January 20 in Space History

22 events

1. 1969 57 years ago launch failure

   L-1 No. 13L — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: L-1 No. 13L

   • Space transportation

   Zond 1969A was an uncrewed Soyuz 7K-L1 mission intended to fly around the Moon and return to Earth.

   • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)
   • Wikipedia — Zond 1969A (opens in a new tab) — Factual synthesis based on the cited Wikipedia and NASA pages; original editorial wording. (CC BY-SA 4.0)
   • Original Wikipedia link from NSE timeline (opens in a new tab) (CC BY-SA 4.0)
   • Timeline of Space Exploration Missions 1957 to 2031 (opens in a new tab)
   • NASA — Zond 1969A (opens in a new tab)

2. 1970 56 years ago launch

   Kosmos-321 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-321

   • Space transportation

   Kosmos 11K63 launched on the Kosmos-321 flight from 53-y Nauchno-Issledovatelskiy Ispitatelniy Poligon, pad LC133/3. Launch vehicle success.

   • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

3. 1971 55 years ago launch

   Meteor — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Meteor

   • Space transportation

   Vostok 8A92M launched on the Meteor flight from 53-y Nauchno-Issledovatelskiy Ispitatelniy Poligon, pad LC41/1. Launch vehicle success.

   • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

4. 1972 54 years ago launch

   HEXAGON SV2 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: HEXAGON SV2

   • Space transportation

   Titan IIID launched on the HEXAGON SV2 flight from South Vandenberg AFB, California, pad SLC4E. Launch vehicle success.

   • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

5. 1973 53 years ago launch

   Kosmos-544 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-544

   • Space transportation

   Kosmos 11K65M launched on the Kosmos-544 flight from 53-y Nauchno-Issledovatelskiy Ispitatelniy Poligon, pad LC132/1. Launch vehicle success.

   • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

6. 1976 50 years ago launch

   Kosmos-789 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-789

   • Space transportation

   Kosmos 11K65M launched on the Kosmos-789 flight from 53-y Nauchno-Issledovatelskiy Ispitatelniy Poligon, pad LC132/1. Launch vehicle success.

   • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

7. 1977 49 years ago launch

   Kosmos-889 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-889

   • Space transportation

   Soyuz-U launched on the Kosmos-889 flight from NIIP-5, Baykonur, Kazakstan, pad LC31. Launch vehicle success.

   • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

8. 1977 49 years ago launch

   Kosmos-890 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-890

   • Space transportation

   Kosmos 11K65M launched on the Kosmos-890 flight from 53-y Nauchno-Issledovatelskiy Ispitatelniy Poligon, pad LC132/1. Launch vehicle success.

   • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

9. 1978 48 years ago launch

   Progress-1 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Progress-1

   • Space transportation

   Soyuz-U launched on the Progress-1 flight from NIIP-5, Baykonur, Kazakstan, pad LC31. Launch vehicle success.

   • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

10. 1981 45 years ago launch

    Kosmos-1240 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Kosmos-1240

    • Space transportation

    Soyuz-U launched on the Kosmos-1240 flight from NIIP-5, Baykonur, Kazakstan, pad LC31. Launch vehicle success.

    • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

11. 1982 44 years ago launch

    Kosmos-1334 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Kosmos-1334

    • Space transportation

    Soyuz-U launched on the Kosmos-1334 flight from 53-y Nauchno-Issledovatelskiy Ispitatelniy Poligon, pad LC16/2. Launch vehicle success.

    • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

12. 1983 43 years ago launch

    Kosmos-1437 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Kosmos-1437

    • Space transportation

    Vostok 8A92M launched on the Kosmos-1437 flight from 53-y Nauchno-Issledovatelskiy Ispitatelniy Poligon, pad LC16/2. Launch vehicle success.

    • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

13. 1988 38 years ago launch

    Progress-34 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Progress-34

    • Space transportation

    Soyuz-U2 launched on the Progress-34 flight from NIIP-5, Baykonur, Kazakstan, pad LC1. Launch vehicle success.

    • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

14. 1994 32 years ago launch

    Gals 1 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Gals 1

    • Space transportation

    Proton-K/DM-2M (DM-2M) launched on the Gals 1 flight from GIK-5, Baykonur, Kazakstan, pad LC81/23. Launch vehicle success.

    • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

15. 2005 21 years ago launch

    Kosmos-2414 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Kosmos-2414

    • Space transportation

    Kosmos 11K65M launched on the Kosmos-2414 flight from 1-y Gosudarstvenniy Ispitatelniy Kosmodrom MO RF, pad LC132/1. Launch vehicle success.

    • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

16. 2011 15 years ago launch

    USA 224 [IC] — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: USA 224 [IC]

    • Space transportation

    Delta 4H launched on the USA 224 [IC] flight from South Vandenberg AFB, California, pad SLC6. Launch vehicle success.

    • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

17. 2012 14 years ago launch

    WGS 4 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: WGS 4

    • Space transportation

    Delta 4M+(5,4) launched on the WGS 4 flight from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida, pad SLC37B. Launch vehicle success.

    • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

18. 2014 12 years ago mission operations

    Rosetta wakes from hibernation

    ESA’s comet spacecraft resumed communications after deep-space hibernation.

    • ESA — Rosetta overview (opens in a new tab) — Factual summary; source attribution retained.

19. 2016 10 years ago launch

    IRNSS-1E — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: IRNSS-1E

    • Space transportation

    PSLV-XL launched on the IRNSS-1E flight from Satish Dhawan Space Ctr, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India, pad SLP. Launch vehicle success.

    • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

20. 2018 8 years ago launch

    SBIRS GEO-4 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: SBIRS GEO-4

    • Space transportation

    Atlas V 411 (C) launched on the SBIRS GEO-4 flight from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida, pad SLC41. Launch vehicle success.

    • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

21. 2021 5 years ago launch

    Another One Leaves.. — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Another One Leaves..

    • Space transportation

    Electron launched on the Another One Leaves.. flight from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Onenui Station, Mahia Peninsula, pad LC1A. Launch vehicle success.

    • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)

22. 2021 5 years ago launch

    Starlink-17 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Starlink-17

    • Space transportation

    Falcon 9 (FT5) launched on the Starlink-17 flight from NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida, pad LC39A. Launch vehicle success.

    • Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)