Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes

Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes

Key: Year - Origin - Target - Status Description

=1950s=

1957 - Russia - Earth - Success - Sputnik 1 is launched, the first Earth orbiting satellite

1957 - Russia - Earth - Partial success - Sputnik 2 is launched, the first Earth orbiting satellite with an animal (Laika)

1958 - USA - Earth - Success - Explorer 1

1958 - USA - Earth - Success - Vanguard 1

1958 - USA - Moon - Failure - Pioneer 0 orbiter

1958 - USA - Moon - Failure - Pioneer 1 orbiter

1958 - USA - Moon - Failure - Pioneer 3 flyby

1959 - Russia - Moon - Success - Luna 1 flyby launched, it discovered solar wind

1959 - USA - Moon - Pioneer 4 flyby

1959 - Russia - Moon - Success - Luna 2 lander launched, it was the first spacecraft to impact onto the surface of the moon

1959 - Russia - Moon - Success - Luna 3 flyby launched, it returned the first image of the Moon s hidden side

=1960s=

1960 - Sun - Pioneer 5 solar monitor

1960 - Mars - Failure - Mars 1960A probe

1960 - Mars - Failure - Mars 1960B probe

1961 - Venus - Failure - 1VA (proto-Venera) flyby

1961 - Venus - Failure - Venera 1 flyby

1961 - Earth - Success - OSCAR1 First Amateur Satellite

1962 - Venus - Success - Mariner 2 launched and became the first satellite to return data about Venus (planet)

1962 - Earth - Success - Telstar 1 is launched

1962 - Earth - Success - Alouette 1 is launched, the first Canadian space program

1962 - Moon - Failure - Ranger 3 photographic mission

1962 - Moon - Success - Ranger 4 photographic mission

1962 - Moon - Partial Failure - Ranger 5 photographic mission (became flyby)

1962 - Mars - Failure - Mars 1962A flyby

1962 - Mars - Failure - Mars 1 flyby

1962 - Mars - Failure - Mars 1962B lander

1963 - Earth - Failure - Syncom 1 is launched

1963 - Earth - Success - Syncom 2 is launched and sets the geosynchronous orbit

1963 - Moon - Partial Failure - Luna 4 lander (became probe)

1964 - Earth - Success - Syncom 3 is launched and sets the geostationary orbit

1964 - Venus - Failure - Zond 1 flyby

1964 - Moon - Failure - Ranger 6 photographic mission

1964 - Moon - Success - Ranger 7 photographic mission

1964 - Mars - Failure - Mariner 3 flyby

1964 - Mars - Success - Mariner 4 flyby, the first successful Mars (planet) mission

1964 - Mars - Failure - Zond 2 flyby

1965 - Sun - Success - Pioneer 6 solar probe

1965 - Venus - Failure - Venera 2 flyby

1965 - Venus - Failure - Venera 3 atmospheric probe

1965 - Moon - Success - Ranger 8 photographic mission

1965 - Moon - Success - Ranger 9 photographic mission

1965 - Earth - Success - Alouette 2 is launched

1965 - Moon - Failure - Luna 5 lander

1965 - Moon - Failure - Luna 6 lander

1965 - Moon - Success - Zond 3 flyby

1965 - Moon - Failure - Luna 7 lander

1965 - Moon - Failure - Luna 8 lander

1965 - Mars - Success - Mariner 4 sends the first clear pictures of Mars

1966 - Sun - Success - Pioneer 7 solar probe

1966 - Moon - Success - Luna 9 lander returned the first photographs from the surface of the Moon

1966 - Moon - Success - Luna 10 becomes the first spacecraft to orbit the Moon

1966 - Moon - Success - Surveyor 1 lander

1966 - Moon - Success - Lunar Orbiter 1 orbiter

1966 - Moon - Success - Luna 11 orbiter

1966 - Moon - Failure - Surveyor 2

1966 - Moon - Success - Luna 12 orbiter

1966 - Moon - Success - Lunar Orbiter 2 orbiter

1966 - Moon - Success - Luna 13 lander

1967 - Earth - Success - Ariel 3 launched [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/5/newsid_2511000/2511263.stm], to study VLF radiation, high altitude electron density & oxygen.

