2016 in spaceflight

Spaceflight-related events during the year of 2016

2016 in spaceflight

Highlights from spaceflight in 2016.[a]

Orbital launches
First| 15 January
Last| 28 December
Total| 85
Successes| 82
Failures| 2
Partial failures| 1
Catalogued| 83
Rockets
Maiden flights|

* Soyuz-2.1a / Volga
* Long March 7
* Antares 230
* Long March 5

Retirements|

* Atlas V 431
* Falcon 9 v1.1
* PSLV-G

Crewed flights
Orbital| 5
Total travellers| 14
EVAs| 4

* v
* t
* e

* v
* t
* e

Timeline of spaceflight

* Spaceflight before 1951

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* Future

Several new rockets and spaceports began operations in 2016.

## Overview[edit]

Russia inaugurated the far-Eastern Vostochny Cosmodrome on 28 April 2016 with a traditional Soyuz-2.1a flight,[1] before expanding it for the Angara rocket family in the following years. The Chinese Long March 7 flew its maiden flight from the new Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island on 25 June, and the maiden flight of the Long March 5 took place on 3 November. Two years after its 2014 accident, the Antares rocket returned to flight on 17 October with its upgraded 230 version featuring the Russian RD-181 engine.

After many failed attempts, SpaceX began landing its Falcon 9 first stages on autonomous spaceport drone ships, edging closer to their long-stated goal of developing reusable launch vehicles. The company indicated that the recovered engines and structures did not suffer significant damage.[2] One of the landed boosters, B1021, launched in April 2016, was flown again in March 2017;[3] two others were converted to side boosters for the maiden flight of Falcon Heavy.[4]

The ExoMars mission, a collaboration between the European and Russian space agencies, was launched on 14 March and reached Mars on 19 October.[5] Dedicated to astrobiology investigations, this flight carried the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, which reached Mars orbit, and the Schiaparelli EDM lander, which crashed upon landing. A subsequent flight scheduled for 2020 will carry the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover along with four static surface instruments.[6] Meanwhile, the Japanese space probe Akatsuki started its observations of Venus in May[7] after spending five months gradually adjusting its orbit. Planetary exploration activities took center stage with the orbit insertion of NASA's Juno probe at Jupiter on 4 July, followed by the launch of NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission to asteroid 101955 Bennu on 8 September. Finally, on 30 September, the Rosetta probe executed a slow crash-landing on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.[8][9]

Human spaceflights included the return of Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko in March after a yearlong mission on the ISS, the longest-ever continuous stay by astronauts at the station. Kelly also set the record for the longest-duration stay of an American in orbit. Four ISS Expeditions numbered 47 to 50 were launched in 2016, the first one using the last Soyuz TMA-M spacecraft and the next three inaugurating the modernized Soyuz MS. Expedition 50 will continue into 2017. Several EVAs were performed to maintain the exterior of the ISS. The experimental BEAM inflatable habitat was attached to the ISS on 16 April and expanded on 28 May to begin two years of on-orbit tests. Meanwhile, China launched its new Tiangong-2 space laboratory in September, which was first visited by two astronauts for a month between 19 October and 17 November.

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

### January[edit]

15 January
16:57:04  |  Long March 3B/E  |  |  Xichang LC-3 |  CASC
Belintersat 1 | Belarus | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
17 January
18:42:18  |  Falcon 9 v1.1 | F9-021  |  Vandenberg SLC-4E |  SpaceX
Jason-3 | NOAA / EUMETSAT | Low Earth | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
Final flight of the standard Falcon 9 v1.1, future flights will use the upgraded Falcon 9 Full Thrust. Falcon 9's first stage performed a soft landing on an autonomous spaceport drone ship in the Pacific Ocean, but the failure of one landing leg to lock into position caused it to fall over and break apart.[10]
20 January
04:01:00  |  PSLV-XL  | C31  |  Satish Dhawan SLP |  ISRO
IRNSS-1E | ISRO | Geosynchronous | Navigation | In orbit | Operational
27 January
23:20:48  |  Ariane 5 ECA | VA228  |  Kourou ELA-3 |  Arianespace
Intelsat 29e | Intelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Spacecraft failure in 2019[11]
29 January
22:20:09  |  Proton-M / Briz-M |  |  Baikonur Site 200/39 |  International Launch Services
Eutelsat 9B | Eutelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
Carries the first laser communication node for the European Data Relay System

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

### February[edit]

1 February
07:29:04  |  Long March 3C/E / YZ-1 |  |  Xichang LC-3 |  CASC
BeiDou M3-S | CNSA | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational
5 February
13:38:00  |  Atlas V 401  | AV-057  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-41 |  United Launch Alliance
USA-266 (GPS IIF-12)  | US Air Force | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational
7 February
00:21:07  |  Soyuz-2.1b / Fregat |  |  Plesetsk Site 43/4 |  RVSN RF
Kosmos 2514 (GLONASS-M 751)  | VKS | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational
7 February
00:30  |  Unha |  |  Sohae |  KCST
Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4[12] | KCST | Low Earth | Earth observation | 30 June 2023[13] | Successful
10 February
11:40:32  |  Delta IV M+ (5,2)  |  |  Vandenberg SLC-6 |  United Launch Alliance
USA-267 / Topaz-4[14] | NRO | Retrograde LEO | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Operational
NROL-45 mission. Spacecraft launched in a retrograde orbit.
16 February
17:57:40  |  Rokot / Briz-KM |  |  Plesetsk Site 133/3 |  /  Eurockot
Sentinel-3A | ESA | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
17 February
08:45:00  |  H-IIA 202  | F30  |  Tanegashima LA-Y1 |  MHI
Hitomi (ASTRO-H)  | JAXA / NASA | Low Earth | X-ray astronomy | In orbit | Spacecraft failure
ChubuSat-2 | Nagoya University | Low Earth | Radiation / Amateur radio | In orbit | Operational
ChubuSat-3 | MHI | Low Earth | Remote sensing / Space debris monitor | In orbit | Operational
Horyu-4 | Kyushu Institute of Technology | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Operational
Hitomi malfunctioned after initial checkouts, and is believed to have lost attitude control and snapped off its solar array. 28 April, JAXA has abandoned efforts to recover the spacecraft.[15][16]

