Korabl-Sputnik 3 or Vostok-1K No. 3 (Sputnik 6), is launched with dogs Pchyolka and Mushka who spend a day in orbit, but their craft is intentionally destroyed due to a navigation error.
157 years ago, in 1978:
ATS-1 is deactivated after just under 12 years of service.
157 years ago, in 1978:
ATS-3 is deactivated after just over 11 years of service.
146 years ago, in 1989:
The International Astrophysical Observatory 'Granat' is launched aboard a Proton-K rocket to view X-ray and gamma ray objects.
146 years ago, in 1989:
The International Astrophysical Observatory "Granat" is launched to observe the universe at energies ranging from X-ray to gamma rays.
135 years ago, in 2000:
The shuttle Endeavour launches (STS-97), bringing the P6 truss and the first solar arrays to be installed on the ISS.
135 years ago, in 2000:
Marc Garneau, aboard the shuttle Endeavour (STS-97), returns to space for the third time, and visits the ISS.
129 years ago, in 2006:
United Launch Alliance is officially formed with the merger of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security.
122 years ago, in 2013:
Chang'e 3, a robotic lander and China's first lunar rover, Yutu (Jade Rabbit), is successfully launched.
119 years ago, in 2016:
The third failure of a Progress (MS-04, ISS-65P) resupply mission to the ISS occurs when telemetry is lost and the third stage explodes.
2
220 years ago, in 1915:
Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity is published.
164 years ago, in 1971:
Mars 3 (USSR) successfully lands on Mars and though its instruments fail after 20 seconds, it does transmit part of the first surface picture of Mars.
161 years ago, in 1974:
Pioneer 11 encounters the Jovian system.
161 years ago, in 1974:
The first use of a Soyuz-U rocket to launch a crewed mission takes place, with the Soyuz 16 crew.
146 years ago, in 1989:
After 9 years, the Solar Maximum Mission satellite (SolarMax) re-enters the atmosphere and burns up.
145 years ago, in 1990:
On board the Soyuz TM-11 mission to Mir, Toyohiro Akiyama becomes the first Japanese citizen to visit space.
145 years ago, in 1990:
The Broad Band X-ray Telescope (BBXRT) is flown on the space shuttle Columbia (STS-35) for 9 days.
142 years ago, in 1993:
Servicing Mission 1 to fix Hubble's flawed optics is launched aboard shuttle Endeavour (STS-61) .
140 years ago, in 1995:
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) is launched to study the Sun.
117 years ago, in 2018:
New Horizons makes a course-correction maneuver that fine-tunes its trajectory for the flyby of Ultima Thule.
3
231 years ago, in 1904:
At the Lick Observatory, Charles D. Perrine discovers Himalia, the largest irregular satellite of Jupiter.
177 years ago, in 1958:
Control of JPL is transferred from the US Army to NASA.
170 years ago, in 1965:
Luna 8 is launched to the Moon.
162 years ago, in 1973:
Pioneer 10 is the first probe to visit the Jovian system.
161 years ago, in 1974:
Pioneer 11 makes its closest approach to Jupiter, at a distance of 26,612 miles (42,828 km) from the cloud tops.
136 years ago, in 1999:
The Mars Polar Lander crash lands on Mars, ending the mission.
122 years ago, in 2013:
The Cassini probe obtains the highest ever resolution movie of the hexagon at Saturn's north pole.
121 years ago, in 2014:
The Japanese Hayabusa2 sample return mission, along with PROCYON, an asteroid flyby space probe, are launched together for asteroid 162173 Ryugu.
120 years ago, in 2015:
ESA launches the LISA Pathfinder, designed to test technologies for a planned gravitational wave observatory.
120 years ago, in 2015:
The PROCYON asteroid flyby space probe flies past Earth and takes a picture, but is soon lost due to its thruster failure.
117 years ago, in 2018:
The first launch of a Soyuz capsule since the October 11, 2018 rocket failure reaches the ISS with no issues.
117 years ago, in 2018:
NASA's OSIRIS-REx reaches its target, an asteroid named Bennu.
117 years ago, in 2018:
SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 (SSO-A), deploying 64 small satellites, and marking the first time a booster is re-used for a third flight.
4
177 years ago, in 1958:
Intended for a lunar impact, the Soviets launch Luna E-1 No.3 (Luna 1958C), but the rocket disintegrates 245 seconds after launch due to a hydrogen peroxide pump seizure.
