 6 September 1969[5] | Successful

### September

[edit]

2 September
11:00[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 297 (Zenit-4 No.64)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 10 September 1969[5] | Successful
15 September
08:40[6] |  R-36O |  |  Baikonur Site 191/66 |
Kosmos 298 (OGCh No.21)  |  | Low Earth | Weapon test | 15 September 1969[5] | Successful
18 September
08:40[6] |  Voskhod |  |  Baikonur Site 31/6 |
Kosmos 299 (Zenit-4 No.65)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 22 September 1969[5] | Successful
22 September
02:10[11] |  Lambda 4S |  |  Kagoshima L  |  ISAS
Ōsumi-4  | ISAS | Low Earth | Test flight | 22 September 1969 | Failure
22 September
21:11[9] |  Thorad-SLV2G-Agena-D |  |  Vandenberg SLC-3W |
KH-4A 52 (OPS 3531)  | CIA | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 13 October 1969[5] | Successful
P-11 (OPS 4710)  | USAF | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 16 May 1971[5] | Successful
23 September
14:07[6] |  Proton-K/Blok D |  |  Baikonur Site 81/24 |
Kosmos 300 (Luna 16a, Ye-8-5 №403)  |  | Selenocentric | Lunar sample return | 27 September 1969[5] | Failure
Blok D stage failed due to valve defect and the probe failed to leave Earth orbit.
24 September
12:15[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 301 (Zenit-2 No.77)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 2 October 1969[5] | Successful
30 September
13:40[9] |  Thorad-SLV2G-Agena-D |  |  Vandenberg SLC-3W |
Poppy 8A-D (NRL-PL 161-164)  | NRL/US Navy | Low Earth | ELINT | In orbit | Successful
NRL-PL 165  | NRL/US Navy | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Successful
Timation-2  | NRL/US Navy | Low Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Successful
Tempsat 2 | NRL | Low Earth | Calibration | In orbit | Successful
SOICAL Cone & Cylinder  | USAF | Low Earth | Calibration | Cone: In orbit
Cylinder: 14 February 2023[12] | Successful
P-11 (OPS 7613)  | USAF | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful

### October

[edit]

1 October
22:29[9] |  Scout-B |  |  Vandenberg SLC-5 |
ESRO 1B | ESRO | Low Earth | Research | In orbit | Partial failure
Orbit was lower than planned.
6 October
01:45[4] |  Vostok-2M |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Meteor-1 2 |  | Low Earth | Meteorology | 20 August 2002[5] | Successful
11 October
11:10  |  Soyuz |  |  Baikonur LC-31/6 |  RVSN
Soyuz 6 | RVSN | Low Earth | Crewed orbital flight | 16 October 1969 | Partial failure
Rendezvous with Soyuz 7 and 8 unsuccessful due to electronic failure.
12 October
10:44  |  Soyuz |  |  Baikonur LC-1/5 |  RVSN
Soyuz 7 | RVSN | Low Earth | Crewed orbital flight | 16 October 1969 | Partial failure
Rendezvous with Soyuz 6 and 8 unsuccessful due to electronic failure.
13 October
10:19  |  Soyuz |  |  Baikonur LC-31/6 |  RVSN
Soyuz 8 | RVSN | Low Earth | Crewed orbital flight | 16 October 1969 | Partial failure
Rendezvous with Soyuz 6 and 7 unsuccessful due to electronic failure.
14 October[13]
13:19  |  Kosmos-2I |  |  Plesetsk Site 133/1 |
Interkosmos 1 (DS-U3-IK No.1)  | Interkosmos | Low Earth | Solar research | 2 January 1970[5] | Successful
17 October
11:45[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 302 (Zenit-4 No.66)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 25 October 1969[5] | Successful
18 October
10:00[4] |  Kosmos-2I |  |  Plesetsk Site 133/1 |
Kosmos 303 (DS-P1-Yu No.25)  |  | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 23 January 1970[5] | Successful
21 October
12:49[4] |  Kosmos-3M |  |  Plesetsk Site 132 |
Kosmos 304 (Zaliv No.4)  |  | Low Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Successful
22 October
14:09[6] |  Proton-K/Blok D |  |  Baikonur Site 81/24 |
Kosmos 305 (Luna 16b, Ye-8-5 №404)  |  | Selenocentric | Lunar sample return | In orbit | Failure
Control system of the Blok D stage failed and the probe failed to leave Earth orbit.
24 October
09:40[6] |  Voskhod |  |  Baikonur Site 1/5 |
Kosmos 306 (Zenit-2M No.5)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 5 November 1969[5] | Successful
24 October
13:01[10] |  Kosmos-2I |  |  Kapustin Yar Site 86/4  |
Kosmos 307 (DS-P1-Yu No.26)  |  | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 30 December 1970[5] | Successful
24 October
18:10[9] |  Titan IIIB |  |  Vandenberg SLC-4W |
KH-8 Gambit 3 (OPS 8455)  | USAF | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 8 November 1969[5] | Successful

