This article outlines notable events occurring in 2001 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.

2001 in spaceflight
The Mir space station, which was deorbited on 23 March
Orbital launches
First9 January
Last28 December
Total59
Successes58
Failures1
Catalogued58
Rockets
Maiden flightsGSLV
H-IIA 202
Proton-M
Soyuz-FG
RetirementsAriane 4 44P
Ariane 4 44LP
Athena I
Crewed flights
Orbital8
Total travellers44
2001 in spaceflight
← 2000
2002 →

Deorbit of Mir

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The Russian space station Mir ended its mission on 23 March 2001, when it was brought out of its orbit, entered the atmosphere and was destroyed. Major components ranged from about 5 to 15 years in age, and included the Mir Core Module, Kvant-1, Kvant-2, Kristall, Spektr, Priroda, and Docking Module. Although Russia was optimistic about Mir's future, the country's commitments to the International Space Station programme left no funding to support Mir.[1]

Launches

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

January

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9 January
17:00
 Long March 2F  Jiuquan  
 Shenzhou 2 CMSA Low Earth Test spacecraft 16 January
11:22
Successful
 Shenzhou spacecraft orbital module CMSA Low Earth Test spacecraft 24 August
09:05
Successful
10 January
22:09
 Ariane 4 44P  Kourou ELA-2  Arianespace
 Türksat 2A Eurasiasat SAM Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Operational
24 January
04:28
 Soyuz-U  Baikonur Site 1/5  Roskosmos
 Progress M1-5 Roskosmos Low Earth (Mir) Deorbit Mir 23 March
05:50
Successful
Final spacecraft to dock with the Mir space station.
Remained docked during re-entry.
30 January
07:55
 Delta II 7925-9.5  Cape Canaveral SLC-17A  Boeing IDS
 GPS IIR-7 (USA-156) US Air Force Medium Earth Navigation In orbit Operational

February

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7 February
23:05
 Ariane 4 44L  Kourou ELA-2  Arianespace
Sicral Geostationary Communications In orbit Operational
 Skynet 4F MoD (UK) Geostationary Communications In orbit Operational
Skynet 4F is the final ECS-class satellite.
7 February
23:13
 Space Shuttle Atlantis  Kennedy LC-39A  United Space Alliance
 STS-98 NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS assembly 20 February
20:33
Successful
 Destiny NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS component In orbit Operational
Crewed orbital flight with 5 astronauts
20 February
08:48
 Start-1  Svobodniy Site 5  
 Odin SSC Low Earth Infrared astronomy In orbit Operational
26 February
08:09
 Soyuz-U  Baikonur Site 1/5  Roskosmos
 Progress M-44 Roskosmos Low Earth (ISS) Logistics 16 April
13:23
Successful
ISS flight 3P
27 February
21:20
 Titan IVB (401)/Centaur  Cape Canaveral SLC-40  Lockheed Martin
 Milstar 2 (USA-157) US Air Force Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Operational

March

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8 March
11:42
 Space Shuttle Discovery  Kennedy LC-39B  United Space Alliance
 STS-102 NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS assembly 21 March
07:31
Successful
  Leonardo MPLM ASI/NASA Low Earth (ISS) Logistics Successful
Crewed orbital flight with 7 astronauts, ISS crew exchange (launched Expedition 2)
Maiden flight of Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
8 March
22:51
 Ariane 5G  Kourou ELA-3  Arianespace
 Eurobird Eutelsat Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Operational
 BSAT-2A BSAT Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Operational
18 March
22:33
 Zenit-3SL  Ocean Odyssey  Sea Launch
 XM-2 "Rock" XM Satellite Radio Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Partial satellite failure
Design fault with solar panels led to shorter operational life, deactivated November 2006