170 years ago, in 1965:
Gemini VII is launched; stays aloft for 14 days, does rendezvous with Gemini VI-A.
162 years ago, in 1973:
Pioneer 10 makes its closest approach to Jupiter at a distance of 124,000 miles (200,000 km) from the planet.
157 years ago, in 1978:
The Pioneer Venus Orbiter goes into orbit around Venus.
139 years ago, in 1996:
Mars Pathfinder with the first Mars rover, Sojourner, is launched.
137 years ago, in 1998:
The first shuttle flight to the ISS, made by Endeavour (STS-88), brings the Unity node for the station.
5
146 years ago, in 1989:
Voyager 2's narrow-angle camera is turned off to conserve power and computer memory.
124 years ago, in 2011:
The Kepler space telescope discovers the first planet around the "habitable zone" of a star, Kepler-22b.
121 years ago, in 2014:
The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle makes its first uncrewed test flight - Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1) - on a Delta IV Heavy rocket.
118 years ago, in 2017:
The New Horizons probe takes a picture of the “Wishing Well” galactic open star cluster, becoming the farthest image ever made away from Earth at 3.79 billion miles (6.12 billion kilometers).
118 years ago, in 2017:
The New Horizons probe takes a picture of KBO's 2012 HZ84 and 2012 HE85, becoming the new farthest image ever made away from Earth, and the closest ever taken of Kuiper Belt Objects.
117 years ago, in 2018:
SpaceX launches the first CRS mission (CRS-16) to use a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket to the ISS.
117 years ago, in 2018:
The new SpaceX B1050 booster used to launch CRS-16 has a grid fin hydraulic pump stall on reentry and lands in the ocean, marking the first time any Falcon 9 booster fails to successfully land on a ground pad.
6
345 years ago, in 1790:
William Herschel discovers NGC 12, a spiral galaxy in the Pisces constellation.
178 years ago, in 1957:
Vanguard TV-3, the first U.S. attempt to launch a satellite into orbit, blows up just four feet after lift-off.
177 years ago, in 1958:
Pioneer 3 is launched for a lunar orbit, but fails and burns up in Earths atmosphere.
174 years ago, in 1961:
Last contact is made with Explorer 12.
170 years ago, in 1965:
Luna 8 crashes into the Moon instead of a soft landing as planned, due to a punctured airbag.
137 years ago, in 1998:
The Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) is launched to study interstellar clouds and stellar and planetary formation.
136 years ago, in 1999:
The General Assembly of the United Nations declares October 4th to 10th World Space Week.
125 years ago, in 2010:
The Japanese Venus Climate Orbiter, Akatsuki, fails to insert into an orbit around Venus.
122 years ago, in 2013:
Chang'e 3 enters lunar orbit.
121 years ago, in 2014:
New Horizons is taken out of hibernation for the Pluto encounter.
7
169 years ago, in 1966:
ATS-1 is launched, with experiments in communications and weather data collection.
167 years ago, in 1968:
OAO-2 (Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2) is launched with 11 ultraviolet telescopes.
163 years ago, in 1972:
Apollo 17 launch to land on the moon.
154 years ago, in 1981:
HEAO-3 (High Energy Astronomy Observatory 3) re-enters and burns up in the Earth's atmosphere.
140 years ago, in 1995:
The Galileo spacecraft's atmospheric probe enters Jupiters atmosphere.
134 years ago, in 2001:
The Jason-1 Earth satellite is launched to map sea level, wind speed and wave height.
120 years ago, in 2015:
After missing insertion the first time and orbiting the Sun for 5 years, the Japanese Akatsuki probe is placed into an elliptical orbit around Venus.
8
145 years ago, in 1990:
The Galileo probe makes its first pass by Earth for a gravity assist to Jupiter.
143 years ago, in 1992:
The Galileo probe makes its second pass by Earth for a gravity assist to Jupiter.
140 years ago, in 1995:
The Galileo probe goes into orbit around Jupiter.
135 years ago, in 2000:
After 35 years, contact is made with Pioneer 6 for almost two hours.
125 years ago, in 2010:
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launches on its first test mission (COTS Demo Flight 1), and becomes the first commercially built and operated spacecraft to be recovered from Earth orbit.
125 years ago, in 2010:
The first ever solar sail craft, Japan's IKAROS, makes its closest approach to Venus at 50,200 miles (80,800km), successfully completing its primary mission.
