2007 in spaceflight

The year 2007 contained several significant events in spaceflight, including a Chinese ASAT test, the launches of the US Phoenix and Dawn missions to study Mars and Asteroid belt respectively, Japan's Kaguya Lunar orbiter, and the first Chinese Lunar probe, Chang'e 1.

2007 in spaceflight
SRE-1, the first Indian recovered spacecraft, on public display at Thiruvananthapuram
Orbital launches
First10 January
Last25 December
Total68
Successes63
Failures3
Partial failures2
Catalogued65
National firsts
Satellite Colombia
 Mauritius
Space traveller Malaysia
Rockets
Maiden flightsAtlas V 421
Long March 3B/E
Proton-M Enhanced
PSLV-CA
Shavit-2
Zenit-2M
RetirementsH-IIA 2022
Crewed flights
Orbital5
Total travellers27

The internationally accepted definition of a spaceflight is any flight which crosses the Kármán line, 100 kilometres above sea level. The first recorded spaceflight launch of the year occurred on 10 January, when a PSLV, launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, placed four spacecraft into low Earth orbit. One of these spacecraft was SRE-1, which returned to Earth twelve days later, in the first Indian attempt to recover a satellite after re-entry.

Several carrier rockets made their maiden flights in 2007; the PSLV-CA, Long March 3B/E, Shavit-2, Zenit-2M, Proton-M Enhanced. These were all modernised or upgraded versions of existing systems. The RS-24 missile also conducted its first launch, and the Atlas V made its first flight in the 421 configuration. The first Colombian and Mauritian satellites, Libertad 1 and Rascom-QAF 1 respectively, were launched in 2007, although a helium leak reduced Rascom's operational lifetime by thirteen years.

Space exploration

The launch of a Delta II Heavy with the Dawn spacecraft.

Several spacecraft were launched to explore the Moon. Japan's Kaguya orbiter, along with the smaller Okina and Ouna relay spacecraft, was launched on 14 September. The spacecraft entered Selenocentric orbit on 3 October. China launched its first Lunar probe, Chang'e 1, on 24 October, with the spacecraft entering Selenocentric orbit on 5 November. In 2009, two satellites launched into highly elliptical Earth orbits in 2007 as part of the THEMIS mission were also sent to the Moon. They are expected to arrive in October 2010.

In August, the NASA Phoenix spacecraft was launched towards Mars, followed by the Dawn mission to the Asteroid belt in September. Cassini continued to make flybys of the moons of Saturn, mostly focussing on Titan. In November, Rosetta flew past Earth, where it was mistaken for an asteroid, and given the provisional designation 2007 VN84.

Crewed spaceflight

Five crewed flights were launched in 2007, two by Russia and three by the United States. Russia flew two Soyuz missions to the International Space Station for crew rotation. Soyuz TMA-10, launched on 7 April, carried the Expedition 15 crew to the Station. Space tourist Charles Simonyi was also launched on this flight, and landed aboard Soyuz TMA-9 a few days later. When TMA-10 returned to Earth in October, it made the first of two consecutive ballistic re-entries of Soyuz spacecraft, due to problems with separation bolts. Soyuz TMA-11, launched on 10 October, carried the Expedition 16 crew, and the first Malaysian in space, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, who was selected for flight under the Angkasawan programme. He landed aboard Soyuz TMA-10. When TMA-11 landed in 2008, it also made a ballistic descent.

The newly installed Harmony node of the ISS

2007 also saw the continued assembly of the International Space Station, by US Space Shuttle flights. On 8 June Atlantis made the first Shuttle launch of the year, STS-117, with seven astronauts, and the S3/4 truss segment of the ISS. It was the first Shuttle to launch from Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center since STS-107 in 2003. Launch had previously been delayed from February due to Hail damage to the External Tank, which required a rollback to repair in the Vehicle Assembly Building. In August, Endeavour launched on its first mission since 2002, STS-118. This carried the S5 truss segment, and marked the final flight of the Spacehab module, which was used to carry supplies. NASA's first Educator Astronaut, Barbara Morgan flew aboard STS-118. Morgan had previously been a backup for Christa McAuliffe, who was killed in the Challenger accident in 1986. STS-120, launched on 23 October using Discovery, carried the Harmony node, the first pressurised ISS component to be launched since Pirs in September 2001. Attempts to launch Atlantis in December on STS-122 were scrubbed, and the launch was delayed to 2008 after ECO sensors in the External Tank failed.

Launch failures

Three orbital launch attempts in 2007, involving a Zenit, a Falcon 1, and a Proton failed, and two others, an Atlas V and a GSLV, resulted in partial failures. On 30 January, a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL exploded on the Ocean Odyssey launch platform, seconds after ignition. The failure destroyed the NSS-8 satellite, and caused considerable damage to the Odyssey platform. It was later determined that the failure had been caused by debris in the turbopump. As a result of downtime to conduct repairs, and bad sea conditions at the end of the year, Sea Launch did not conduct another launch until 2008.

On 21 March, SpaceX launched the second Falcon 1. Due to the failure of the maiden flight, the launch was conducted as a demonstration flight without a functional payload. The launch failed to reach orbit due to a chain of events, starting with an error in setting the fuel mix ratio, which resulted in first stage underperformance, and the rocket being too low at the time of first stage separation. Additional atmospheric drag at this altitude caused recontact between the stages, setting up a fuel slosh in the second stage. This resulted in the premature cutoff of the second stage, and the rocket failed to reach orbit. This was the last launch of the Falcon 1 with the ablatively cooled Merlin-1A engine, which was replaced with the regeneratively cooled Merlin-1C for subsequent flights, starting in August 2008. As several test objectives were completed, SpaceX claimed that the launch was a success overall, and declared the Falcon 1 operational.

The Atlas family ended a run of eighty consecutive successful launches over fourteen years, after a partial failure of an Atlas V launched on 15 June. A faulty valve caused a fuel leak in the Centaur upper stage, resulting in a premature cutoff at the end of its second burn. This resulted in the USA-194 satellites being delivered into a lower orbit than planned. The spacecraft were able to correct the orbit using their manoeuvring engines.

The fifth GSLV was launched on 2 September, with the INSAT-4CR satellite. This was the first GSLV launch since the failure in July 2006. The rocket underperformed, and placed the satellite into an orbit with a lower apogee and greater inclination than planned. This required the spacecraft to use fuel reserved for stationkeeping to raise itself to the correct orbit, at the expense of its operational lifetime.

