Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes includes unmanned spacecraft including technology demonstrators, observatories, lunar probes, and interplanetary probes. Not inclued are earth science satellites, commercial satellites or manned missions.

1 1950s
2 1960s
3 1970s
4 1980s
5 1990s
6 2000s
7 See also
8 External links

Key: Year - Origin - Target - Status - Description

[edit] 1950s

1957 - Soviet Union - Earth - Success - Sputnik 1 is launched, the first Earth orbiting satellite
1957 - Soviet Union - Earth - Partial success - Sputnik 2 is launched, the first Earth orbiting satellite with an animal (Laika)
1958 - USA - Earth - Success - Explorer 1
1958 - USA - Moon - Failure - Pioneer 1 orbiter
1958 - USA - Moon - Failure - Pioneer 3 flyby
1959 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 1 flyby launched, it discovered solar wind
1959 - USA - Moon - Partial success - Pioneer 4 flyby
1959 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 2 impactor launched, it was the first spacecraft to impact onto the surface of the moon
1959 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 3 flyby launched, it returned the first image of the Moon's hidden side

[edit] 1960s

1960 - USA - Sun - Pioneer 5 solar monitor
1960 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Mars 1960A probe
1960 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Mars 1960B probe
1961 - Soviet Union - Venus - Failure - 1VA (proto-Venera) flyby
1961 - Soviet Union - Venus - Failure - Venera 1 flyby
1961 - USA - Earth - Success - OSCAR1 First Amateur Satellite
1962 - USA - Venus - Success - Mariner 2 launched and became the first satellite to return data about Venus
1962 - USA - Earth - Success - Telstar 1 is launched
1962 - Canada - Earth - Success - Alouette 1 is launched, the first Canadian satellite
1962 - UK - Earth - Success - Ariel 1
1962 - USA - Moon - Failure - Ranger 3 photographic mission
1962 - USA - Moon - Partial Failure - Ranger 4 photographic mission (impacted lunar surface)
1962 - USA - Moon - Partial Failure - Ranger 5 photographic mission (became flyby)
1962 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Mars 1962A flyby
1962 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Mars 1 flyby
1962 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Mars 1962B lander
1963 - USA - Earth - Failure - Syncom 1 is launched
1963 - USA - Earth - Success - Syncom 2 is launched; the first geosynchronous orbit
1963 - Soviet Union - Moon - Partial Failure - Luna 4 lander (became probe)
1964 - USA - Earth - Success - Syncom 3 is launched; the first geostationary orbit
1964 - Soviet Union - Venus - Failure - Zond 1 flyby
1964 - USA - Moon - Failure - Ranger 6 photographic mission
1964 - USA - Moon - Success - Ranger 7 photographic mission
1964 - USA - Mars - Failure - Mariner 3 flyby
1964 - USA - Mars - Success - Mariner 4 flyby, the first successful Mars mission
1964 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Zond 2 flyby
1965 - USA - Sun - Success - Pioneer 6 solar probe
1965 - Soviet Union - Venus - Failure - Venera 2 flyby
1965 - Soviet Union - Venus - Failure - Venera 3 atmospheric probe
1965 - USA - Moon - Success - Ranger 8 photographic mission
1965 - USA - Moon - Success - Ranger 9 photographic mission
1965 - Canada - Earth - Success - Alouette 2 is launched aboard a U.S. rocket
1965 - Soviet Union - Moon - Failure - Luna 5 lander
1965 - Soviet Union - Moon - Failure - Luna 6 lander
1965 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Zond 3 flyby
1965 - Soviet Union - Moon - Failure - Luna 7 lander
1965 - France - Satellite - Success - Astérix satellite
1965 - Soviet Union - Moon - Failure - Luna 8 lander
1965 - USA - Mars - Success - Mariner 4 sends the first clear pictures of Mars
1966 - USA - Sun - Success - Pioneer 7 solar probe
1966 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 9 lander returned the first photographs from the surface of the Moon
1966 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 10 becomes the first spacecraft to orbit the Moon
1966 - USA - Moon - Success - Surveyor 1 lander
1966 - USA - Moon - Success - Lunar Orbiter 1 orbiter
1966 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 11 orbiter
1966 - USA - Moon - Failure - Surveyor 2
1966 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 12 orbiter
1966 - USA - Moon - Success - Lunar Orbiter 2 orbiter
1966 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 13 lander
1967 - Australia - Earth - Success - WRESAT is launched from Woomera on a U.S. Redstone rocket, the first Australian satellite
1967 - USA - Sun - Success - Pioneer 8 solar probe
1967 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 4 sends the first data from below the clouds of Venus
1967 - USA - Venus - Success - Mariner 5 flyby
1967 - USA - Moon - Success - Lunar Orbiter 3 orbiter
1967 - USA - Moon - Success - Surveyor 2 lander
1967 - USA - Moon - Success - Lunar Orbiter 4 orbiter
1967 - USA - Moon - Failure - Surveyor 3 lander
1967 - USA - Moon - Success - Explorer 35 orbiter
1967 - USA - Moon - Success - Lunar Orbiter 5 orbiter
1967 - USA - Moon - Success - Surveyor 5 lander
1967 - USA - Moon - Success - Surveyor 6 lander, also took off from the Moon's surface
1967 - USA - Success - The OSO-3 gamma-ray satellite discovers gamma-ray emission from the plane of the Milky Way
1968 - USA - Sun - Success - Pioneer 9 solar probe
1968 - USA - Moon - Success - Surveyor 7 lander
1968 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 14 orbiter
1968 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Zond 5 flyby
1968 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Zond 6 flyby
1969 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 5 atmospheric probe
1969 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 6 atmospheric probe
1969 - USA - Moon - Success - Apollo 10 manned orbiter
1969 - Soviet Union - Moon - Failure - Luna 15 lander
1969 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Zond 7 flyby
1969 - USA - Mars - Success - Mariner 6 flyby
1969 - USA - Mars - Success - Mariner 7 flyby

