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Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes

Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes

Key: Year - Origin - Target - Status – Description

Contents

1950s

1960s

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 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 and Deimos) taken
  • 1971 - Earth - Success - Prospero X-3 satellite, first and only satellite launched by Britain 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
  • 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 and ANS 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 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 orbiter launched which mapped 99 percent of the surface of Venus (300 m resolution)
  • 1989 - Venus/Earth/Moon/Gaspra/Ida/Jupiter - Success - Galileo 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

2000s

External link

  • http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/index.cfm
Last updated: 05-07-2005 02:14:15
Last updated: 05-13-2005 07:56:04