On 5 September, a Proton-M with a Briz-M upper stage failed to place the JCSAT-11 into orbit, after the second stage of the carrier rocket failed to separate from the first. It was later established that damaged cabling had been the cause of the malfunction.

Summary of launches

The launch of a Delta IV Heavy with the final DSP satellite.

In total, sixty eight orbital launches were made in 2007, with sixty five reaching orbit, and three outright failures. This was an increase of two orbital launch attempts on 2006, with one more launch reaching orbit. The final launch of the year was conducted on 25 December, by a Proton-M with three GLONASS navigation satellites for the Russian government.

Suborbital spaceflight in 2007 saw a number of sounding rocket and missile launches. On 11 January, the Chinese People's Liberation Army used a Dong-Feng 21 derived anti-satellite weapon to destroy Feng Yun 1C, a retired weather satellite. Russia also began testing the RS-24 Yars missile

China conducted ten orbital launches in 2007, using the Long March family of rockets, whilst Europe conducted five using the Ariane 5. India made three orbital launch attempts, using PSLV-C, PSLV-CA and GSLV rockets, with the GSLV launch resulting in a partial failure. Israel conducted a single successful launch using the first Shavit-2 rocket. Japan successfully launched two H-IIA rockets. Russia and the former Soviet Union conducted twenty six launches, including one failure, but not including the international Sea Launch programme, whose single launch attempt failed. Nineteen launches were conducted by the United States, which had originally announced plans to launch many more, however technical issues with the Atlas V, Delta IV and Falcon 1, caused a number of delays. Two of six planned Space Shuttle launches were also delayed to 2008, STS-123 due to knock-on delays from STS-117, and STS-122 due to problems with engine cutoff sensors.

Launches

Date and time (UTC) Rocket Flight number Launch site LSP
Payload
(⚀ = CubeSat)
Operator Orbit Function Decay (UTC) Outcome
Remarks

January

10 January
03:53[1]
PSLV-C Satish Dhawan FLP ISRO
Cartosat-2 ISRO Sun-synchronous ImageryIn orbitOngoing
SRE-1 ISRO Low Earth (polar) Technology22 January
04:16[2]
Successful
Lapan-TUBsat LAPAN/TU Berlin Low Earth (polar) ImageryIn orbitOngoing
Pehuensat-1 AATE Low Earth (polar) TechnologyIn orbitOngoing
SRE was the first Indian spacecraft to be recovered following reentry, Pehuensat intentionally remained attached to payload adaptor
11 January
22:28[3][4]
DF-21 Xichang[5] PLA
ASAT PLA Suborbital ASAT test11 JanuarySuccessful
Destroyed Feng Yun 1C satellite
16 January
02:20[4]
S-310 Uchinoura JAXA
JAXA Suborbital Ionospheric16 JanuarySuccessful
18 January
02:12[5]
Soyuz-U Baikonur Site 1/5 Roskosmos
Progress M-59 Roskosmos Low Earth (ISS) Logistics1 August
19:26
Successful
ISS flight 24P
19 January
12:29[4]
Black Brant VB Poker Flat NASA
JOULE II Clemson Suborbital Auroral19 JanuarySuccessful
19 January
12:30[4]
Black Brant IX Poker Flat NASA
JOULE II Clemson Suborbital Auroral19 JanuarySuccessful
19 January
12:44[4]
Terrier-Orion Poker Flat NASA
JOULE II Clemson Suborbital Auroral19 JanuarySuccessful
19 January
12:45[4]
Terrier-Orion Poker Flat NASA
JOULE II Clemson Suborbital Auroral19 JanuarySuccessful
27 January
05:20[4]
R-17 Elbrus Barking Sands US Army
FFT-6 FMA MDA Suborbital Target27 JanuarySuccessful
Intercepted by THAAD
27 January[4] THAAD Barking Sands US Army
FFT-6 MDA Suborbital ABM test27 JanuarySuccessful
30 January
23:22[5]
Zenit-3SL Ocean Odyssey Sea Launch
NSS-8 SES New Skies Intended: Geosynchronous CommunicationT-0Launch failure
First stage engine failed due to debris in turbopump,[6] rocket exploded on launch pad
30 January[4] R-17 Elbrus Syria Syrian Army
Syrian Army Suborbital Missile test30 JanuarySuccessful

February

2 February
16:28[7]
Long March 3A Xichang LA-2 CNSA
Beidou-1D CNSA Geostationary NavigationIn orbitPartial spacecraft failure
Operational
Problems deploying solar panels, eventually corrected from ground
7 February
08:15[4]
LGM-30G Minuteman III Vandenberg LF-10 US Air Force
GT-193GM US Air Force Suborbital Missile test7 FebruarySuccessful
Impacted Reagan Test Site
12 February
12:45[4]
Black Brant XII Poker Flat NASA
ROPA[8] Dartmouth Suborbital Auroral12 FebruarySuccessful
14 February
09:22[4]
Terrier-Orion Poker Flat NASA
HEX 2 Alaska Suborbital Thermospheric14 FebruarySuccessful
14 February
09:27[4]
Black Brant X Poker Flat NASA
HEX 2 Alaska Suborbital Thermospheric14 FebruarySuccessful
14 February
09:36[4]
Terrier-Orion Poker Flat NASA
HEX 2 Alaska Suborbital Thermospheric14 FebruarySuccessful
14 February
09:38[4]
Terrier-Orion Poker Flat NASA
HEX 2 Alaska Suborbital Thermospheric14 FebruarySuccessful
17 February
23:01[7]
Delta II 7925-10C Cape Canaveral SLC-17B United Launch Alliance
THEMIS A NASA Highly elliptical AuroralIn orbitOperational
THEMIS B (2007–2009)
Artemis P1 (2009—)
NASA Highly elliptical
Selenocentric (planned)
AuroralIn orbitOperational
THEMIS C (2007–2009)
Artemis P2 (2009—)
NASA Highly elliptical
Selenocentric (planned)
AuroralIn orbitOperational
THEMIS D NASA Highly elliptical AuroralIn orbitOperational
THEMIS E NASA Highly elliptical AuroralIn orbitOperational
Primary THEMIS mission completed in 2009. Three spacecraft remain in use for an extension of the same mission, whilst the other two are en route to the Moon for the Artemis mission.
24 February
04:41[7]
H-IIA 2024 Tanegashima LA-Y1 JAXA
IGS-Radar 2[7] CSICE Sun-synchronous Reconnaissance13 April 2014Partial spacecraft failure
IGS-Optical 3V[7] CSICE Sun-synchronous Reconnaissance
Technology
12 November 2013
02:31
Successful
IGS-Radar 2 failed on 29 August 2010 due to battery problems[9]
25 February[7] Shahab-3 Iran IARI
Kavosh INSA Suborbital Scientific25 FebruarySuccessful
First successful Iranian scientific launch
28 February
08:39[4]
Black Brant XII Poker Flat NASA
CHARM Dartmouth Suborbital Scientific28 FebruarySuccessful

