March 6 in Space History

13 events

1. 1968 58 years ago launch failure

   DS-U1-Ya No. 1 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: DS-U1-Ya No. 1

   • Space transportation

   Kosmos 11K63 launched on the DS-U1-Ya No. 1 flight from GTsP-4, Kapustin Yar, Volgograd, Rossiya, pad LC86/4. 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)

2. 1969 57 years ago launch

   Kosmos-270 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-270

   • Space transportation

   Voskhod 11A57 launched on the Kosmos-270 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)

3. 1973 53 years ago launch

   Kosmos-551 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-551

   • Space transportation

   Voskhod 11A57 launched on the Kosmos-551 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)

4. 1973 53 years ago launch

   AFP-720 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: AFP-720

   • Space transportation

   Atlas SLV-3A Agena D launched on the AFP-720 flight from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida, pad LC13. 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. 1981 45 years ago launch

   Kosmos-1250/1257 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-1250/1257

   • Space transportation

   Kosmos 11K65M launched on the Kosmos-1250/1257 flight from 53-y Nauchno-Issledovatelskiy Ispitatelniy Poligon, pad LC132/2. 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)

6. 1984 42 years ago launch

   Kosmos-1541 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-1541

   • Space transportation

   Molniya 8K78M (ML) launched on the Kosmos-1541 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)

7. 1989 37 years ago launch

   JCSAT 1/Meteosat 4 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: JCSAT 1/Meteosat 4

   • Space transportation

   Ariane 44LP (44LP) launched on the JCSAT 1/Meteosat 4 flight from Centre Spatial Guyanais, Kourou, Guyane Francaise, pad ELA2. 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. 1991 35 years ago launch

   Kosmos-2136 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-2136

   • Space transportation

   Soyuz-U-PVB launched on the Kosmos-2136 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)

9. 2015 11 years ago orbital insertion

   Dawn enters orbit around Ceres

   Category: Mission Operations and Milestones › Type: Orbit insertion

   Mission: Dawn

   Dawn reached Ceres orbit after its earlier orbital investigation of Vesta.

   • NASA — Dawn mission history (opens in a new tab) — Original factual summary; retain attribution to NASA.

10. 2018 8 years ago launch

    Hispasat 30W-6 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Hispasat 30W-6

    • Space transportation

    Falcon 9 (FT4) launched on the Hispasat 30W-6 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)

11. 2025 1 year ago launch

    CSO 3 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: CSO 3

    • Space transportation

    Ariane 62 launched on the CSO 3 flight from Centre Spatial Guyanais, Kourou, Guyane Francaise, pad ELA4. 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. 2025 1 year ago launch failure

    Starship Flight 8 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Starship Flight 8

    • Space transportation

    Starship V2 (R2) launched on the Starship Flight 8 flight from Starbase, Boca Chica Beach, Texas, pad OLP1. 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)

13. 2025 1 year ago landing

    IM-2 Athena: lunar landing

    Category: Mission Operations and Milestones › Type: Landing

    Mission: IM-2 Athena

    Moon landing.

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