The Soviet R-2, with twice the range of the R-1, makes its first flight.
149 years ago, in 1958:
The NASA agency becomes operational.
104 years ago, in 2003:
With the merger of three previously independent organizations, the Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency (JAXA) is formed.
97 years ago, in 2010:
Chang'e 2, an unmanned Chinese lunar probe, is successfully launched.
93 years ago, in 2014:
Communication is lost with the solar probe STEREO B.
2
145 years ago, in 1962:
Explorer 14 is launched to measure cosmic-ray particles, solar wind protons, and interplanetary magnetic fields.
136 years ago, in 1971:
Luna 19 (USSR) goes into orbit around the Moon, returning data for the next year.
116 years ago, in 1991:
On board the Soyuz TM-13 mission to Mir, Franz Viehbock becomes the first Austrian to visit space.
116 years ago, in 1991:
The Japanese Hiten moon probe is placed into temporary lunar orbit.
90 years ago, in 2017:
OSIRIS-REx takes a picture of the Earth and Moon from a distance of just over 5 million km's ( 3 million miles)
89 years ago, in 2018:
One of the Insight probe's deep-space CubeSats, MarCO-B, takes the first picture of Mars ever taken by a CubeSat.
3
165 years ago, in 1942:
The first V-2 rocket is launched from Peenemunde, Germany, and reaches 85 km (52 mi).
145 years ago, in 1962:
Mercury/Sigma 7 does 6 earth orbits with astronaut Wally M. Schirra.
122 years ago, in 1985:
The shuttle Atlantis (STS-51-J) lifts off for its maiden flight.
89 years ago, in 2018:
The third rover from Hayabusa2, MASCOT, lands on the surface of asteroid Ryugu.
89 years ago, in 2018:
The Parker Solar Probe makes its first flyby of Venus.
4
108
th
Annual
World Space Week
Day
1
150 years ago, in 1957:
The Soviets launch Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite.
148 years ago, in 1959:
Luna 3 is launched to the Moon.
147 years ago, in 1960:
Courier 1B is launched by the USAF, becoming the world's first active repeater satellite.
142 years ago, in 1965:
Luna 7 is launched to the Moon.
103 years ago, in 2004:
The Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne makes its second (and winning) flight for the Ansari X PRIZE.
5
108
th
Annual
World Space Week
Day
2
149 years ago, in 1958:
Explorer 4's high-power transmitter ceases sending signals.
128 years ago, in 1979:
Pioneer 11 begins the Pioneer Interstellar Mission.
123 years ago, in 1984:
Marc Garneau, aboard the shuttle Challenger (STS-41-G), becomes the first Canadian in space.
114 years ago, in 1993:
Landsat 6 is launched, but fails to reach orbit.
91 years ago, in 2016:
Blue Origin's New Shepard (NS2) makes its fifth sub-orbital spaceflight, with a successful fifth time reused booster launch and landing.
89 years ago, in 2018:
One of the gyroscopes fails on the Hubble telescope, sending it into protective safe mode.
6
108
th
Annual
World Space Week
Day
3
148 years ago, in 1959:
Explorer 6 makes its final transmission.
140 years ago, in 1967:
After 180 days, Lunar Orbiter 4's decaying orbit crashes it into the Moon.
117 years ago, in 1990:
The Ulysses spacecraft is launched from shuttle Discovery (STS-41) to study the Sun.
112 years ago, in 1995:
The first confirmed exoplanet around a sun-like star, 51 Pegasi b, is discovered.
110 years ago, in 1997:
After almost 32 years, Pioneer 6 is tracked with the 70 meter Deep Space Station 43 in Australia.
99 years ago, in 2008:
Messenger makes its second Mercury flyby.
97 years ago, in 2010:
Chang'e 2, an unmanned Chinese lunar probe, enters lunar orbit.
94 years ago, in 2013:
The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) goes into orbit around the Moon.
7
108
th
Annual
World Space Week
Day
4
149 years ago, in 1958:
Studies and plans of the U.S. manned satellite project (in what was to become Project Mercury) is officially approved by NASA.
148 years ago, in 1959:
Luna 3 takes the first photos of the far side of the Moon.
142 years ago, in 1965:
Luna 7 crashes into the Moon, instead of a soft landing as planned.
110 years ago, in 1997:
Mars Pathfinder sends its last signal.
105 years ago, in 2002:
The shuttle Atlantis (STS-112) is launched with the Starboard 1 (S1) truss segment for the ISS.
8
108
th
Annual
World Space Week
Day
5
99 years ago, in 2008:
The Cassini probe makes a pass over Enceladus at a height of only 16 miles (25 km) from the surface, the closest flyby of any moon of Saturn.