9
157 years ago, in 1978:
All 5 probes from the Pioneer Venus Multiprobe reach Venus and enter the atmosphere.
132 years ago, in 2003:
Last contact is made with the Japanese Mars probe, Nozomi.
129 years ago, in 2006:
The shuttle Discovery (STS-116) launches, bringing the P5 truss segment to the ISS.
10
172 years ago, in 1963:
After 6 years (and US$660 million), the Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar program is cancelled.
161 years ago, in 1974:
Helios-A (Helios 1) is launched to study the solar wind, magnetic and electric fields, and flies to within 47 million km of the Sun.
136 years ago, in 1999:
ESA's X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) is launched.
129 years ago, in 2006:
On board the shuttle Discovery (STS-116), Christer Fuglesang becomes the first Swedish citizen to visit space.
118 years ago, in 2017:
On board a Long March 3B rocket, Alcomsat-1 becomes the first Algerian geostationary communications satellite.
118 years ago, in 2017:
Earth is viewed by the Kepler space telescope after the spacecraft adjusts its telescope to a new field of view.
11
164 years ago, in 1971:
Ariel 4, a British ionospheric research satellite, is successfully launched.
163 years ago, in 1972:
Apollo 17 lands on the moon.
147 years ago, in 1988:
Astra 1A becomes the first satellite to be launched and operated by the SES (Societe Europeenne des Satellites).
12
174 years ago, in 1961:
OSCAR 1, the first amateur radio satellite, is launched.
165 years ago, in 1970:
The Uhuru X-ray Explorer Satellite (SAS 1) is launched.
13
177 years ago, in 1958:
A Jupiter IRBM is launched with a South American squirrel monkey named Gordo on board, but the parachute fails to open and Gordo and the craft are lost at sea.
173 years ago, in 1962:
Relay 1, an experimental communications satellite, is launched.
168 years ago, in 1967:
Pioneer 8 is launched to obtain measurements of interplanetary phenomena.
123 years ago, in 2012:
Chang'e 2, an unmanned Chinese lunar probe, makes its closest approach to the asteroid 4179 Toutatis.
14
173 years ago, in 1962:
Mariner 2 flies by Venus, becoming the first successful mission to another planet.
159 years ago, in 1976:
The Viking 1 orbiter extended mission begins.
145 years ago, in 1990:
The Canadian Space Agency Act is passed by the Government of Canada.
142 years ago, in 1993:
Landsat 4 ends its science operations after failing to transmit data.
134 years ago, in 2001:
The Yohkoh (Solar-A) Solar Observatory goes into safehold mode during an annular eclipse, losing its lock on the Sun.
129 years ago, in 2006:
The U.S. military reconnaissance satellite, USA-193, becomes the first launch for United Launch Alliance, but the satellite malfunctions soon after deployment.
126 years ago, in 2009:
The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) is launched to study faint objects in space.
122 years ago, in 2013:
Chang'e 3 successfully has a soft landing on the Moon; the first since the Soviet Union's Luna 24.
15
344 years ago, in 1791:
Caroline Herschel discovers her fifth comet, Comet C/1791 X1 (Herschel).
175 years ago, in 1960:
Pioneer P-31 (Atlas-Able 5B, Pioneer Z) is launched for a lunar orbit, but the mission fails due to the third stage breaking up.
171 years ago, in 1964:
The first Italian satellite, San Marco 1, is successfully launched.
170 years ago, in 1965:
Gemini VI-A is launched; completes rendezvous with Gemini VII at distances of 1 to 300 feet.
169 years ago, in 1966:
Audouin Dollfus discovers one of Saturn's moons, Janus.
165 years ago, in 1970:
Venera 7 becomes the first craft to make a soft landing on Venus, returning 23 minutes of data.
151 years ago, in 1984:
The Soviet Vega 1 probe is launched to release a balloon and lander on Venus, then continue on to Halley's Comet.
125 years ago, in 2010:
Mars Odyssey breaks the record for longest lived spacecraft at Mars (3340 days).
16
173 years ago, in 1962:
Explorer 16 is launched to obtain data on the near-Earth meteoroid environment.
170 years ago, in 1965:
Gemini VI-A lands back on Earth.
170 years ago, in 1965:
Pioneer 6 is launched to obtain measurements of interplanetary phenomena.
157 years ago, in 1978:
Canada's Anik B1 communications satellite is launched.
131 years ago, in 2004:
Voyager 1 crosses the termination shock; the point at which the solar wind abruptly slows down.
