1972 in spaceflight

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1972 in spaceflight

Launch of Saturn V with the final Apollo mission to the Moon

Orbital launches
First| 12 January
Last| 28 December
Total| 113
Successes| 105
Failures| 7
Partial failures| 1
Catalogued| 106
Rockets
Maiden flights| Delta 0100
Delta 1000
Retirements| Delta L
Delta N
M-4S
Thorad-Agena

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1972 in spaceflight

Timeline of spaceflight

<- 1971

1973 ->

1972 saw humanity's last crewed mission to the Moon of the 20th century, Apollo 17.

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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

## Launches

[edit]

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)

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

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

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| Payload | Operator  | Orbit | Function  | Decay (UTC)  | Outcome
Remarks

### January

[edit]

January 12
09:59  | Voskhod |  | Baikonur, LC-31/6 | RVSN
Kosmos 471 (Zenit 4M/Rotor)  | GRU | Low Earth orbit | Reconnaissance | January 25, 1972 | Successful
January 20
18:36  | Titan IIID |  | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-4E |
KH-9 2 (Hexagon 2)  | USAF  | LEO  | Reconnaissance | 29 February 1972 | Successful
Mabeli (OPS 7719)  | USAF  | LEO  | ELINT | 17 April 1979 | Successful
January 23
00:12  | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D | AC-28  | Cape Canaveral, LC-36B |
Intelsat 4 F-4 | Intelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful
25 January
11:15  | Kosmos-2 |  | Plesetsk, Site 133/1 | RVSN
Kosmos 472 (DS-P1-Yu No. 52)  | RVSN  | LEO  | Radar calibration | 18 August 1972 | Successful
January 31
17:20  | Delta L | D-87  | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-2E |
HEOS 2 | ESRO | High eccentricity LEO/HEO | Particle and field research | August 2, 1974 | Successful
Final flight of Delta L

### February

[edit]

8 February
05:59[2] |  K63D |  |  Vladimirovka test range, near Kapustin Yar |
BOR-2 No.104  |  | Suborbital  | Re-entry test for Spiral program | 8 February | Successful
Subscale model of the Spiral spaceplane.[1] Apogee: 100 km
February 14
03:27  | Proton-K/Blok D (8K82K)  |  | Baikonur, LC-81/24 | RVSN
Luna 20 |  | Lunar | Lunar sample return | February 21, 1972 (at Moon) | Successful

### March

[edit]

March 3
01:49  | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur/Star 37E | AC-27  | Cape Canaveral, LC-36A |
Pioneer 10 | NASA | Heliocentric to Solar Escape | Jupiter flyby | In orbit | Successful
First spacecraft to cross asteroid belt. First flyby of Jupiter. First probe to leave Solar System
March 12
01:55  | Delta N | D-88  | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-2E |
TD-1A | ESRO  | LEO | Technology research | January 9, 1980 | Successful
Final flight of Delta N
March 24
08:46  | Thor-LV2F Burner-2A |  | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-10W | US Air Force
DMSP 5B F2 | US Air Force | LEO | Weather satellite | In orbit | Successful
March 27
04:15  | Molniya-M/MVL |  | Baikonur Cosmodrome, 31/6 | Soviet Union
Venera 8 | USSR | Heliocentric to Venus | Venus lander | July 22, 1972 (on Venus) | Successful

### April

[edit]

April 16
17:45  | Saturn V |  | Kennedy, LC-39A | NASA
Apollo 16 CSM "Casper" | NASA  | Lunar | Crewed lunar orbiter | April 27, 1972 | Successful
Apollo 16 lunar module "Orion" | NASA  | Lunar  | Crewed lunar lander | April 20, 1972
14:23 (at Moon) | Successful
Apollo 16 Subsatellite | NASA  | Lunar  | Lunar particles research | May 29, 1972 (at Moon) | Partial failure
Crewed spaceflight to the Moon with 3 astronauts. Subsatellite placed in wrong orbit, shorter lifespan than planned
April 19
21:43  | Thorad Agena-D SLV-2H |  | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-3W | US Air Force
KH-4B 1116 | USAF  | LEO | Reconnaissance | May 12, 1972 | Successful

### May

[edit]

May 25
18:41  | Thorad Agena-D SLV-2H |  | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-3W | US Air Force
KH-4B 1117 | USAF  | LEO | Reconnaissance | June 4, 1972 |
Final flight of Thorad-Agena