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

### March[edit]

4 March
23:35:00  |  Falcon 9 Full Thrust | F9-022  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-40 |  SpaceX
SES-9 | SES S.A. | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
High-velocity landing test ended with a hard landing on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You and destruction of the first stage.
9 March
05:20:07  |  Ariane 5 ECA | VA229  |  Kourou ELA-3 |  Arianespace
Eutelsat 65 West A | Eutelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
10 March
10:31:00  |  PSLV-XL  | C32  |  Satish Dhawan SLP |  ISRO
IRNSS-1F | ISRO | Geosynchronous  | Navigation | In orbit | Operational
13 March
18:56:00  |  Soyuz-2.1b  |  |  Baikonur Site 31/6 |  Roscosmos
Resurs-P No.3  | Roscosmos | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | 17 October 2023[17] | Partial spacecraft failure[18]
The launch succeeded on its second attempt after a rare pad abort the day before.
14 March
09:31:42[6] |  Proton-M / Briz-M |  |  Baikonur Site 200/39 |  Khrunichev
/  ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter | ESA | Areocentric orbit | Mars orbiter | In orbit | Operational
Schiaparelli EDM lander | ESA | TMI to Martian Surface  | Mars lander | 19 October 2016 | Landing failure
Briz-M upper stage exploded after separation, apparently without damaging the orbiter or lander.[19]
18 March
21:26:38  |  Soyuz-FG |  |  Baikonur Site 1/5 |  Roscosmos
Soyuz TMA-20M | Roscosmos | Low Earth (ISS)  | Expedition 47/48 | 7 September 2016
01:13 | Successful
Crewed flight with three cosmonauts. Final flight of the Soyuz TMA-M variant
23 March
03:05:52  |  Atlas V 401  | AV-064  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-41 |  United Launch Alliance
Cygnus CRS OA-6
S.S. Rick Husband | Orbital ATK / NASA | Low Earth (ISS)  | ISS logistics | 22 June 2016
13:29 | Successful
Diwata-1 | DOST / TU | Low Earth | Earth observation | 6 April 2020[21] | Successful
⚀ Flock-2e' × 20  | Planet Labs | Low Earth | Earth observation | First: 3 October 2017[22]
Last: 10 November 2018[23] | Successful
⚀ Lemur-2 × 9  | Spire Global | Low Earth | Earth observation | First: 27 February 2017[24]
Last: 7 April 2017[25] | 8 successful, 1 failed to deploy
Anomaly in the mixture ratio control valve assembly, causing the Atlas V booster engine to cut off five seconds early, resulting in a longer-than-usual Centaur orbital insertion burn.[20]
Cubesats deployed from the ISS and the Cygnus spacecraft at a later date.
24 March
09:42:00  |  Soyuz-2.1a |  |  Plesetsk Site 43/4 |  RVSN RF
Kosmos 2515 (Bars-M 2L)  | VKS | Low Earth (SSO)  | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Operational
29 March
20:11:04  |  Long March 3A |  |  Xichang LC-2 |  CASC
BeiDou IGSO-6 | CNSA | IGSO | Navigation | In orbit | Operational
31 March
16:23:57  |  Soyuz-2.1a |  |  Baikonur Site 31/6 |  Roscosmos
Progress MS-02 / 63P  | Roscosmos | Low Earth (ISS)  | ISS logistics | 14 October 2016
13:39 | Successful
⚀ Tomsk-TPU-120  | Tomsk Polytechnic University | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | 20 October 2019[27] | Successful
Tomsk-TPU-120 is a CubeSat deployed into orbit from ISS by Russian astronauts spacewalk on 17 August 2017.[26]

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

### April[edit]

5 April
17:38:04  |  Long March 2D |  |  Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-2 |  CASC
Shijian 10  | CAS | Low Earth | Microgravity Science | 18 April 2016
08:30 | Successful
8 April
20:43:31  |  Falcon 9 Full Thrust | F9-023  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-40 |  SpaceX
SpaceX CRS-8 | NASA | Low Earth (ISS)  | ISS logistics | 11 May 2016
18:31 | Successful
BEAM | Bigelow Aerospace / NASA | Low Earth (ISS)  | Technology demonstration / ISS Assembly | In orbit | Operational
First stage landed successfully on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You for the first time, the second successful landing overall
25 April
21:02:13  |  Soyuz-STA / Fregat |  |  Kourou ELS |  Arianespace
Sentinel-1B | ESA | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
MICROSCOPE | CNES | Low Earth (SSO)  | Astrophysics | In orbit | Operational
⚀ AAUSAT-4 | Aalborg | Low Earth (SSO)  | AIS ship tracking | 8 September 2023[28] | Successful
⚀ e-st@r-II | Polytechnic University of Turin | Low Earth (SSO)  | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Operational
⚀ OUFTI-1 | Liège | Low Earth (SSO)  | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Operational
28 April
02:01:21  |  Soyuz-2.1a / Volga |  |  Vostochny Site 1S |  Roscosmos
Mikhailo Lomonosov | MSU | Low Earth (SSO)  | Gamma-ray astronomy | 16 December 2023[29] | Satellite malfunction
Aist-2D | SSAU | Low Earth (SSO)  | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Operational
⚀ SamSat 218 | SSAU | Low Earth (SSO)  | Technology demonstration | 4 March 2022[30] | Spacecraft failure
First orbital flight from Vostochny Cosmodrome.
28 April
07:20:00  |  PSLV-XL  | C33  |  Satish Dhawan FLP |  ISRO
IRNSS-1G | ISRO | Geosynchronous | Navigation | In orbit | Operational

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

### May[edit]

6 May
05:21:00  |  Falcon 9 Full Thrust | F9-024  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-40 |  SpaceX
JCSAT-14 | JSAT | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
First stage landed on Of Course I Still Love You drone ship, the third successful landing and the first landing with a payload to geostationary transfer orbit.
15 May
02:43  |  Long March 2D |  |  Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-2 |  CASC
Yaogan 30 | CNSA  | Low Earth (SSO)  | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Operational
24 May
08:48:43  |  Soyuz-STB / Fregat |  |  Kourou ELS |  Arianespace
Galileo FOC 10 | ESA  | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational
Galileo FOC 11 | ESA  | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational
27 May
21:39:00  |  Falcon 9 Full Thrust | F9-025  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-40 |  SpaceX
Thaicom 8 | Thaicom | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
First stage landed on Of Course I Still Love You drone ship, the fourth successful landing and the second landing with a payload to geostationary transfer orbit.
29 May
08:44:35  |  Soyuz-2.1b / Fregat |  |  Plesetsk Site 43/4 |  RVSN RF
Kosmos 2516 (GLONASS-M 753)  | VKS | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Spacecraft failure
Kosmos 2516 experienced a depressurization event in November 2020, which permanently disabled the satellite after four years in operation. It was replaced by GLONASS-K 705.[31]
30 May
03:17:04  |  Long March 4B |  |  Taiyuan LC-9  |  CASC
Ziyuan III-02 | CNSA | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
ÑuSat-1/-2
(Aleph-1 constellation)[32] | Satellogic | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational

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

### June[edit]

4 June
14:00:13  |  Rokot / Briz-KM |  |  Plesetsk Site 133/3 |  RVSN RF
Kosmos 2517 (Geo-IK-2 No.12)  | VKS | Low Earth | Geodesy | In orbit | Operational
9 June
07:10:00  |  Proton-M / Briz-M |  |  Baikonur Site 81/24 |  International Launch Services
Intelsat 31 / DLA-2  | Intelsat / DirecTV | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
11 June
17:51:00  |  Delta IV Heavy |  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-37B |  United Launch Alliance
USA-268 (Orion 9)  | NRO | Geosynchronous | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Operational
NROL-37 mission.
12 June
15:30:04  |  Long March 3C/E |  |  Xichang LC-3 |  CASC
BeiDou G7 | CNSA | Geosynchronous | Navigation | In orbit | Operational
15 June
14:29:00  |  Falcon 9 Full Thrust | F9-026 |  Cape Canaveral SLC-40 |  SpaceX
Eutelsat 117 West B | Eutelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
ABS-2A | ABS | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
Satellites were successfully delivered to orbit, first stage landing on drone ship failed.
18 June
21:38:39  |  Ariane 5 ECA | VA230  |  Kourou ELA-3 |  Arianespace
EchoStar 18 | EchoStar | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
BRIsat | BRI | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
22 June
03:56:00  |  PSLV-XL | C34 |  Satish Dhawan SLP |  ISRO
Cartosat-2C | ISRO | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
BIROS | DLR | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
GHGSat-D (Claire)  | GHGSat | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
LAPAN-A3 | LAPAN | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
M3MSat | CSA | Low Earth (SSO)  | Communications | In orbit | Operational
SkySat-C1  | Terra Bella | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
⚀ BeeSat 4 | TU Berlin | Low Earth (SSO)  | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Operational
⚀ Flock-2p × 12  | Planet Labs | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | First: 20 October 2022
Last: 28 March 2023[33] | Successful
⚀ SathyabamaSat | Sathyabama University | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
⚀ Swayam | College of Engineering, Pune | Low Earth (SSO)  | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Operational
24 June
14:30:00  |  Atlas V 551  | AV-063  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-41 |  United Launch Alliance
MUOS-5 | US Navy | GSO | Communications | In orbit | Operational in off-nominal but usable orbit[34]
25 June
12:00:07  |  Long March 7 / YZ-1A | Y1  |  Wenchang LC-2  |  CASC
Next-generation crew capsule scale model  | CMSA | Low Earth | Technology demonstration
Flight test | 26 June 2016
07:41 | Successful
⚀ Star of Aoxiang | NPU | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | 29 September 2016 | Successful
Aolong-1 | CALT | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | 27 August 2016 | Successful
Tiange-1 |  | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | 27 August 2016 | Successful
Tiange-2 |  | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | 24 August 2016 | Successful
Maiden flight of the Long March 7 rocket and the first launch from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center.[35]
29 June
03:21:04  |  Long March 4B |  |  Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-2 |  CASC
Shijian 16-02  | CNSA | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Operational

