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This is a timeline of first orbital launches by country. While a number of countries have built satellites, as of 2008 only eight countries, the multi-national European Space Agency, and the privately owned Sea Launch company have sent objects into orbit using their own launch systems. In all cases where a country has conducted human spaceflights, these launches were preceded by unmanned launches.
The race to launch the first satellite was closely contested by the Soviet Union and the United States, and was the beginning of the Space Race. The launching of satellites, while still contributing to national prestige, is a significant economic activity as well, with public and private rocket systems competing for launches, using cost and reliability as selling points.
[edit] List of first orbital launches by country
| Country |
Satellite |
Rocket |
Location |
Date |
| 1950s |
 Soviet Union[1] |
Sputnik 1 |
R-7 Semyorka |
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Soviet Union (today Kazakhstan) |
October 4, 1957 |
 United States |
Explorer 1 |
Jupiter-C |
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, United States |
January 31, 1958 |
| 1960s |
 France |
Astérix |
Diamant |
Hammaguir, Algeria |
November 26, 1965 |
| 1970s |
 Japan |
Ōsumi |
Lambda |
Kagoshima Space Center, Japan |
February 11, 1970 |
 People's Republic of China |
Dong Fang Hong I |
Long March |
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China |
April 24, 1970 |
 United Kingdom |
Prospero X-3 |
Black Arrow |
Woomera, Australia |
October 28, 1971 |
| European Space Agency[2] |
CAT 1 |
Ariane 1 |
Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana |
December 24, 1979 |
| 1980s |
 India |
Rohini 1 |
SLV |
Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India |
July 18, 1980 |
 Israel |
Ofeq 1 |
Shavit |
Palmachim Air Force Base, Israel |
September 19, 1988 |
[edit] Not included
[edit] Current extra-national launches and projects
- Sea Launch, a consortium of four companies from the United States, Russia, Ukraine and Norway: Boeing, Energia, Yuzhmash and Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and Aker Kværner, respectively. Its first demonstration satellite, DemoSat on March 27, 1999, using a modified Ukrainian-mainly Zenit 3SL rocket launched from the Ocean Odyssey (a former drilling-rig) in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Sea Launch, which is still in operation, has launched numerous satellites to date, with few failures.
- Air Launch, Kistler, Beal, Liberty, SpaceX and other private companies now develops space launch rockets and systems also.
[edit] Unconfirmed claims
[edit] Failed launches
[edit] Non-domestic launch vehicles
Canada had its first satellite, Alouette 1 launched by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from the Pacific Missile Range from Vandenberg AFB, California at 06:05 UTC on September 29, 1962.
Italy launched its first satellite, San Marco 2, on April 26, 1967 from the San Marco platform off the coast of Kenya; however, a United States Scout B rocket, not an Italian rocket, was used in the launch.
Australia launched its first satellite, WRESAT, on November 29, 1967 from Woomera, Australia; however, a United States Redstone rocket, not an Australian rocket, was used in the launch.
[edit] Past extra-national attempts
- In 1970-1980s under OTRAG project the private company tried to develop the low-cost commercial space launchers. Only non-suborbital tests of the first prototypes of these rockets are carried out.
[edit] Abandoned projects
- Europe under the multi-national ELDO consortium developed and tested the space launcher Europa in the 1960s. All launch tests were unsuccessful and the program was closed.
Iraq developed and tested the Tammouz launch vehicle without a payload on December 5, 1989. According to a press release by the Iraqi News Agency the warhead completed 6 orbits, but this was not confirmed. The space program was closed soon after.
South Africa developed the space launcher RSA-3 in the 1980s. This rocket was tested 3 times without a satellite payload in 1989 and 1990. The program was postponed and cancelled in 1994 for political reasons.
Germany had a preliminary development of numerous rocket space launchers and re-usable launch systems (Zanger 2, etc.) after WWII. These were never realized as national or European projects.- Canada had developed the gun-based space launchers Martlet and GLO as the joint Canadian-American Project HARP in the 1960s. These rockets were never tested.
Spain developed the space launcher Capricorno (Capricorn) in the 1990s. This rocket were never tested.- Australia,
Argentina, 
Egypt, 
Romania preliminarily developed space launchers. These were not realized in practice.
[edit] Expected future launch attempts
South Korea's space program, with assistance from Russia, is building the Naro Space Center in South Korea. It is scheduled to begin operation in early 2008, and South Korea is planning to launch a KSLV-I rocket to put the nation's first satellite into orbit sometime in 2008.
Iran, on February 4, 2008 launched the Kavoshgar-1 rocket on a suborbital trajectory. On January 25, 2007 the first suborbital test of the rocket (to an altitude of 150 km) was conducted.
Ukraine is a major manufacturer of space launchers Tsyklon (Cyclone), Zenit, Dnipro (Dnepr), Mayak. Ukraine has no indigenous vehicle-launch facility and has not been the sole supporter of an orbital launch. Currently, Ukraine has plans of a domestic launch facility of aforementioned rockets (as well as the Svityaz launch system with airplane-base start), both indigenously and under cooperation with Brazil and other countries. Spaceports outside the territory of Ukraine are being considered as well.
Pakistan has developed two families of indigenous military ballistic rockets (Ghauri and Shaheen) in recent years. These could be converted into space launchers.- Romania is now developing a domestic small space launcher Orizont (Horizon) that could place nano-satellites in orbit within a few years. This program is a joint venture between the Romanian government and local industry.
Kazakhstan is now developing the space launcher Bayterek in cooperation with Russia.- Australia is now developing the space launcher Ausroc.
Malaysia announced in 2006 that there is an intention to develop a domestic space launcher in the near future.
Turkey announced in 2007 that there is an intention to develop the domestic space launcher in the far future.
- 1 The Soviet Union's successor state, Russia, took over the Soviet space programme after the Soviet Union's dissolution on December 25, 1991. The first satellite launched by Russia was Cosmos 2175 on January 21, 1992.
- 2 The multi-national European Space Agency, which currently has 17 members, is counted as a single entity.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- First Satellites Launched By Spacefaring Nations, Anthony R. Curtis, Ph.D., Space Today Online, accessed February 17, 2006.
- National Briefings: Iraq, Ranger Associates, accessed February 17, 2006.
- The 31 August 1998 North Korean Satellite Launch: Factsheet, Kevin Orfall and Gaurav Kampani, with Michael Dutra, Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies, accessed February 17, 2006.
- News Release 25-98, United States Space Command, September 8, 1998, accessed February 17, 2006.
- Daily Press Briefing, James P. Rubin, United States Department of State, September 14, 1998, accessed February 17, 2006.
- BBC World: Brazil Launches rocket into space
- Space.com: Brazil completes successful rocket launch
- Herald Tribune: Brazil launches rocket for gravity research
- AFP: Iran rocket test 'unfortunate': White House
- Space-Travel.com: Iran opens its first space centre, riling the US
- New York Times: Iran Launches Rocket to Commemorate New Space Center
- MSNBC: Iran unveils space center, launches rocket
North Korea claimed to have launched the Kwangmyŏngsŏng satellite on August 31, 1998 from Musudan-ri, but this was never confirmed and widely believed to be a cover for the test launch of the Taepodong-1 missile.
Brazil has yet to launch a satellite into orbit. Its space program suffered three satellite launch failures, the latest being the premature explosion of a VLS-1 rocket on August 22, 2003 at the Alcântara Launch Centre, which resulted in 21 deaths.
