Space history on December 7

21 events

1. 1966 60 years ago launch

   ATS 1 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: ATS 1

   • Space transportation

   Atlas SLV-3 Agena D launched on the ATS 1 flight from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida, pad LC12. 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.

2. 1968 58 years ago launch

   OAO 2 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: OAO 2

   • Space transportation

   Atlas SLV-3C Centaur launched on the OAO 2 flight from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida, pad LC36B. 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.

3. 1972 54 years ago launch

   Apollo 17 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Apollo 17

   • Space transportation

   Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972) was the eleventh and final crewed mission of NASA's Apollo program, the sixth and most recent time humans have set foot 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.
   • Wikipedia — Apollo 17 (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/Apollo_17
   • Timeline of Space Exploration Missions 1957 to 2031 (opens in a new tab)
   • NASA — Apollo 17 (opens in a new tab)
   • NASA NSSDCA — Apollo 17 (opens in a new tab)

4. 1972 54 years ago human spaceflight

   Apollo 17 takes the Blue Marble photograph

   Apollo 17’s crew photographed the fully illuminated Earth while traveling toward the Moon.

   • NASA — 60 moments in NASA history (opens in a new tab) — Factual summary; source attribution retained.

5. 1976 50 years ago launch

   FSW — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: FSW

   • Space transportation

   Chang Zheng 2C launched on the FSW flight from Jiuquan Space Center, Nei Monggol Zizhiqu, China, pad LA2B. 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.

6. 1976 50 years ago launch

   Kosmos-871/878 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-871/878

   • Space transportation

   Kosmos 11K65M launched on the Kosmos-871/878 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.

7. 1978 48 years ago launch

   Kosmos-1059 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-1059

   • Space transportation

   Soyuz-U launched on the Kosmos-1059 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.

8. 1979 47 years ago launch

   Satcom 3 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Satcom 3

   • Space transportation

   Delta 3914 launched on the Satcom 3 flight from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida, pad LC17A. 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.

9. 1983 43 years ago launch

   Kosmos-1512 — launch

   Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

   Mission: Kosmos-1512

   • Space transportation

   Soyuz-U launched on the Kosmos-1512 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.

10. 1987 39 years ago launch

    Kosmos-1899 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Kosmos-1899

    • Space transportation

    Soyuz-U launched on the Kosmos-1899 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.

11. 1995 31 years ago atmospheric entry

    Galileo probe enters Jupiter's atmosphere

    The Galileo probe entered Jupiter's atmosphere and returned measurements for 58 minutes.

    • NASA — Galileo atmospheric probe (opens in a new tab) — Original factual summary; retain attribution to NASA.

12. 2001 25 years ago launch

    Jason/TIMED — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Jason/TIMED

    • Space transportation

    Delta 7920-10 launched on the Jason/TIMED flight from Vandenberg AFB, California, pad SLC2W. 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.

13. 2014 12 years ago launch

    CBERS 4 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: CBERS 4

    • Space transportation

    Chang Zheng 4B launched on the CBERS 4 flight from Taiyuan weixing fashe zhongxin, pad LC9. 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.

14. 2015 11 years ago orbital insertion

    Akatsuki enters orbit around Venus

    Category: Mission Operations and Milestones › Type: Orbit insertion

    Mission: Akatsuki

    JAXA's Akatsuki spacecraft entered orbit around Venus.

    • JAXA — Akatsuki mission (opens in a new tab) — Original factual summary; retain attribution to JAXA.

15. 2016 10 years ago launch

    Resourcesat-2A — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Resourcesat-2A

    • Space transportation

    PSLV-XL launched on the Resourcesat-2A flight from Satish Dhawan Space Ctr, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India, pad FLP. 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.

16. 2016 10 years ago launch

    WGS 8 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: WGS 8

    • Space transportation

    Delta 4M+(5,4) (A) launched on the WGS 8 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.

17. 2018 8 years ago launch

    Saudisat-5A/5B — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Saudisat-5A/5B

    • Space transportation

    Chang Zheng 2D launched on the Saudisat-5A/5B flight from Jiuquan Space Center, Nei Monggol Zizhiqu, China, pad LC603. 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.

18. 2018 8 years ago launch

    Chang'e-4 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Chang'e-4

    • Space transportation

    Chang'e 4 is a robotic spacecraft mission in the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program of the CNSA.

    • 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.
    • Wikipedia — Chang’e 4 (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/Chang%27e_4
    • Timeline of Space Exploration Missions 1957 to 2031 (opens in a new tab)
    • NASA — Chang’e 4 (opens in a new tab)
    • NASA NSSDCA — Chang’e 4 (opens in a new tab)

19. 2021 5 years ago launch

    STP-3 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: STP-3

    • Space transportation

    Atlas V 551 (G) launched on the STP-3 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.

20. 2023 3 years ago launch

    Starlink-128 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Starlink-128

    • Space transportation

    Falcon 9 (FT5) launched on the Starlink-128 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.

21. 2025 1 year ago launch

    Starlink-337 — launch

    Category: Launches and Flight Tests › Type: Orbital launch

    Mission: Starlink-337

    • Space transportation

    Falcon 9 (FT5) launched on the Starlink-337 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.