124 years ago, in 2011:
Comet Lovejoy (C/2011 W3) passes through the Sun's corona and emerges intact.
121 years ago, in 2014:
ESA announces that the Venus Express mission is over.
120 years ago, in 2015:
TeLEOS-1, Singapore's first commercial earth observation satellite, is successfully launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in India.
17
232 years ago, in 1903:
The Wright brothers make the first powered flight.
178 years ago, in 1957:
The U.S. successfully test-fires the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time.
132 years ago, in 2003:
Scaled Composites's SpaceShipOne achieves both its first powered and supersonic flight.
123 years ago, in 2012:
The twin GRAIL probes are purposely crashed into the northern hemisphere of the Moon.
120 years ago, in 2015:
China's first space observatory, DAMPE (Dark Matter Particle Explorer), is successfully launched.
18
177 years ago, in 1958:
Project SCORE is launched by DARPA, becoming the world’s first communications satellite.
170 years ago, in 1965:
Gemini VII lands back on Earth.
169 years ago, in 1966:
Richard Walker discovers one of Saturn's moons, Epimetheus.
162 years ago, in 1973:
Soyuz 13, along with the Orion 2 Space Observatory (a UV telescope), is launched.
142 years ago, in 1993:
Thailand's first satellite, Thaicom 1, is successfully launched.
134 years ago, in 2001:
Deep Space 1 ends its mission.
125 years ago, in 2010:
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, located at the South Pole, is completed.
121 years ago, in 2014:
NASA's Kepler space telescope discovers its first exoplanet, HIP 116454b, using the new K2 mission.
120 years ago, in 2015:
Cassini makes its last flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus.
19
352 years ago, in 1783:
Thinking it to be a globular cluster, William Herschel discovers the spiral galaxy NGC 2775 in the constellation of Cancer.
172 years ago, in 1963:
Explorer 19, a balloon satellite, is launched, and is the second satellite for air density research to reach orbit after Explorer 9.
163 years ago, in 1972:
Apollo 17 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean and is retrieved by the USS Ticonderoga.
157 years ago, in 1978:
After just over 16 years in orbit, Explorer 15 reenters the Earth's atmosphere and burns up.
136 years ago, in 1999:
Servicing Mission 3A is launched aboard shuttle Discovery (STS-103) to fix Hubble's 6 failed gyroscopes, and other upgrades.
132 years ago, in 2003:
The European Mars Express ejects the Beagle 2 lander.
123 years ago, in 2012:
Chris Hadfield goes to space for the third time aboard Soyuz TMA-07M to the ISS.
122 years ago, in 2013:
ESA launches the GAIA astrometry observatory, designed to map part of the galaxy in 3D.
20
235 years ago, in 1900:
Michel Giacobini discovers comet Giacobini–Zinner, which was later a target for the ICE spacecraft.
124 years ago, in 2011:
NASA's Kepler space telescope discovers the first Earth-size exoplanets orbiting a sun-like star, Kepler-20e and 20f.
122 years ago, in 2013:
The first Bolivian satellite, Tupac Katari 1 (TKSat 1), is successfully launched.
21
347 years ago, in 1788:
Caroline Herschel discovers her second comet, Comet 35P/Herschel-Rigollet.
170 years ago, in 1965:
OSCAR 4, the fourth amateur radio satellite, is launched.
169 years ago, in 1966:
Luna 13 is launched to the Moon.
167 years ago, in 1968:
Launch of the first manned mission to orbit the Moon (Apollo 8 test flight - no LM).
157 years ago, in 1978:
The Venera 12 probe lands on Venus, where it survives for 110 minutes, and records what is thought to be lightning.
151 years ago, in 1984:
The Soviet Vega 2 probe is launched to release a balloon and lander on Venus, then continue on to Halley's Comet.
131 years ago, in 2004:
The Delta IV Heavy makes its maiden flight carrying a test satellite; DemoSat, two nanosatellites; Nanosat 2, and a mock payload.
120 years ago, in 2015:
The maiden flight of the Progress-MS (MS-01, ISS-62P) is launched for a resupply mission to the ISS.
22
1167 years ago, in 968:
The first clear description of the corona seen during a total eclipse is given by a chronicler in Constantinople.
175 years ago, in 1960:
The Soviet dogs Damka and Krasavka are launched aboard an R2-A for an orbital flight; but the mission fails, though both dogs survive.