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

### July[edit]

7 July
01:36:40  |  Soyuz-FG |  |  Baikonur Site 1/5 |  Roscosmos
Soyuz MS-01 | Roscosmos | Low Earth (ISS)  | Expedition 48/49 | 30 October 2016
03:58 | Successful
Crewed flight with three cosmonauts. Maiden flight of the modernized Soyuz MS spacecraft variant.
16 July
21:41:45  |  Soyuz-U |  |  Baikonur Site 31/6 |  Roscosmos
Progress MS-03 / 64P  | Roscosmos | Low Earth (ISS)  | ISS logistics | 1 February 2017
18:24 | Successful
18 July
04:45:29  |  Falcon 9 Full Thrust | F9-027  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-40 |  SpaceX
SpaceX CRS-9 | NASA | Low Earth (ISS)  | ISS logistics | 26 August
15:47 | Successful
Delivering the IDA-2 segment of the NASA Docking System. Second successful return to launch site and vertical landing of a first stage, demonstrated as part of a controlled descent test.
28 July
12:37:00  |  Atlas V 421  | AV-065  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-41 |  United Launch Alliance
USA-269 (Quasar NROL-61)  | NRO | Geosynchronous[36] | Communications | In orbit | Operational

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

### August[edit]

5 August
16:22:04  |  Long March 3B |  |  Xichang LC-3 |  CASC
Tiantong-1 01 | CAST | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
9 August
22:55:25  |  Long March 4C |  |  Taiyuan LC-9  |  CASC
Gaofen-3 | CAST | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
14 August
05:26:00  |  Falcon 9 Full Thrust | F9-028  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-40 |  SpaceX
JCSAT-16 | JSAT | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
15 August
17:40:04  |  Long March 2D |  |  Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-2 |  CASC
Quantum Experiments At Space Scale (QUESS)[37] | CAS | Low Earth (SSO)  | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Operational
Lixing-1 | CAS | Low Earth (SSO)  | Technology demonstration | 19 August 2016[38] | Spacecraft failure
⚀ 3Cat 2 | UPC | Low Earth (SSO)  | Technology demonstration | 18 December 2023[39] | Successful
19 August
04:52:00  |  Delta IV M+ (4,2)  |  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-37B |  United Launch Alliance
AFSPC 6 / USA-270 / GSSAP #3  | US Air Force | Geosynchronous | Space surveillance | In orbit | Operational
AFSPC 6 / USA-271 / GSSAP #4  | US Air Force | Geosynchronous | Space surveillance | In orbit | Operational
24 August
22:16:01  |  Ariane 5 ECA | VA232  |  Kourou ELA-3 |  Arianespace
Intelsat 33e | Intelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational[40]
Intelsat 36 | Intelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
31 August
18:50:00  |  Long March 4C |  |  Taiyuan LC-9  |  CASC
Gaofen-10 | CAST | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | 31 August 2016 | Launch failure

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

### September[edit]

3 September
07:00–09:00 (scheduled)[42] |  Falcon 9 Full Thrust |  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-40 |  SpaceX
AMOS-6 | Spacecom | Planned: Geosynchronous | Communications | N/A | Destroyed prior to launch[41]
Launch pad explosion destroyed both the rocket and the satellite two days prior to scheduled launch, on 13:07, 1 September 2016 (UTC) (2016-09-01T13:07Z).[41]
8 September
11:20:00  |  GSLV Mk II | F05  |  Satish Dhawan SLP |  ISRO
INSAT-3DR | ISRO | Geosynchronous | Meteorology | In orbit | Operational
8 September
23:05:00  |  Atlas V 411  | AV-067  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-41 |  United Launch Alliance
OSIRIS-REx | NASA | Heliocentric | Asteroid sample return | In orbit | Operational
Reached asteroid Bennu in December 2018. Scheduled to return to Earth in September 2023.
13 September
14:38:00  |  Shavit-2 |  |  Palmachim |  Israel Aerospace Industries
Ofeq 11 | Israel Defense Forces | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Satellite malfunction[43]
15 September
14:04:12  |  Long March 2F/G  | T2  |  Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-1 |  CNSA
Tiangong-2 | CMSA | Low Earth | Space station | 19 July 2019[44]
13:06 | Successful
BanXing 2  | SAST | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | 15 July 2019[45] | Successful
Second Chinese space laboratory, BanXing 2 deployed 22 October
16 September
01:43:35  |  Vega |  |  Kourou ELV |  Arianespace
PeruSat-1  | Peruvian Armed Forces | Low Earth (SSO)  | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Operational
SkySat x 4  | Terra Bella | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
26 September
03:42:00  |  PSLV-G  | C35 |  Satish Dhawan FLP |  ISRO
ScatSat-1 | ISRO | Low Earth (SSO)  | Meteorology | In orbit | Successful[46]
Alsat-1B | Algerian Space Agency | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
Alsat-2B | Algerian Space Agency | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
Blacksky Pathfinder-1 | BlackSky Global | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
Pratham | IIT Bombay | Low Earth (SSO)  | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Operational
PISat | PES University | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
⚀ Alsat-1N | Algerian Space Agency | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
⚀ CanX-7 | UTIAS Space Flight Laboratory | Low Earth (SSO)  | Technology demonstration | 21 April 2022[47] | Successful
Final launch of the original Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-G configuration with S9 solid rocket motors.

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

### October[edit]

5 October
20:30  |  Ariane 5 ECA | VA231  |  Kourou ELA-3 |  Arianespace
NBN-Co 1B / Sky Muster II | NBN | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
GSAT-18 | ISRO | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
16 October
23:30  |  Long March 2F | Y11  |  Jiuquan LA-4 / SLS-1 |  CASC
Shenzhou 11 | CMSA | Low Earth | Docking with Tiangong-2 | 18 November 2016
06:15 | Successful
Crewed flight with two astronauts[48]
17 October
23:45  |  Antares 230 |  |  MARS Pad 0A |  Orbital ATK
Cygnus CRS OA-5 | NASA | Low Earth (ISS)  | ISS logistics | 27 November 2016
23:36 | Successful
⚀ Lemur-2 × 4  | Spire Global | Low Earth | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
CubeSats were deployed from the ISS and Cygnus spacecraft at a later date.
19 October
08:05  |  Soyuz-FG |  |  Baikonur Site 31/6 |  Roscosmos
Soyuz MS-02 | Roscosmos | Low Earth (ISS)  | Expedition 49/50 | 10 April 2017
11:20 | Successful
Crewed flight with three cosmonauts