### November

[edit]

4 November
11:59[4] |  Kosmos-2I |  |  Plesetsk Site 133/1 |
Kosmos 308 (DS-P1-I No.6)  |  | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 4 January 1970[5] | Successful
8 November
01:52[9] |  Scout-B |  |  Vandenberg SLC-5 |
Azur | BMWF/DLR | Medium Earth | Ionospheric research | In orbit | Successful
12 November
11:30[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 309 (Zenit-2 No.78) / Nauka 3KS L.1  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 20 November 1969[5] | Successful
14 November
16:22  |  Saturn V |  |  KSC LC-39A |  NASA
Apollo 12 CSM Yankee Clipper | NASA | Selenocentric | Crewed Lunar orbital flight | 24 November 1969 | Successful
Apollo 12 LM Intrepid | NASA | Selenocentric | Crewed Lunar landing | 20 November 1969 | Successful
Second crewed Moon landing.
15 November
08:30[6] |  Voskhod |  |  Baikonur Site 31/6 |
Kosmos 310 (Zenit-4 No.67)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 23 November 1969[5] | Successful
22 November
02:00[7] |  Delta M |  |  Cape Canaveral LC-17A |
Skynet 1A | MoD | Geostationary | Communications (military) | In orbit | Successful
24 November
11:00[4] |  Kosmos-2I |  |  Plesetsk Site 133/1 |
Kosmos 311 (DS-P1-Yu No.27)  |  | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 10 March 1970[5] | Successful
24 November
16:49[4] |  Kosmos-3M |  |  Plesetsk Site 132 |
Kosmos 312 (Sfera No.5)  |  | Low Earth | Geodesy | In orbit | Successful
28 November
09:00[6] |  Proton-K/Blok D |  |  Baikonur Site 81/23 |
Soyuz 7K-L1E  |  | Medium Earth | Flight test | In orbit | Failure
First stage failure

### December

[edit]

3 December
13:20[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 313 (Zenit-2M No.6) / Gektor No.6  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 15 December 1969[5] | Successful
4 December
21:37[9] |  Thorad-SLV2H-Agena-D |  |  Vandenberg SLC-3W |
KH-4B 8 (OPS 6617)  | CIA | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 10 January 1970[5] | Successful
11 December
12:58[4] |  Kosmos-2I |  |  Plesetsk Site 133/1 |
Kosmos 314 (DS-P1-Yu No.28)  |  | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 22 March 1970[5] | Successful
20 December
03:26[4] |  Kosmos-3M |  |  Plesetsk Site 132 |
Kosmos 315 (Tselina-O No.5)  |  | Low Earth | ELINT | 25 March 1979[5] | Successful
23 December
09:25[6] |  Tsyklon-2 |  |  Baikonur Site 90/19 |
Kosmos 316 (I2P No.3)  |  | Low Earth | Dummy ASAT warhead | 28 August 1970[5] | Successful
23 December
13:50[4] |  Voskhod |  |  Plesetsk Site 41/1 |
Kosmos 317 (Zenit-4MK No.1 / Germes No.1)  |  | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 5 January 1970[5] | Successful
25 December
09:59[10] |  Kosmos-2I |  |  Kapustin Yar Site 86/4  |
Interkosmos 2 (DS-U1-IK No.1)  | Interkosmos | Low Earth | Ionosphere research | 7 June 1970[5] | Successful
27 December[4] |  Kosmos-3M |  |  Plesetsk Site 132 |
Ionosfernaya No.1 |  | Low Earth | Ionosphere research | In orbit | Failure

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

## Suborbital flights

[edit]

Date and time (UTC)  | Rocket | Flight number  | Launch site | LSP

|
|
|
|

| Payload
(⚀ = CubeSat)  | Operator  | Orbit | Function  | Decay (UTC)  | Outcome
Remarks