March

1 March RH-200SV Andøya Andøya
Mini-DUSTY 13 Andøya Suborbital Technology1 MarchPartial launch failure
Rocket underperformed and failed to reach correct apogee
6 March
00:30[4]
SR-19 C-17, Kauai US Air Force
US Army/MDA Suborbital Target6 MarchSuccessful
9 March
03:10[10]
Atlas V 401 Cape Canaveral SLC-41 United Launch Alliance
ASTRO DARPA Low Earth TechnologyIn orbitSuccessful
NEXTSat DARPA Low Earth TechnologyIn orbitSuccessful
MidSTAR-1 US Naval Academy Low Earth Radiation
Technology
In orbitOperational
FalconSAT-3 US Air Force Academy Low Earth Ionospheric
Plasma
In orbitOperational
STPSat-1 US Air Force/STP Low Earth Atmospheric
Technology
In orbitOperational
CFESat LANL Low Earth IonosphericIn orbitOperational
ASTRO and NEXTSat were used for the Orbital Express test programme, with the former refuelling and servicing the latter
Launch designated STP-1
11 March
22:03[10]
Ariane 5ECA Kourou ELA-3 Arianespace
Skynet 5A Paradigm/MoD Geostationary CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
INSAT 4B ISRO Geostationary CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
21 March
01:10[11]
Falcon 1 Omelek SpaceX
DemoSat (LCT2/AFSS) SpaceX/DARPA/NASA Intended: Low Earth Technology21 MarchLaunch failure
Loss of signal after control problems, failed to reach orbit, some test objectives achieved
21 March
04:27[4]
Chimera (Minuteman/Minotaur II) Vandenberg LF-06 Orbital Sciences
US Air Force Suborbital Target21 MarchSuccessful
Tracking demonstration
30 March Dhanush Ship, Indian Ocean DRDO
DRDO Suborbital Target30 MarchSuccessful
apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi)

April

6 April
06:42[4]
R-17 Elbrus Kauai US Army
MDA Suborbital Target6 AprilSuccessful
Tracking demonstration
7 April
17:31[11]
Soyuz-FG Baikonur Site 1/5 Roskosmos
Soyuz TMA-10 Roskosmos Low Earth (ISS) ISS Expedition 1521 October
10:36
Successful
Crewed flight with three cosmonauts, including a paying space tourist
9 April
22:54[11]
Proton-M/Briz-M Baikonur Site 200/39 ILS
Anik F3 Telesat Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitPartial spacecraft failure
Ka-band transmitter malfunction
11 April
03:27[11]
Long March 2C-III Taiyuan LC-1 CNSA
Haiyang-1B CAST Sun-synchronous OceanographyIn orbitOperational
12 April
05:32[4]
Agni-III Integrated Test Range IDRDL
Re-entry vehicle IDRDL Suborbital Missile test12 AprilSuccessful
13 April
20:11[11]
Long March 3A Xichang LA-3 CNSA
Compass-M1 (Beidou-2A) CNSA Medium Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
17 April
06:46:34[11]
Dnepr Baikonur Site 109/95 ISC Kosmotras
EgyptSat 1 NARS Sun-synchronous ObservationIn orbitOperational
Saudisat-3 RSRI Sun-synchronous ScientificIn orbitOperational
SaudiComsat-3 RSRI Sun-synchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
SaudiComsat-4 RSRI Sun-synchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
SaudiComsat-5 RSRI Sun-synchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
SaudiComsat-6 RSRI Sun-synchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
SaudiComsat-7 RSRI Sun-synchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
CP-3 CalPoly Sun-synchronous TechnologyIn orbitPartial spacecraft failure
Operational
CP-4 CalPoly Sun-synchronous TechnologyIn orbitOperational
CAPE-1 Lafayette Sun-synchronous TechnologyIn orbitPartial spacecraft failure
Libertad 1 Sergio Arboleda Sun-synchronous TechnologyIn orbitSuccessful
AeroCube 2 Aerospace Corporation Sun-synchronous TechnologyIn orbitSpacecraft failure
CSTB-1 Boeing Sun-synchronous TechnologyIn orbitOperational
MAST Tethers Unlimited Sun-synchronous TechnologyIn orbitOperational
CP-3, CP-4, CAPE-1, Libertad 1, AeroCube 2, CSTB-1, and MAST in P-POD containers, problems with power supply of CAPE-1; Libertad 1 deactivated following completion of mission; AeroCube 2 suffered solar panel/converter malfunction;[12] CP-3 mission affected by communications system reliability issues[13]
23 April
10:00[11]
PSLV-CA Satish Dhawan SLP ISRO
AGILE ASI Low Earth GR AstronomyIn orbitOperational
AAM ISRO Low Earth TechnologyIn orbitOperational
Maiden flight of PSLV-CA
24 April
06:48[14]
Minotaur I MARS Pad 0B Orbital Sciences
NFIRE MDA Low Earth Missile defenceIn orbitOperational
25 April
20:26:00[14]
Pegasus-XL L-1011, Vandenberg Orbital Sciences
AIM (SMEX 9) NASA Low Earth AeronomyIn orbitOperational
26 April
21:31[4]
Terrier-Orion Kauai US Navy
Target US Navy Suborbital Target26 AprilSuccessful
Intercepted by SM-3
26 April
21:32[4]
RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 USS Lake Erie, Kauai US Navy
Interceptor US Navy Suborbital ABM test26 AprilSuccessful
Intercepted Terrier-Orion
28 April
14:56[4]
SpaceLoft XL Spaceport America UP Aerospace
Legacy Celestis Suborbital Space burial28 AprilSuccessful
LaunchQuest CCAT/NALI Suborbital Student research28 AprilSuccessful
RocketSat II NASA/Colorado Suborbital Technology28 AprilSuccessful
Seeds Epsori Space Systems Suborbital Biological28 AprilSuccessful
Antimatter/Space2O MEI Suborbital Drink ingredients28 AprilSuccessful
Commemorative items Astrata
RocketFoto
Astrax
Suborbital 28 AprilSuccessful
Recoverable sounding launch to an apogee of 117 kilometres, Legacy included remains of Astronaut Gordon Cooper and actor James Doohan, bad weather delayed recovery