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

### November[edit]

2 November
06:20:00  |  H-IIA 202  | F31  |  Tanegashima LA-Y1 |  MHI
Himawari 9 | JMA | Geosynchronous | Meteorology | In orbit | Operational
3 November
12:42  |  Long March 5 |  |  Wenchang LC-1  |  CASC
Shijian 17  | CNSA | Geosynchronous | Technology demonstration / Space rendezvous | In orbit | Operational
Maiden flight of the Long March 5 rocket. Chinese state media claims Shijian-17 is a test of electric propulsion, though this is disputed by outside analysts tracking the satellite's unusual space rendezvous movements.[49][50]
9 November
23:42[51] |  Long March 11 |  |  Jiuquan LS-95A  |  CASC
XPNAV 1[52] | CAS | Low Earth (SSO)  | X-ray pulsar-based navigation | In orbit | Operational
⚀ Xiaoxiang 1[53] | Changsha Gaoxinqu Tianyi Research Institute | Low Earth (SSO)  | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Operational
⚀ Lishui 1-01  | Zhejiang LiTong Electronic Technology Co. | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
⚀ Pina-2 × 2  |  | Low Earth (SSO)  | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Operational
11 November
18:30  |  Atlas V 401  | AV-062  |  Vandenberg SLC-3E |  United Launch Alliance
WorldView-4 | DigitalGlobe | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | 30 November 2021
05:20[55] | Spacecraft failure
⚀ CELTEE 1  | M42 Technologies  | Low Earth (SSO)  | Calibration | In orbit | Operational
⚀ Prometheus-2 × 2  | LANL | Low Earth (SSO)  | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Operational
⚀ AeroCube 8 × 2  | Aerospace | Low Earth (SSO)  | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Operational
⚀ OptiCube 4  | NASA Orbital Debris Program Office | Low Earth (SSO)  | Calibration | In orbit | Operational
⚀ RAVAN  | JHU/APL | Low Earth (SSO)  | Technology demonstration / Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
CubeSats deployed after WorldView-4 separation as part of NRO-sponsored ENTERPRISE mission. WorldView-4 experienced a failure in one of its control moment gyroscopes in January 2019, making the spacecraft unrecoverable.[54]
11 November
23:14  |  Long March 2D |  |  Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-2 |  CASC
Yunhai-1 | SAST | Low Earth | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
17 November
13:06:48  |  Ariane 5 ES | VA233  |  Kourou ELA-3 |  Arianespace
Galileo FOC 7 | ESA | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational
Galileo FOC 12 | ESA | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational
Galileo FOC 13 | ESA | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational
Galileo FOC 14 | ESA | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational
First Galileo launch with Ariane 5 (8th overall), carrying Antonianna, Lisa, Kimberley, and Tijmen.
17 November
20:20:14  |  Soyuz-FG |  |  Baikonur Site 1/5 |  Roscosmos
Soyuz MS-03 | Roscosmos | Low Earth (ISS)  | Expedition 50/51/52 | 2 June 2017 | Successful
Crewed flight with three cosmonauts. Peggy Whitson's mission was prolonged over Expedition 52 until September 2017.
19 November
23:42:00  |  Atlas V 541  | AV-069  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-41 |  United Launch Alliance
GOES-R (GOES-16)  | NASA / NOAA | Geosynchronous | Meteorology | In orbit | Operational
22 November
15:24:04  |  Long March 3C/E |  |  Xichang LC-2 |  CASC
Tianlian I-04  | CNSA | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational

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

### December[edit]

1 December
14:52  |  Soyuz-U |  |  Baikonur Site 1/5 |  Roscosmos
Progress MS-04 / 65P  | Roscosmos | Planned: Low Earth (ISS)  | ISS logistics | 1 December | Launch failure
5 December
13:51:44  |  Vega |  |  Kourou ELV |  Arianespace
Göktürk-1 | Turkish Armed Forces | Low Earth (SSO)  | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Operational
7 December
04:54  |  PSLV-XL  | C36  |  Satish Dhawan FLP |  ISRO
Resourcesat-2A | ISRO | Low Earth (SSO)  | Remote sensing | In orbit | Operational
7 December
23:53  |  Delta IV M+ (5,4)  |  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-37B |  United Launch Alliance
USA-272 / WGS-8 | US Air Force | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
9 December
13:26:47  |  H-IIB | F6  |  Tanegashima LA-Y2 |  MHI
HTV-6 | JAXA | Low Earth (ISS)  | ISS logistics | 5 February 2017
15:06 | Successful
⚀ EGG  | UTokyo | Low Earth | Technology demonstration / Re-entry Demonstration | 15 May 2017[61] | Successful
⚀ TuPOD  | GAUSS Srl | Low Earth | TubeSat Deployment / Amateur radio | 8 September 2017[62] | Successful
⚀ / AOBA-VELOX 3  | NTU / Kyutech | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | 1 November 2018[63] | Successful
⚀ STARS C  | Kagawa University | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | 3 March 2018[64] | Successful
⚀ FREEDOM  | Nakashimada Engineering Works / Tohoku University | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | 5 February 2017[65] | Successful
⚀ ITF-2  | University of Tsukuba | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | 3 January 2019[66] | Successful
⚀ Waseda-SAT 3  | Waseda University | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | 6 October 2018[67] | Successful
OSNSAT  | Open Space Network  | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | 11 January 2018[68] | Successful
Tancredo-1 | Escola Municipal Presidente Tancredo de Almeida Neves/INPE | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | 18 October 2017[69] | Successful
⚀ TechEdSat 5  | SJSU/UI | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | 29 July 2017[70] | Successful
⚀ Lemur-2 × 4  | Spire Global | Low Earth | AIS | First: 15 April 2018[71]
Last: 5 December 2018[72] | Successful
CubeSats to be deployed at a later date. Tancredo-1 and OSNSAT are carried inside TuPOD and to be deployed from it. STARS-C was deployed on 19 December 2016. ITF-2, WASEDA-SAT3, FREEDOM, EGG, AOBA-Velox III, and TuPOD were deployed on 16 January 2017.[56] Tancredo-1 and OSNSAT were released from TuPOD on 19 January 2017.[57] Lemur-2 and TechEdSat-5 were deployed on 6–7 March 2017.[58][59][60]
10 December
16:11:00  |  Long March 3B |  |  Xichang LC-3 |  CASC
Fengyun 4A  | CMA | Geosynchronous | Meteorology | In orbit | Operational
15 December
13:37:21  |  Pegasus-XL |  |  Stargazer, Cape Canaveral |  Orbital ATK
CYGNSS x 8  | NASA | Low Earth | Meteorology | In orbit | Operational
18 December
19:13  |  Atlas V 431  | AV-071  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-41 |  United Launch Alliance
EchoStar 19 | HughesNet | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
20 December
11:00  |  Epsilon | Epsilon-2[73] |  Uchinoura |  JAXA
Arase (ERG)  | JAXA | Medium Earth (elliptical)  | Magnetospherics | In orbit | Operational
21 December
19:22  |  Long March 2D |  |  Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-2 |  CASC
TanSat[74] | CAS | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
Spark x 2  | CAS | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational
21 December
20:30  |  Ariane 5 ECA | VA234  |  Kourou ELA-3 |  Arianespace
Star One D1 | Star One | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
JCSAT-15 | JSAT | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational
28 December
03:23:56  |  Long March 2D |  |  Taiyuan |  CASC
SuperView / Gaojing-1 01  | Beijing Space View Technology | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Partial launch failure;
Operational
SuperView / Gaojing-1 02  | Beijing Space View Technology | Low Earth (SSO)  | Earth observation | In orbit | Partial launch failure;
Operational
⚀ Bayi Kepu 1  | China Association for Science and Technology | Low Earth (SSO)  | Technology demonstration | 18 February 2017[76] | Partial launch failure;
Successful
Launch vehicle problem deployed satellites in a lower than planned orbit. SuperView satellites raising their own orbits, but CubeSats cannot so may have short lifespan.[75]