### June

[edit]

June 13
21:53  | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur | AC-29  | Cape Canaveral, LC-36B |
Intelsat 4 F-5 | Intelsat  | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful
June 26
14:53  | Soyuz (11A511)  |  | Baikonur, LC-1/5 | RVSN
Kosmos 496 (Soyuz 7K-T)  |  | LEO | Test redesigned Soyuz 7K-T spacecraft | July 2, 1972 | Successful

### July

[edit]

July 23
18:41  | Delta 0900 | D-89  | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-2W |
Landsat 1 | NASA  | LEO  | Earth resources satellite | In orbit | Successful
Maiden flight of Delta 0100 series

### August

[edit]

10 August
00:32  | Feng Bao 1 | 701-02  | Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, LA-2B (Site 138)  |
Shiyan Peizhong  |  | Suborbital  | Test flight | T+90 seconds | Successful
First suborbital test flight of Feng Bao 1, apogee: 200 km.
13 August
15:10  | Scout D-1 |  | Wallops Flight Facility, LA-3 |
Explorer 46 (MTS)  | NASA  | LEO  | Meteoroid research | 2 November 1979 | Successful
August 19
02:40  | M-4S |  | Kagoshima Space Center, LP-M  | NASDA
Denpa (REXS)  | ISAS | Highly elliptical orbit | Magnetosphere research | 19 May 1980 | Spacecraft failure
Final flight of M-4S. The satellite stopped transmitting several days after launch, due to high voltage arcing
August 21
10:28  | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur | AC-22  | Cape Canaveral, LC-36B |
OAO 3 | NASA  | LEO  | Ultraviolet astronomy | In orbit | Successful
Final flight of Atlas SLV-3C Centaur

### September

[edit]

September 23
01:20  | Delta 1604 (1604)  | D-90  | Cape Canaveral, LC-17B |
Explorer 47 | NASA  | HEO | Magnetosphere research | In orbit | Successful
Maiden flight of Delta 1000 series. Maiden flight of Extended Long-Tank Thor stage

### October

[edit]

October 2
20:09  | Atlas F Burner II |  | Vandenberg AFB, BMRS-A1 | US Air Force
OPS 8180 (RADCAT)  | USAF  | LEO  | Radar calibration | 2 August 2012 | Successful
Radsat | USAF  | LEO  | Gamma radiation research | In orbit | Successful
October 15
17:19  | Delta 0300 | D-91  | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-2W |
NOAA 2 (ITOS-B) | NOAA | LEO  | Weather satellite | In orbit | Successful
AMSAT-OSCAR 6 | AMSAT | LEO  | Amateur radio | In orbit | Successful

### November

[edit]

November 9
03:23  | Thor Burner II |  | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-10W | US Air Force
DMSP 5B F3 | USAF  | LEO  | Weather | In orbit | Successful
November 10
01:14  | Delta 1914 | D-92  | Cape Canaveral, LC-17B |
Anik A1 | Telesat | Geosynchronous  | Communications | In orbit | Successful

### December

[edit]

December 7
05:33  | Saturn V |  | Kennedy, LC-39A | NASA
Apollo 17 CSM "America" | NASA  | Lunar  | Crewed lunar orbiter | December 19, 1971 | Successful
Apollo 17 lunar module "Challenger" | NASA  | Lunar  | Crewed lunar lander | December 14, 1971 (at Moon) | Successful
Crewed spaceflight to the Moon with 3 astronauts. Final flight of Apollo program.
December 11
07:56  | Delta 0900 | D-93  | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-2W |
Nimbus 5 | NASA  | LEO  | Environmental research | In orbit | Successful
December 16
11:24  | Scout D-1 |  | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-5 | NASA
Aeros 1 | NASA/BMwF |  |  | In orbit | Successful
December 20
22:20  | Atlas SLV-3A Agena-D |  | Cape Canaveral, LC-13 | US Air Force
OPS 9390 Canyon 5 | USAF  | Geosynchronous  | SIGINT | In orbit | Successful

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

## Launches from the Moon

[edit]