### January-March

[edit]

17 January[14] |  Nike-Cajun |  |  Esrange |  NASA
/  RTG SNC 2A / 1 Aeronomy mission  | NASA/RTG | Suborbital  | Aeronomy | 17 January | Successful
Apogee: 117 kilometres (73 mi).
21 January[15] |  Skylark 6 |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
UK SL781 Solar x-ray mission  | RAE/WRE | Suborbital  | Astronomy | 21 January | Failure
23 January
20:00[15] |  Skylark |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
/ Ion / Te Ionosphere mission  | RAE/WRE | Suborbital  | Astronomy | 23 January | Successful
Apogee: 149 kilometres (93 mi).
23 January
23:00[14] |  Nike-Cajun |  |  Esrange |  NASA
/  RTG SNC 2A / 3 Aeronomy mission  | NASA/RTG | Suborbital  | Aeronomy | 23 January | Successful
Apogee: 116 kilometres (72 mi).
25 January
21:00[14] |  Nike-Cajun |  |  Esrange |  NASA
/  RTG SNC 2A / 4 Aeronomy mission  | NASA/RTG | Suborbital  | Aeronomy | 25 January | Successful
Apogee: 118 kilometres (73 mi).
3 February
21:05[14] |  Petrel |  |  Esrange |  Bristol Aerospace
Electrons Ionosphere mission  | SRC | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research | 3 February | Successful
Apogee: 157 kilometres (98 mi).
11 February
21:09[14] |  Petrel |  |  Esrange |  Bristol Aerospace
Electrons Ionosphere mission  | SRC | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research | 11 February | Successful
Apogee: 157 kilometres (98 mi).
14 February
22:15[14] |  Petrel |  |  Esrange |  Bristol Aerospace
Small scale structure Ionosphere mission  | SRC | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research | 14 February | Successful
Apogee: 149 kilometres (93 mi).
15 February
21:20[14] |  Petrel |  |  Esrange |  Bristol Aerospace
Small scale structure Ionosphere mission  | SRC | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research | 15 February | Successful
Apogee: 153 kilometres (95 mi).
20 February
11:48[16] |  Véronique |  |  Kourou ALFS |  LRBA
FU-170 CIRCE  | CNES | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research | 20 February | Successful
Apogee: 107 kilometres (66 mi)
25 February
16:33[17] |  Centaure 2B  |  |  Andøya Rocket Range |
ESRO C49 / 1 (R3) Aurora mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  |  | 25 February | Successful
Apogee: 136 kilometres (85 mi).
25 February
21:37[17] |  Sidewinder Arcas |  |  Andøya Rocket Range |
ESRO A40 / 4 Ionosphere / plasma / field mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  |  | 25 February | Failure
25 February
23:50[17] |  Centaure 2B  |  |  Andøya Rocket Range |
ESRO C49 / 2 Aurora mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  |  | 25 February | Successful
Apogee: 128 kilometres (80 mi).
15 March
17:55[14] |  Nike-Apache |  |  Esrange |  Sandia
DLR K-NA-11  | DFVLR | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research, Aeronomy | 15 March | Successful
Apogee: 226 kilometres (140 mi).
15 March
20:54[14] |  Skylark 2 |  |  Esrange |  British Aerospace
ESRO S43 / 2 Aurora mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  |  | 15 March | Successful
Apogee: 211 kilometres (131 mi).
15 March
22:31[14] |  Centaure 2B  |  |  Esrange |
ESRO C52 / 1 Aurora mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  |  | 15 March | Successful
Apogee: 211 kilometres (131 mi).
16 March
18:05[14] |  Nike-Apache |  |  Esrange |  Sandia
DLR K-NA-17  | DFVLR | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research, Aeronomy | 16 March | Successful
Apogee: 233 kilometres (145 mi).
17 March
00:04[14] |  Petrel |  |  Esrange |  Bristol Aerospace
Particles Ionosphere mission  | SRC | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research | 17 March | Successful
Apogee: 151 kilometres (94 mi).
17 March
18:10[14] |  Nike-Apache |  |  Esrange |  Sandia
DLR K-NA-18  | DFVLR | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research, Aeronomy | 17 March | Successful
Apogee: 231 kilometres (144 mi).
17 March
18:23[14] |  Petrel |  |  Esrange |  Bristol Aerospace
E field gradient Ionosphere mission  | SRC | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research | 17 March | Successful
Apogee: 148 kilometres (92 mi).
18 March
18:16[14] |  Petrel |  |  Esrange |  Bristol Aerospace
E-region E field Ionosphere mission  | SRC | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research | 18 March | Successful
Apogee: 170 kilometres (110 mi).
20 March
05:37[18] |  Terrier Sandhawk |  |  Poker Flat Research Range |  Sandia
HEMLOCK  | DARPA | Suborbital  | Aeronomy | 20 March | Successful
Apogee: 176 kilometres (109 mi)
29 March
20:00[14] |  Petrel |  |  Esrange |  Bristol Aerospace
Small scale structure Ionosphere mission  | SRC | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research | 29 March | Successful
Apogee: 150 kilometres (93 mi).