* ← 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
15 January
03:00:00  |  S-310 |  |  Uchinoura |  JAXA
| TPU / TU / TU / KU / JAXA | Suborbital  | Ionospheric research | 15 January | Successful
Apogee: 161 kilometres (100 mi)[77]
22 January |  New Shepard |  |  Corn Ranch |  Blue Origin
New Shepard crew capsule | Blue Origin | Suborbital  | Test flight | 22 January | Successful
Apogee: 101.7 kilometres (63.2 mi)[78]
23 January
08:30  |  VSB-30 |  |  Esrange |  EuroLaunch
/  TEXUS-53  | DLR / ESA | Suborbital  | Microgravity | 23 January | Successful
Apogee: 252 kilometres (157 mi)
28 January |  SRALT?  |  |  C-17, Pacific Ocean  |  MDA
| MDA | Suborbital  | ABM target | 28 January | Successful
Apogee: 300 kilometres (190 mi), CTV-02+ target
28 January |  Ground Based Interceptor |  |  Vandenberg LF-23 |  MDA
| MDA | Suborbital  | ABM test | 28 January | Successful
CTV-02+, successful test flight, the CE-II kill vehicle performed scripted maneuvers to demonstrate performance of alternate divert thrusters. Upon entering terminal phase, the kill vehicle initiated a planned burn sequence to evaluate the alternate divert thrusters until fuel was exhausted, intentionally precluding an intercept.
2 February
21:09  |  VS-30 |  |  Esrange |  SSC
SPIDER/LEEWAVES | SSC | Suborbital  | Technology | 2 February | Successful
Apogee: 138 kilometres (86 mi)
21 February
07:34  |  LGM-30G Minuteman III  |  |  Vandenberg LF-09 |  US Air Force
| US Air Force  | Suborbital  | Test flight | 21 February | Successful
GT217GM, Apogee: ~1,300 kilometres (810 mi) ?
22 February
04:15  |  Black Brant IX  |  |  White Sands  |  NASA
CHESS-2 | LASP | Suborbital  | Astronomy | 22 February | Successful
Apogee: 309 kilometres (192 mi)
26 February
07:01  |  LGM-30G Minuteman III  |  |  Vandenberg LF-10 |  US Air Force
| US Air Force  | Suborbital  | Test flight | 26 February | Successful
GT218GM, Apogee: ~1,300 kilometres (810 mi) ?
1 March
14:50  |  Terrier Malemute |  |  Wallops Island |  NASA
MUSIC  | West Virginia University | Suborbital  | Technology experiments | 1 March | Successful
Apogee: ~185 kilometers (115 mi)[79]
7 March
12:05  |  Terrier Orion |  |  Wallops Island |  NASA
SOAREX-9  | NASA Ames | Suborbital  | Technology experiment | 7 March | Successful
RadPC  | Montana State University | Suborbital  | Technology experiment | 7 March | Successful
VIP  | Controlled Dynamics  | Suborbital  | Technology experiment | 7 March | Successful
Apogee: ~159 kilometers (99 mi)
7 March |  K-4 |  |  Visakhapatnam |  Indian Navy
| Indian Navy  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 7 March | Successful
Apogee: 500 km?
8 March | Shahab-3 |  | Iran  | IRGC
| IRGC  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 8 March | Successful
Apogee: ~150 kilometres (93 mi)
14 March |  Agni-I |  |  Integrated Test Range  |  IDRDL
| IDRDL  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 14 March | Successful
Apogee: ~500 kilometres (310 mi)?
14 March |  UGM-133 Trident II D5 |  |  Submarine, ETR |  US Navy
| US Navy  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 14 March | Successful
Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test 52
15 March |  UGM-133 Trident II D5 |  |  Submarine, ETR |  US Navy
| US Navy  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 15 March | Successful
Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test 52
16 March |  UGM-133 Trident II D5 |  |  Submarine, ETR |  US Navy
| US Navy  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 16 March | Successful
Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test 52
31 March |  K-4 |  |  INS Arihant |  Indian Navy
| Indian Navy  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 31 March | Successful
First K-4 launch from a submarine[80]
2 April
15:18  |  New Shepard |  |  Corn Ranch |  Blue Origin
New Shepard crew capsule | Blue Origin | Suborbital  | Test flight | 2 April | Successful
BORE  | Southwest Research Institute | Suborbital  | Microgravity experiment | 2 April | Successful
COLLIDE  | University of Central Florida | Suborbital  | Microgravity experiment | 2 April | Successful
Apogee: 103.8 kilometers (64.5 mi). Third successful booster landing of the same rocket.[81]
19 April
06:41  |  UR-100NU  |  |  Yasniy  |  RVSN
| RVSN  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 19 April | Successful
Yu-71 Hypersonic Vehicle Test, Apogee: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi)?
26 April
17:00  |  Tianying 3F |  |  Hainan |  CNSA
Kunpeng-1B | CSSAR | Suborbital  | Environment monitoring | 26 April | Successful
Apogee: 316 kilometres (196 mi)
18 May
00:45  |  VS-30/Improved Orion |  |  Woomera Test Range |  DSTO
HiFire-5B | DSTO | Suborbital  | Technology | 18 May | Successful
Apogee: 278 kilometres (173 mi)
18 May
07:02  |  MRBM-T3  |  |  Kauai  |  MDA
| MDA  | Suborbital  | Radar target | 18 May | Successful
Medium Range Ballistic Missile Target, Aegis radar target FTX-21, apogee: 300 kilometres (190 mi)?
25 May |  RIM-161 Standard Missile 3-IB |  | USS Hopper, Kauai  | US Navy
| US Navy  | Suborbital  | Test flight | 25 May | Successful
Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi)?
26 May |  RIM-161 Standard Missile 3-IB |  | USS Hopper, Kauai  | US Navy
| US Navy  | Suborbital  | Test flight | 26 May | Successful
Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi)?
1 June
19:00  |  Black Brant IX  |  |  White Sands  |  NASA
EVE  | CU Boulder | Suborbital  | SDO calibration | 1 June | Successful
Apogee: 290 kilometres (180 mi)
19 June
14:35  |  New Shepard |  |  Corn Ranch |  Blue Origin
New Shepard crew capsule | Blue Origin | Suborbital  | Test flight | 19 June | Successful
Capillary Flow Experiment  | Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics | Suborbital  | Microgravity experiment | 19 June | Successful
EITIC  | Louisiana State University | Suborbital  | Microgravity experiment | 19 June | Successful
MEDEA  | Braunschweig University of Technology | Suborbital  | Microgravity experiment | 19 June | Successful
Apogee: 101 kilometers (62.8 mi). Fourth successful booster landing of the same rocket.
24 June
10:06  |  Terrier Improved Orion |  |  Wallops Island  |  NASA
RockOn/RockSat-C  | CU Boulder | Suborbital  | Student experiments | 24 June | Successful
Apogee: ~119 kilometres (74 mi)
30 June
09:43  |  Improved Malemute |  |  Andøya  |  Andøya
MaxiDusty 1  | Oslo/Andøya  | Suborbital  | Atmospheric Science | 30 June | Successful
Apogee: 115 kilometres (71 mi)
? June | UGM-133 Trident II D5  |  | HMS Vengeance |  Royal Navy
| Royal Navy  | Suborbital  | Missile test | ? June | Launch failure

