2007 in spaceflight
Orbital launches | |
---|---|
First | 10 January |
Last | 25 December |
Total | 68 |
Successes | 63 |
Failures | 3 |
Partial failures | 2 |
Catalogued | 65 |
National firsts | |
Satellite | Colombia Mauritius |
Space traveller | Malaysia |
Rockets | |
Maiden flights | Atlas V 421 Long March 3B/E Proton-M Enhanced PSLV-CA Shavit-2 Zenit-2M |
Retirements | H-IIA 2022 |
Crewed flights | |
Orbital | 5 |
Total travellers | 27 |
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.
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[edit]
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[edit]
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.
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload (⚀ = CubeSat) | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | |||
Remarks | ||||||||
January[edit] | ||||||||
10 January 03:53[1] | PSLV-C | Satish Dhawan FLP | ISRO | |||||
Cartosat-2 | ISRO | Low Earth (SSO) | Earth observation | 14 February 2024 10:18 | Successful | |||
SRE-1 | ISRO | Low Earth (polar) | Technology demonstration | 22 January 04:16[2] | Successful | |||
Lapan-TUBsat | LAPAN/TU Berlin | Low Earth (polar) | Earth observation | In orbit | Operational | |||
Pehuensat-1 | AATE | Low Earth (polar) | Technology demonstration | 16 January 2023[3] | Successful | |||
SRE was the first Indian spacecraft to be recovered following reentry. Pehuensat-1 intentionally remained attached to the payload adapter. | ||||||||
11 January 22:28[4][5] | DF-21 | Xichang[6] | PLA | |||||
ASAT | PLA | Suborbital | ASAT test | 11 January | Successful | |||
Destroyed Feng Yun 1C satellite | ||||||||
16 January 02:20[5] | S-310 | Uchinoura | JAXA | |||||
JAXA | Suborbital | Ionospheric | 16 January | Successful | ||||
18 January 02:12[6] | Soyuz-U | Baikonur Site 1/5 | Roskosmos | |||||
Progress M-59 | Roskosmos | Low Earth (ISS) | Logistics | 1 August 19:26 | Successful | |||
ISS flight 24P | ||||||||
19 January 12:29[5] | Black Brant VB | Poker Flat | NASA | |||||
JOULE II | Clemson | Suborbital | Auroral | 19 January | Successful | |||
19 January 12:30[5] | Black Brant IX | Poker Flat | NASA | |||||
JOULE II | Clemson | Suborbital | Auroral | 19 January | Successful | |||
19 January 12:44[5] | Terrier-Orion | Poker Flat | NASA | |||||
JOULE II | Clemson | Suborbital | Auroral | 19 January | Successful | |||
19 January 12:45[5] | Terrier-Orion | Poker Flat | NASA | |||||
JOULE II | Clemson | Suborbital | Auroral | 19 January | Successful | |||
27 January 05:20[5] | R-17 Elbrus | FTT-06 | Barking Sands | US Army | ||||
MDA | Suborbital | Target | 27 January | Successful | ||||
Intercepted by THAAD | ||||||||
27 January[5] | THAAD | FTT-06 | Barking Sands | US Army | ||||
MDA | Suborbital | ABM test | 27 January | Successful | ||||
30 January 23:22[6] | Zenit-3SL | Ocean Odyssey | Sea Launch | |||||
NSS-8 | SES New Skies | Intended: Geosynchronous | Communication | T-0 | Launch failure | |||
First stage engine failed due to debris in turbopump,[7] rocket exploded on launch pad | ||||||||
30 January[5] | R-17 Elbrus | Syria | Syrian Army | |||||
Syrian Army | Suborbital | Missile test | 30 January | Successful | ||||
February[edit] | ||||||||
2 February 16:28[8] | Long March 3A | Xichang LA-2 | CNSA | |||||
Beidou-1D | CNSA | Geostationary | Navigation | In orbit | Partial spacecraft failure Operational | |||
Problems deploying solar panels, eventually corrected from ground | ||||||||
7 February 08:15[5] | LGM-30G Minuteman III | Vandenberg LF-10 | US Air Force | |||||
GT-193GM | US Air Force | Suborbital | Missile test | 7 February | Successful | |||
Impacted Reagan Test Site | ||||||||
12 February 12:45[5] | Black Brant XII | Poker Flat | NASA | |||||
ROPA[9] | Dartmouth | Suborbital | Auroral | 12 February | Successful | |||