### April-June

[edit]

1 April
09:54[15] |  Skylark |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
X-ray Survey X-ray astronomy mission  | BAC | Suborbital  | Astronomy | 1 April | Successful
Apogee: 192 kilometres (119 mi).
3 April
00:35[15] |  Skylark 6 AC |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
UK SL502 Ionosphere / solar x-rays mission  | BAC | Suborbital  | Astronomy | 3 April | Successful
Apogee: 192 kilometres (119 mi).
9 April
20:38[17] |  Nike-Apache |  |  Andøya Rocket Range |  Sandia
Ferdinand 20 Aeronomy / ionosphere / plasma mission  | NTNF | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research, Aeronomy | 9 April | Successful
Apogee: 139 kilometres (86 mi).
13 April
00:33[17] |  Dragon 2B |  |  Andøya Rocket Range |
FU-182 Ions / Electric field Ionosphere mission  | CNES | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research | 13 April | Successful
Apogee: 139 kilometres (86 mi).
14 April
18:15[14] |  Centaure 2B  |  |  Esrange C  |
ESRO C39 / 1 Aurora mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  |  | 14 April | Failure
15 April
11:03[14] |  Centaure 2B  |  |  Esrange C  |
ESRO C39 / 2 Aurora mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  |  | 15 April | Successful
Apogee: 134 kilometres (83 mi).
16 April[19] |  Canopus 2 |  |  CELPA |  CONAE
| CONAE | Suborbital  | Test flight | 16 April | Successful
First flight of Canopus 2 sounding rocket. Apogee: 150 kilometres (93 mi).
17 April
05:05[15] |  Skylark 3 AC |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
UK SL606 Solar ultraviolet and x-ray mission  | BAC | Suborbital  | Astronomy | 17 April | Successful
Apogee: 202 kilometres (126 mi).
17 April
21:48[17] |  Dragon 2B |  |  Andøya Rocket Range |
FU-190 E field / Barium release / Ionosphere mission  | CNES | Suborbital  |  | 17 April | Successful
Apogee: 329 kilometres (204 mi).
22 April
03:31[15] |  Skylark 3 AC |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
UK SL604 Solar ultraviolet mission  | BAC | Suborbital  | Astronomy | 22 April | Successful
Apogee: 181 kilometres (112 mi).
1 May[20] |  Sandhawk Tomahawk |  |  Pacific Missile Range Facility |  Sandia
| Sandia National Laboratories | Suborbital  | Test flight | 1 May | Successful
First flight of the Sandhawk Tomahawk configuration. Apogee: 528 kilometres (328 mi).
14 May
02:44[15] |  Skylark 3 AC |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
UK SL404 Solar ultraviolet and x-ray mission  | BAC | Suborbital  | Astronomy | 14 May | Successful
Apogee: 178 kilometres (111 mi).
24 May
05:52[21] |  Terrier Tomahawk |  |  Pacific Missile Range Facility |  Sandia
LRL BOX-16 TT-9  | Sandia National Laboratories | Suborbital  | Astronomy | 24 May | Successful
Apogee: 159 kilometres (99 mi)
5 June
19:28[14] |  Centaure 2B  |  |  Esrange C  |
ESRO C35 / 2 X-ray astronomy mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  |  | 5 June | Successful
Apogee: 130 kilometres (81 mi).
27 June
22:58[22] |  Black Arrow |  |  Woomera LA-5B |  RAE
| RAE | Suborbital  | Test flight | 27 June | Failure
Lost control 50 seconds into the flight, destroyed by range safety.