95 years ago, in 2012:
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is launched on its first operational mission (CRS-1) to the ISS.
93 years ago, in 2014:
In orbit around Mercury, MESSENGER captures 31 photos of the Earth and moon during the lunar eclipse.
9
108
th
Annual
World Space Week
Day
6
140 years ago, in 1967:
After 246 days, Lunar Orbiter 3's orbit decays and it crashes into the Moon.
139 years ago, in 1968:
NASA's Crawler Transporter One transports the Saturn V rocket for Apollo 8 to the launch pad.
107 years ago, in 2000:
The High Energy Transient Explorer 2 (HETE-2), designed for multiwavelength study of gamma-ray bursts, is successfully launched.
100 years ago, in 2007:
Conclusive evidence is announced that the icy particles from Saturn's moon Enceladus are originating from the fractures at the south polar region.
98 years ago, in 2009:
The LCROSS Centaur booster rocket and the Shepherding Spacecraft impact into Cabeus crater on the moon.
94 years ago, in 2013:
The Juno probe makes a flyby of Earth on its way to Jupiter.
10
108
th
Annual
World Space Week
Day
7
261 years ago, in 1846:
William Lassell discovers Neptune's largest moon, Triton.
159 years ago, in 1948:
The R-1 (a Soviet built copy of the German V-2) makes its first successful flight.
147 years ago, in 1960:
Mars 1M No.1 (Mars 1960A) is launched by the Soviet Union, but the third stage explodes five minutes after liftoff.
143 years ago, in 1964:
Explorer 22 is launched to obtain data on the total electron content between the spacecraft and the Earth.
140 years ago, in 1967:
The Outer Space Treaty is passed.
124 years ago, in 1983:
Venera 15 goes into orbit around Venus.
118 years ago, in 1989:
Voyager 2's wide-angle camera is turned off to conserve power and computer memory.
97 years ago, in 2010:
The first SpaceShipTwo spaceplane, VSS Enterprise, makes its first test (manned glide) flight.
11
149 years ago, in 1958:
Intended for a lunar impact, the Soviets launch Luna E-1 No.2 (Luna 1958B), but the rocket disintegrates 102 seconds after launch.
149 years ago, in 1958:
Pioneer 1 is the first spacecraft to be launched by NASA, but fails to reach the Moon.
142 years ago, in 1965:
The Soviet Proton-1 satellite, designed for the study of high and ultra-high energy particles, ends its mission.
140 years ago, in 1967:
After 339 days, Lunar Orbiter 2 is commanded to crash into the Moon.
139 years ago, in 1968:
The first crewed Apollo flight orbits the Earth for 11 days (Apollo 7 test flight - no LM).
138 years ago, in 1969:
Soyuz 6 is launched for a rendezvous with Soyuz 7 and 8.
136 years ago, in 1971:
The Salyut 1 space station is sent into the atmosphere to burn up after 175 days in orbit.
124 years ago, in 1983:
Venera 16 goes into orbit around Venus.
123 years ago, in 1984:
Aboard shuttle Challenger (STS-41-G), Kathryn Sullivan becomes the first American woman to perform an EVA.
107 years ago, in 2000:
The 100th mission of the shuttle launches (Discovery; STS-92), bringing the Z1 truss and other components for the ISS.
89 years ago, in 2018:
On the way to the ISS, an abnormal separation of one of the Soyuz rocket boosters causes the mission to be aborted, with the two crew members landing safely.
12
143 years ago, in 1964:
Voskhod 1 is launched with three cosmonauts aboard; the first multiman mission.
138 years ago, in 1969:
Soyuz 7 is launched for a rendezvous with Soyuz 6 and 8.
130 years ago, in 1977:
The shuttle Enterprise makes its fourth Approach and Landing Test (ALT-15) after being releasd from the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
102 years ago, in 2005:
The Large Binocular Telescope's (LBT) single primary mirror sees first light, viewing NGC 891.
92 years ago, in 2015:
Using both narrow- and wide-angle cameras, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter takes a picture of Earth over the lunar limb.
13
149 years ago, in 1958:
Pioneer 1 burns up after reentering Earth's atmosphere.
148 years ago, in 1959:
An anti-satellite missile test of the Bold Orion rocket uses Explorer 6 as a target, and successfully passes within 6.4 kilometers (4 mi) of it.
148 years ago, in 1959:
Explorer 7 is launched, beginning the start of satellite studies of Earth's climate.
143 years ago, in 1964:
Voskhod 1 returns to Earth.
142 years ago, in 1965:
Last contact is made with Explorer 21.