April

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7 April
03:47
 Proton-M/Briz-M  Baikonur Site 81/24  
 Ekran-M 18 GPKS Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Operational
Maiden flight of Proton-M
7 April
15:02
 Delta II 7925-9.5  Cape Canaveral SLC-17A  Boeing IDS
 2001 Mars Odyssey NASA Areocentric Mars orbiter In orbit Operational
18 April
10:13
 GSLV  Satish Dhawan FLP  ISRO
 GSAT-1 ISRO Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Failure
Payload placed in incorrect orbit due to underpowered upper stage of launch vehicle
Maiden flight of GSLV
19 April
18:40
 Space Shuttle Endeavour  Kennedy LC-39A  United Space Alliance
 STS-100 NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS assembly 1 May
16:10
Successful
  Raffaello MPLM ASI/NASA Low Earth (ISS) Logistics Successful
 Canadarm2 NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS component In orbit Operational
Crewed orbital flight with 7 astronauts
28 April
07:37
 Soyuz-U  Baikonur Site 1/5  Roskosmos
 Soyuz TM-32 Roskosmos Low Earth (ISS) ISS escape craft 31 October Successful
Crewed orbital flight with three cosmonauts including the first space tourist, whose flight was arranged by the American company Space Adventures
8 May
22:10
 Zenit-3SL  Ocean Odyssey  Sea Launch
 XM-1 "Roll" XM Satellite Radio Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Partial satellite failure
Design fault with solar panels led to shorter operational life, deactivated November 2006
15 May
01:11
 Proton-K/DM-2M  Baikonur Site 81/23   International Launch Services
 Panamsat 10 PanAmSat Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Operational
18 May
17:45
 Delta II 7925-9.5  Cape Canaveral SLC-17B  Boeing IDS
 GeoLITE (USA-158) NRO Geostationary Experimental communications In orbit Operational
NROL-17 Mission.
20 May
22:32
 Soyuz-FG  Baikonur Site 1/5  Roskosmos
 Progress M1-6 Roskosmos Low Earth (ISS) Logistics 22 August Successful
Maiden flight of Soyuz-FG
ISS flight 4P
29 May
17:55
 Soyuz-U  Plesetsk Site 43/4  VKS
 Kosmos 2377 MO RF Low Earth Reconnaissance 10 October Successful

June

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8 June
15:08
 Kosmos-3M  Plesetsk Site 132  VKS
 Kosmos 2378 MO RF Low Earth Navigation In orbit Operational
9 June
06:45
 Ariane 4 44L  Kourou ELA-2  Arianespace
 Intelsat 901 Intelsat Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Operational
16 June
01:49
 Proton-K/DM-2M  Baikonur Site 81/23   International Launch Services
 Astra 2C SES Astra Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Operational
19 June
04:41
 Atlas IIAS  Cape Canaveral SLC-36B   International Launch Services
 ICO F2 ICO Medium Earth Communications In orbit Operational
30 June
17:45
 Delta II 7425-10  Cape Canaveral SLC-17B  Boeing IDS
 WMAP NASA Earth-Sun L2 Lagrange Point Astronomy In orbit Successful
Ceased operations on 20 August 2010, subsequently manoeuvred into heliocentric orbit on 8 September[2]

July

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12 July
09:03
 Space Shuttle Atlantis  Kennedy LC-39B  United Space Alliance
 STS-104 NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS assembly 25 July
03:38
Successful
 Quest NASA Low Earth ISS component In orbit Operational
Crewed orbital flight with five astronauts
12 July
21:58
 Ariane 5G  Kourou ELA-3  Arianespace
 Artemis ESA Geosynchronous Navigation In orbit Partial launch failure
Operational
 BSAT-2B BSAT Intended: Geosynchronous
Achieved: Medium Earth
Communications 28 January 2014 Launch failure
Premature cutoff of 2nd stage. Artemis reached correct orbit under own power, BSAT abandoned in useless orbit
20 July
00:17
  Molniya-M   Plesetsk Site 43/4   VKS
 Molniya 3–51 MO RF Molniya Communications 19 December 2016[3] Successful
23 July
07:23
 Atlas IIA  Cape Canaveral SLC-36A
 GOES-12 (GOES-M) NOAA Geosynchronous Weather satellite In orbit Operational
31 July
08:00
  Tsyklon-3   Plesetsk Site 32/2   VKS
  Koronas F RAKA Sun-synchronous Solar observation 6 December 2005[4] Successful