### July-September

[edit]

5 July
19:45[23] |  Skylark |  |  Salto di Quirra |  British Aerospace
ESRO S38 / 1 Ionosphere mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research | 5 July | Successful
Apogee: 200 kilometres (120 mi).
6 July
19:50[23] |  Skylark 3 |  |  Salto di Quirra |  British Aerospace
ESRO S64 / 1 Aeronomy mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  | Aeronomy | 6 July | Successful
Apogee: 275 kilometres (171 mi).
11 July
19:42[23] |  Skylark |  |  Salto di Quirra |  British Aerospace
ESRO S38 / 2 Ionosphere mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research | 11 July | Successful
Apogee: 203 kilometres (126 mi).
13 July
19:41[23] |  Skylark 3 |  |  Salto di Quirra |  British Aerospace
ESRO S64 / 2 Aeronomy mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  | Aeronomy | 13 July | Successful
Apogee: 280 kilometres (170 mi).
14 July
23:53[15] |  Skylark |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
Electron profile Ionosphere mission  | BAC | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research | 14 July | Successful
Apogee: 216 kilometres (134 mi).
15 July[25][26] |  K63D |  |  Vladimirovka near Kapustin Yar |
BOR-1 |  | Suborbital  | Re-entry test for the Spiral program | 15 July | Successful
Subscale model of the Spiral spaceplane, transmitted data until burning up as planned at 60-70 km altitude. Apogee: 100 km[24]
16 July
22:33[15] |  Skylark |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
Dayglow / electrons Ionosphere mission  | BAC | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research | 16 July | Successful
Apogee: 244 kilometres (152 mi).
24 July[27] |  HAD  |  |  Woomera LA-1  |  WRE
| WRE | Suborbital  | Test flight | 24 July | Successful
Apogee: 115 kilometres (71 mi)
25 July
04:10[15] |  Skylark |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
Electron profile Ionosphere mission  | BAC | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research | 25 July | Successful
Apogee: 244 kilometres (152 mi).
29 July
22:57[15] |  Skylark 3 |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
Dayglow / electrons Ionosphere mission  | BAC | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research | 29 July | Successful
Apogee: 262 kilometres (163 mi).
5 August
09:08[28] |  Aero High  |  |  Woomera LA-1  |  WRE
| WRE | Suborbital  |  | 5 August | Successful
Apogee: 208 kilometres (129 mi)
11 August
01:30[14] |  Centaure 2B  |  |  Esrange C  |
ESRO C51 / 1 Aeronomy mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  | Aeronomy | 11 August | Successful
Apogee: 112 kilometres (70 mi).
14 August
02:01[14] |  Centaure 2B  |  |  Esrange C  |
ESRO C58 / 1 Meteorites mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  |  | 11 August | Successful
Apogee: 112 kilometres (70 mi).
21 August
01:57[15] |  Skylark 3 AC |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
HRCS / PHC Solar x-ray mission  | BAC | Suborbital  | Astronomy | 29 July | Successful
Apogee: 197 kilometres (122 mi).
12 September[19] |  Rigel |  |  CELPA |  CONAE
| CONAE | Suborbital  | Test flight | 12 September | Successful
First test flight of Rigel sounding rocket. Apogee: 250 kilometres (160 mi)

### October-December

[edit]

