August 3 in Space History

17 events

1. 1965 61 years ago launch

   Kosmos-77 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-77

   • Space transportation

   Voskhod 11A57 launched on the Kosmos-77 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)

2. 1965 61 years ago launch

   AFP-206 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: AFP-206

   • Space transportation

   Atlas SLV-3 Agena D launched on the AFP-206 flight from South Vandenberg AFB, California, pad PALC2-4. 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)

3. 1971 55 years ago launch failure

   DS-P1-Yu No. 33 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: DS-P1-Yu No. 33

   • Space transportation

   Kosmos 11K63 launched on the DS-P1-Yu No. 33 flight from 53-y Nauchno-Issledovatelskiy Ispitatelniy Poligon, pad LC133/3. 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. 1977 49 years ago launch

   Kosmos-936 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-936

   • Space transportation

   Soyuz-U launched on the Kosmos-936 flight from 53-y Nauchno-Issledovatelskiy Ispitatelniy Poligon, pad LC43/3. 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)

5. 1979 47 years ago launch

   Kosmos-1119 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-1119

   • Space transportation

   Soyuz-U launched on the Kosmos-1119 flight from 53-y Nauchno-Issledovatelskiy Ispitatelniy Poligon, pad LC43/3. 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)

6. 1981 45 years ago launch

   DE 1/DE 2 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: DE 1/DE 2

   • Space transportation

   Delta 3913 launched on the DE 1/DE 2 flight from Vandenberg AFB, California, pad SLC2W. Partial launch success/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)

7. 1982 44 years ago launch

   Kosmos-1398 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-1398

   • Space transportation

   Soyuz-U launched on the Kosmos-1398 flight from 53-y Nauchno-Issledovatelskiy Ispitatelniy Poligon, pad LC43/3. 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)

8. 1983 43 years ago launch

   Kosmos-1486 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-1486

   • Space transportation

   Kosmos 11K65M launched on the Kosmos-1486 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)

9. 1987 39 years ago launch

   Progress-31 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Progress-31

   • Space transportation

   Soyuz-U2 launched on the Progress-31 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)

10. 1990 36 years ago launch

    Kosmos-2089 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Kosmos-2089

    • Space transportation

    Soyuz-U-PVB launched on the Kosmos-2089 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)

11. 1995 31 years ago launch

    PAS 4 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: PAS 4

    • Space transportation

    Ariane 42L (42L-3) launched on the PAS 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)

12. 2004 22 years ago launch

    Messenger — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Messenger

    • Space transportation

    MESSENGER was a NASA robotic space probe that orbited the planet Mercury between 2011 and 2015, studying Mercury's chemical composition, geology, and magnetic field.

    • 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 — MESSENGER (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/MESSENGER (CC BY-SA 4.0)
    • Timeline of Space Exploration Missions 1957 to 2031 (opens in a new tab)
    • NASA — MESSENGER (opens in a new tab)
    • NASA NSSDCA — MESSENGER (opens in a new tab)

13. 2008 18 years ago launch failure

    Trailblazer — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Trailblazer

    • Space transportation

    Falcon 1 launched on the Trailblazer flight from US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA), Marshall Islands, pad OM. 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)

14. 2013 13 years ago launch

    HTV-4 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: HTV-4

    • Space transportation

    H-IIB launched on the HTV-4 flight from Tanegashima Space Center, Tanegashima, Nippon, pad Y2. 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. 2023 3 years ago launch

    FY3-06 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: FY3-06

    • Space transportation

    Chang Zheng 4C launched on the FY3-06 flight from Jiuquan Space Center, Nei Monggol Zizhiqu, China, pad LC43/94. 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. 2023 3 years ago launch

    Galaxy 37 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Galaxy 37

    • Space transportation

    Falcon 9 (FT5) launched on the Galaxy 37 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)

17. 2025 1 year ago

    NS-34 — private and commercial crew participation

    Category: Human Spaceflight Activities › Type: Private astronaut or space tourist flight

    Mission: NS-34 · Programme: New Shepard

    • Human spaceflight
    • Commercial human spaceflight
    • Space tourism

    Role: Space tourist

    6 participants; see description and linked people.

    • Blue Origin (opens in a new tab) — Factual summary based on Blue Origin. Original source retains its rights.