August

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6 August
07:28
 Titan IVB (402)/IUS  Cape Canaveral SLC-40  Lockheed Martin
 DSP-21 (USA-159) US Air Force Geosynchronous Missile early warning In orbit Operational
8 August
16:13
 Delta II 7326-9.5  Cape Canaveral SLC-17A  Boeing IDS
 Genesis NASA Earth-Sun L1 Lagrange Point Solar wind sample return 8 September 2004 Partial failure
Parachute failed to deploy upon return to Earth, some samples recovered from wreckage
10 August
21:10
 Space Shuttle Discovery  Kennedy LC-39A  United Space Alliance
 STS-105 NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS assembly 22 August
03:38
Successful
  Leonardo MPLM ASI/NASA Low Earth (ISS) Logistics Successful
 Simplesat NASA Low Earth Astronomy 30 January 2002 Failure
Crewed orbital flight with seven astronauts
ISS crew exchange (launched Expedition 3)
Simplesat released 20 August 18:30 UTC, and failed to contact ground
21 August
09:23
 Soyuz-U  Baikonur Site 1/5  Roskosmos
 Progress M-45 Roskosmos Low Earth (ISS) Logistics 22 November Successful
ISS flight 5P
24 August
20:35
 Proton-K/DM-2  Baikonur Site 81/24  VKS
 Kosmos 2379 VKS Geosynchronous Early warning In orbit Operational
29 August
07:00
 H-IIA 202  Tanegashima LA-Y1  
 LRE NASDA Geostationary transfer Orbit determination In orbit Successful
 VEP-2 NASDA Geostationary transfer Boilerplate spacecraft In orbit Successful
Maiden flight of H-IIA
30 August
06:46
 Ariane 4 44L  Kourou ELA-2  Arianespace
 Intelsat 902 Intelsat Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Operational

September

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8 September
15:25
  Atlas IIAS   Vandenberg SLC-3E Lockheed Martin
  NOSS C1-1 (USA-160) NRO Low Earth SIGINT In orbit Operational
  NOSS C1-1 (USA-160-2) NRO Low Earth SIGINT In orbit Operational
14 September
23:34
  Soyuz-U   Baikonur Site 1/5   Roscosmos
  Progress M-SO1 Roscosmos Low Earth (ISS) Space tug / ISS assembly 26 September Successful
  Pirs Roscosmos Low Earth (ISS) ISS component 26 July 2021
14:51[5]
Successful
ISS flight 4R
21 September
18:49
  Taurus 2110   Vandenberg LC-576E   Orbital Sciences
  Orbview-4 OrbImage Intended: Low Earth (SSO) Earth observation 21 September Launch failure
  QuikTOMS NASA Intended: Low Earth (SSO) Ozone observation
  SBD / Celestis-4 Orbital Sciences / Celestis Intended: Low Earth (SSO) Technology demonstration / Space burial
Failed to reach orbit after control issues. SBD and Celestis-4 were hosted payloads on the third stage.
25 September
23:21
  Ariane 4 44P   Kourou ELA-2   Arianespace
  Atlantic Bird 2 Eutelsat Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Operational
Final flight of Ariane 4 44P.
30 September
02:40
  Athena I   Kodiak LP-1   Lockheed Martin
  Starshine 3 NASA Low Earth Laser ranging 21 January 2003 Successful
  Picosat 9 U.S. Air Force Low Earth Technology demonstration In orbit Successful
  PCSat U.S. Air Force Low Earth Communications In orbit Operational
  SAPPHIRE Stanford University Low Earth Education In orbit Successful
Kodiak Star, Space Test Program mission. Final flight of Athena I, and at the time final flight of the Athena family, which was later reactivated. First orbital launch from Kodiak Island.

October

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5 October
21:21
 Titan IVB (404)  Vandenberg SLC-4E  Lockheed Martin
 EIS-2 (USA-161) NRO Sun-synchronous Reconnaissance In orbit Operational
6 October
16:45
 Proton-K/DM-2  Baikonur Site 81  VKS
 Raduga-1 VKS Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Operational
11 October
02:32
 Atlas IIAS  Cape Canaveral SLC-36B
 Aquila (USA-162) NRO Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Operational
18 October
18:51
  Delta II 7320-10   Vandenberg SLC-2W   Boeing IDS
  QuickBird 2 DigitalGlobe Low Earth Earth observation 27 January 2015[6] Successful
21 October
08:59
 Soyuz-U  Baikonur Site 1/5  Roskosmos
 Soyuz TM-33 Roskosmos Low Earth (ISS) ISS escape craft 5 May 2002
03:52
Successful
Crewed orbital flight with three cosmonauts
22 October
04:53
 PSLV  Satish Dhawan FLP  ISRO
 TES ISRO Low Earth Reconnaissance In orbit Operational
 PROBA ESA Low Earth Technology demonstration In orbit Operational
 BIRD DLR Low Earth Earth imaging In orbit Operational
25 October
11:34
 Molniya-M  Plesetsk Site 43/3  VKS
 Molniya 3–52 VKS Molniya Communications 6 December 2011 Successful