1 July
07:18  |  M51  |  |  Le Triomphant, Audierne Bay  |  DGA/Marine nationale
| DGA/Marine nationale  | Suborbital  | Test flight | 1 July | Successful
Apogee: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi)?
8 July
13:01  |  Improved Malemute |  |  Andøya  |  Andøya
MaxiDusty 1b  | Oslo/Andøya  | Suborbital  | Atmospheric Science | 8 July | Successful
Apogee: 117 kilometres (73 mi)
11 July |  Khorramshahr |  |  Semnan |  AFIRI
| AFIRI | Suborbital  | Missile test | 11 July | Launch failure
19 July
04:05  |  Terrier Improved Orion |  |  Esrange |  DLR
ROTEX-T | DLR  | Suborbital  | Technology | 19 July | Successful
Apogee: 182 kilometres (113 mi)
27 July
18:26  |  Black Brant IX  |  |  White Sands  |  NASA
Hi-C | NASA/MSFC  | Suborbital  | Solar research | 27 July | Spacecraft failure
Apogee: 250 kilometres (160 mi)
17 August
11:33  |  Terrier-Improved Malemute  |  |  Wallops Island  |  NASA
Rocksat-X  | University of Colorado Boulder | Suborbital  | Student Research | 17 August | Successful
Apogee: ~153 kilometres (95 mi)
25 August |  RS-24 Yars?  |  |  Plesetsk  |  RVSN
| RVSN  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 25 August | Launch failure
31 August |  UGM-133 Trident II D5 |  | USS Maryland, ETR |  US Navy
| US Navy  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 31 August | Successful
5 September
09:10  |  LGM-30G Minuteman III  |  |  Vandenberg LF-04 |  US Air Force
| US Air Force  | Suborbital  | Test flight | 5 September | Successful
GT219GM, Apogee: ~1,300 kilometres (810 mi) ?
9 September |  RS-12M Topol |  |  Plesetsk  |  RVSN
| RVSN  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 9 September | Successful
27 September |  RSM-56 Bulava  |  |  K-535 Yury Dolgorukiy, White Sea |  VMF
| VMF  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 27 September | Successful
27 September |  RSM-56 Bulava  |  |  K-535 Yury Dolgorukiy, White Sea |  VMF
| VMF  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 27 September | Launch failure?
The second missile self destroyed "after completing the first phase of the flight", maybe intentional. It appears to be a normal practice in salvo launches. The missile probably carried mockups instead of working upper stages and warheads to save money.
5 October
15:37  |  New Shepard |  |  Corn Ranch |  Blue Origin
New Shepard crew capsule | Blue Origin | Suborbital  | Test flight | 5 October | Successful
In-flight escape test 45 seconds after launch. Booster unexpectedly survived and reached an apogee of 93.7 kilometres (58.2 mi) before completing its fifth successful landing.
12 October |  R-29R Volna |  |  K-433 Svyatoy Georgiy Pobedonosets, Sea of Okhotsk |  VMF
| VMF  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 12 October | Successful
12 October |  R-29RMU Sineva |  |  K-407 Novomoskovsk, Barents Sea |  VMF
| VMF  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 12 October | Successful
12 October |  RS-12M Topol |  |  Plesetsk  |  RVSN
| RVSN  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 12 October | Successful
25 October
08:58  |  UR-100NU  |  |  Yasniy  |  RVSN
| RVSN  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 25 October | Successful
Yu-71 Hypersonic Vehicle Test, Apogee: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi)?
22 November |  Agni-I |  |  Integrated Test Range  |  IDRDL
| IDRDL  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 22 November | Successful
Apogee: ~500 kilometres (310 mi)?
6 December | Shahab-3 |  | Iran  | IRGC
| IRGC  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 6 December | Successful
Apogee: ~150 kilometres (93 mi)
8 December |  B-611?  |  |  Shuangchengzi | PLA
| PLA  | Suborbital  | ABM target | 8 December | Successful
Target
8 December |  SC-19 |  |  Korla |  PLA
| PLA  | Suborbital  | ABM test | 8 December | Successful
Interceptor
15 December |  MRBM  | FTM-27  |  Kauai  |  MDA
| MDA  | Suborbital  | ABM target | 15 December | Successful
FTM-27 target, successfully intercepted by two SM-6 missiles in low altitude
15 December
16:15  |  Zombi (ATACMS)  |  |  White Sands  |  NASA
| US Army  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 15 December | Successful
Apogee: 80 kilometres (50 mi)?
26 December
05:35  |  Agni V |  |  Integrated Test Range Launch Complex IV  |  DRDO
| DRDO  | Suborbital  | Missile test | 26 December | Successful
Apogee: ~800 kilometres (500 mi)

## Deep space rendezvous[edit]

Wikinews has related news:

* NASA's Juno spacecraft enters Jupiter orbit

Date (UTC)  | Spacecraft  | Event  | Remarks

|
|
|

14 January  | Mars Express | Flyby of Phobos | Closest approach: 53 kilometres (33 mi).[82]
15 January[83] | Cassini | 116th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 3,817 kilometres (2,372 mi).
31 January  | Cassini | 117th flyby of Titan  | Closest approach: 1,400 kilometres (870 mi).
16 February  | Cassini | 118th flyby of Titan  | Closest approach: 1,018 kilometres (633 mi).
4 April  | Cassini | 119th flyby of Titan  | Closest approach: 990 kilometres (615 mi).
6 May  | Cassini | 120th flyby of Titan  | Closest approach: 971 kilometres (603 mi).
7 June  | Cassini | 121st flyby of Titan  | Closest approach: 975 kilometres (606 mi).
4 July[84] | Juno | Orbit injection around Jupiter (jovicentric)  | First solar-powered Jovian probe, second orbiter.
4 July  | Mars Express | Flyby of Phobos  | Closest approach: 350 kilometres (220 mi).
25 July  | Cassini | 122nd flyby of Titan  | Closest approach: 976 kilometres (606 mi).
10 August  | Cassini | 123rd flyby of Titan  | Closest approach: 1,599 kilometres (994 mi).
27 August  | Juno | 1st perijove of Jupiter | Closest approach: 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi).[85]
26 September  | Cassini | 124th flyby of Titan  | Closest approach: 1,737 kilometres (1,079 mi).
30 September | Rosetta | Landing on 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko | Probe was programmed to deactivate its thrusters and radio transmissions after landing.
19 October  | Trace Gas Orbiter (ExoMars 2016)  | Orbit injection around Mars (areocentric)  |
19 October  | Schiaparelli (ExoMars 2016)  | Landing on Mars, Meridiani Planum | Probe entered Martian atmosphere intact, but contact was lost 50 seconds before expected landing.[86] NASA's MRO later identified the Schiaparelli crash site at coordinates 2°03′S 6°14′W﻿ / ﻿2.05°S 6.24°W﻿ / -2.05; -6.24, confirming the loss of the lander.[87]
19 October  | Juno | 2nd perijove  | Period Reduction Maneuver[88] originally planned, but delayed due to valve issues.[89] The maneuver was later cancelled entirely in favor of remaining in a 53-day orbit.[90]
13 November  | Cassini | 125th flyby of Titan  | Closest approach: 1,582 kilometres (983 mi).
16 November  | Mars Express | Flyby of Phobos  | Closest approach: 127 kilometres (79 mi).
29 November  | Cassini | 126th flyby of Titan  | Closest approach: 3,223 kilometres (2,003 mi).
11 December  | Juno | 3rd perijove  |

## Extra-vehicular activities (EVAs)[edit]

Start date/time  | Duration  | End time  | Spacecraft  | Crew  | Remarks

|
|
|
|
|

15 January
13:48  | 4 hours 43 minutes | 18:31  | Expedition 46
ISS Quest |

* Timothy Kopra
* Tim Peake

| Replaced a failed voltage regulator responsible for shutting down one of the station's eight power channels in November 2015, and routed cables in support of the installation of the International Docking Adaptor. EVA terminated two hours early due to water leakage in Kopra's helmet, but the primary task was accomplished.[91]
3 February
12:55  | 4 hours 45 minutes | 17:40  | Expedition 46
ISS Pirs |

* Yuri Malenchenko
* Sergey Volkov

| Deployed a commemorative flash drive, took samples of module exteriors, installed handrails for use in future EVAs, retrieved an astrobiology experiment, deployed a materials science experiment, and tested a tool for applying coatings to module exteriors.[92]
19 August
12:04  | 5 hours 58 minutes | 18:02  | Expedition 48
ISS Quest |

* Jeff Williams
* Kate Rubins

| The astronauts installed the International Docking Adapter (IDA) which was delivered by Dragon CRS-9, allowing future commercial crew spacecraft to dock with the station. This first IDA was attached to Harmony's forward port, over the existing Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA).[93][94] The EVA terminated after completing the primary objective, without completing the secondary objectives, due to a malfunction of the right earphone of Jeff Williams.
1 September
11:53  | 6 hours 48 minutes | 18:41  | Expedition 48
ISS Quest |

* Jeff Williams
* Kate Rubins

| The crew retracted a thermal radiator which is a backup, and then installed the first pair of several high-definition cameras to monitor the traffic around the station. Then they have performed some maintenance operations.[95]

## Space debris events[edit]

Date/Time (UTC)  | Source object | Event type | Pieces tracked  | Remarks

|
|
|
|

26 March 01:42[96] | Hitomi | Satellite breakup  | 10[97] | JAXA lost communications with the freshly launched telescope during its early commissioning phase. Meanwhile, JspOC observed 5 then 10 pieces of debris diverging from the satellite, one of them comparably sized to the main spacecraft by radar signature.[98]

Hitomi itself went into a tumble and sent short intermittent communications. The tumble was caused by a failure of the inertial reference unit mistakenly reporting the spacecraft to be spinning. As the attitude control system attempted to correct the non-existent spin, the unnecessary correction itself is believed to have caused the subsuqent failures, ultimately leading to the loss of the spacecraft, 28 April. [99][100][16]

In a twist of fate, one of the secondary payloads traveling with Hitomi was ChubuSat-3, a microsatellite dedicated to monitoring global warming effects and space debris.[101]

1 June 09:20 [102] | SL-12 R/B (#33473)  | Booster breakup  | 20+ [102] | An ullage motor, part of a Russian Proton-M rocket that was launched in December 2008, exploded for unknown reasons.[103]

## Orbital launch statistics[edit]

### By country[edit]

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. For example, Soyuz launches by Arianespace in Kourou are counted under Russia because Soyuz-2 is a Russian rocket.