1967 - Sun - Success - Pioneer 8 solar probe

1967 - Venus - Success - Venera 4 sends the first data from below the clouds of Venus

1967 - Venus - Success - Mariner 5 flyby

1967 - Moon - Success - Lunar Orbiter 3 orbiter

1967 - Moon - Success - Surveyor 2 lander

1967 - Moon - Success - Lunar Orbiter 4 orbiter

1967 - Moon - Failure - Surveyor 3 lander

1967 - Moon - Success - Explorer 35 orbiter

1967 - Moon - Success - Lunar Orbiter 5 orbiter

1967 - Moon - Success - Surveyor 5 lander

1967 - Moon - Success - Surveyor 6 lander, also took off from the Moon s surface

1967 - Success - The OSO-3 gamma-ray satellite discovers gamma-ray emission from the Galactic_plane

1968 - Sun - Success - Pioneer 9 solar probe

1968 - Moon - Success - Surveyor 7 lander

1968 - Moon - Success - Luna 14 orbiter

1968 - Moon - Success - Zond 5 flyby

1968 - Moon - Success - Zond 6 flyby

1968 - Moon - Success - Apollo 8 manned orbiter became the first manned lunar flyby

1969 - Earth - Success - ISIS-I Canadian ionosphere probe

1969 - Venus - Success - Venera 5 atmospheric probe

1969 - Venus - Success - Venera 6 atmospheric probe

1969 - Moon - Success - Apollo 10 manned orbiter

1969 - Moon - Failure - Luna 15 lander

1969 - Moon - Success - Apollo 11 manned lander became the first manned lunar landing

1969 - Moon - Success - Zond 7 flyby

1969 - Moon - Success - Apollo 12 manned lander

1969 - Mars - Success - Mariner 6 flyby

1969 - Mars - Success - Mariner 7 flyby

=1970s=

1970 - Venus - Success - Venera 7 is the first successful landing of a spacecraft on another planet

1970 - Moon - Failure - Apollo 13 manned lander

1970 - Moon - Success - Luna 16 lander is the first automated return of samples from the Moon

1970 - Moon - Success - Zond 8 flyby

1970 - Moon - Success - Luna 17/Lunokhod 1 lander/rover is the first automated surface exploration of the Moon

1970 - Success - Launch of Uhuru, the first dedicated X-ray satellite

1970 - Success - Launch of Dong Fang Hong I, the first satellite of People s Republic of China

1971 - Moon - Success - Apollo 14 manned lander

1971 - Moon - Success - Apollo 15 manned lander, the mission included the first deep spacewalk

1971 - Moon - Failure - Luna 18 lander

1971 - Moon - Success - Luna 19 orbiter

1971 - Mars - Failure - Mariner 8 flyby

1971 - Mars - Failure - Cosmos 419 probe

1971 - Mars - Partial Failure - Mars 2 orbiter and lander, created the first Human artifact on Mars

1971 - Mars - Partial Success - Mars 3 orbiter and lander, first successful landing on Mars

1971 - Mars - Success - Mariner 9 orbiter, first pictures of Mars moons (Phobos (moon) and Deimos (moon)) taken

1971 - Earth - Success - Prospero X-3 satellite, first and only satellite launched by United Kingdom using a British rocket

1972 - Venus - Success - Venera 8 lander

1972 - Moon - Success - Luna 20 lander

1972 - Moon - Success - Apollo 16 manned lander

1972 - Moon - Success - Apollo 17 manned lander

1972 - Success - Launch of the Copernicus ultraviolet satellite

1973 - Sun - Success - Explorer 49 solar probe

1973 - Venus/Mercury - Success - Mariner 10 launched, it passed by and photographed Mercury, also was the first dual planet probe

1973 - Moon - Success - Luna 21/Lunokhod 2 lander/rover

1973 - Mars - Failure - Mars 4 orbiter

1973 - Mars - Success - Mars 5 orbiter

1973 - Mars - Failure - Mars 6 orbiter and lander

1973 - Mars - Failure - Mars 7 orbiter and lander

1973 - Success - Skylab was launched, re-entered Earth s atmosphere in 1979

1974 - Sun - Success - Helios 1 solar probe

1974 - Moon - Success - Luna 22 orbiter

1974 - Moon - Failure - Luna 23 probe

1974 - Success - Launch of the Ariel V X-ray satellite

1975 - Venus - Success - Venera 9 returns the first pictures of the surface of Venus

1975 - Venus - Success - Venera 10 orbiter and lander

1975 - Mars - Partial Success - Viking 1 orbiter and lander

1975 - Mars - Success - Viking 2 orbiter and lander

1975 - Earth - Success - Aryabhata (satellite) India, launched by USSR

1976 - Sun - Success - Helios 2 solar probe

1976 - Moon - Success - Luna 24 lander

1976 - Earth - Success - Hermes Communications Technology Satellite prototype for testing direct broadcast TV

1976 - Mars - Success - Viking 1 and Viking 2 land on Mars

1976 - Success - The Vela (satellite) and Astronomische Nederlandse Satelliet 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 - Venus - Success - Pioneer Venus 1 orbiter

1978 - Venus - Success - Pioneer Venus 2 atmospheric probe

1978 - Venus - Partial Success - Venera 11 flyby and lander

1978 - 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 - Jupiter - Success - Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 send back images of Jupiter (planet) and its system