November

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26 November
18:24
 Soyuz-FG  Baikonur Site 1/5  Roskosmos
 Progress M1-7 Roskosmos Low Earth (ISS) Logistics 20 March 2002 Successful
 Kolibri RAKA Low Earth Technology demonstration 4 May 2002 Successful
ISS flight 6P
Kolibri deployed from Progress on 19 March 2002
27 November
00:35
 Ariane 4 44LP  Kourou ELA-2  Arianespace
 DirecTV-4S DirecTV Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Operational
Final flight of Ariane 4 44LP

December

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1 December
18:04
 Proton-K/DM-2  Baikonur  VKS
 Kosmos 2382 (GLONASS) KNITs Medium Earth Navigation In orbit Operational
 Kosmos 2383 (GLONASS) KNITs Medium Earth Navigation In orbit Operational
 Kosmos 2384 (GLONASS) KNITs Medium Earth Navigation In orbit Operational
5 December
22:19
 Space Shuttle Endeavour  Kennedy LC-39B  United Space Alliance
 STS-108 NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS assembly 17 December
17:55
Successful
  Raffaello MPLM ASI/NASA Low Earth (ISS) Logistics Successful
 Starshine 2 NASA Low Earth Technology demonstration 26 April 2002 Successful
Crewed orbital flight with seven astronauts
ISS crew exchange (launched Expedition 4)
Starshine 2 released 16 December, 15:02 UTC
7 December
15:07
 Delta II 7920-10  Vandenberg SLC-2W  Boeing IDS
  Jason 1 CNES/NASA Low Earth Oceanography In orbit Operational
 TIMED NASA Low Earth Solar research In orbit Operational
10 December
17:18
 Zenit-2  Baikonur Site 45/1
 Meteor 3M-1 Rosaviakosmos Low Earth Weather satellite In orbit Operational
Kompas IZMIRAN Low Earth Earthquake prediction In orbit Operational
  Badr-B SUPARCO Low Earth Earth imaging In orbit Partially Successful
   Maroc-Tubsat Centre Royal de Teledetection Spatiale/TU Berlin Low Earth Earth imaging/Communications In orbit Operational
    Reflector Rosaviakosmos/US Air Force Low Earth Space debris research In orbit Operational
21 December
04:00
  Tsyklon-2   Baikonur Site 90/20
 Kosmos 2383 (US-PM) Russian Navy Low Earth Reconnaissance 20 March 2004
18:54[7]
Successful
28 December
03:24
 Tsyklon-3  Plesetsk Site 32/2  VKS
 Kosmos 2384 (Strela) VKS Low Earth Communications In orbit Operational
 Kosmos 2385 (Strela) VKS Low Earth Communications In orbit Operational
 Kosmos 2386 (Strela) VKS Low Earth Communications In orbit Operational
 Gonets D1-10 (Gonets) VKS Low Earth Communications In orbit Operational
 Gonets D1-11 (Gonets) VKS Low Earth Communications In orbit Operational
 Gonets D1-12 (Gonets) VKS Low Earth Communications In orbit Operational

Suborbital launches

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

January-March

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17 January
04:31
 Agni 2  Integrated Test Range  DRDO
 Reentry Vehicle Mk 2 DRDO Suborbital Missile test 17 January Successful
26 January
03:57
 Aries  Kauai Test Facility  US Navy
 Aegis TTV-2 USN Suborbital ABM target 26 January Intercepted
Target for FTR-1A. Apogee: ~300 km
26 January
04:03
 RIM-161 SM-3 FTR-1A "Stellar Gemini"  USS Lake Erie (CG-70), Pacific Ocean launch area, off Kauai  US Navy
 LEAP USN Suborbital Missile test 26 January Successful
Intercepted Aries target missile. Apogee: 100 km
7 February
09:28
 LGM-30G Minuteman III GT175GM  Vandenberg AFB, LF-10  US Air Force
 Mk 12 reentry vehicle ×3 USAF Suborbital Missile test 7 February Successful
9 February
04:00:06
 Black Brant 9CM1  White Sands  NASA
 JHU FOT 16 NASA, JHU Suborbital UV astronomy 9 February Successful
12 February
16:28
 Black Brant IX  White Sands  NASA
 NASA 36.187NM NASA Suborbital Microgravity research 12 February Successful
16 February
10:28
 R-29RM Shtil  K-407 Novomoskovsk, Barents Sea  Russian Navy
 Reentry vehicle ×4 Russian Navy Suborbital Missile test 16 February Successful
16 February
10:43
 RT-2PM Topol  Plesetsk Site 169  RVSN
 Reentry vehicles RVSN Suborbital Missile test 16 February Successful
19 February  RH-200SV  Satish Dhawan Space Centre  ISRO
  ISRO Suborbital Test flight 19 February Successful
20 February
18:58
 SR19/SR19  Wake Island  SMDC
 TCMP-3B SMDC Suborbital Test flight 20 February Successful
22 February
04:55
 Black Brant IX  White Sands  NASA
  J-PEX 2 NRL, Leicester University Suborbital UV astronomy 22 February Successful
22 March
22:15
 Aries  Kodiak Launch Complex, LP-2  US Air Force
 QRLV-1 USAF, USN Suborbital Target 22 March Successful
31 March  Hera  Fort Wingate, LC-96  SMDC
 MBRV-3 SMDC Suborbital Target for PAC-3 31 March Successful
31 March
06:00
 Prithvi  Integrated Test Range  DRDO
  DRDO Suborbital Missile test 31 March Successful