14 February 09:22[5] | Terrier-Orion | Poker Flat | NASA | |||||
HEX 2 | Alaska | Suborbital | Thermospheric | 14 February | Successful | |||
14 February 09:27[5] | Black Brant X | Poker Flat | NASA | |||||
HEX 2 | Alaska | Suborbital | Thermospheric | 14 February | Successful | |||
14 February 09:36[5] | Terrier-Orion | Poker Flat | NASA | |||||
HEX 2 | Alaska | Suborbital | Thermospheric | 14 February | Successful | |||
14 February 09:38[5] | Terrier-Orion | Poker Flat | NASA | |||||
HEX 2 | Alaska | Suborbital | Thermospheric | 14 February | Successful | |||
17 February 23:01[8] | Delta II 7925-10C | Cape Canaveral SLC-17B | United Launch Alliance | |||||
THEMIS A | NASA | Highly elliptical | Auroral | In orbit | Operational | |||
THEMIS B (2007–2009) Artemis P1 (2009—) | NASA | Highly elliptical Selenocentric (planned) | Auroral | In orbit | Operational | |||
THEMIS C (2007–2009) Artemis P2 (2009—) | NASA | Highly elliptical Selenocentric (planned) | Auroral | In orbit | Operational | |||
THEMIS D | NASA | Highly elliptical | Auroral | In orbit | Operational | |||
THEMIS E | NASA | Highly elliptical | Auroral | In orbit | Operational | |||
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[8] | H-IIA 2024 | Tanegashima LA-Y1 | JAXA | |||||
IGS-Radar 2[8] | CSICE | Sun-synchronous | Reconnaissance | 13 April 2014 | Partial spacecraft failure | |||
IGS-Optical 3V[8] | CSICE | Sun-synchronous | Reconnaissance Technology | 12 November 2013 02:31 | Successful | |||
IGS-Radar 2 failed on 29 August 2010 due to battery problems[10] | ||||||||
25 February[8] | Shahab-3 | Iran | IARI | |||||
Kavosh | INSA | Suborbital | Scientific | 25 February | Successful | |||
First successful Iranian scientific launch | ||||||||
28 February 08:39[5] | Black Brant XII | Poker Flat | NASA | |||||
CHARM | Dartmouth | Suborbital | Scientific | 28 February | Successful | |||
March[edit] | ||||||||
1 March | RH-200SV | Andøya | Andøya | |||||
Mini-DUSTY 13 | Andøya | Suborbital | Technology | 1 March | Partial launch failure | |||
Rocket underperformed and failed to reach correct apogee | ||||||||
6 March 00:30[5] | SR-19 | C-17, Kauai | US Air Force | |||||
US Army/MDA | Suborbital | Target | 6 March | Successful | ||||
9 March 03:10[11] | Atlas V 401 | Cape Canaveral SLC-41 | United Launch Alliance | |||||
ASTRO | DARPA | Low Earth | Technology | 25 October 2013[12] | Successful | |||
CFESat | LANL | Low Earth | Ionospheric | 12 November 2022[13] | Successful | |||
FalconSAT-3 | US Air Force Academy | Low Earth | Ionospheric Plasma | 21 January 2023[14] | Successful | |||
MidSTAR-1 | US Naval Academy | Low Earth | Radiation Technology | 17 August 2023[15] | Successful | |||
NEXTSat | DARPA | Low Earth | Technology | 21 April 2023[16] | Successful | |||
STPSat-1 | US Air Force/STP | Low Earth | Atmospheric Technology | 8 November 2023[17] | Successful | |||
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[11] | Ariane 5ECA | Kourou ELA-3 | Arianespace | |||||
Skynet 5A | Paradigm/MoD | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
INSAT-4B | ISRO | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | |||
21 March 01:10[18] | Falcon 1 | Omelek | SpaceX | |||||
DemoSat (LCT2/AFSS) | SpaceX/DARPA/NASA | Intended: Low Earth | Technology | 21 March | Launch failure | |||
Loss of signal after control problems, failed to reach orbit, some test objectives achieved. | ||||||||
21 March 04:27[5] | Chimera (Minuteman/Minotaur II) | Vandenberg LF-06 | Orbital Sciences | |||||
US Air Force | Suborbital | Target | 21 March | Successful | ||||
Tracking demonstration | ||||||||
30 March | Dhanush | Ship, Indian Ocean | DRDO | |||||
DRDO | Suborbital | Target | 30 March | Successful | ||||
apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi) | ||||||||
April[edit] | ||||||||
