1976 in spaceflight

This timeline of spaceflight may require cleanup to ensure consistency with other timeline of spaceflight articles. See Wikipedia:WikiProject Spaceflight/Timeline of spaceflight working group for guidelines on how to improve the article.

Details

Concerns have been raised that:

* A large amount of information is missing

|
|

1976 in spaceflight

Viking 2 on the surface of Mars

Orbital launches
First| 6 January
Last| 28 December
Total| 131
Catalogued| 128
National firsts
Satellite|  Indonesia
Rockets
Maiden flights| Thor DSV-2U
Retirements| Voskhod
Scout B-1
Soyuz
Soyuz-M
Thor-Burner
Luna sample return ascent stage
Crewed flights
Orbital| 3
Total travellers| 6

* v
* t
* e

The following is an outline of 1976 in spaceflight.

* v
* t
* e

Timeline of spaceflight

* Spaceflight before 1951

1950s|

* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959

1960s|

* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969

1970s|

* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979

1980s|

* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989

1990s|

* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999

2000s|

* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009

2010s|

* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019

2020s|

* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025
* 2026
* 2027
* 2028
* 2029

* Future

## Launches[edit]

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

|
|
|
|

| Payload
(⚀ = CubeSat)  | Operator  | Orbit | Function  | Decay (UTC)  | Outcome
Remarks
15 January
05:34:00  | Titan IIIE/Star-37 |  | Cape Canaveral SLC-41 | NASA
Helios-B | NASA / DFVLR | Heliocentric | Solar probe | In orbit | Successful
Achieved a closest approach to the Sun of 43.432 million km (0.29 AU) on 17 April 1976, the closest approach achieved by an artificial satellite; it was succeeded by the Parker Solar Probe in 2018.
29 February
03:30:00  | N-I |  | Tanegashima LA-N |
Ionospheric Sounding Satellite (ISS) Ume |  | Low Earth | Ionospheric | In orbit | Successful
First launch completed on February 29
15 March
01:25:40[2] |  Titan III(23)C |  |  Cape Canaveral SLC-40 |  NASA
LES-8 | MIT Lincoln Laboratory | Geosynchronous | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Successful
LES-9 | MIT Lincoln Laboratory | Geosynchronous | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Successful
SOLRAD 11A | NRL | Geosynchronous | Heliophysics | In orbit | Successful
SOLRAD 11B | NRL | Geosynchronous | Heliophysics | In orbit | Successful
LES-8 was decommissioned in 2004; LES-9, the last Lincoln Experimental Satellite, continued functioning for 44 years and was finally decommissioned in 2020.[1]
22 June
18:04:00  | Proton-K |  | Baikonur Site 81/23 |
Salyut 5 (Almaz OPS-3)  |  | Low Earth | Space station | 8 August 1977 | Successful
Visited by three crews, one of which failed to dock
6 July
12:08:45  | Soyuz |  | Baikonur Site 1/5 |
Soyuz 21 |  | Low Earth (Salyut 5)  | Salyut expedition | 24 August
18:32:17 | Partial mission failure
Crewed flight with two cosmonauts, final flight of Soyuz 11A511, returned early due to crew illness
9 August
12:08:45  |  Proton-K/D  |  |  Baikonur 81/23  |
Luna 24 |  | Selenocentric  | Lunar lander | 22 August | Successful
Third uncrewed lunar sample return, Third Soviet lunar sample return
15 September
09:48:30  | Soyuz-U |  | Baikonur Site 1/5  |
Soyuz 22 |  | Low Earth  | Salyut expedition | 23 September
07:40:47 | Successful
Crewed flight with two cosmonauts
14 October
17:39:18  | Soyuz-U |  | Baikonur Site 1/5  |
Soyuz 23 |  | Low Earth (Intended: Salyut 5)  | Salyut expedition | 16 October
17:45:53 | Spacecraft failure
Crewed flight with two cosmonauts, failed to dock with Salyut 5

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (February 2011)

|

## Launches from the Moon[edit]

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

|
|
|
|

| Payload
(⚀ = CubeSat)  | Operator  | Orbit | Function  | Decay (UTC)  | Outcome
Remarks
19 August
5:25  |  Luna 24 Ascent stage  |  | Mare Crisium (Luna)  |
Luna 24 Return capsule  |  | Highly elliptical  | Sample return | 22 August 1976 | Successful
Third uncrewed lunar sample return mission

## Deep space rendezvous[edit]

Date  | Spacecraft  | Event  | Remarks

|
|
|

19 June | Viking 1 | Areocentric orbit insertion |
20 July | Viking 1 Lander | landed in Chryse Planitia |
7 August | Viking 2 | Areocentric orbit insertion |
18 August | Luna 24 | landed in Mare Crisium | sample return mission
19 August | Luna 24 | lift-off from Mare Crisium | 170 grams (6.0 oz)
3 September | Viking 2 Lander | landed in Utopia Planitia |

## 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

### Footnotes[edit]

1. ^ Ryan, Dorothy (27 May 2020). "Lincoln Laboratory decommissions Lincoln Experimental Satellite–9". MIT. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
2. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2020.