April-June

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17 April
22:00
 MSBS M45  L'Inflexible (S615), Bay of Biscay  French Navy
 Reentry vehicle ×6 French Navy Suborbital Missile test 17 April Successful
18 April  Shahab 1  Kermanshah Air Base  
 Warhead Suborbital Missile strike 18 April Successful
Missile strikes on MKO militant camps, many launches.
29 April
11:28
  Maxus  Esrange  SSC
 MAXUS 4 ESA Suborbital Microgravity research 29 April Successful
8 May
09:55
 Skylark 7  Esrange, Skylark launch tower  Sounding Rocket Services
 TEXUS 39 DLR Suborbital Microgravity research 8 May Successful
Apogee: 248 km
14 May  Trident D5 FCET-24  USS Kentucky (SSBN-737), Eastern Test Range  US Navy
 Reentry vehicles USN Suborbital Missile test 14 May Successful
15 May
01:57
 Improved Orion  Andøya Rocket Range  NDRE
 HiN-2 NDRE Suborbital Test flight 15 May Successful
31 May  RH-200SV  Satish Dhawan Space Centre  ISRO
  ISRO Suborbital Test flight 31 May Successful
5 June
11:32
 R-29RM Shtil  K-51 Verkhoturye, Barents Sea  Russian Navy
 Reentry vehicle ×4 Russian Navy Suborbital Missile test 5 June Successful
21 June
17:32
 Black Brant IX  White Sands, LC-36  NASA
 TXI NASA/GSFC Suborbital Solar radiation research 21 June Successful
25 June
23:16
 Trident D5 FCET-25  USS Louisiana (SSBN-743), Eastern Test Range  US Navy
 Reentry vehicles USN Suborbital Missile test 25 June Successful
25 June
23:16
 Trident D5 FCET-25  USS Louisiana, Eastern Test Range  US Navy
 Reentry vehicles USN Suborbital Missile test 25 June Successful
26 June
01:13
 Trident D5 FCET-25  USS Louisiana, Eastern Test Range  US Navy
 Reentry vehicles USN Suborbital Missile test 26 June Successful
27 June  Jericho II  Palmachim Airbase  Israeli Air Force
  IAF Suborbital Missile test 27 June Successful
27 June
04:35
 UR-100NU  Baikonur, Site 132/30  RVSN
  RVSN Suborbital Missile test 27 June Successful
29 June
04:44:01
 Black Brant VC  Wallops Flight Facility  NASA
 NASA 21.125GE NASA Suborbital Ionospheric research 29 June Successful

July-September

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31 August
20:00
 GBI BV BV-2  Vandenberg AFB, LF-21  US Air Force
 Dummy EKV BMDO Suborbital Missile test 31 August Successful
Maiden flight of the Boeing Boost Vehicle. Apogee: ~200 km

October-December

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24 October 2001
16:00
 Taiwan Sounding Rocket Sounding Rocket II  Jiu Peng Air Base  NSPO
 TMA release experiment NSPO Suborbital Ionosphere research 24 October Failure
Second stage failed to ignite at T+20 seconds.[8]
13 December
18:15
 GBI BV BV-3  Vandenberg AFB, LF-21  US Air Force
 Dummy EKV BMDO Suborbital Missile test 13 December Failure
Missile steered off course 30 seconds after launch, flight was terminated by range safety