May

4 May
22:29[14]
Ariane 5ECA Kourou ELA-3 Arianespace
Astra 1L SES Astra Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
Galaxy 17 Intelsat Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
12 May
03:25:38[14]
Soyuz-U Baikonur Site 1/5 Roskosmos
Progress M-60 Roskosmos Low Earth (ISS) Logistics25 September
19:48
Successful
ISS flight 25P
13 May
16:01[14]
Long March 3B/E Xichang LA-2 CNSA
NigComSat-1 NASRDA Service: Geosynchronous
Now: Graveyard
CommunicationsIn orbitSpacecraft failure
Maiden flight of Long March 3B/E, first African geosynchronous communication satellite, retired due to power system malfunction in November 2008.[15]
15 May[4] UGM-133 Trident II ETR, USS Tennessee US Navy
FCET-37 US Navy Suborbital SLBM test15 MaySuccessful
15 May[4] UGM-133 Trident II ETR, USS Tennessee US Navy
FCET-37 US Navy Suborbital SLBM test15 MaySuccessful
25 May
07:12[16]
Long March 2D Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-2 CNSA
Yaogan 2 CNSA Sun-synchronous Earth imagingIn orbitOperational
Zheda PiXing-1 (MEMS-Pico) Zhejiang University Sun-synchronous TechnologyIn orbitOperational
100th successful Chinese orbital launch,[17] MEMS-Pico conducted microelectronic research
25 May
13:15
UGM-27 Polaris (STARS) Kodiak Sandia
FTG-03 Target MDA Suborbital ABM Target25 MayFailure
Did not reach correct altitude, GMD-OBV interceptor not launched[18]
29 May
10:20[4]
RS-24 Plesetsk RVSN
RVSN Suborbital Missile test29 MaySuccessful
Maiden flight of RS-24 missile
29 May
20:31:30[16]
Soyuz-FG/Fregat Baikonur Site 31/6 Starsem
Globalstar 65 Globalstar Low Earth CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
Globalstar 69 Globalstar Low Earth CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
Globalstar 71 Globalstar Low Earth CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
Globalstar 72 Globalstar Low Earth CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
31 May
16:08[16]
Long March 3A Xichang LA-2 CNSA
Sinosat-3 Sinosat Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
100th flight of Long March carrier rocket

June

7 June
18:00[16]
Soyuz-U Plesetsk Site 16/2 VKS
Kosmos 2427 (Kobal't-M) VKS Low Earth Reconnaissance22 August
21:00
Successful
8 June
02:34:01[16]
Delta II 7420-10 Vandenberg SLC-2W United Launch Alliance
COSMO-1 ASI[19] Sun-synchronous ImagingIn orbitOperational
8 June
23:38:04[16]
Space Shuttle Atlantis Kennedy Space Center LC-39A United Space Alliance
STS-117 NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS assembly22 June
19:49:38
Successful
ITS S3/4 Truss NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS componentIn orbitOperational
Crewed orbital flight with 7 astronauts, ISS crew rotation
10 June Shavit-2 Palmachim Israel Aerospace Industries
Ofeq-7 IAI/Israeli military Low Earth (retrograde) ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational[20]
Maiden flight of Shavit-2
15 June
02:14[16]
Dnepr Baikonur Site 109/95 ISC Kosmotras
TerraSAR-X DLR Low Earth Radar imagingIn orbitOperational
15 June
02:45[4]
Talos-Castor Woomera DSTO
HyShot/HYCAUSE DSTO Suborbital Hypersonic research15 JuneSuccessful
15 June
15:04[16]
Atlas V 401 Cape Canaveral SLC-41 United Launch Alliance
USA-194 (NOSS-3-4A) NRO Low Earth Ocean surveillanceIn orbitPartial launch failure
Operational
USA-194 (NOSS-3-4B) NRO Low Earth Ocean surveillanceIn orbitPartial launch failure
Operational
NRO Launch 30R, placed in incorrect orbit due to premature cutoff of Centaur upper stage,[21] spacecraft corrected using their own thrusters, reducing lifespan
15 June[4] Terrier-Orion Kauai US Navy
ARAV US Navy Suborbital Target15 JuneSuccessful
15 June[4] Terrier-Orion Kauai US Navy
ARAV US Navy Suborbital Target15 JuneSuccessful
20 June MEI-F3 Las Cruces MEI
RocketSat III NASA/Colorado Suborbital Technology20 JuneSuccessful
Antimatter/Space2O MEI Suborbital Drink ingredients20 JuneSuccessful
21 June[4] Terrier-Orion White Sands NASA
ST-5000/CACS NASA/NSROC Suborbital Test rocket21 JuneSuccessful
21 June[4] M51 Biscarrosse, Submarine FOST
FOST Suborbital Missile test21 JuneSuccessful
23 June
02:40[4]
Castor 4B Kauai US Navy
US Navy Suborbital Target23 JuneSuccessful
Intercepted by SM-3
23 June
02:44[4]
RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 USS Decatur, Kauai US Navy
US Navy Suborbital ABM test23 JuneSuccessful
Intercepted Castor 4B
28 June[4] RSM-56 Bulava White Sea, Submarine VMF
VMF Suborbital Missile test28 JuneSuccessful
28 June
15:02[22]
Dnepr Dombarovskiy ISC Kosmotras
Genesis II Bigelow Aerospace Low Earth TechnologyIn orbitOperational
Experimental inflatable module
29 June
10:00[22]
Zenit-2M Baikonur Site 45/1 VKS
Kosmos 2428 (Tselina-2) VKS Low Earth ELINTIn orbitOperational
Maiden flight of Zenit-2M

July

2 July
19:38[22]
Kosmos-3M Plesetsk Site 132/1 COSMOS International
SAR-Lupe-2 Bundeswehr Low Earth (Polar) Radar reconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
5 July
12:08[22]
Long March 3B Xichang LA-2 CNSA
Chinasat-6B ChinaSatcom Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
7 July
01:16:00[22]
Proton-M/Briz-M Enhanced Baikonur Site 200/39 International Launch Services
DirecTV-10 DirecTV Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
Maiden flight of Proton-M Enhanced[23]
19 July[4] VSB-30 (306) Alcântara AEB
Cuma II INPE Suborbital Microgravity19 JulyPartial spacecraft failure
Parachute or flotation system malfunction prevented recovery