* v
* t
* e

Timeline of spaceflight

* Spaceflight before 1951

1950s|

* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959

1960s|

* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969

1970s|

* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979

1980s|

* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989

1990s|

* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999

2000s|

* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009

2010s|

* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019

2020s|

* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025
* 2026
* 2027
* 2028
* 2029

* Future

* v
* t
* e

← 1975

Orbital launches in 1976

1977 →

* Kosmos 787
* Kosmos 788
* Helios 2
* Hermes
* Kosmos 789
* Molniya-1 No.40
* Kosmos 790
* Kosmos 791
* Kosmos 792
* Kosmos 793
* Kosmos 794
* Kosmos 795
* Kosmos 796
* Kosmos 797
* Kosmos 798
* Kosmos 799
* Intelsat IVA F-2
* Kosmos 800
* CORSA-A
* Kosmos 801
* Kosmos 802
* Kosmos 803
* Kosmos 804
* OPS 5140
* Marisat 1
* Kosmos 805
* Ume 1
* Kosmos 806
* Molniya-1-33
* Kosmos 807
* LES-8
* LES-9
* Solrad 11A
* Solrad 11B
* Kosmos 808
* Kosmos 809
* Molniya-1 No.42
* OPS 7600
* Kosmos 810
* Satcom 2
* Kosmos 811
* Kosmos 812
* Meteor No.37
* Kosmos 813
* Kosmos 814
* NATO 3A
* Kosmos 815
* Kosmos 816
* OPS 6431
* OPS 6431 SSU-1
* OPS 6431 SSU-2
* OPS 6431 SSU-3
* LAGEOS-1
* Kosmos 817
* Molniya-3 No.16
* Comstar 1A
* Meteor-Priroda No.2-1
* Kosmos 818
* Kosmos 819
* Kosmos 820
* Wideband
* Kosmos 821
* Kosmos 822
* OPS 7837
* Kosmos 823
* Kosmos 824
* Marisat-3
* Kosmos 825
* Kosmos 826
* Kosmos 827
* Kosmos 828
* Kosmos 829
* Kosmos 830
* Kosmos 831
* Kosmos 832
* Kosmos 833
* Interkosmos 15
* Salyut 5
* Kosmos 834
* OPS 2112
* Kosmos 835
* Kosmos 836
* Kosmos 837
* Kosmos 838
* Soyuz 21
* OPS 4699
* OPS 5366
* OPS 3986
* Kosmos 839
* Palapa A1
* Kosmos 840
* Kosmos 841
* Kosmos 842
* Kosmos 843
* Kosmos 844
* Comstar 1B
* Molniya-1 No.43
* Kosmos 845
* Interkosmos 16
* NOAA-5
* Kosmos 846
* Kosmos 847
* OPS 7940
* Luna 24
* Kosmos 848
* Kosmos 849
* Kosmos 850
* Kosmos 851
* Kosmos 852
* Ji Shu Shiyan Weixing 3
* Kosmos 853
* Triad 3
* Kosmos 854
* OPS 5721
* Gran' No.12L
* Soyuz 22
* OPS 8533
* Kosmos 855
* Kosmos 856
* Kosmos 857
* Kosmos 858
* Unnamed
* Kosmos 859
* Soyuz 23
* Marisat-2
* Meteor No.35
* Kosmos 860
* Kosmos 861
* Kosmos 862
* Kosmos 863
* Ekran No.11L
* Kosmos 864
* Kosmos 865
* Kosmos 865
* Unnamed
* Kosmos 866
* Kosmos 867
* Prognoz 5
* Kosmos 868
* Kosmos 869
* Kosmos 870
* Molniya-2-16
* Fanhui Shi Weixing 3
* Kosmos 871
* Kosmos 872
* Kosmos 873
* Kosmos 874
* Kosmos 875
* Kosmos 876
* Kosmos 877
* Kosmos 878
* Kosmos 879
* Kosmos 880
* Kosmos 881
* Kosmos 882
* Kosmos 883
* Kosmos 884
* Kosmos 885
* OPS 5705
* Kosmos 886
* Molniya-3 No.17
* Kosmos 887

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).
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template