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

|
|
|
|
|

|  China | 22 | 20 | 1 | 1 |
|  Europe | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
|  India | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
|  Israel | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
|  Japan | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
|  North Korea | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
|  Russia | 19 | 18 | 1 | 0 | Includes two European Soyuz launches from Kourou, French Guiana by Arianespace
|  United States | 22 | 22 | 0 | 0 | +1 pre-launch failure (AMOS 6 / Falcon 9)
World | 85 | 82 | 2 | 1 |

### By rocket[edit]

Ariane

Atlas

Delta

Falcon

H-II

Long March

PSLV

R-7

Vega

Others

* Ariane 5
* Atlas V
* Delta II
* Delta IV
* Delta IV Heavy
* Falcon 9
* H-IIA
* H-IIB
* Long March 2
* Long March 3
* Long March 4
* Long March 5
* Long March 7
* Long March 11
* PSLV
* Soyuz-U
* Soyuz-FG
* Soyuz-2 (Russia)
* Soyuz-ST (Europe)
* Proton-M
* Rokot
* Vega
* Others

#### By family[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|

Antares |  United States | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Ariane |  Europe | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Atlas |  United States | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Delta |  United States | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Epsilon |  Japan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Falcon |  United States | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 Pre-launch failure
GSLV |  India | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
H-II |  Japan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Long March |  China | 22 | 20 | 1 | 1 |
Pegasus |  United States | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
PSLV |  India | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
R-7 |  Russia | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
Shavit |  Israel | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Unha |  North Korea | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Universal Rocket |  Russia | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Vega |  Europe | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |

#### By type[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Antares 200 |  United States | Antares | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden Flight
Ariane 5 |  Europe | Ariane | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Atlas V |  United States | Atlas | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Delta IV |  United States | Delta | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Epsilon |  Japan | Epsilon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Falcon 9 |  United States | Falcon | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 Pre-launch failure
GSLV |  India | GSLV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
H-IIA |  Japan | H-II | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
H-IIB |  Japan | H-II | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Long March 2 |  China | Long March | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
Long March 3 |  China | Long March | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Long March 4 |  China | Long March | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Long March 5 |  China | Long March | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight
Long March 7 |  China | Long March | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight
Long March 11 |  China | Long March | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Pegasus XL |  United States | Pegasus | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Proton |  Russia | Universal Rocket | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
PSLV |  India | PSLV | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
Shavit |  Israel | Shavit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Soyuz |  Russia | R-7 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
Soyuz-2 |  Russia | R-7 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Unha |  North Korea | Unha | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
UR-100 |  Russia | Universal Rocket | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Vega |  Europe | Vega | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |

#### By configuration[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Antares 230 |  United States | Antares 200 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden Flight
Ariane 5 ECA |  Europe | Ariane 5 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
Ariane 5 ES |  Europe | Ariane 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Atlas V 401 |  United States | Atlas V | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Atlas V 411 |  United States | Atlas V | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Atlas V 421 |  United States | Atlas V | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Atlas V 431 |  United States | Atlas V | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final flight
Atlas V 541 |  United States | Atlas V | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Atlas V 551 |  United States | Atlas V | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) |  United States | Delta IV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Delta IV Medium+ (5,2) |  United States | Delta IV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) |  United States | Delta IV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Delta IV Heavy |  United States | Delta IV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Epsilon |  Japan | Epsilon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Falcon 9 v1.1 |  United States | Falcon 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final flight
Falcon 9 Full Thrust |  United States | Falcon 9 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 Pre-launch failure
GSLV Mk II |  India | GSLV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
H-IIA 202 |  Japan | H-IIA | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
H-IIB |  Japan | H-IIB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Long March 2D |  China | Long March 2 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
Long March 2F/G |  China | Long March 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Long March 3A |  China | Long March 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Long March 3B/E |  China | Long March 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Long March 3C/E |  China | Long March 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Long March 3C/E / YZ-1 |  China | Long March 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Long March 4B |  China | Long March 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Long March 4C |  China | Long March 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Long March 5 / YZ-2 |  China | Long March 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight
Long March 7 / YZ-1A |  China | Long March 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight
Long March 11 |  China | Long March 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Pegasus XL |  United States | Pegasus XL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Proton-M / Briz-M |  Russia | Proton | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
PSLV-G |  India | PSLV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
PSLV-XL |  India | PSLV | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Rokot / Briz-KM |  Russia | UR-100 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Shavit-2 |  Israel | Shavit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Soyuz-2.1a or ST-A |  Russia | Soyuz-2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Soyuz-2.1a or ST-A / Fregat-M |  Russia | Soyuz-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Soyuz-2.1a / Volga |  Russia | Soyuz-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight
Soyuz-2.1b or ST-B |  Russia | Soyuz-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Soyuz-2.1b or ST-B / Fregat-M |  Russia | Soyuz-2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Soyuz-2.1b or ST-B / Fregat-MT |  Russia | Soyuz-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Soyuz-FG |  Russia | Soyuz | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Soyuz-U |  Russia | Soyuz | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Unha-3 |  North Korea | Unha | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Vega |  Europe | Vega | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |

### By spaceport[edit]

China

France

India

Israel

Japan

Kazakhstan

North Korea

Russia

United States

* Jiuquan
* Taiyuan
* Wenchang
* Xichang
* Kourou
* Satish Dhawan
* Palmachim
* Tanegashima
* Uchinoura
* Baikonur
* Sohae
* Plesetsk
* Vostochny
* Cape Canaveral
* Kennedy
* MARS
* Vandenberg

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

|
|
|
|
|
|

Baikonur |  Kazakhstan | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
Cape Canaveral |  United States | 18 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1 Pre-launch failure
Jiuquan |  China | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
Kourou |  France | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
MARS |  United States | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Palmachim |  Israel | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Plesetsk |  Russia | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Satish Dhawan |  India | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Sohae |  North Korea | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Taiyuan |  China | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Tanegashima |  Japan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Uchinoura |  Japan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Vandenberg |  United States | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Vostochny |  Russia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | First launch
Wenchang |  China | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | First launch
Xichang |  China | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 85 | 82 | 2 | 1 |

### By orbit[edit]

Transatmospheric

Low Earth

Medium Earth

Geosynchronous / transfer

High Earth

Heliocentric

* Transatmospheric
* Low Earth
* Low Earth (ISS)
* Low Earth (SSO)
* Low Earth (retrograde)
* Medium Earth
* Geosychronous
(transfer)
* Inclined GSO
* High Earth
* Heliocentric

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

|
|
|
|
|

Transatmospheric | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Low Earth | 43 | 42 | 2 | 0 | Including 11 to ISS (+1 failed), 1 to Tiangong-2
Geosynchronous / transfer | 32 | 32 | 0 | 0 |
Medium Earth | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
High Earth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Heliocentric orbit | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Including planetary transfer orbits
Total | 85 | 83 | 2 | 0 |

## References[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).

Generic references:

* view
* talk
* edit

Spaceflight portal

Notes

1. ^ Clockwise from top:

* The first ever landing of a Falcon 9 Full Thrust first stage on an autonomous spaceport drone ship, during Falcon 9 Flight 23 in April.
* The impact site of Schiaparelli on Meridiani Planum, viewed by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in October. The lander's retro-rockets failed during descent, and accidentally impacted Mars at an estimated speed of 540 kilometres per hour (340 mph).
* Juno observes Jupiter's southern aurora during its first science orbit in August, seven weeks after its partially successful orbital insertion around the planet. Following an engine failure in its second orbit, the spacecraft remained in a larger orbit than intended for its prime mission.
* Image of Tiangong-2, China's 2nd space laboratory, undergoing ground testing.
* Maiden flight of Long March 5, the first Heavy-lift launch vehicle rocket launched in Asia

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99. ^ "Supplemental Handout on the Operation Plan of the X-ray Astronomy Satellite ASTRO-H (Hitomi)" (PDF). JAXA Press Release. JAXA. 28 April 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
100. ^ Clark, Stephen (18 April 2016). "Attitude control failures led to break-up of Japanese astronomy satellite". Spaceflight Now. Pole Star Publications Ltd. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
101. ^ "ChubuSat Instrument Development Project / About ChubuSat-3 Satellite". Nagoya University. 13 April 2016. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
102. ^ a b @JSpOC (1 June 2016). "Breakup Notification: SL-12 R/B (#33473) @ 0920-0930z on 1Jun16. 20+ associated pieces. No indication of collision. @SpaceTrackOrg" (Tweet). Retrieved 16 June 2016 - via Twitter.
103. ^ "Russian Ullage rocket engine explodes in space". Spaceflight Insider. 4 June 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2016.

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Timeline of spaceflight

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1950s|

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1960s|

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1970s|

* 1970
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1980s|

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1990s|

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2000s|

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← 2015

Orbital launches in 2016

2017 →

January|

* Belintersat-1
* Jason-3
* IRNSS-1E
* Intelsat 29e
* Eutelsat 9B

February|

* BeiDou M3-S
* USA-266 / GPS IIF-12
* Kosmos 2514 / GLONASS-M 751
* Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4
* USA-267 / Topaz-4
* Sentinel-3A
* ASTRO-H / Hitomi

March|

* SES-9
* Eutelsat 65 West A
* IRNSS-1F
* Resurs-P №3
* ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, Schiaparelli EDM
* Soyuz TMA-20M
* Cygnus CRS OA-6 (Diwata-1, Flock-2e' × 20 , Lemur-2 × 9)
* Kosmos 2515 / Bars-M 2L
* BeiDou IGSO-6
* Progress MS-02

April|

* Shijian-10
* Dragon CRS-8, BEAM
* Sentinel-1B, MICROSCOPE, e-st@r-II
* Mikhailo Lomonosov
* IRNSS-1G

May|

* JCSAT-14
* Yaogan 30
* Galileo FOC-10, FOC-11
* Thaicom 8
* Kosmos 2516 / GLONASS-M 753
* Ziyuan III-02, ÑuSat 1, 2

June|

* Kosmos 2517 / Geo-IK-2 №12
* Intelsat 31 / DLA-2
* USA-268 / Orion 9
* BeiDou G7
* Eutelsat 117 West B, ABS-2A
* Cartosat-2C, M3MSat, Flock-2p × 12, SathyabamaSat, Swayam
* MUOS-5
* Chinese next-generation crew capsule scale model
* Shijian 16-02

July|

* Soyuz MS-01
* Progress MS-03
* Dragon CRS-9
* USA-269 / NROL-61

August|

* Tiantong-1 01
* Gaofen-3
* JCSAT-16
* QUESS / Mozi / Micius
* USA-270 / GSSAP-3, USA-271 / GSSAP-4
* Intelsat 33e, Intelsat 36
* Gaofen-10†

September|

* AMOS-6†
* INSAT-3DR
* OSIRIS-REx
* Ofek-11
* Tiangong-2
* SkySat × 4
* ScatSat-1, Alsat-1B, Alsat-2B, BlackSky Pathfinder-1, Pratham, CanX-7, PISat

October|

* Sky Muster II, GSAT-18
* Shenzhou 11
* Cygnus CRS OA-5 (Lemur-2 × 4)
* Soyuz MS-02

November|

* Himawari 9
* Shijian-17
* XPNAV 1
* WorldView-4, CELTEE 1, Prometheus-2 × 2, AeroCube 8 × 2, U2U, RAVAN
* Yunhai-1
* Galileo FOC 7, 12, 13, 14
* Soyuz MS-03
* GOES-R
* Tianlian I-04

December|

* Progress MS-04
* Göktürk-1
* Resourcesat-2A
* WGS-8
* HTV-6 / Kounotori 6, (EGG, TuPOD, UBAKUSAT, AOBA-VELOX, STARS, FREEDOM, ITF, Waseda-SAT, OSNSAT, Tancredo-1, TechEDSat, Lemur-2 × 4)
* Fengyun 4A
* CYGNSS × 8
* EchoStar 19
* Arase / ERG
* TanSat, Spark × 2
* Star One D1, JCSAT-15
* SuperView / Gaojing-1 01, 02, Bayi Kepu 1

Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Cubesats are smaller.
Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).

* v
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* e

2016 in space

* « 2015

2017 »

Space probe launches |

* Hitomi (X-ray observatory; Feb 2016)
* ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (Mars orbiter; Mar 2016)
* OSIRIS-REx (asteroid sample-return mission; Sep 2016)

Impact events|

* DN160822 03

Selected NEOs|

* Asteroid close approaches
* (85990) 1999 JV6
* 1994 WR12
* 2013 TX68
* 2016 EU85
* 469219 Kamoʻoalewa
* 2016 PQ
* (164121) 2003 YT1

Exoplanets |

* 38 Virginis b
* atmospheric composition of 55 Cancri e
* BD+20 594b
* Gliese 536 b
* HD 19467 b
* HD 131399 Ab (retracted in 2022)
* HD 164922 c
* HIP 41378
* b
* c
* d
* e
* f
* K2-33b
* K2-332 b
* K2-72
* b
* c
* d
* e
* KELT-9b
* KELT-11b
* Kepler-20g
* Kepler-56d
* Kepler-737b
* Kepler-1229b
* Kepler-1520b
* Kepler-1625b
* Kepler-1638b
* Kepler-1647b
* OGLE-2007-BLG-349(AB)b
* OGLE-2012-BLG-0950Lb
* Proxima Centauri b
* Pr0211 c
* Qatar-3b
* Qatar-4b
* Qatar-5b
* TRAPPIST-1
* b
* c
* d
* TW Hydrae b
* V830 Tauri b
* 2MASS J11193254–1137466 AB
* 2MASS J2126–8140 as planet

Discoveries|

* GW150914 (announced)
* IDCS 1426
* Planet Nine (hypothesized)
* GN-z11
* SDSS J1240+6710
* Crater 2
* GW151226 (announced)
* 2015 RR245 (announced)
* BOSS Great Wall
* GRB 160625B
* (471325) 2011 KT19 (announced)
* 2014 UZ224 (announced)
* WISE J080822.18-644357.3
* Virgo I

Novae|

* ASASSN-15lh
* SN 2016aps
* ASASSN-16kt
* ASASSN-16ma

Comets |

* 252P/LINEAR
* 460P/PanSTARRS
* 53P/Van Biesbroeck
* C/2016 R2 (PANSTARRS)
* 81P/Wild
* 9P/Tempel
* 144P/Kushida
* 43P/Wolf–Harrington
* 45P/Honda–Mrkos–Pajdušáková

Space exploration|

* Juno (entered Jupiter orbit; Jul 2016)
* Rosetta / Philae (end of mission to comet 67P; Sep 2016)
* Schiaparelli EDM (Mars lander; Oct 2016)

* Outer space portal
* Category:2015 in outer space — Category:2016 in outer space — Category:2017 in outer space

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