Deep space rendezvous

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Date (GMT) Spacecraft Event Remarks
15 January Stardust 1st flyby of the Earth
12 February NEAR Landed on 433 Eros First-ever asteroid landing
25 May Galileo 8th flyby of Callisto
6 August Galileo 4th flyby of Io
22 September Deep Space 1 Flyby of 19P/Borrelly
24 October Mars Odyssey Areocentric orbit injection

EVAs

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Start Date/Time Duration End Time Spacecraft Crew Function Remarks
10 February
15:50
7 hours
34 minutes
23:24 STS-98
ISS Atlantis
 Thomas D. Jones
 Robert Curbeam
Removed protective launch covers and disconnected power and cooling cables between Destiny and Atlantis, while crewmembers inside moved the 3,800-cubic-foot (110 m3) laboratory from the payload bay to its home on the Unity node. Curbeam and Jones then connected electrical, data and cooling lines to the lab, during which a small amount of ammonia crystals leaked from one of the hoses, prompting a decontamination procedure.[9][10]
12 February
15:59
6 hours
50 minutes
22:49 STS-98
ISS Atlantis
 Thomas D. Jones
 Robert Curbeam
Installed the shuttle docking adapter onto Destiny, installed insulating covers over the pins that held Destiny in place during launch, attached a vent to the lab's air system, installed handrails and sockets on the exterior of Destiny, and attached a base for the future space station robotic arm.[11]
14 February
14:48
5 hours
25 minutes
20:13 STS-98
ISS Atlantis
 Thomas D. Jones
 Robert Curbeam
Attached a spare communications antenna to the station, double-checked connections between the Destiny lab and its docking port, released a cooling radiator on the station, inspected solar array connections at the top of the station, and tested the ability of a spacewalker to carry an immobile crew member back to the shuttle airlock.[12] 100th American spacewalk.
11 March
05:12
8 hours
56 minutes
14:08 STS-102
ISS Discovery
 James S. Voss
 Susan J. Helms
Prepared PMA-3 for repositioning from Unity's Earth-facing berth to the port-side berth to make room for the Leonardo MPLM. Removed a Lab Cradle Assembly from the shuttle's cargo bay and installed it on the side of Destiny, and installed a cable tray to Destiny for later use by the station's robot arm. After re-entering the shuttle's airlock, the spacewalkers remained ready to assist if any troubles were encountered by the crew inside the shuttle.[13] Longest-duration EVA in history.
13 March
05:23
6 hours
21 minutes
11:44 STS-102
ISS Discovery
 / Andy Thomas
 Paul W. Richards
Installed an External Stowage Platform for spare station parts, attached a spare ammonia coolant pump to the platform, finished connecting several cables put in place on the first EVA for the station's robotic arm. Inspected a Unity node heater connection, and inspected of an exterior experiment, the Floating Potential Probe.[14]
22 April
11:45
7 hours
10 minutes
18:55 STS-100
ISS Endeavour
 Chris Hadfield
 Scott E. Parazynski
Installed the station's UHF antenna, and the Canadian Space Agency made Canadarm2. Connected cables to give the arm power and allow it to accept computer commands from inside the lab.[15] Hadfield became the first Canadian spacewalker.
24 April
12:34
7 hours
40 minutes
20:14 STS-100
ISS Endeavour
 Chris Hadfield
 Scott E. Parazynski
Connected the Power Data Grapple Fixture circuits for Canadarm2 onto Destiny, removed an early communications antenna, transferred a spare Direct Current Switching Unit from the shuttle's payload bay to an equipment storage rack on the outside of Destiny.[16]
8 June
14:21
19 minutes 14:40 Expedition 2
ISS Zvezda
 Yury Usachyov
 James S. Voss
Installed the docking cone onto the Zvezda module, in preparation for the arrival of the Russian Pirs docking compartment.[17] Conducted from the transfer compartment of the Zvezda Service Module.
15 July
03:10
5 hours
59 minutes
09:09 STS-104
ISS Atlantis
 Michael L. Gernhardt
 James F. Reilly
Installed the Quest Joint Airlock onto the Unity node.[18][19][20]
18 July
03:04
6 hours
29 minutes
09:33 STS-104
ISS Atlantis
 Michael L. Gernhardt
 James F. Reilly
Installed one of two high-pressure nitrogen tanks, and one of two high-pressure oxygen tanks onto Quest, and installed grapple fixture and trunion covers.[18][20][21]
21 July
04:35
4 hours
2 minutes
08:37 STS-104
ISS Quest
 Michael L. Gernhardt
 James F. Reilly
Installed the second high-pressure nitrogen tank, and the second oxygen tank onto the Quest airlock.[20][22][23] First EVA conducted from the Quest airlock.
16 August
13:58
6 hours
16 minutes
20:14 STS-105
ISS Discovery
 Daniel T. Barry
 Patrick G. Forrester
Installed an Early Ammonia Servicer onto the station's P6 truss, co-location of the foot restraint in a stowed location, and installed the MISSE-1 and 2 containers onto the Quest airlock.[24][25]
18 August
13:42
5 hours
29 minutes
19:11 STS-105
ISS Discovery
 Daniel T. Barry
 Patrick G. Forrester
Installed heater cables and handrails onto the Destiny laboratory.[24][25]
8 October
14:24
4 hours
58 minutes
19:22 Expedition 3
ISS Pirs
 Vladimir Dezhurov
 Mikhail Tyurin
Installed cables between Pirs, and Zvezda to allow spacewalk radio communications between the two sections. Installed handrails onto Pirs, and installed an exterior ladder to assist spacewalkers leaving Pirs. Installed a Strela cargo crane.[26] First EVA conducted from the Pirs docking compartment.
15 October
09:17
5 hours
51 minutes
15:08 Expedition 3
ISS Pirs
 Vladimir Dezhurov
 Mikhail Tyurin
Installed Russian commercial experiments (MPAC-SEEDS) onto the exterior of the Pirs docking compartment.[26]
12 November
21:41
5 hours
5 minutes
13 November
02:46
Expedition 3
ISS Pirs
 Vladimir Dezhurov
 Frank L. Culbertson
Connected cables on the exterior of Pirs for the Kurs automated docking system, completed checks of the Strela cargo crane, and inspected and photographed a panel of a solar array on Zvezda that had a portion of a panel not fully unfolded.[26]
3 December
13:20
2 hours
46 minutes
16:06 Expedition 3
ISS Pirs
 Vladimir Dezhurov
 Mikhail Tyurin
Removed an obstruction that prevented a Progress resupply ship from firmly docking with the station, and took pictures of the debris and of the docking interface.[26]
10 December
17:52
4 hours
12 minutes
22:04 STS-108
ISS Endeavour
 Linda M. Godwin
 Daniel M. Tani
Installed insulating blankets around two Beta Gimbal Assemblies that rotate the station's solar array wings, and performed get-ahead tasks in preparation for STS-110's spacewalks.[27][28][29]