6 April 06:42[5] | R-17 Elbrus | Kauai | US Army | |||||
MDA | Suborbital | Target | 6 April | Successful | ||||
Tracking demonstration | ||||||||
7 April 17:31[18] | Soyuz-FG | Baikonur Site 1/5 | Roskosmos | |||||
Soyuz TMA-10 | Roskosmos | Low Earth (ISS) | ISS Expedition 15 | 21 October 10:36 | Successful | |||
Crewed flight with three cosmonauts, including a paying space tourist | ||||||||
9 April 22:54[18] | Proton-M/Briz-M | Baikonur Site 200/39 | ILS | |||||
Anik F3 | Telesat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Partial spacecraft failure | |||
Ka-band transmitter malfunction | ||||||||
11 April 03:27[18] | Long March 2C-III | Taiyuan LC-1 | CNSA | |||||
Haiyang-1B | CAST | Sun-synchronous | Oceanography | In orbit | Operational | |||
12 April 05:32[5] | Agni-III | Integrated Test Range | IDRDL | |||||
Re-entry vehicle | IDRDL | Suborbital | Missile test | 12 April | Successful | |||
13 April 20:11[18] | Long March 3A | Xichang LA-3 | CNSA | |||||
Compass-M1 (Beidou-2A) | CNSA | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational | |||
17 April 06:46:34[18] | Dnepr | Baikonur Site 109/95 | ISC Kosmotras | |||||
EgyptSat 1 | NARS | Sun-synchronous | Observation | In orbit | Operational | |||
Saudisat-3 | RSRI | Sun-synchronous | Scientific | In orbit | Operational | |||
SaudiComsat-3 | RSRI | Sun-synchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
SaudiComsat-4 | RSRI | Sun-synchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
SaudiComsat-5 | RSRI | Sun-synchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
SaudiComsat-6 | RSRI | Sun-synchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
SaudiComsat-7 | RSRI | Sun-synchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
CP-3 | CalPoly | Sun-synchronous | Technology | In orbit | Partial spacecraft failure Operational | |||
CP-4 | CalPoly | Sun-synchronous | Technology | In orbit | Operational | |||
CAPE-1 | Lafayette | Sun-synchronous | Technology | In orbit | Partial spacecraft failure | |||
Libertad 1 | Sergio Arboleda | Sun-synchronous | Technology | In orbit | Successful | |||
AeroCube 2 | Aerospace Corporation | Sun-synchronous | Technology | In orbit | Spacecraft failure | |||
CSTB-1 | Boeing | Sun-synchronous | Technology | In orbit | Operational | |||
MAST | Tethers Unlimited | Sun-synchronous | Technology | In orbit | Operational | |||
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;[19] CP-3 mission affected by communications system reliability issues[20] | ||||||||
23 April 10:00[18] | PSLV-CA | Satish Dhawan SLP | ISRO | |||||
AGILE | ASI | Low Earth | GR Astronomy | 13 February 2024 | Successful | |||
AAM | ISRO | Low Earth | Technology | 19 July 2022[21] | Successful | |||
Maiden flight of PSLV-CA | ||||||||
24 April 06:48[22] | Minotaur I | MARS Pad 0B | Orbital Sciences | |||||
NFIRE | MDA | Low Earth | Missile defence | 4 November 2015[23] | Successful | |||
25 April 20:26:00[22] | Pegasus-XL | L-1011, Vandenberg | Orbital Sciences | |||||
AIM (SMEX 9) | NASA | Low Earth | Aeronomy | In orbit | Operational | |||
26 April 21:31[5] | Terrier-Orion | FTM-11 E4 | Kauai | US Navy | ||||
Target | US Navy | Suborbital | Target | 26 April | Successful | |||
Intercepted by SM-3 | ||||||||
26 April 21:32[5] | RIM-161 SM-3 | FTM-11 E4 | USS Lake Erie, Kauai | US Navy | ||||
Interceptor | US Navy | Suborbital | ABM test | 26 April | Successful | |||
Intercepted Terrier-Orion | ||||||||
28 April 14:56[5] | SpaceLoft XL | Spaceport America | UP Aerospace | |||||
Legacy | Celestis | Suborbital | Space burial | 28 April | Successful | |||
LaunchQuest | CCAT/NALI | Suborbital | Student research | 28 April | Successful | |||
RocketSat II | NASA/Colorado | Suborbital | Technology | 28 April | Successful | |||
