Timeline of first orbital launches by nationality
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a timeline of first orbital launches by nationality. While a number of countries have built satellites, only eight nations and the multi-national European Space Agency have sent objects into orbit using their own launch systems. In all cases, unmanned satellites have preceded manned 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. Satellite launching, while still adding to national prestige, has become a significant economic activity with public and private rocket systems competing for launches using cost and reliability as selling points.
Contents |
[edit] List of first orbital launches by country
Country | Satellite | Rocket | Location | Date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1950s | |||||
USSR [1] | Sputnik 1 | R-7 Semyorka | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Soviet Union (modern day Kazakhstan) | October 4, 1957 | |
United States | Explorer 1 | Jupiter-C | Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, United States | January 31, 1958 | |
1960s | |||||
France | Asterix | Diamant | Hammaguir, Algeria | November 26, 1965 | |
1970s | |||||
Japan | Ohsumi | Lambda | Tanegashima 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
- Brazil's space programme suffered three satellite launch failures, with a last attempt in 2003.
- North Korea claimed to have launched the Kwangmyŏngsŏng satellite in 1998, but this was never confirmed, and widely believed to be a cover for the test launch of the Taepodong-1 missile.
[edit] Notes
- 1 Russia is the successor state of the Soviet Union and has taken over its space programme.
- 2 The multi-national European Space Agency is a collaborative effort between Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom
[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 Strategic 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.