August

2 August
17:33:48[24]
Soyuz-U Baikonur Site 1/5 Roskosmos
Progress M-61 Roskosmos Low Earth (ISS) Logistics
Technology
22 January 2008
19:52
Successful
ISS flight 26P, Remained in orbit after undocking to conduct technological experiments
3 August
22:51:20[4]
Terrier-Orion Andøya NASA
MASS 1 NASA/Colorado Suborbital Atmospheric3 AugustSuccessful
3 August
23:22[4]
Nike Orion Andøya DLR
ECOMA 3 ARR, DLR, IAP Suborbital Atmospheric3 AugustSuccessful
Apogee: 126.5 kilometres (78.6 mi)
4 August
09:26:34[24]
Delta II 7925 Cape Canaveral SLC-17A United Launch Alliance
Phoenix NASA Heliocentric Mars lander25 May 2008
23:38
Successful
Landed on Mars, discovered water there, last signal from spacecraft received on 2 November 2008
6 August
22:56[4]
Terrier-Orion Andøya NASA
MASS 2 NASA/Colorado Suborbital Atmospheric6 AugustSuccessful
7 August[4] R-29R Volna Pacific Ocean, Delta III submarine VMF
VMF Suborbital Missile test7 AugustSuccessful
8 August
22:36:42[25]
Space Shuttle Endeavour Kennedy Space Center LC-39A United Space Alliance
STS-118 NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS assembly21 August
16:32
Successful
SpaceHab LSM NASA/SpaceHab Low Earth (STS) LogisticsSuccessful
S5 Truss NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS componentIn orbitOperational
Crewed orbital flight with seven astronauts, final flight of SpaceHab module
13 August
05:45[4]
Black Brant IX White Sands LC-36 NASA
LIDOS 2 NASA/JHU Suborbital Ultraviolet astronomy13 AugustSuccessful
14 August
23:44[25]
Ariane 5ECA Kourou ELA-3 Arianespace
Spaceway 3 Hughes Geostationary CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
BSat 3a BSAT Geostationary CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
23 August
08:31[4]
Chimera (Minuteman/Minotaur II) Vandenberg LF-06 Orbital Sciences
NFIRE 2a MDA Suborbital Target23 August
09:01
Successful
Tracking target for the NFIRE spacecraft

September

2 September
10:20
S-520 Uchinoura JAXA
WIND JAXA/Kochi Suborbital Thermospheric2 SeptemberSuccessful
2 September
12:51[4]
GSLV Satish Dhawan SLP ISRO
INSAT-4CR ISRO Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitPartial launch failure
Partial spacecraft failure
Operational
Apogee lower and inclination higher than expected, due to carrier rocket underperformance,[26] lifespan further reduced by drift following tracking failure. 5 years of operational life lost.[27]
5 September
22:43[4]
Proton-M/Briz-M Baikonur Site 200/39 International Launch Services
JCSAT-11 JSAT Corporation Intended: Geostationary Communications~+135 secondsLaunch failure
Second stage failed to separate due to damaged cabling.[28]
6 September
21:09
Terrier-Orion Wallops Flight Facility NASA
PLAYER NASA Suborbital Technology6 September
21:19
Successful
11 September
13:05[4]
Kosmos-3M Plesetsk Site 132/1 VKS
Kosmos 2429 (Parus) VKS Low Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
13 September Sounding Rocket VI Jiu Peng Air Base NSPO
NSPO Suborbital Ionospheric research13 SeptemberSuccessful
Apogee: ~280 km (174 mi)
14 September
01:31:01[4]
H-IIA 2022 Tanegashima LA-Y1 Mitsubishi
Kaguya (SELENE) JAXA Selenocentric Lunar orbiterIn orbitOperational
Okina (RStar) JAXA Selenocentric Lunar orbiter12 February 2009
08:46
Successful
Ouna (VStar) JAXA Selenocentric Lunar orbiterIn orbitOperational
14 September
11:00[4]
Soyuz-U Baikonur Site 1/5 Roskosmos
Foton-M3 Roskosmos/ESA Low Earth Scientific26 SeptemberSuccessful
YES2 Low Earth Technology developmentUnknownSpacecraft failure
YES2 tether may have failed to deploy fully. Satellite recovery failed.[29]
18 September
18:35[4]
Delta II 7920-10C Vandenberg SLC-2W United Launch Alliance
WorldView-1 DigitalGlobe Low Earth ImagingIn orbitOperational
75th consecutive successful Delta II launch.
19 September
03:26[4]
Long March 4B Taiyuan LC-1 CNSA
CBERS-2B (Ziyuan 1-02B) CASC/INPE Sun-synchronous Remote sensingIn orbitOperational
27 September
11:34[30]
Delta II 7925H Cape Canaveral SLC-17B United Launch Alliance
Dawn NASA Heliocentric
Then: Ceres orbit
Then: Vesta orbit
Asteroid researchIn orbitOperational
Will explore dwarf planet Ceres and asteroid 4 Vesta, Ceres was designated as an asteroid during mission planning
28 September
20:16
Polaris (STARS) Kodiak Sandia
FTG-03a MDA Suborbital Target28 SeptemberSuccessful
Intercepted by Ground Based Interceptor
28 September
20:18
Ground Based Interceptor Vandenberg LF-23 MDA
FTG-03a MDA Suborbital ABM test28 SeptemberSuccessful
Intercepted Polaris (STARS)