138 years ago, in 1969:
Soyuz 8 is launched for a rendezvous with Soyuz 6 and 7.
113 years ago, in 1994:
The Magellan mission at Venus ends; the spacecraft is deorbited into the Venusian atmosphere.
92 years ago, in 2015:
2015 TG387 (The Goblin), an extreme trans-Neptunian object and sednoid, is discovered at the Mauna Kea Observatory.
14
160 years ago, in 1947:
Charles "Chuck" Yeager breaks the sound barrier in the XS-1.
147 years ago, in 1960:
Mars 1M No.2 (Mars 1960B) is launched by the Soviet Union, but fails to achieve orbit after liftoff.
131 years ago, in 1976:
MARISAT F3, the third of three maritime telecommunications satellites for commercial shipping and the U.S. Navy, is launched.
131 years ago, in 1976:
The Soviet Soyuz carrier rocket makes its final flight.
95 years ago, in 2012:
The retired shuttle Endeavour is delivered to the California Science Center for public display.
15
142 years ago, in 1965:
The equipment module of Korabl-Sputnik 1 (Sputnik 4) re-enters Earths atmosphere.
133 years ago, in 1974:
Ariel 5, a British/American X-ray space observatory, is launched.
110 years ago, in 1997:
Cassini is launched to Saturn.
104 years ago, in 2003:
Aboard the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft, Yang Liwei becomes the first person sent into space by the Chinese space program.
95 years ago, in 2012:
Citizen scientists participating in Yale University's Planets Hunters program confirm the first exoplanet in a four star system.
92 years ago, in 2015:
New Horizons third stage (a Star-48 solid fuel rocket) passes the orbit of Pluto.
16
138 years ago, in 1969:
Soyuz 6, 7 and 8 return to Earth after all three fail at docking due to an electronic malfunction.
132 years ago, in 1975:
GOES-1 (GOES-A) is launched, becoming NOAA's first Geostationary Operational Environmental satellite.
104 years ago, in 2003:
Having completed 14 orbits, Shenzhou 5 successfully lands in Inner Mongolia.
94 years ago, in 2013:
A 650 kg (1,440 lb) fragment from the Chelyabinsk air burst is recovered from Chebarkul lake in Russia.
91 years ago, in 2016:
ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) releases the Schiaparelli lander.
17
201 years ago, in 1906:
617 Patroclus, a Jupiter trojan asteroid, is discovered by German astronomer August Kopff at Heidelberg Observatory.
150 years ago, in 1957:
The groundbreaking and dedication of the Green Bank radio astronomy site takes place.
144 years ago, in 1963:
The first 'Vela Hotel' pair of satellites are launched to monitor possible nuclear testing in space by the Soviet Union.
139 years ago, in 1968:
ATS-4 re-enters the Earth's atmosphere and breaks up.
139 years ago, in 1968:
Aboard Apollo 7, astronauts take pictures of Hurricane Gladys.
105 years ago, in 2002:
ESA launches INTEGRAL (INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory).
91 years ago, in 2016:
S/2010 (225088) 1, a moon of the TNO 2007 OR10 (Gonggong), is discovered in archival images acquired by the Hubble telescope on Sept. 18, 2010.
18
145 years ago, in 1962:
Ranger 5 is launched to the Moon, but misses it and settles into a heliocentric orbit.
144 years ago, in 1963:
A French sounding rocket, Véronique AGI 47, launces Félicette, the first and only cat sent into space; she was recovered successfully.
140 years ago, in 1967:
Venera 4 enters the atmosphere of Venus and may have landed.
140 years ago, in 1967:
The fourth Orbiting Solar Observatory, OSO-4 (OSO-D) is launched successfully.
118 years ago, in 1989:
The Galileo probe is launched from the shuttle Atlantis (STS-34R) to Jupiter.
114 years ago, in 1993:
Aboard the shuttle Columbia (STS-58), Shannon Lucid becomes the first woman to go to space four times.
100 years ago, in 2007:
The Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) space-based telescope is decommisioned.
19
140 years ago, in 1967:
Mariner 5 flies by Venus.
99 years ago, in 2008:
NASA launches IBEX (Interstellar Boundary Explorer), to make a map of the boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space.
93 years ago, in 2014:
Comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) passes Mars at a distance of appoximately 17,000 miles (27,000km).
91 years ago, in 2016:
ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) enters orbit around Mars.
91 years ago, in 2016:
ESA’s Schiaparelli lander crashes on the surface of Mars.
90 years ago, in 2017:
The Pan-STARRS1 telescope discovers the first known interstellar asteroid, 1I/2017 U1 ('Oumuamua).