Seeds | Epsori Space Systems | Suborbital | Biological | 28 April | Successful | |||
Antimatter/Space2O | MEI | Suborbital | Drink ingredients | 28 April | Successful | |||
Commemorative items | Astrata RocketFoto Astrax | Suborbital | 28 April | Successful | ||||
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[edit] | ||||||||
4 May 22:29[22] | Ariane 5ECA | Kourou ELA-3 | Arianespace | |||||
Astra 1L | SES Astra | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
Galaxy 17 | Intelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
12 May 03:25:38[22] | Soyuz-U | Baikonur Site 1/5 | Roskosmos | |||||
Progress M-60 | Roskosmos | Low Earth (ISS) | Logistics | 25 September 19:48 | Successful | |||
ISS flight 25P | ||||||||
13 May 16:01[22] | Long March 3B/E | Xichang LA-2 | CNSA | |||||
NigComSat-1 | NASRDA | Service: Geosynchronous Now: Graveyard | Communications | In orbit | Spacecraft failure | |||
Maiden flight of Long March 3B/E, first African geosynchronous communication satellite, retired due to power system malfunction in November 2008.[24] | ||||||||
15 May[5] | UGM-133 Trident II | ETR, USS Tennessee | US Navy | |||||
FCET-37 | US Navy | Suborbital | SLBM test | 15 May | Successful | |||
15 May[5] | UGM-133 Trident II | ETR, USS Tennessee | US Navy | |||||
FCET-37 | US Navy | Suborbital | SLBM test | 15 May | Successful | |||
25 May 07:12[26] | Long March 2D | Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-2 | CNSA | |||||
Yaogan 2 | CNSA | Sun-synchronous | Earth imaging | In orbit | Operational | |||
Zheda PiXing-1 (MEMS-Pico) | Zhejiang University | Sun-synchronous | Technology | In orbit | Operational | |||
100th successful Chinese orbital launch,[25] MEMS-Pico conducted microelectronic research | ||||||||
25 May 13:15 | UGM-27 Polaris (STARS) | FTG-03 | Kodiak | Sandia | ||||
MDA | Suborbital | ABM Target | 25 May | Failure | ||||
FTG-03 target, did not reach correct altitude, GMD-OBV interceptor not launched[27] | ||||||||
29 May 10:20[5] | RS-24 | Plesetsk | RVSN | |||||
RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 29 May | Successful | ||||
Maiden flight of RS-24 missile | ||||||||
29 May 20:31:30[26] | Soyuz-FG/Fregat | Baikonur Site 31/6 | Starsem | |||||
Globalstar 65 | Globalstar | Low Earth | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
Globalstar 69 | Globalstar | Low Earth | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
Globalstar 71 | Globalstar | Low Earth | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
Globalstar 72 | Globalstar | Low Earth | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
31 May 16:08[26] | Long March 3A | Xichang LA-2 | CNSA | |||||
Sinosat-3 | Sinosat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
100th flight of Long March carrier rocket | ||||||||
June[edit] | ||||||||
7 June 18:00[26] | Soyuz-U | Plesetsk Site 16/2 | VKS | |||||
Kosmos 2427 (Kobal't-M) | VKS | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 22 August 21:00 | Successful | |||
8 June 02:34:01[26] | Delta II 7420-10 | Vandenberg SLC-2W | United Launch Alliance | |||||
COSMO-1 | ASI[28] | Sun-synchronous | Imaging | In orbit | Operational | |||
8 June 23:38:04[26] | Space Shuttle Atlantis | Kennedy Space Center LC-39A | United Space Alliance | |||||
STS-117 | NASA | Low Earth (ISS) | ISS assembly | 22 June 19:49:38 | Successful | |||
ITS S3/4 Truss | NASA | Low Earth (ISS) | ISS component | In orbit | Operational | |||
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) | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Operational[29] | |||
Maiden flight of Shavit-2 | ||||||||
15 June 02:14[26] | Dnepr | Baikonur Site 109/95 | ISC Kosmotras | |||||
TerraSAR-X | DLR | Low Earth | Radar imaging | In orbit | Operational | |||
15 June 02:45[5] | Talos-Castor | Woomera | DSTO | |||||