October

5 October
05:50
Agni-I Integrated Test Range IDRDL
IDRDL Suborbital Missile test5 OctoberSuccessful
5 October
22:02:26[30]
Ariane 5GS Kourou ELA-3 Arianespace
Intelsat 11 Intelsat Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
Optus D2 Optus Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
10 October
13:22:39[30]
Soyuz-FG Baikonur Site 1/5 Roskosmos
Soyuz TMA-11 Roskosmos Low Earth (ISS) ISS Expedition 1619 April 2008Successful
Crewed orbital flight with 3 cosmonauts, first Malaysian & South Korean in space
11 October
00:22[30]
Atlas V 421 Cape Canaveral SLC-41 United Launch Alliance
USA-195 (WGS-1) US Air Force Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
Maiden flight of Atlas V 421
17 October
12:23:00[31]
Delta II 7925-9.5 Cape Canaveral SLC-17A United Launch Alliance
USA-196 (GPS 2R-17/M4) US Air Force Medium Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
700th flight of Thor rocket (Variant used as first stage).
20 October
20:12:25[31]
Soyuz-FG/Fregat Baikonur Site 31/6 Starsem
Globalstar 66 Globalstar Low Earth CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
Globalstar 67 Globalstar Low Earth CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
Globalstar 68 Globalstar Low Earth CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
Globalstar 70 Globalstar Low Earth CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
23 October
04:39[31]
Molniya-M/2BL Plesetsk Site 16/2 VKS
Kosmos 2430 (Oko) VKS Molniya Early warning5 January 2019
07:58[32]
Successful
23 October
15:38:19[31]
Space Shuttle Discovery Kennedy Space Center LC-39A United Space Alliance
STS-120 NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS assembly7 November
18:01
Successful
Harmony (Node 2) NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS componentIn orbitOperational
Crewed orbital flight with 7 astronauts, crew rotation
24 October
10:05[31]
Long March 3A Xichang LA-3 CNSA
Chang'e 1 CNSA Selenocentric Lunar orbiter1 March 2009
08:13[33]
Successful
First Chinese lunar probe
26 October
07:35:24[31]
Proton-K/DM-2 Baikonur Site 81/24 VKS
Kosmos 2431 (GLONASS-M) VKS Medium Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
Kosmos 2432 (GLONASS-M) VKS Medium Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
Kosmos 2433 (GLONASS-M) VKS Medium Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
29 October RS-18 UR-100N Baikonur RVSN
RVSN Suborbital Missile test29 OctoberSuccessful
30 October
04:12:52
Black Brant IX Wallops Flight Facility Pad 1 NASA
EARLE NASA/Texas Suborbital Ionospheric30 October
04:26:17
Successful

November

1 November
00:51:44[34]
Kosmos-3M Plesetsk Site 132/1 COSMOS International
SAR-Lupe 3 Bundeswehr Low Earth (polar) Radar reconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
Rubin-7 OHB System Low Earth (polar) TechnologyIn orbitOperational
6 November
18:00
Black Brant IX White Sands LC-36 NASA
EUNIS NASA Suborbital Solar6 NovemberSuccessful
11 November
01:50[34]
Delta IV Heavy 9250H Cape Canaveral SLC-37B United Launch Alliance
USA-197 (DSP-23) DoD Geosynchronous Missile defenceIn orbitSpacecraft failure[35]
Final DSP satellite
Stopped transmitting in September 2008[35]
11 November
22:48[34]
Long March 4C (4B-II) Taiyuan LC-1 CNSA
Yaogan 3 CNSA Sun-synchronous Remote sensingIn orbitOperational
First launch of Long March 4C after redesignation
14 November
22:06[34]
Ariane 5ECA Kourou ELA-3 Arianespace
Skynet 5B Paradigm/MoD Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
Star One C1 Star One Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
Record mass to GTO – 9,535 kg (21,021 lb)[36]
17 November
22:39:47[34]
Proton-M/Briz-M Baikonur Site 200/39 International Launch Services
Sirius 4 SES Sirius Geostationary CommunicationsIn orbitOperational

December

8 December RT-2UTTH Topol-M Kapustin Yar RVSN
RVSN Suborbital Missile test8 DecemberSuccessful
9 December
00:16[37]
Proton-M/Briz-M Baikonur Site 81/24 VKS
Globus-1M #11L (Raduga-1M 1) VKS Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
9 December
02:31:42[37]
Delta II 7420-10 Vandenberg SLC-2W United Launch Alliance
COSMO-2 ASI[19] Sun-synchronous ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
10 December
09:00:00
Black Brant XII Andøya NASA
TRICE-High NASA/UoI Suborbital Electrodynamics10 DecemberSuccessful
10 December
09:02:00
Black Brant XII Andøya NASA
TRICE-Low NASA/UoI Suborbital Electrodynamics10 DecemberSuccessful
10 December
22:05[37]
Atlas V 401 Cape Canaveral SLC-41 United Launch Alliance
USA-198 (SDS-3-5) NRO Molniya CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
NRO Launch 24
14 December
13:17:34[37]
Soyuz-FG/Fregat Baikonur Site 31/6 Starsem
RADARSAT 2 MDA Corporation Sun-synchronous Radar imagingIn orbitOperational
17 December
22:05[38]
Castor 4B Kauai US Navy
Mock warhead US Navy Suborbital Target17 DecemberSuccessful
Intercepted by SM-3
17 December
22:08[38]
RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 JDS Kongō JMSDF
JMSDF Suborbital ABM test17 DecemberSuccessful
Intercepted Castor 4B, first Japanese ABM test (Using American technology)
17 December R-29RM Sineva (RSM-54) Barents Sea, K-114 VMF
Re-entry vehicles VMF Suborbital Missile test17 DecemberSuccessful
Multiple re-entry vehicles, impacted Kura Test Range
17 December VS-30 Barreira do Inferno AEB
Angicos AEB/CONAE Suborbital Microgravity17 DecemberSuccessful
20 December
20:04:00[37]
Delta II 7925-9.5 Cape Canaveral SLC-17A United Launch Alliance
USA-199 (GPS 2R-18/M5) US Air Force Medium Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
21 December
21:41:55[37]
Ariane 5GS Kourou ELA-3 Arianespace
Horizons-2 Intelsat/JSAT Corporation Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
Rascom-QAF 1 RascomSTAR-QAF Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitPartial spacecraft failure
Operational
Helium leak affected early operations of Rascom-QAF 1,[39] reducing operational lifetime by 13 years.
23 December
07:12:41[40]
Soyuz-U Baikonur Site 1/5 Roskosmos
Progress M-62 Roskosmos Low Earth (ISS) Logistics15 February 2008
10:29
Successful
ISS flight 27P
25 December
10:00
R-29RM Sineva (RSM-54) Barents Sea, K-114 VMF
Re-entry vehicles VMF Suborbital Missile test25 DecemberSuccessful
Multiple re-entry vehicles, Impacted Kura Test Range
25 December
13:10
RS-24 Plesetsk RVSN
Re-entry vehicles RVSN Suborbital Missile test25 DecemberSuccessful
Multiple re-entry vehicles
25 December
19:32[40]
Proton-M/DM-2 Baikonur Site 81/24 VKS
Kosmos 2434 (GLONASS-M) VKS Medium Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
Kosmos 2435 (GLONASS-M) VKS Medium Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
Kosmos 2436 (GLONASS-M) VKS Medium Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
Maiden flight of Proton-M/DM-2