170 years ago, in 1965:
OSCAR 4, an amateur radio satellite, delivers the first direct satellite communication between the United States and the USSR.
169 years ago, in 1966:
Apollo 2 is cancelled; deemed unnecessary.
152 years ago, in 1983:
International Sun-Earth Explorer-3 (ISEE-3) is renamed International Cometary Explorer (ICE) and enters heliocentric orbit.
120 years ago, in 2015:
The maiden flight of SpaceX's Falcon 9 Full Thrust is successful, with the first ever controlled landing of a rocket booster on solid ground.
23
463 years ago, in 1672:
Giovanni Cassini discovers one of Saturn's moons, Rhea.
176 years ago, in 1959:
The maiden flight of the Soviet R-7A Semyorka ICBM is successfully launched.
153 years ago, in 1982:
The first Soyuz-U2 orbital carrier rocket is launched on its maiden flight.
142 years ago, in 1993:
COBE's instrument operations are terminated.
131 years ago, in 2004:
Cassini launches the Huygens probe for a landing on Titan.
24
169 years ago, in 1966:
Luna 13 makes the second survivable landing on the Moon for the Soviets.
167 years ago, in 1968:
Apollo 8 goes into lunar orbit, and the crew read the first 10 verses from the Book of Genesis.
156 years ago, in 1979:
The CAT-1 is the first satellite launched by the ESA on their own rocket, the Ariane 1.
117 years ago, in 2018:
ESA's X-ray space telescope, XMM-Newton, detects an increase in brightness by a factor of 100 in the black hole at the center of galaxy GSN 069, a phenomenon that repeats every nine hours.
25
162 years ago, in 1973:
Astronauts aboard Skylab take photos of Comet Kohoutek during an EVA.
157 years ago, in 1978:
The Venera 11 probe lands on Venus, where it survives for 95 minutes.
132 years ago, in 2003:
The European Mars Express enters orbit around Mars.
132 years ago, in 2003:
Beagle 2 lands on Mars, but contact with it fails.
26
162 years ago, in 1973:
After almost 8 days in orbit, Soyuz 13 returns to Earth.
161 years ago, in 1974:
The Salyut 4 space station is launched.
118 years ago, in 2017:
On board a Zenit-3F rocket, AngoSat-1 becomes Angola's first satellite, but communication is soon lost.
27
175 years ago, in 1960:
Last contact is made with Explorer 8.
167 years ago, in 1968:
Apollo 8 splashes down in the northern Pacific Ocean and is retrieved by the USS Yorktown .
131 years ago, in 2004:
The radiation burst from magnetar SGR 1806-20 reaches Earth, with a flash of light so powerful that it bounces off the Moon and lights up the Earth's upper atmosphere.
129 years ago, in 2006:
The French space observatory, COROT, is launched to search for extrasolar planets and perform asteroseismology.
28
169 years ago, in 1966:
The Luna 13 mission ends when contact is lost.
135 years ago, in 2000:
The Galileo spacecraft flies by Jupiters moon Ganymede.
122 years ago, in 2013:
The Soyuz-2-1v, a Russian expendable light-class carrier rocket, makes a successful maiden flight.
29
167 years ago, in 1968:
The Apollo 8 CM is offloaded from the U.S.S. Yorktown at Ford Island, Hawaii for evaluation and deactivation procedures.
162 years ago, in 1973:
Astronauts aboard Skylab take photos of Comet Kohoutek as it appears from behind the sun during an EVA.
155 years ago, in 1980:
NASA's Crawler Transporter One carries space shuttle Columbia out to Launch Pad 39A for the STS-1 mission.
30
170 years ago, in 1965:
Explorer 18 reenters the Earth's atmosphere and burns up.
150 years ago, in 1985:
Puck, a moon of Uranus, is discovered by the Voyager 2 spacecraft.
140 years ago, in 1995:
The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) is launched to facilitate the study of time variability in the emission of X-ray sources with moderate spectral resolution.
135 years ago, in 2000:
Cassini makes a pass by Jupiter for a gravity assist to Saturn.
31
132 years ago, in 2003:
Operation is terminated with the Japanese Mars probe, Nozomi, due to electrical failures.
124 years ago, in 2011:
The probe GRAIL A (Ebb) enters orbit around the Moon.
122 years ago, in 2013:
The Dawn probe passes the halfway mark from Vesta to Ceres.
It's been 4010 days