HyShot/HYCAUSE | DSTO | Suborbital | Hypersonic research | 15 June | Successful | |||
15 June 15:04[26] | Atlas V 401 | Cape Canaveral SLC-41 | United Launch Alliance | |||||
USA-194 (NOSS-3-4A) | NRO | Low Earth | Ocean surveillance | In orbit | Partial launch failure Operational | |||
USA-194 (NOSS-3-4B) | NRO | Low Earth | Ocean surveillance | In orbit | Partial launch failure Operational | |||
NRO Launch 30R, placed in incorrect orbit due to premature cutoff of Centaur upper stage,[30] spacecraft corrected using their own thrusters, reducing lifespan | ||||||||
15 June[5] | Terrier-Orion | Kauai | US Navy | |||||
ARAV | US Navy | Suborbital | Target | 15 June | Successful | |||
15 June[5] | Terrier-Orion | Kauai | US Navy | |||||
ARAV | US Navy | Suborbital | Target | 15 June | Successful | |||
20 June | MEI-F3 | Las Cruces | MEI | |||||
RocketSat III | NASA/Colorado | Suborbital | Technology | 20 June | Successful | |||
Antimatter/Space2O | MEI | Suborbital | Drink ingredients | 20 June | Successful | |||
21 June[5] | Terrier-Orion | White Sands | NASA | |||||
ST-5000/CACS | NASA/NSROC | Suborbital | Test rocket | 21 June | Successful | |||
21 June[5] | M51 | Biscarrosse, Submarine | FOST | |||||
FOST | Suborbital | Missile test | 21 June | Successful | ||||
23 June 02:40[5] | Castor 4B | FTM-12 | Kauai | US Navy | ||||
US Navy | Suborbital | Target | 23 June | Successful | ||||
Intercepted by SM-3 | ||||||||
23 June 02:44[5] | RIM-161 SM-3 | FTM-12 | USS Decatur, Kauai | US Navy | ||||
US Navy | Suborbital | ABM test | 23 June | Successful | ||||
Intercepted Castor 4B | ||||||||
28 June[5] | RSM-56 Bulava | White Sea, Submarine | VMF | |||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 28 June | Successful | ||||
28 June 15:02[31] | Dnepr | Dombarovskiy | ISC Kosmotras | |||||
Genesis II | Bigelow Aerospace | Low Earth | Technology | In orbit | Operational | |||
Experimental inflatable module | ||||||||
29 June 10:00[31] | Zenit-2M | Baikonur Site 45/1 | VKS | |||||
Kosmos 2428 (Tselina-2) | VKS | Low Earth | ELINT | In orbit | Operational | |||
Maiden flight of Zenit-2M | ||||||||
July[edit] | ||||||||
2 July 19:38[31] | Kosmos-3M | Plesetsk Site 132/1 | COSMOS International | |||||
SAR-Lupe-2 | Bundeswehr | Low Earth (Polar) | Radar reconnaissance | In orbit | Operational | |||
5 July 12:08[31] | Long March 3B | Xichang LA-2 | CNSA | |||||
Chinasat-6B | ChinaSatcom | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
7 July 01:16:00[31] | Proton-M/Briz-M Enhanced | Baikonur Site 200/39 | International Launch Services | |||||
DirecTV-10 | DirecTV | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
Maiden flight of Proton-M Enhanced[32] | ||||||||
19 July[5] | VSB-30 (306) | Alcântara | AEB | |||||
Cuma II | INPE | Suborbital | Microgravity | 19 July | Partial spacecraft failure | |||
Parachute or flotation system malfunction prevented recovery | ||||||||
August[edit] | ||||||||
2 August 17:33:48[33] | 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[5] | Terrier-Orion | Andøya | NASA | |||||
MASS 1 | NASA/Colorado | Suborbital | Atmospheric | 3 August | Successful | |||
3 August 23:22[5] | Nike Orion | Andøya | DLR | |||||
ECOMA 3 | ARR, DLR, IAP | Suborbital | Atmospheric | 3 August | Successful | |||
Apogee: 126.5 kilometres (78.6 mi) | ||||||||
4 August 09:26:34[33] | Delta II 7925 | Cape Canaveral SLC-17A | United Launch Alliance | |||||
Phoenix | NASA | Heliocentric | Mars lander | 25 May 2008 23:38 | Successful | |||
Landed on Mars, discovered water there, last signal from spacecraft received on 2 November 2008 | ||||||||
6 August 22:56[5] | Terrier-Orion | Andøya | NASA | |||||
MASS 2 | NASA/Colorado | Suborbital | Atmospheric | 6 August | Successful | |||
7 August[5] | R-29R Volna | Pacific Ocean, Delta III submarine | VMF | |||||
VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 7 August | Successful | ||||
8 August 22:36:42[34] | Space Shuttle Endeavour | Kennedy Space Center LC-39A | United Space Alliance | |||||
STS-118 | NASA | Low Earth (ISS) | ISS assembly | 21 August 16:32 | Successful | |||
SpaceHab LSM | NASA/SpaceHab | Low Earth (STS) | Logistics | Successful | ||||
S5 Truss | NASA | Low Earth (ISS) | ISS component | In orbit | Operational | |||
Crewed orbital flight with seven astronauts, final flight of SpaceHab module | ||||||||
13 August 05:45[5] | Black Brant IX | White Sands LC-36 | NASA | |||||
LIDOS 2 | NASA/JHU | Suborbital | Ultraviolet astronomy | 13 August | Successful | |||
14 August 23:44[34] | Ariane 5ECA | Kourou ELA-3 | Arianespace | |||||
Spaceway 3 | Hughes | Geostationary | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
BSat 3a | BSAT | Geostationary | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
23 August 08:31[5] | Chimera (Minuteman/Minotaur II) | Vandenberg LF-06 | Orbital Sciences | |||||
NFIRE 2a | MDA | Suborbital | Target | 23 August 09:01 | Successful | |||
Tracking target for the NFIRE spacecraft | ||||||||
September[edit] | ||||||||
2 September 10:20 | S-520 | Uchinoura | JAXA | |||||
WIND | JAXA/Kochi | Suborbital | Thermospheric | 2 September | Successful | |||
2 September 12:51[5] | GSLV | Satish Dhawan SLP | ISRO | |||||
INSAT-4CR | ISRO | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Partial launch failure Partial spacecraft failure Operational | |||
Apogee lower and inclination higher than expected, due to carrier rocket underperformance,[35] lifespan further reduced by drift following tracking failure. 5 years of operational life lost.[36] | ||||||||
5 September 22:43[5] | Proton-M/Briz-M | Baikonur Site 200/39 | International Launch Services | |||||
JCSAT-11 | JSAT Corporation | Intended: Geostationary | Communications | ~+135 seconds | Launch failure | |||
Second stage failed to separate due to damaged cabling.[37] | ||||||||
6 September 21:09 | Terrier-Orion | Wallops Flight Facility | NASA | |||||
PLAYER | NASA | Suborbital | Technology | 6 September 21:19 | Successful | |||
11 September 13:05[5] | Kosmos-3M | Plesetsk Site 132/1 | VKS | |||||
Kosmos 2429 (Parus) | VKS | Low Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational | |||
13 September | Sounding Rocket VI | Jiu Peng Air Base | NSPO | |||||
NSPO | Suborbital | Ionospheric research | 13 September | Successful | ||||
Apogee: ~280 km (174 mi) | ||||||||
14 September 01:31:01[5] | H-IIA 2022 | Tanegashima LA-Y1 | Mitsubishi | |||||
Kaguya (SELENE) | JAXA | Selenocentric | Lunar orbiter | In orbit | Operational | |||
Okina (RStar) | JAXA | Selenocentric | Lunar orbiter | 12 February 2009 08:46 | Successful | |||
Ouna (VStar) | JAXA | Selenocentric | Lunar orbiter | In orbit | Operational | |||
14 September 11:00[5] | Soyuz-U | Baikonur Site 1/5 | Roskosmos | |||||
Foton-M3 | Roskosmos/ESA | Low Earth | Scientific | 26 September | Successful | |||
YES2 | Low Earth | Technology development | Unknown | Spacecraft failure | ||||
YES2 tether may have failed to deploy fully. Satellite recovery failed.[38] | ||||||||
18 September 18:35[5] | Delta II 7920-10C | Vandenberg SLC-2W | United Launch Alliance | |||||
WorldView-1 | DigitalGlobe | Low Earth | Imaging | In orbit | Operational | |||
75th consecutive successful Delta II launch. | ||||||||
19 September 03:26[5] | Long March 4B | Taiyuan LC-1 | CNSA | |||||
CBERS-2B (Ziyuan 1-02B) | CASC/INPE | Sun-synchronous | Remote sensing | In orbit | Operational | |||
27 September 11:34[39] | Delta II 7925H | Cape Canaveral SLC-17B | United Launch Alliance | |||||
Dawn | NASA | Heliocentric Then: Ceres orbit Then: Vesta orbit | Asteroid research | In orbit | Operational | |||