5 October
22:28[14] |  Skylark 2 |  |  Esrange |  British Aerospace
ESRO S29 / 1 Aurora mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  |  | 5 October | Successful
Apogee: 225 kilometres (140 mi).
10 October
20:01[14] |  Centaure 2B  |  |  Esrange C  |
ESRO C52 / 2 Aurora mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  |  | 10 October | Successful
Apogee: 135 kilometres (84 mi).
15 October
18:46[15] |  Skylark 3 |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
Grenades / TMA/Barium release Aeronomy / ionosphere mission  | BAC | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research | 15 October | Successful
Apogee: 318 kilometres (198 mi).
17 October
09:15[15] |  Skylark 3 |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
Grenades / TMA/Barium release Aeronomy / ionosphere mission  | BAC | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research | 17 October | Successful
Apogee: 318 kilometres (198 mi).
17 October
22:27[14] |  Skylark 2 |  |  Esrange |  British Aerospace
ESRO S29 / 2 Aurora mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  |  | 17 October | Successful
Apogee: 225 kilometres (140 mi).
20 October
07:28[15] |  Skylark 3 AC |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
UK SL586 test  | BAC | Suborbital  | Technology demonstration | 20 October | Successful
Apogee: 223 kilometres (139 mi).
22 October
06:10[15] |  Skylark 3 |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
X-ray survey / Solar X X-ray astronomy mission  | BAC | Suborbital  | Astronomy | 22 October | Successful
Apogee: 216 kilometres (134 mi).
23 October[19] |  Canopus 2 |  |  CELPA |  CONAE
| CONAE | Suborbital  | Test flight | 23 October | Successful
Apogee: 150 kilometres (93 mi).
24 October
05:44[23] |  Skylark |  |  Salto di Quirra |  British Aerospace
ESRO S68 / 1 X-ray astronomy mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  | Astronomy | 13 July | Successful
Apogee: 184 kilometres (114 mi).
8 November[29] |  Vesta |  |  Kourou ALFS |  LRBA
FU-189 Star pointing test  | CNES | Suborbital  | Technology demonstration | 8 November | Successful
Last flight of the Vesta sounding rocket. Apogee: 204 kilometres (127 mi).
10 November
21:00[14] |  Skylark 2 |  |  Esrange |  British Aerospace
ESRO S46 / 1 Aurora mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  |  | 10 November | Successful
Apogee: 214 kilometres (133 mi).
18 November
02:17[15] |  Skylark 3 AC |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
Fresnel shadowgraph X-ray astronomy mission  | BAC | Suborbital  | Astronomy | 18 November | Failure
Apogee: 208 kilometres (129 mi).
20 November
00:30[15] |  Skylark 3 AC |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
Solar ultraviolet Spectrum / PHC Solar ultraviolet and x-ray mission  | BAC | Suborbital  | Astronomy | 20 November | Successful
Apogee: 242 kilometres (150 mi).
26 November
00:38[17] |  Nike-Cajun |  |  Andøya Rocket Range |  NASA
Ferdinand 21 Aeronomy / ionosphere mission  | NTNF | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research, Aeronomy | 26 November | Successful
Apogee: 107 kilometres (66 mi).
26 November
23:32[15] |  Skylark 3 AC |  |  Woomera LA-2 SL  |  British Aerospace
Solar ultraviolet FP / PHC Solar ultraviolet mission  | BAC | Suborbital  | Astronomy | 26 November | Successful
Apogee: 180 kilometres (110 mi).
27 November
05:29[14] |  Centaure 2B  |  |  Esrange C  |
ESRO C62 / 1 Aurora mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  |  | 27 November | Successful
Apogee: 160 kilometres (99 mi).
27 November
06:31[14] |  Centaure 2B  |  |  Esrange C  |
ESRO C62 / 2 Aurora mission  | ESRO | Suborbital  |  | 27 November | Successful
Apogee: 164 kilometres (102 mi).
30 November
02:58[17] |  Sparrow-Arcas |  |  Andøya Rocket Range |  NASA
Arcas VII Aeronomy / ionosphere / plasma mission  | NTNF | Suborbital  | Ionosphere research, Aeronomy | 30 November | Successful
Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi).
6 December
06:00[25] |  K63D  |  |  Vladimirovka near Kapustin Yar  |
BOR-2 No.101  |  | Suborbital  | Re-entry test for the Spiral program | 6 December | Successful
Subscale model of the Spiral spaceplane.[30] Apogee: 100 km
9 December[27] |  HAD  |  |  Woomera LA-1  |  WRE
| WRE | Suborbital  | Test flight | 9 December | Successful
Last flight of HAD rocket. Apogee: 115 kilometres (71 mi).
22 December[19] |  Rigel |  |  CELPA |  CONAE
| CONAE | Suborbital  | Test flight | 22 December | Successful
Apogee: 250 kilometres (160 mi)
23 December[19] |  Canopus 2 |  |  CELPA |  CONAE
| CONAE | Suborbital  | Test flight | 23 December | Successful
Apogee: 150 kilometres (93 mi).