Orbital launch summary

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By country

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For the purposes of this section, the yearly tally of orbital launches by country assigns each flight to the country of origin of the rocket, not to the launch services provider or the spaceport.

 China: 1Europe: 8India: 2Japan: 1Russia: 19USA: 22Ukraine: 6
Country Launches Successes Failures Partial
failures
Remarks
  China 1 1 0 0
  Europe 8 7 0 1
  India 2 1 1 0
  Japan 1 1 0 0
  Russia 19 19 0 0
  Ukraine 6 6 0 0
  United States 22 21 1 0
World 59 56 2 1

By rocket

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By family

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By type

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By configuration

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By spaceport

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5
10
15
20
25
30
China
France
India
International waters
Japan
Kazakhstan
Russia
United States
Site Country Launches Successes Failures Partial failures Remarks
Baikonur   Kazakhstan 16 16 0 0
Cape Canaveral   United States 10 10 0 0
Jiuquan   China 1 1 0 0
Kennedy   United States 6 6 0 0
Kodiak   United States 1 1 0 0 First orbital launch
Kourou   France 8 7 0 1
Ocean Odyssey   International waters 2 2 0 0
Plesetsk   Russia 6 6 0 0
Satish Dhawan   India 2 1 1 0
Svobodny   Russia 1 1 0 0
Tanegashima   Japan 1 1 0 0
Vandenberg   United States 5 4 1 0
Total 59 56 2 1