Will explore dwarf planet Ceres and asteroid 4 Vesta, Ceres was designated as an asteroid during mission planning | ||||||||
28 September 20:16 | Polaris (STARS) | FTG-03a | Kodiak | Sandia | ||||
MDA | Suborbital | Target | 28 September | Successful | ||||
Intercepted by Ground Based Interceptor | ||||||||
28 September 20:18 | Ground Based Interceptor | FTG-03a | Vandenberg LF-23 | MDA | ||||
MDA | Suborbital | ABM test | 28 September | Successful | ||||
Intercepted Polaris (STARS) | ||||||||
October[edit] | ||||||||
5 October 05:50 | Agni-I | Integrated Test Range | IDRDL | |||||
IDRDL | Suborbital | Missile test | 5 October | Successful | ||||
5 October 22:02:26[39] | Ariane 5GS | Kourou ELA-3 | Arianespace | |||||
Intelsat 11 | Intelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
Optus D2 | Optus | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
10 October 13:22:39[39] | Soyuz-FG | Baikonur Site 1/5 | Roskosmos | |||||
Soyuz TMA-11 | Roskosmos | Low Earth (ISS) | ISS Expedition 16 | 19 April 2008 | Successful | |||
Crewed orbital flight with 3 cosmonauts, first Malaysian & South Korean in space | ||||||||
11 October 00:22[39] | Atlas V 421 | Cape Canaveral SLC-41 | United Launch Alliance | |||||
USA-195 (WGS-1) | US Air Force | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
Maiden flight of Atlas V 421 | ||||||||
17 October 12:23:00[40] | Delta II 7925-9.5 | Cape Canaveral SLC-17A | United Launch Alliance | |||||
USA-196 (GPS 2R-17/M4) | US Air Force | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational | |||
700th flight of Thor rocket (Variant used as first stage). | ||||||||
20 October 20:12:25[40] | Soyuz-FG/Fregat | Baikonur Site 31/6 | Starsem | |||||
Globalstar 66 | Globalstar | Low Earth | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
Globalstar 67 | Globalstar | Low Earth | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
Globalstar 68 | Globalstar | Low Earth | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
Globalstar 70 | Globalstar | Low Earth | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
23 October 04:39[40] | Molniya-M/2BL | Plesetsk Site 16/2 | VKS | |||||
Kosmos 2430 (Oko) | VKS | Molniya | Early warning | 5 January 2019 07:58[41] | Successful | |||
23 October 15:38:19[40] | Space Shuttle Discovery | Kennedy Space Center LC-39A | United Space Alliance | |||||
STS-120 | NASA | Low Earth (ISS) | ISS assembly | 7 November 18:01 | Successful | |||
Harmony (Node 2) | NASA | Low Earth (ISS) | ISS component | In orbit | Operational | |||
Crewed orbital flight with 7 astronauts, crew rotation | ||||||||
24 October 10:05[40] | Long March 3A | Xichang LA-3 | CNSA | |||||
Chang'e 1 | CNSA | Selenocentric | Lunar orbiter | 1 March 2009 08:13[42] | Successful | |||
First Chinese lunar probe | ||||||||
26 October 07:35:24[40] | Proton-K/DM-2 | Baikonur Site 81/24 | VKS | |||||
Kosmos 2431 (GLONASS-M) | VKS | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational | |||
Kosmos 2432 (GLONASS-M) | VKS | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational | |||
Kosmos 2433 (GLONASS-M) | VKS | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational | |||
29 October | RS-18 UR-100N | Baikonur | RVSN | |||||
RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 29 October | Successful | ||||
30 October 04:12:52 | Black Brant IX | Wallops Flight Facility Pad 1 | NASA | |||||
EARLE | NASA/Texas | Suborbital | Ionospheric | 30 October 04:26:17 | Successful | |||
November[edit] | ||||||||
1 November 00:51:44[43] | Kosmos-3M | Plesetsk Site 132/1 | COSMOS International | |||||
SAR-Lupe 3 | Bundeswehr | Low Earth (polar) | Radar reconnaissance | In orbit | Operational | |||
Rubin-7 | OHB System | Low Earth (polar) | Technology | In orbit | Operational | |||
6 November 18:00 | Black Brant IX | White Sands LC-36 | NASA | |||||