Deep Space Rendezvous

Date (GMT) Spacecraft Event Remarks
13 JanuaryCassini23rd flyby of TitanClosest approach: 950 kilometres (590 mi)
29 JanuaryCassini24th flyby of TitanClosest approach: 2,775 kilometres (1,724 mi)
22 FebruaryCassini25th flyby of TitanClosest approach: 953 kilometres (592 mi)
25 FebruaryRosettaFlyby of MarsGravity assist
28 FebruaryNew HorizonsFlyby of JupiterGravity assist
10 MarchCassini26th flyby of TitanClosest approach: 956 kilometres (594 mi)
26 MarchCassini27th flyby of TitanClosest approach: 953 kilometres (592 mi)
10 AprilCassini28th flyby of TitanClosest approach: 951 kilometres (591 mi)
26 AprilCassini29th flyby of TitanClosest approach: 951 kilometres (591 mi)
12 MayCassini30th flyby of TitanClosest approach: 950 kilometres (590 mi)
28 MayCassini31stflyby of TitanClosest approach: 2,425 kilometres (1,507 mi)
5 JuneMESSENGER2nd flyby of VenusGravity assist; Closest approach: 338 kilometres (210 mi)
13 JuneCassini32nd flyby of TitanClosest approach: 950 kilometres (590 mi)
29 JuneCassini33rd flyby of TitanClosest approach: 1,942 kilometres (1,207 mi)
19 JulyCassini34thflyby of TitanClosest approach: 1,302 kilometres (809 mi)
30 AugustCassiniFlyby of RheaClosest approach: 5,100 kilometres (3,200 mi)
31 AugustCassini35th flyby of TitanClosest approach: 3,227 kilometres (2,005 mi)
10 SeptemberCassiniFlyby of IapetusClosest approach: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi)
2 OctoberCassini36th flyby of TitanClosest approach: 950 kilometres (590 mi)
3 October[41]KaguyaSelenocentric orbit injection
5 NovemberChang'e 1Selenocentric orbit injection
13 NovemberRosetta2nd flyby of the EarthMistaken for asteroid, given the designation 2007 VN84
19 NovemberCassini37th flyby of TitanClosest approach: 950 kilometres (590 mi)
5 DecemberCassini38th flyby of TitanClosest approach: 1,300 kilometres (810 mi)
20 DecemberCassini39th flyby of TitanClosest approach: 953 kilometres (592 mi)
31 DecemberDeep Impact (EPOXI)Flyby of EarthClosest approach: 15,566 kilometres (9,672 mi)
Distant, non-targeted flybys of Dione, Enceladus, Mimas, Tethys and Titan by Cassini occurred throughout the year.

EVAs

Start date/time Duration End time Spacecraft Crew Function Remarks
31 January
15:14
7 hours
55 minutes 
23:09 Expedition 14 
ISS Quest
Michael Lopez-Alegria
Sunita Williams
Reconfigured Destiny cooling system, connected SSPTS, secured P6 starboard radiator, disconnected EAS.[42]
4 February
13:38
7 hours
11 minutes
20:49 Expedition 14
ISS Quest
Michael Lopez-Alegria
Sunita Williams
Completed Destiny cooling system reconfiguration and EAS disconnection, photographed P6 inboard solar array, continued SSPTS installation.[43]
8 February
13:26
6 hours
40 minutes
20:06 Expedition 14
ISS Quest
Michael Lopez-Alegria
Sunita Williams
Removed and jettisoned P3 thermal covers, install P3 attachment point, remove P5 launch restraints, continued SSPTS installation.[44]
22 February
10:27
6 hours
18 minutes
16:45 Expedition 14
ISS Pirs
Mikhail Tyurin
Michael Lopez-Alegria
Retracted an antenna at the aft port of the Zvezda, photographed a satellite navigation antenna, and replaced a Russian materials experiment, inspected and photographed an antenna for the ATV, photographed a German robotics experiment, and inspected, remated, and photographed hardware connectors.[45]
30 May
19:05
5 hours
25 minutes
31 May
00:30
Expedition 15
ISS Pirs
Fyodor Yurchikhin
Oleg Kotov
Installed Service Module Debris Protection (SMDP) panels and rerouted a Global Positioning System antenna cable.[46]
6 June
14:23
5 hours
37 minutes
20:00 Expedition 15
ISS Pirs
Fyodor Yurchikhin
Oleg Kotov
Installed a section of Ethernet cable on the Zarya module, installed additional Service Module Debris Protection (SMDP) panels on Zvezda, and deployed a Russian scientific experiment.[47]
11 June
20:02
6 hours
15 minutes
12 June
02:17
STS-117
ISS Quest
James F. Reilly
John D. Olivas
Began the S3/S4 Truss installation.[48]
13 June
18:28
7 hours
16 minutes
14 June
01:44
STS-117
ISS Quest
Patrick G. Forrester
Steven Swanson
Assisted in retraction of the solar panels on the P6 Truss. Completed the S3/S4 truss installation. Partial failure due to the S3/S4 SARJ motor control circuits being wired in reverse, so some launch restraints were left in place to prevent the possibility of undesired rotation.[49]
15 June
17:24
7 hours
58 minutes
16 June
01:22
STS-117
ISS Quest
James F. Reilly
John D. Olivas
Repaired the Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pod thermal blanket, finished the P6 solar array retraction, and installed a hydrogen ventilation valve onto Destiny.[50]
17 June
16:25
6 hours
29 minutes
22:54 STS-117
ISS Quest
Patrick G. Forrester
Steven Swanson
Retrieved a television camera and its support structure from an ESP attached to Quest, and installed it on the S3 truss, verified the Drive Lock Assembly (DLA) 2 configuration, and removed the last six SARJ launch restraints. Installed a computer network cable on Unity, opened the hydrogen vent valve on Destiny, and tethered two orbital debris shield panels on Zvezda.[51]
23 July
10:25
7 hours
41 minutes
18:06 Expedition 15
ISS Quest
Clayton Anderson
Fyodor Yurchikhin
Replaced components for the Mobile Transporter's redundant power system, jettisoned an ammonia tank and flight support equipment, and cleaned the Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) on the nadir port of Unity.[52][53]
11 August
16:28
6 hours
17 minutes
23:45 STS-118
ISS Quest
Richard Mastracchio
Dafydd Williams
Attached the Starboard 5 (S5) segment of the station's truss, and retracted the forward heat-rejecting radiator from the station's Port 6 (P6) truss.[54]
13 August
15:32
6 hours
28 minutes
22:00 STS-118
ISS Quest
Richard Mastracchio
Dafydd Williams
Removed the new Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG) from the shuttle's payload bay and installed it onto the Z1 truss. Installed the failed CMG onto an External Stowage Platform (ESP-2).[55]
15 August
14:38
5 hours
28 minutes
20:05 STS-118
ISS Quest
Richard Mastracchio
Clayton Anderson
Relocated two CETA carts around the Mobile Transporter and an antenna base from the P6 truss to P1, and installed a new transponder and signal processor for an S-band communications upgrade.[56] Mastracchio noted a hole on the thumb of his left glove and returned to the airlock as a precautionary measure.
18 August
14:17
5 hours
2 minutes
19:02 STS-118
ISS Quest
Dafydd Williams
Clayton Anderson
Retrieved Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) containers 3 and 4, installed the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) Boom Stand, installed an External Wireless Instrumentation System (EWIS) antenna, and secured Z1 gimbal locks.[57]
26 October
10:02
6 hours
14 minutes
16:16 STS-120
ISS Quest
Scott E. Parazynski
Douglas H. Wheelock
Installed the new Harmony module in its temporary location, retrieved the S-Band Antenna Support Assembly, and prepared for the relocation of the P6 truss by disconnecting fluid lines on the P6/Z1 truss segments.[58]
28 October
09:32
6 hours
33 minutes
16:05 STS-120
ISS Quest
Scott E. Parazysnki
Daniel M. Tani
Disconnected the Z1-to-P6 umbilicals, detached P6 from Z1, configured the S1 radiator, installed handrails onto Harmony, and inspected the S4 starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ).[59]
30 October
08:45
7 hours
8 minutes
15:53 STS-120
ISS Quest
Scott E. Parazysnki
Douglas H. Wheelock
Attached P6 to P5, installed P6/P5 umbilical connections, reconfigured S1 following its redeployment, and inspected the port SARJ.[60]
3 November
10:03
7 hours
19 minutes
17:22 STS-120
ISS Quest
Scott E. Parazysnki
Douglas H. Wheelock
Inspection and repair of the P6 solar array.[61]
9 November
09:54
6 hours
55 minutes
16:49 Expedition 16
ISS Quest
Peggy Whitson
Yuri Malenchenko
Disconnected and stored the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System cables, stored the PMA-2 umbilical, and stowed a Harmony node avionics umbilical into a temporary position.[62][63]
20 November
10:10
7 hours
16 minutes
17:26 Expedition 16
ISS Quest
Peggy Whitson
Daniel M. Tani
External configuration of PMA-2 and Harmony: Fluid, electrical, and data lines attached, avionics lines hooked up, heater cables attached, and relocated a fluid tray.[64]
24 November
09:50
7 hours
4 minutes
16:54 Expedition 16
ISS Quest
Peggy Whitson
Daniel M. Tani
Completion of fluid, electrical, and data line hookups for PMA-2 and Harmony. Loop B Fluid Tray connected to the port side of the Destiny laboratory. Inspected and photographed the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) to assist with troubleshooting on the ground.[65]
18 December
09:50
6 hours
56 minutes
16:46 Expedition 16
ISS Quest
Peggy Whitson
Daniel M. Tani
Inspected the S4 starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ), and a Beta Gimbal Assembly (BGA).[66][67] 100th EVA in support of the ISS.
Whitson became the female astronaut with the most EVAs and the most time spent in EVA.[68][69]