By orbit

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  •   Low Earth
  •   Low Earth (Mir)
  •   Low Earth (ISS)
  •   Low Earth (SSO)
  •   Medium Earth
  •   Molniya
  •   Geosynchronous
  •   Heliocentric
Orbital regime Launches Achieved Not achieved Accidentally
achieved
Remarks
Low Earth / Sun-synchronous 29 28 1 0 Including flights to ISS and Mir
Geosynchronous /GTO 22 21 1 0 GSLV launch failure left satellite in useless transfer orbit
Medium Earth / Molniya 5 5 0 1 Ariane 5 partial failure left payloads in a useless medium earth orbit.
One satellite was able to correct itself to the intended geostationary transfer orbit.
Heliocentric orbit / Planetary transfer 3 3 0 0
Total 59 57 2 1

References

edit
  • Bergin, Chris. "NASASpaceFlight.com".
  • Clark, Stephen. "Spaceflight Now".
  • Kelso, T.S. "Satellite Catalog (SATCAT)". CelesTrak.[dead link]
  • Krebs, Gunter. "Chronology of Space Launches".
  • Kyle, Ed. "Space Launch Report". Archived from the original on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  • McDowell, Jonathan. "GCAT Orbital Launch Log".
  • 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.
  • "Space Calendar". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.[dead link]
  • "Space Information Center". JAXA.[dead link]
  • "Хроника освоения космоса" [Chronicle of space exploration]. CosmoWorld (in Russian).
Generic references:
  Spaceflight portal

Footnotes

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  1. ^ "Mir Destroyed in Fiery Descent". CNN. 22 March 2001. Archived from the original on 21 November 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  2. ^ Clark, Stephen (6 October 2010). "WMAP finishes nine-year probe of infant universe". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 10 October 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
  3. ^ "MOLNIYA 3-51". N2YO.com. Archived from the original on 1 September 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  4. ^ "CORONAS F". N2YO.com. Archived from the original on 1 September 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  5. ^ Gebhardt, Chris (25 July 2021). "Farewell, Pirs; ISS module decommissioned, destructively reentered". NASASpaceFlight. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  6. ^ "QUICKBIRD 2". N2YO.com. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  7. ^ Podvig, Pavel (20 March 2004). "Reentry of the Cosmos-2383 naval reconnaissance satellite". Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  8. ^ Chern, Jeng-Shing; Wu, Bill; Chen, Yen-Sen; Wu, An-Ming (2012). "Suborbital and low-thermospheric experiments using sounding rockets in Taiwan". Acta Astronautica. 70: 159–164. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2011.07.030. ISSN 0094-5765.
  9. ^ NASA (2001). "STS-98 Day 4 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  10. ^ Boeing/NASA/United Space Alliance (2001). "Three Space Walks Will Add Sophisticated Laboratory". Shuttle Press Kits. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  11. ^ NASA (2001). "STS-98 Day 6 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  12. ^ NASA (2001). "STS-98 Day 8 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  13. ^ NASA (2001). "STS-102 Day 4 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  14. ^ NASA (2001). "STS-102 Day 6 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  15. ^ NASA (2001). "STS-100 Day 4 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  16. ^ NASA (2001). "STS-100 Day 6 Highlights". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  17. ^ NASA (2001). "ISS Status Report #01-18 Friday, June 9, 2001 – Expedition Two Crew". NASA. Archived from the original on 6 November 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  18. ^ a b Jim Banke (2001). "First spacewalk concludes". Space.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  19. ^ Boeing/NASA/United Space Alliance (2001). "STS-104 Spacewalks: Installing a Spacewalking Portal". Shuttle Press Kits. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  20. ^ a b c NASA (2001). "STS-104 Extravehicular Activities". NASA. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  21. ^ NASA (2001). "STS-104". NASA. Archived from the original on 21 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  22. ^ Todd Halvorson (2001). "Quest Airlock Makes Orbital Debut as Astronauts Wrap Up Station Construction Work". Space.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  23. ^ Jim Banke (2001). "Historic milestone at Alpha". Space.com. Archived from the original on 23 May 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  24. ^ a b NASA (2001). "STS-105 Extravehicular Activities". NASA. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  25. ^ a b NASA/Boeing/United Space Alliance (2001). "Two Spacewalks to Lay Groundwork for Future ISS Construction". Shuttle Press Kit. Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  26. ^ a b c d NASA (2001). "Expedition Three Spacewalks". NASA. Archived from the original on 4 October 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  27. ^ NASA (2001). "STS-108 Extravehicular Activities". NASA. Archived from the original on 2 February 2002. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  28. ^ NASA (2001). "STS-108, Mission Control Center Status Report #11". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  29. ^ Jim Banke (2001). "STS-108 Mission Update Archive". Space.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.