## Launches from the Moon

[edit]

Date and time (UTC)  | Rocket | Flight number  | Launch site | LSP

|
|
|
|

| Payload
(⚀ = CubeSat)  | Operator  | Orbit | Function  | Decay (UTC)  | Outcome
Remarks
21 July
17:54  |  Lunar Module Ascent Stage  |  | Tranquility Base, Mare Tranquillitatis (Luna)  |  NASA
Apollo 11 LM  | NASA  | Selenocentric (CSM)  | Crewed | In orbit | Successful
Carrying two astronauts back to CSM after lunar landing
20 November
14:25:47  |  Lunar Module Ascent Stage  |  | Ocean of Storms (Luna)  |  NASA
Apollo 12 LM  | NASA  | Selenocentric (CSM)  | Crewed | 20 November | Successful
Carrying two astronauts back to CSM after lunar landing

## Deep-space rendezvous

[edit]

Date (GMT)  | Spacecraft  | Event  | Remarks

|
|
|

16 May  | Venera 5 | Atmospheric entry in Venus | Atmospheric probe worked for 53 min in the Venerian atmosphere
17 May  | Venera 6 | Atmospheric entry in Venus | Atmospheric probe worked for 51 min in the Venerian atmosphere
21 May  | Apollo 10 | 31 orbits around the Moon | Altitude ~15,4 km
20 July  | Apollo 11 | Moon landing  | 22 kg from Mare Tranquillitatis (sample return mission)
21 July  | Luna 15 | Moon impact  | Impacted at Mare Crisium (sample return mission). Primary mission failed.
5 August  | Mariner 6 | Flyby of Mars | Periapsis: 3,412 km. 25 close-up pictures.
5 August  | Mariner 7 | Flyby of Mars | Periapsis: 3,543 km. 33 close-up pictures.
11 August  | Zond 7 | Circumlunar flight  | Periapsis: 1,984 km.
19 November  | Apollo 12 | Moon landing  | 34 kg from Oceanus Procellarum (sample return mission)

## Extravehicular activities (EVAs)

[edit]

Start Date/Time  | Duration  | End Time  | Spacecraft  | Crew  | Remarks

|
|
|
|
|

## Orbital launch statistics

[edit]

### By country

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|

|  Europe | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
|  Japan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
|  Soviet Union | 82 | 68 | 14 | 0 |
|  United States | 41 | 37 | 2 | 2 |
World | 125 | 105 | 18 | 2 |

### By rocket

[edit]

#### By family

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|

Atlas |  United States | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Blue Streak |  Europe | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Kosmos |  Soviet Union | 22 | 20 | 2 | 0 |
Lambda |  Japan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
N-1 |  Soviet Union | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | First flight
R-7 |  Soviet Union | 44 | 43 | 1 | 0 |
R-36 |  Soviet Union | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Saturn |  United States | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Scout |  United States | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Thor |  United States | 22 | 20 | 2 | 0 |
Titan |  United States | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
Universal Rocket |  Soviet Union | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 |

#### By type

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Atlas-Agena |  United States | Atlas | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Atlas-Centaur |  United States | Atlas | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Atlas E/F |  United States | Atlas | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Delta |  United States | Thor | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
Europa |  Europe | Blue Streak | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Kosmos-2 |  Soviet Union | Kosmos | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
Kosmos-3 |  Soviet Union | Kosmos | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
Lambda 4 |  Japan | Lambda | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Molniya |  Soviet Union | R-7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
N-1 |  Soviet Union | N-1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | First flight
Proton |  Soviet Union | Universal Rocket | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
R-36 |  Soviet Union | R-36 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Saturn V |  United States | Saturn | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Scout |  United States | Scout | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Soyuz |  Soviet Union | R-7 | 37 | 37 | 0 | 0 |
Thor-Burner |  United States | Thor | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Thorad-Agena |  United States | Thor | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
Titan III |  United States | Titan | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
Tsyklon |  Soviet Union | R-36 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Vostok |  Soviet Union | R-7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |

#### By configuration

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Atlas-SLV3A Agena-D |  United States | Atlas-Agena | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D |  United States | Atlas-Centaur | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Atlas F-OV1 |  United States | Atlas E/F | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Delta C1 |  United States | Delta | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Last flight
Delta E1 |  United States | Delta | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Delta L |  United States | Delta | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | First flight
Delta M |  United States | Delta | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Delta N |  United States | Delta | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Europa-1 |  Europe | Europa | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Kosmos-2I |  Soviet Union | Kosmos-2 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
Kosmos-3M |  Soviet Union | Kosmos-3 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
Lambda 4S |  Japan | Lambda 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Molniya-M/Blok VL |  Soviet Union | Molniya | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Last flight
Molniya-M/Blok ML |  Soviet Union | Molniya | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
N1/L3 |  Soviet Union | N-1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | First flight
Proton-K/D |  Soviet Union | Proton | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
R-36O |  Soviet Union | R-36 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Saturn V |  United States | Saturn V | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Scout B |  United States | Scout | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Soyuz (11A511) |  Soviet Union | Soyuz | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Thor-LV2F Burner-2 |  United States | Thor-Burner | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Thorad-SLV2G Agena-D |  United States | Thorad-Agena | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Thorad-SLV2H Agena-D |  United States | Thorad-Agena | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | First flight
Titan IIIB |  United States | Titan III | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
Titan IIIC |  United States | Titan III | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Tsyklon-2 |  Soviet Union | Tsyklon | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | First flight
Tsyklon-2A |  Soviet Union | Tsyklon | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Last flight
Voskhod (11A57) |  Soviet Union | Soyuz | 32 | 32 | 0 | 0 |
Vostok-2M |  Soviet Union | Vostok | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |

### By spaceport

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|

Baikonur |  Soviet Union | 38 | 27 | 11 | 0 |
Cape Canaveral |  United States | 15 | 13 | 2 | 0 |
Kapustin Yar |  Soviet Union | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Kennedy |  United States | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Plesetsk |  Soviet Union | 41 | 38 | 3 | 0 |
Kagoshima |  Japan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Vandenberg |  United States | 22 | 20 | 0 | 2 |
Woomera |  Australia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |

### By orbit

[edit]

Orbital regime  | Launches  | Achieved  | Not Achieved  | Accidentally
Achieved  | Remarks

|
|
|
|
|

Low Earth | 85 | 81 | 3 | 1 |
Geosynchronous / transfer | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
Medium Earth | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
High Earth | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | including highly elliptical and Molniya orbits and Trans Lunar trajectories
Heliocentric | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 |

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Howard E. McCurdy, et al. "Helpful Lessons From The Space Race." Issues in Science & Technology 27.4 (2011): 19–22. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 October 2013.
2. ^ "Excerpt from the 'Special Message to the Congress on Urgent National Needs'" NASA. 24 May 2004. 24 May 2015. <https://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/features/jfk_speech_text.html#.VWIGJ0_tmkp Archived 8 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine>.
3. ^ a b Wade, Mark. "Venera". Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an Wade, Mark. "Plesetsk". Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac Wade, Mark. "Baikonur". Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Wade, Mark. "Cape Canaveral". Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
8. ^ a b Krebs, Gunter. "KH-8 Gambit-3 (Block 1)". Gunter's Space Page. Archived from the original on 5 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Wade, Mark. "Vandenberg". Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
10. ^ a b c Wade, Mark. "Kapustin Yar". Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
11. ^ Wade, Mark. "Lambda 4S". Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
12. ^ "SOICAL (CYLINDER)". N2YO.com. 14 February 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
13. ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Interkosmos 1, 4, 7, 11, (14) 16 (DS-U3-IK)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Wade, Mark. "Kiruna". Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Wade, Mark. "Woomera". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
16. ^ Wade, Mark. "Veronique". Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
17. ^ a b c d e f g h Wade, Mark. "Andoya". Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
18. ^ Wade, Mark. "Terrier Sandhawk". Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
19. ^ a b c d e Wade, Mark. "Rigel". Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
20. ^ Wade, Mark. "Sandhawk Tomahawk". Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
21. ^ Wade, Mark. "Terrier Tomahawk". Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
22. ^ Wade, Mark. "Black Arrow". Archived from the original on 6 September 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
23. ^ a b c d e Wade, Mark. "Salto di Quirra". Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
24. ^ Petrovitch, Vassili. "BOR Description". www.buran-energia.com. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
25. ^ a b Wade, Mark. "K63D". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
26. ^ Krebs, Gunter Dirk. "BOR-1". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
27. ^ a b Wade, Mark. "HAD". Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
28. ^ Wade, Mark. "Aero High". Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
29. ^ Wade, Mark. "Vesta". Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
30. ^ Krebs, Gunter Dirk. "BOR-2". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 12 August 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* 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).

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Orbital launches in 1969

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* Venera 5
* Venera 6
* Kosmos 263
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* Soyuz 5
* 7K-L1 No.13L
* OSO-5
* OPS 7585
* Kosmos 264
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* OPS 1127
* DS-P1-Yu No.23
* OPS 3654
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* OPS 8285
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* ERS-32
* Kosmos 296
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* Unnamed
* OPS 3531
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* NRL PL-161
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* Kosmos 310
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* Kosmos 313
* OPS 6617
* Kosmos 314
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* Kosmos 316
* Kosmos 317
* Interkosmos 2
* Unnamed

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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