[edit] 1970s

1970 - Japan - Earth - Success - Osumi the first Japanese satellite
1970 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 7, the first successful landing of a spacecraft on another planet
1970 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 16 lander is the first automated return of samples from the Moon
1970 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Zond 8 flyby
1970 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 17/Lunokhod 1 lander/rover is the first automated surface exploration of the Moon
1970 - USA - Success - Launch of Uhuru, the first dedicated X-ray satellite
1970 - China - Success - Launch of Dong Fang Hong I, the first Chinese satellite
1971 - Soviet Union - Moon - Failure - Luna 18 lander
1971 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 19 orbiter
1971 - USA - Mars - Failure - Mariner 8 flyby
1971 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Cosmos 419 probe
1971 - Soviet Union - Mars - Partial Failure - Mars 2 orbiter and lander, created the first human artifact on Mars
1971 - Soviet Union - Mars - Partial Success - Mars 3 orbiter and lander, first successful landing on Mars
1971 - USA - Mars - Success - Mariner 9 orbiter, first pictures of Mars' moons (Phobos and Deimos) taken
1971 - UK - Earth - Success - Prospero X-3 satellite, first and only satellite launched by Britain using a British rocket
1972 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 8 lander
1972 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 20 lander
1972 - Success - Launch of the Copernicus ultraviolet satellite
1972 - USA - Sun - Success - Explorer 49 solar probe
1973 - USA - Venus/Mercury - Success - Mariner 10 launched, it passed by and photographed Mercury, also was the first dual planet probe
1973 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 21/Lunokhod 2 lander/rover
1973 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Mars 4 orbiter
1973 - Soviet Union - Mars - Success - Mars 5 orbiter
1973 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Mars 6 orbiter and lander
1973 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Mars 7 orbiter and lander
1974 - Germany - Sun - Success - Helios 1 solar probe
1974 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 22 orbiter
1974 - Soviet Union - Moon - Failure - Luna 23 probe
1974 - Success - Launch of the Ariel V X-ray satellite
1975 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 9 returns the first pictures of the surface of Venus
1975 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 10 orbiter and lander
1975 - USA - Mars - Partial Success - Viking 1 orbiter and lander; lands on Mars 1976
1975 - USA - Mars - Success - Viking 2 orbiter and lander; lands on Mars 1976
1975 - India - Earth - Success - Aryabhata India, launched by USSR
1975 - India - India's first rocket SLV launched
1976 - Germany - Sun - Success - Helios 2 solar probe
1976 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 24 lander
1976 - Earth - Success - Hermes Communications Technology Satellite prototype for testing direct broadcast TV
1976 - Success - The Vela and ANS X-ray satellites discover X-ray bursts
1976 - Success - The OSO-8 X-ray satellite shows that X-ray bursts have blackbody spectra
1977 - Success - Launch of the HEAO-1 X-ray satellite
1978 - USA - Venus - Success - Pioneer Venus 1 orbiter
1978 - USA - Venus - Success - Pioneer Venus 2 atmospheric probe
1978 - Soviet Union - Venus - Partial Success - Venera 11 flyby and lander
1978 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 12 flyby and lander
1978 - Success - Launch of the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite
1978 - Success - Launch of the Einstein X-ray satellite (HEAO-2) is the first X-ray photographs of astronomical objects
1979 - Success - Launch of the Hakucho X-ray satellite (ASTRO-A)
1979 - Success - Launch of the Ariel VI cosmic-ray and X-ray satellite
1979 - USA - Jupiter - Success - Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 send back images of Jupiter and its system