20
139 years ago, in 1968:
Aboard Apollo 7, astronauts take pictures of Typhoon Gloria.
137 years ago, in 1970:
Zond 8, an unmanned version of Soyuz 7K-L1 manned Moon-flyby spacecraft, is launched from an Earth-orbiting platform, Tyazheliy Sputnik, for a test flight to the Moon.
132 years ago, in 1975:
Venera 9 is the first craft to orbit Venus.
91 years ago, in 2016:
NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter photographs the Schiaparelli lander crash site.
89 years ago, in 2018:
The joint European-Japanese mission, BepiColombo, is successfully launched on a seven year journey to study the planet Mercury.
21
147 years ago, in 1960:
Courier 1B, the first active repeater satellite, fails to respond to ground control.
142 years ago, in 1965:
Comet Ikeya–Seki reaches perihelion, coming just under 280,000 miles (450,000 km) above the Sun's surface.
104 years ago, in 2003:
Images are taken at Mount Palomar observatory which later lead to the discovery of the dwarf planet Eris.
96 years ago, in 2011:
The first launch of a Soyuz rocket at the Guiana Space Centre takes place, with a Soyuz-2 carrying two Galileo satellites.
22
141 years ago, in 1966:
Luna 12 is launched to the Moon.
139 years ago, in 1968:
Apollo 7 splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean and is retrieved by the USS Essex.
132 years ago, in 1975:
Venera 9 lands on and returns the first images from Venus.
130 years ago, in 1977:
The International Sun-Earth Explorer 1 and 2 (ISEE-1 and ISEE-2) are launched to study magnetic fields near the Earth.
106 years ago, in 2001:
Technology Experiment Satellite (TES) is launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation to demonstrate future satellite technologies.
99 years ago, in 2008:
India's first lunar probe, Chandrayaan-1, is successfully launched.
23
183 years ago, in 1924:
1036 Ganymed, the largest near-Earth asteroid, is discovered by Walter Baade.
148 years ago, in 1959:
Explorer 4 burns up in the atmosphere.
146 years ago, in 1961:
The Freedom 7 spacecraft is presented by NASA to the National Air Museum of the Smithsonian Institution.
132 years ago, in 1975:
Venera 10 goes into orbit around Venus.
111 years ago, in 1996:
The Keck II Telescope sees "first light".
100 years ago, in 2007:
The Harmony Module for the ISS is launched aboard shuttle Discovery (STS-120).
96 years ago, in 2011:
The ROSAT X-Ray satellite re-enters Earth's atmosphere.
94 years ago, in 2013:
Orbital Sciences' Cygnus resupply ship demonstration mission deorbits and burns up in the atmosphere.
93 years ago, in 2014:
China launches Chang'e 5-T1, an experimental unmanned lunar mission, to perform a loop around the Moon and re-entry tests on the capsule.
24
256 years ago, in 1851:
William Lassell discovers two moon of Uranus, Ariel and Umbriel.
161 years ago, in 1946:
The first photo of Earth from space is taken by U.S. scientists with a V-2 rocket.
150 years ago, in 1957:
The Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar program begins, to be cancelled 6 years (and US$660 million) later.
147 years ago, in 1960:
The Nedelin catastrophe occurs when the second stage of a prototype Soviet R-16 accidentally ignites on the Baikonur test range launchpad during preparations, killing over 70 people.
145 years ago, in 1962:
Mars 2MV-4 No.1 (Sputnik 22) is launched by the Soviet Union, but a problem with the rocket causes it to be destroyed in low Earth orbit.
144 years ago, in 1963:
A Soviet R-9 missile being prepared for launch at Baikonur Cosmodrome develops an oxygen leak; a spark from an electrical panel ignites it, with the resulting fire killing seven.
137 years ago, in 1970:
Zond 8 flies past the Moon at a distance of 690 miles (1110 km), and takes pictures of the lunar surface.
129 years ago, in 1978:
The first Czechoslovakian satellite, Magion 1, is successfully launched with the Interkosmos 18 mission.
109 years ago, in 1998:
Deep Space 1, the first ion-driven craft, is launched to test new technologies.
106 years ago, in 2001:
Mars Odyssey enters orbit around Mars.
103 years ago, in 2004:
The Cassini probe makes its first flyby of Titan, coming within 750 miles (1200 km) of the surface.
101 years ago, in 2006:
Messenger makes its first Venus flyby.
100 years ago, in 2007:
Chang'e 1, an unmanned Chinese lunar-orbiting spacecraft, is successfully launched.