=1980s=

1980 - Sun - Success - Solar Maximum Mission solar probe succeeded after being repaired in Earth orbit

1980 - Saturn - Success - Voyager 1 sends back images of Saturn and its system

1980 - Success - Launch of the Solar Maximum Mission satellite

1981 - Venus - Success - Venera 13 launched, it returned the first colour pictures of the surface of Venus

1981 - Venus - Success - Venera 14 flyby and lander

1981 - Saturn - Success - Voyager 2 sends back images of Saturn and its system

1983 - Venus - Success - Venera 15 orbiter

1983 - 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 - Venus/Halley s Comet - Success - Vega 1 flyby, atmospheric probe and lander

1984 - Venus/Halley s Comet - Success - Vega 2 flyby, atmospheric probe and lander

1986 - Uranus - Success - Voyager 2 sends back images of Uranus and its system

1987 - Success - Launch of the Ginga X-ray satellite (ASTRO-C)

1988 - Mars - Failure - Phobos 1 orbiter and lander

1988 - Mars - Failure - Phobos 2 flyby and lander

1989 - Venus - Success - Magellan probe orbiter launched which mapped 99 percent of the surface of Venus (300 m resolution)

1989 - Venus/Earth/Moon/Gaspra/Ida/Jupiter - Success - Galileo_probe flyby, orbiter and atmospheric probe

1989 - 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 - Success - Launch of the Hipparcos satellite

1989 - Success - Launch of the COBE satellite

=1990s=

1990 - Sun - Success - Ulysses (spacecraft) solar flyby

1990 - Moon - Failure - Muses-A orbiters, this was the first non-US or Soviet Union probe to reach the Moon

1990 - Success - Launch of the Hubble Space Telescope

1990 - Success - Launch of the ROSAT X-ray satellite is the first imaging X-ray sky survey

1990 - Success - First observations made with Astro-1 (Broad Band X-ray Telescope, HUT, UIT, WUPPE)

1991 - Sun - Success - Yohkoh solar probe

1991 - Success - Launch of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory satellite

1992 - Mars - Failure - Mars Observer orbiter

1993 - Success - Launch of the Asca X-ray satellite (ASTRO-D)

1994 - Moon - Success - Clementine mission orbiter mapped the surface of the Moon (resolution 125-150m) and allowed the first topography of the Moon to be generated

1995 - Sun - Success - Solar and Heliospheric Observatory solar probe

1996 - Mars - Mars Global Surveyor orbiter

1996 - Mars - Success - Mars Pathfinder/Sojourner lander/rover, the first automated surface exploration another planet

1997 - Success- Saturn and Titan- Cassini-Huygens - arrived in orbit on July 1, 2004, landed on Titan January 14, 2005

1998 - Unknown - Launch of Kwangmyongsong by North Korea though no independent source was able to verify its existence

1998 - Moon - Success - Lunar Prospector orbiter

1998 - Mars - Failure - Nozomi (Planet B) orbiter, the first Japanese spacecraft to reach another planet

1998 - Mars - Failure - Mars Climate Orbiter

1999 - Mars - Failure - Mars Polar Lander

1999 - Mars - Failure - Deep Space 2 (DS2) penetrators

=2000s=

2000 - Earth - IMAGE launched, the first space storm weather satellite

2000 - Earth - Partial Success - Munin_(satellite) Swedish nanosatellite, launched by US

2001 - Sun - Genesis (spacecraft) solar wind sample return - crash-landed on return

2001 - Success - WMAP performs cosmological observations.

2001 - Mars - Success - Mars Odyssey

2003 - Earth - Success - Microvariability and Oscillations of STars telescope the smallest space telescope in the world

2003 - Earth - Success - SCISAT-1 Canadian satellite which observes Earth s upper atmosphere

2003 - Comet Encke - Failure - CONTOUR launched, but lost during early trajectory insertion.

2003 - Moon - Success - Smart 1 orbiter

2003 - Mars - Partial Success - Mars Express orbiter (successfully reached orbit) and failed lander, the Beagle 2

2003 - Mars - Mars Exploration Rover Missions - successful launches, Spirit successfully landed, Opportunity successfully landed

2003 - Earth - Double Star Mission launched successfully

2004 - 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko - Rosetta space probe launched - yet to arrive

2004 - Earth - Double Star Mission - launched successfully

2004 - Mercury - MESSENGER orbiter - launched successfully

2004 - Success - Launch of the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission Gamma ray burst observatory.

2005 - Comet Tempel 1- Deep Impact (space mission)- successful comet impact

2005 - Moon - SELENE orbiter and lander - not yet launched

2005 - Mars - Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter - launched

200 - Moon - LUNAR-A orbiter and penetrators - not yet launched

=See also=

*Timeline of planetary exploration *Landings on other planets

==External link== *http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/index.cfm