[edit] 1980s

1980 - USA - Sun - Failure- Solar Maximum Mission solar probe succeeded after being repaired in Earth orbit
1981 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 13 launched, it returned the first colour pictures of the surface of Venus
1981 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 14 flyby and lander
1983 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 15 orbiter
1983 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 16 orbiter
1983 - Success - Launch of the EXOSAT X-ray satellite
1983 - Success - Launch of the Tenma X-ray satellite (ASTRO-B)
1983 - Success - Launch of the IRAS satellite
1984 - Soviet Union - Venus/Halley's Comet - Success - Vega 1 flyby, atmospheric probe and lander
1984 - Soviet Union - Venus/Halley's Comet - Success - Vega 2 flyby, atmospheric probe and lander
1986 - Europe - Halley's Comet - Success - Giotto flyby
1987 - Success - Launch of the Ginga X-ray satellite (ASTRO-C)
1988 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Phobos 1 orbiter and lander
1988 - Soviet Union - Mars - Partial Failure - Phobos 2 flyby and lander
1989 - Venus - Success - Magellan orbiter launched which mapped 99 percent of the surface of Venus (300 m resolution)
1989 - USA - Venus/Earth/Moon/Gaspra/Ida/Jupiter - Failure - Galileo flyby, orbiter and atmospheric probe
1989 - USA - Neptune - Success - Voyager 2 sends back images of Neptune and its system
1989 - Success - Launch of the Granat gamma-ray and X-ray satellite
1989 - Europe - Success - Launch of the Hipparcos satellite
1989 - Success - Launch of the COBE satellite

[edit] 1990s

1990 - USA - Sun - Success - Ulysses solar flyby
1990 - Japan - Moon - - MUSES-A probe, this was the first non-U.S. or USSR probe to reach the Moon
1990 - USA/ Europe - Success - Launch of the Hubble Space Telescope
1990 - Germany - Success - Launch of the ROSAT X-ray satellite is the first imaging X-ray sky survey
1991 - Japan - Sun - Success - Yohkoh solar probe
1991 - USA - Success - Launch of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory satellite
1992 - USA - Mars - Failure - Mars Observer orbiter
1993 - Japan - Success - Launch of the ASCA (ASTRO-D) X-ray satellite
1994 - USA - Moon - Success - Clementine orbiter mapped the surface of the Moon (resolution 125-150m) and allowed the first accurate relief map of the Moon to be generated
1995 - USA - Sun - Success - SOHO solar probe
1996 - USA - Mars - Mars Global Surveyor orbiter
1996 - USA - Mars - Success - Mars Pathfinder/Sojourner lander/rover, the first automated surface exploration another planet
1996 - Russia - Mars - Failure - Mars 96 orbiter and lander
1997 - USA/Europe - Success - Saturn and Titan - Cassini-Huygens - arrived in orbit on July 1, 2004, landed on Titan January 14, 2005
1998 - North Korea - Unknown - Claimed launch of Kwangmyongsong by North Korea though no independent source was able to verify its existence
1998 - USA - Moon - Success - Lunar Prospector orbiter
1998 - Japan - Mars - Failure - Nozomi (Planet B) orbiter, the first Japanese spacecraft to reach another planet
1998 - USA - Mars - Failure - Mars Climate Orbiter
1999 - USA - Mars - Failure - Mars Polar Lander
1999 - USA - Mars - Failure - Deep Space 2 (DS2) penetrators

[edit] 2000s

2001 - USA - Sun - Partial Success - Genesis solar wind sample return - crash-landed on return
2001 - USA - Success - Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) performs cosmological observations.
2001 - USA - Mars - Success - Mars Odyssey
2003 - Canada - Earth - Success - MOST the smallest space telescope in orbit
2003 - USA - Comet Encke - Failure - CONTOUR launched, but lost during early trajectory insertion.
2003 - Europe - Moon - Success - Smart 1 orbiter
2003 - Europe - Mars - Partial Success - Mars Express orbiter (successfully reached orbit) and failed lander, the Beagle 2
2003 - USA - Mars - Success - Mars Exploration Rovers - successful launches, Spirit successfully landed, Opportunity successfully landed
2004 - ESA - Comet 67P - Rosetta space probe launched - yet to arrive
2004 - USA - Mercury - MESSENGER orbiter - launched - yet to arrive
2004 - USA - Success - Launch of the Swift Gamma ray burst observatory.
2005 - Iran - Earth - Sinah-1 - launched, first Iranian-built satellite
2005 - USA - Comet Tempel 1 - Deep Impact - successful comet impact
2005 - USA - Mars - Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter - in orbit
2005 - Europe - Venus - Venus Express - in orbit
2006 - USA - Pluto - New Horizons - launched - yet to arrive
2006 - France/ESA - Earth - COROT - launched, telescope to search for extrasolar planets
2007 - USA - Mars - Success - Phoenix - launched and successfully landed
2007 - Japan - Moon - SELENE orbiter and lander - in lunar orbit since October 3, 2007
2007 - USA - Vesta/Ceres- Dawn - launched - yet to arrive
2007 - China - Moon - Chang'e-I - in lunar orbit since November 5, 2007
2008 - India - Moon - Chandrayaan (work in progress)

[edit] See also

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