February 21 in Space History

19 events

1. 1962 64 years ago launch

   FTV 2301 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: FTV 2301

   • Space transportation

   Thor Agena B launched on the FTV 2301 flight from Vandenberg AFB, California, pad 75-3-5. 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)

2. 1965 61 years ago launch

   Kosmos-54/56 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-54/56

   • Space transportation

   Kosmos 65S3 launched on the Kosmos-54/56 flight from NIIP-5, Baykonur, Kazakstan, pad LC41/15. 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. 1966 60 years ago launch failure

   DS-K-40 No. 2 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests

   Mission: DS-K-40 No. 2

   Kosmos 63S1 launched on the DS-K-40 No. 2 flight from GTsP-4, Kapustin Yar, Volgograd, Rossiya, pad LC86/1. Launch failure.

   • 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. 1969 57 years ago launch failure

   L-1S No. 3 11F92 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests

   Mission: L-1S No. 3 11F92

   Zond L1S-1 was a Zond capsule to be placed into orbit around the Moon by the first launch of the N1, a Soviet-made super heavy-lift launch vehicle designed to land crewed Soviet spacecraft on the Moon.

   • 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 L1S-1 (opens in a new tab) — Adapted from Wikipedia contributors; selected sentences retained and edited for length, reference markers and pronunciation glosses. CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Article and edit history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zond_L1S-1 (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 L1S-1 (opens in a new tab)

5. 1972 54 years ago landing

   Luna 20: lunar landing

   Category: Mission Operations and Milestones › Type: Landing

   Mission: Luna 20

   Moon landing.

   • NASA — mission history (opens in a new tab) — Factual summary; source attribution retained.

6. 1977 49 years ago launch

   Kosmos-894 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-894

   • Space transportation

   Kosmos 11K65M launched on the Kosmos-894 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. 1979 47 years ago launch

   Ekran — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Ekran

   • Space transportation

   Proton-K/DM launched on the Ekran flight from NIIP-5, Baykonur, Kazakstan, pad LC200/40. 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. 1980 46 years ago launch

   Kosmos-1165 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-1165

   • Space transportation

   Soyuz-U launched on the Kosmos-1165 flight from 53-y Nauchno-Issledovatelskiy Ispitatelniy Poligon, pad LC43/4. 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. 1981 45 years ago launch

   Comstar D-4 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Comstar D-4

   • Space transportation

   Atlas SLV-3D Centaur launched on the Comstar D-4 flight from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida, pad LC36A. 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. 1984 42 years ago launch

    Progress-19 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Progress-19

    • Space transportation

    Soyuz-U launched on the Progress-19 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. 1984 42 years ago launch

    Kosmos-1538 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Kosmos-1538

    • Space transportation

    Kosmos 11K65M launched on the Kosmos-1538 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)

12. 1985 41 years ago launch

    Kosmos-1629 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Kosmos-1629

    • Space transportation

    Proton-K/DM launched on the Kosmos-1629 flight from NIIP-5, Baykonur, Kazakstan, pad LC200/39. 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. 1993 33 years ago launch

    Progress M-16 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Progress M-16

    • Space transportation

    Soyuz-U2 launched on the Progress M-16 flight from GIK-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. 1996 30 years ago launch

    Soyuz TM-23 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Soyuz TM-23

    • Space transportation

    Soyuz-U launched on the Soyuz TM-23 flight from GIK-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)

15. 2014 12 years ago launch

    GPS IIF SV-4 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: GPS IIF SV-4

    • Space transportation

    Delta 4M+(4,2) launched on the GPS IIF SV-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)

16. 2019 7 years ago launch

    EgyptSat-A — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: EgyptSat-A

    • Space transportation

    Soyuz-2-1B (Fregat) launched on the EgyptSat-A flight from GIK-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)

17. 2022 4 years ago launch

    Starlink-39 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Starlink-39

    • Space transportation

    Falcon 9 (FT5) launched on the Starlink-39 flight from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida, pad LC40. 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. 2025 1 year ago launch

    Starlink-238 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Starlink-238

    • Space transportation

    Falcon 9 (FT5) launched on the Starlink-238 flight from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida, pad LC40. 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)

19. 2026 launch

    Starlink-360 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Starlink-360

    • Space transportation

    Falcon 9 (FT5) launched on the Starlink-360 flight from South Base, Vandenberg Space Force Base, 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)