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

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| Payload
(⚀ = CubeSat)  | Operator  | Orbit | Function  | Decay (UTC)  | Outcome
Remarks
22 February
22:58  |  Luna 20 Ascent stage  |  | Terra Apollonius (Luna)  |
Luna 20 Return capsule  |  | Highly elliptical  | Sample return | 25 February | Successful
Second uncrewed lunar sample return mission
24 April
01:25:47  |  Lunar Module Ascent Stage  |  | Descartes Highlands (Luna)  |  NASA
Apollo 16 LM  | NASA  | Selenocentric (CSM)  | Crewed | Unknown | Successful
Carrying two astronauts back to CSM after lunar landing
14 December
22:54:37  |  Lunar Module Ascent Stage  |  | Taurus-Littrow (Luna)  |  NASA
Apollo 17 LM  | NASA  | Selenocentric (CSM)  | Crewed | 15 December
06:50 | Successful
Carrying two astronauts back to CSM after lunar landing

## Deep space rendezvous in 1972

[edit]

* February 21 – Luna 20, 55g from Apollonius Crater (sample return mission)
* April 21 – Apollo 16, 95 kg from Descartes Highlands (sample return mission)
* July 22 – Venera 8 atmospheric probe worked for 50 min on the Venerian surface
* December 11 – Apollo 17, 111 kg from Taurus–Littrow (sample return mission)

## 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 2009-10-05. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
* 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]

This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (March 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

1. ^ Krebs, Gunter Dirk. "BOR-2". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
2. ^ Wade, Mark. "K63D". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2024-08-12.

* 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

← 1971

Orbital launches in 1972

1973 →

* Kosmos 471
* OPS 1737
* OPS 7719
* Intelsat IV F-4
* Kosmos 472
* HEOS-2
* Kosmos 473
* Luna 20
* Kosmos 474
* OPS 1844
* Kosmos 475
* OPS 1570
* Kosmos 476
* Pioneer 10
* Kosmos 477
* Nauka-14KS No.1
* TD-1A
* Kosmos 478
* OPS 1678
* Kosmos 479
* OPS 5058
* Kosmos 480
* Kosmos 481
* Venera 8
* Meteor-MV No.23
* Kosmos 482
* Kosmos 483
* Molniya-1 No.27
* SRET-1
* Kosmos 484
* Nauka-5KS No.3
* Interkosmos 6
* Kosmos 485
* Prognoz 1
* Kosmos 486
* Apollo 16 (PFS-2)
* OPS 5640
* Kosmos 487
* DS-P1-Yu No. 51
* Kosmos 488
* Kosmos 489
* Kosmos 490
* Nauka-1KS No.5
* Molniya-2-2
* OPS 6574
* Kosmos 491
* OPS 6371
* Kosmos 492
* Intelsat IV F-5
* Kosmos 493
* Kosmos 494
* Kosmos 495
* Kosmos 496
* Prognoz 2
* Interkosmos 7
* Kosmos 497
* Meteor-MV No.26
* Kosmos 498
* Kosmos 499
* OPS 7293
* OPS 7803
* Kosmos 500
* Kosmos 501
* Kosmos 502
* Kosmos 503
* Kosmos 504
* Kosmos 505
* Kosmos 506
* Kosmos 507
* Kosmos 508
* Kosmos 509
* Kosmos 510
* Kosmos 511
* ERTS-1
* Kosmos 512
* DOS No.122
* Kosmos 513
* Explorer 46
* Kosmos 514
* Kosmos 515
* Denpa
* Copernicus
* Kosmos 516
* Kosmos 517
* OPS 8888
* Unnamed
* Triad 1
* Kosmos 518
* Kosmos 519
* Kosmos 520
* Explorer 47
* Kosmos 521
* Molniya-2-3
* Radcat 2
* Radsat
* Kosmos 522
* Kosmos 523
* OPS 8314
* OPS 8314/2
* Kosmos 524
* Molniya-1 No.26
* NOAA-2
* OSCAR-6
* Unnamed
* Kosmos 525
* Nauka-16KS No.1L
* Kosmos 526
* Meteor-M No.25
* Kosmos 527
* Kosmos 528
* Kosmos 529
* Kosmos 530
* Kosmos 531
* Kosmos 532
* Kosmos 533
* Kosmos 534
* Kosmos 535
* Kosmos 536
* OPS 7323
* Anik A1
* Explorer 48
* ESRO-4
* Unnamed
* Kosmos 537
* Interkosmos 8
* Molniya-1 No.28
* Apollo 17
* Nimbus 5
* Molniya-2-4
* Kosmos 538
* Aeros 1
* OPS 9390
* Kosmos 539
* OPS 3978
* Kosmos 540
* Kosmos 541
* Kosmos 542

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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