EUNIS | NASA | Suborbital | Solar | 6 November | Successful | |||
11 November 01:50[43] | Delta IV Heavy 9250H | Cape Canaveral SLC-37B | United Launch Alliance | |||||
USA-197 (DSP-23) | DoD | Geosynchronous | Missile defence | In orbit | Spacecraft failure[44] | |||
Final DSP satellite Stopped transmitting in September 2008[44] | ||||||||
11 November 22:48[43] | Long March 4C (4B-II) | Taiyuan LC-1 | CNSA | |||||
Yaogan 3 | CNSA | Sun-synchronous | Remote sensing | In orbit | Operational | |||
First launch of Long March 4C after redesignation | ||||||||
14 November 22:06[43] | Ariane 5ECA | Kourou ELA-3 | Arianespace | |||||
Skynet 5B | Paradigm/MoD | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
Star One C1 | Star One | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
Record mass to GTO – 9,535 kg (21,021 lb)[45] | ||||||||
17 November 22:39:47[43] | Proton-M/Briz-M | Baikonur Site 200/39 | International Launch Services | |||||
Sirius 4 | SES Sirius | Geostationary | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
December[edit] | ||||||||
8 December | RT-2UTTH Topol-M | Kapustin Yar | RVSN | |||||
RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 8 December | Successful | ||||
9 December 00:16[46] | Proton-M/Briz-M | Baikonur Site 81/24 | VKS | |||||
Globus-1M #11L (Raduga-1M 1) | VKS | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
9 December 02:31:42[46] | Delta II 7420-10 | Vandenberg SLC-2W | United Launch Alliance | |||||
COSMO-2 | ASI[28] | Sun-synchronous | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Operational | |||
10 December 09:00:00 | Black Brant XII | Andøya | NASA | |||||
TRICE-High | NASA/UoI | Suborbital | Electrodynamics | 10 December | Successful | |||
10 December 09:02:00 | Black Brant XII | Andøya | NASA | |||||
TRICE-Low | NASA/UoI | Suborbital | Electrodynamics | 10 December | Successful | |||
10 December 22:05[46] | Atlas V 401 | Cape Canaveral SLC-41 | United Launch Alliance | |||||
USA-198 (SDS-3-5) | NRO | Molniya | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
NRO Launch 24 | ||||||||
14 December 13:17:34[46] | Soyuz-FG/Fregat | Baikonur Site 31/6 | Starsem | |||||
RADARSAT 2 | MDA Corporation | Sun-synchronous | Radar imaging | In orbit | Operational | |||
17 December 22:05[47] | Castor 4B | JFTM-1 | Kauai | US Navy | ||||
Mock warhead | US Navy | Suborbital | Target | 17 December | Successful | |||
Intercepted by SM-3 | ||||||||
17 December 22:08[47] | RIM-161 SM-3 | JFTM-1 | JDS Kongō | JMSDF | ||||
JMSDF | Suborbital | ABM test | 17 December | Successful | ||||
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 test | 17 December | Successful | |||
Multiple re-entry vehicles, impacted Kura Test Range | ||||||||
17 December | VS-30 | Barreira do Inferno | AEB | |||||
Angicos | AEB/CONAE | Suborbital | Microgravity | 17 December | Successful | |||
20 December 20:04:00[46] | Delta II 7925-9.5 | Cape Canaveral SLC-17A | United Launch Alliance | |||||
USA-199 (GPS 2R-18/M5) | US Air Force | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational | |||
21 December 21:41:55[46] | Ariane 5GS | Kourou ELA-3 | Arianespace | |||||
Horizons-2 | Intelsat/JSAT Corporation | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
Rascom-QAF 1 | RascomSTAR-QAF | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Partial spacecraft failure Operational | |||
Helium leak affected early operations of Rascom-QAF 1,[48] reducing operational lifetime by 13 years. | ||||||||
23 December 07:12:41[49] | Soyuz-U | Baikonur Site 1/5 | Roskosmos | |||||
Progress M-62 | Roskosmos | Low Earth (ISS) | Logistics | 15 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 test | 25 December | Successful | |||
Multiple re-entry vehicles, Impacted Kura Test Range | ||||||||