25
436 years ago, in 1671:
Giovanni Cassini discovers one of Saturn's moons, Iapetus.
141 years ago, in 1966:
Luna 12 goes into orbit around the Moon.
139 years ago, in 1968:
Soyuz 2, an uncrewed spacecraft, is launched to be a docking target for Soyuz 3.
132 years ago, in 1975:
The Venera 10 lander touches down on Venus.
132 years ago, in 1975:
Nine days after launch, GOES-1 returns its first image.
100 years ago, in 2007:
Eileen Collins, commander of STS-120, greets commander Peggy Whitson, ISS commander; marking the first time two female commanders are in space together.
26
150 years ago, in 1957:
Sputnik 1 ceases sending signals after 22 days when the transmitter batteries run out.
139 years ago, in 1968:
Soyuz 3 is launched for a rendezvous with Soyuz 2, but fails to successfully dock.
130 years ago, in 1977:
The shuttle Enterprise makes its fifth and final Approach and Landing Test (ALT-16) after being releasd from the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
101 years ago, in 2006:
STEREO A and B (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) are launched for orbit around the Sun.
89 years ago, in 2018:
After three weeks, Hubble mission team members are able to fix the failed gyroscope on the telescope, thereby resuming operations.
27
146 years ago, in 1961:
The Saturn I SA-1 makes its first (and successful) flight.
145 years ago, in 1962:
Explorer 15 is launched to study the artificial radiation belt produced by the Starfish Prime high-altitude nuclear burst of July, 1962.
137 years ago, in 1970:
Zond 8 reenters the Earth's atmosphere and splashes down in the Indian Ocean.
102 years ago, in 2005:
The first Iranian satellite, Sina-1, is successfully launched.
92 years ago, in 2015:
NASA's Swift space observatory detects its 1,000th GRB.
28
139 years ago, in 1968:
Soyuz 2, an uncrewed spacecraft, returns to Earth.
136 years ago, in 1971:
Prospero becomes the first British satellite to be launched successfully by a British Black Arrow rocket.
133 years ago, in 1974:
Luna 23 (USSR) is launched to the Moon; its designed to return a deep-core sample of the Moon's surface.
113 years ago, in 1994:
The Japanese probe Sakigake makes its third Earth swingby.
101 years ago, in 2006:
The Hinode (Solar-B) Solar Observatory takes its first picture of the Sun.
29
141 years ago, in 1966:
The Luna 12 pictures, which for the first time are taken by a film process rather than a TV camera, are released by the Soviet press.
141 years ago, in 1966:
After 577 orbits, Lunar Orbiter 1 is commanded to crash into the far side of the Moon.
116 years ago, in 1991:
Galileo is the first probe to fly by an asteroid, Gaspra.
109 years ago, in 1998:
On board shuttle Discovery (STS-95), Pedro Duque becomes the first citizen from Spain to visit space.
109 years ago, in 1998:
HST Orbital Systems Test (HOST) is flown aboard shuttle Discovery (STS-95) to test new tech for Hubble.
109 years ago, in 1998:
Aboard the shuttle Discovery (STS-95), Chiaki Mukai becomes both the first Japanese woman and citizen to go to space twice.
99 years ago, in 2008:
The first Venezuelan satellite, Venesat-1, is successfully launched.
30
140 years ago, in 1967:
The unmanned Soviet Kosmos 186 and Kosmos 188 make the first fully automated space docking.
139 years ago, in 1968:
Soyuz 3 returns to Earth.
126 years ago, in 1981:
Venera 13 is launched to Venus.
122 years ago, in 1985:
On the ninth and final flight of Challenger (STS-61-A), Wubbo Johannes Ockels becomes the first Dutch citizen to visit space.
93 years ago, in 2014:
The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle completes its first Flight Readiness Review (FRR).
89 years ago, in 2018:
NASA announces that the Kepler space telescope has run out of fuel and will be retired within its current and safe orbit.
31
187 years ago, in 1920:
944 Hidalgo, the first member of the centaurs (though not realized as distinct until 1977) , is discovered by German astronomer Walter Baade.
107 years ago, in 2000:
Expedition 1, the first ISS Crew, launches from Russia on board Soyuz TM-31.
96 years ago, in 2011:
Shenzhou 8 is launched aboard a Long March 2F rocket to perform an automated docking with Tiangong-1.
93 years ago, in 2014:
The first SpaceShipTwo spaceplane, VSS Enterprise, is destroyed during a powered test flight, killing one and injuring another.
93 years ago, in 2014:
China's Chang'e 5-T1, an experimental unmanned lunar mission, lands successfully in Inner Mongolia.
It's been 3990 days