Orbital launch statistics

By country

China: 10Europe: 6India: 3Israel: 1Japan: 2Russia: 22Ukraine: 5USA: 19

Country Launches Successes Failures Partial
failures
Remarks
 China101000
 Europe6600
 India3201
 Israel1100
 Japan2200
 Russia222110
 Ukraine5410
 United States191711
World686332

By rocket

By family

By type

By configuration

By launch site

5
10
15
20
China
France
India
International waters
Israel
Japan
Kazakhstan
Marshall Islands
Russia
United States
Site Country Launches Successes Failures Partial failures Remarks
Baikonur Kazakhstan201910
Cape Canaveral United States10901
Dombarovsky Russia1100
Jiuquan China1100
Kennedy China3300
Kourou France6600
Kwajalein Marshall Islands1010
MARS United States1100
Ocean Odyssey International1010Damaged by explosion
Palmachim Israel1100
Plesetsk Russia5500
Satish Dhawan India3201
Taiyuan China3300
Tanegashima Japan2200
Vandenberg United States4400One launch used Stargazer aircraft
Xichang China6600
Total686332

By orbit

  •   Transatmospheric
  •   Low Earth
  •   Low Earth (ISS)
  •   Low Earth (SSO)
  •   Low Earth (retrograde)
  •   Medium Earth
  •   Geosychronous
    (transfer)
  •   Inclined GSO
  •   High Earth
  •   Heliocentric
Orbital regime Launches Successes Failures Accidentally
achieved
Remarks
Transatmospheric0000
Low Earth3736109 to ISS
Medium Earth / Molniya7700
Geosynchronous / GTO191720
High Earth / Lunar transfer3300
Heliocentric / Planetary transfer2200
Total686530

References

Generic references:
 Spaceflight portal
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  • Clark, Stephen. "Spaceflight Now".
  • Kelso, T.S. "Satellite Catalog (SATCAT)". CelesTrak.
  • Krebs, Gunter. "Chronology of Space Launches".
  • Kyle, Ed. "Space Launch Report".
  • McDowell, Jonathan. "Jonathan's Space Report".
  • Pietrobon, Steven. "Steven Pietrobon's Space Archive".
  • Wade, Mark. "Encyclopedia Astronautica".
  • Webb, Brian. "Southwest Space Archive".
  • Zak, Anatoly. "Russian Space Web".
  • "ISS Calendar". Spaceflight 101.
  • "NSSDCA Master Catalog". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
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  • "Space Information Center". JAXA.
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  30. Dr. Jonathan McDowell (14 October 2007). "Issue 586". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
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  36. Bergin, Chris (14 November 2007). "Ariane 5 ECA launches with Skynet 5B and Star One C1". NASASpaceflight.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2008. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
  37. Dr. Jonathan McDowell (21 December 2007). "Issue 589". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 27 March 2008. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
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