1966 in spaceflight
![]() | This timeline of spaceflight may require cleanup to ensure consistency with other timeline of spaceflight articles. See Wikipedia:WikiProject Spaceflight/Timeline of spaceflight working group for guidelines on how to improve the article. Details Concerns have been raised that:
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![]() Gemini 8 about to dock with its Agena target vehicle, the first time two spacecraft dock in orbit. | |
Orbital launches | |
---|---|
First | 7 January |
Last | 29 December |
Total | 131 |
Successes | 111 |
Failures | 13 |
Partial failures | 7 |
Catalogued | 118 |
Crewed flights | |
Orbital | 5 |
Total travellers | 10 |
The year 1966 saw the peak and the end of the Gemini program. The program proved that docking in space and human EVA's could be done safely. It saw the first launch of the Saturn IB rocket, an important step in the Apollo program, and the launch of Luna 9, the first spacecraft to make a soft landing on a celestial object (the Moon).
Orbital launches[edit]
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload (โ = CubeSat) | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
January[edit] | |||||||
7 January 04:48:23 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | USAF | Planned: Low Earth | Meteorology | 7 January | Launch failure | ||
Second stage failed to ignite | |||||||
7 January 08:24 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 15 January | Partial Failure | |||
Third stage failed to put spacecraft in correct orbit | |||||||
19 January 20:10 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | ??? | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Technology | 23 January 1966 | Successful | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | 25 January 1966 | Successful | |||
22 January 08:38 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 30 January | Successful | |||
25 January 12:28 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Radar calibration | In orbit | Successful | |||
28 January 17:06:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Successful | |||
31 January 11:41:37 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Lunar transfer | Lunar lander | 3 February 18:45 | Successful | |||
First spacecraft to soft land on the surface of the Moon and of any planetary object. | |||||||
February[edit] | |||||||
2 February 21:32:13 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 27 February | Successful | ||
3 February 07:41:23 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | ESSA | Low Earth | Meteorology | In orbit | Successful | ||
5 February 12:19:49 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 5 February | Successful | ||
Maiden flight of R-36O, apogee: 200 kilometres (120 mi) | |||||||
9 February 19:45:01 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | ELINT | In orbit | Successful | ||
10 February 08:52 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 18 February | Successful | |||
11 February 18:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Atmospheric research | In orbit | Successful | |||
15 February 20:32 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | ??? | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | 22 February 1966 | Successful | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 17 February 1966 | Successful | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 22 February 1966 | Successful | |||
17 February 08:33:36 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Armรฉe de Terre | Low Earth | Geodetic science | In orbit | Successful | ||
19 February 08:52 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 27 February | Successful | |||
21 February | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Planned: Low Earth | ELINT | 21 February | Failure | |||
First stage failure at T+83 seconds | |||||||
22 February 20:09:36 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Uncrewed spacecraft | 16 March | Successful | |||
26 February 16:12:01 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Sub-orbital | Test spacecraft | 26 February 16:49:21 | Successful | ||
First flight of the Apollo Spacecraft and launch vehicle | |||||||
28 February 13:58:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | ESSA | Low Earth | Meteorology | In orbit | Successful | ||
March[edit] | |||||||
1 March 11:03:49 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Intended: Lunar transfer | Lunar orbiter | 1 March | Launch failure | |||
9 March 22:02:03 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 29 March | Successful | ||
16 March 15:00:03 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | US Air Force | Low Earth | Docking target | 15 September 1967 | Successful | ||
16 March 16:41:02 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Low Earth | Technology/Biological/Target | 17 March 03:22:28 | Successful | ||
First docking with the Agena target vehicle | |||||||
17 March 10:28:42 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 25 March 1966 05:31 | Successful | |||
18 March 20:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | ??? | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | 23 March 1966 | Successful | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | 24 March 1966 | Successful | |||
21 March 09:40 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 29 March | Successful | |||
24 March 14:39 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Intended: Low Earth | Physics | 24 March | Launch failure | |||
2nd stage engine failure T+122 seconds. Suspected collision with the first stage following separation. | |||||||
26 March 03:31:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Successful | |||
27 March 07:20 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Intended: Molniya | Communications technology | 27 March | Launch failure | |||
Booster failure | |||||||
30 March 09:20:12 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | US Air Force | Low Earth | REV test | In orbit | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | REV test | In orbit | Successful | |||
31 March 05:41:04 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | USAF | Low Earth | Meteorology | In orbit | Successful | ||
31 March 10:46:59 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Lunar transfer | Lunar orbiter | 30 May (last contact) | Successful | |||
First Soviet lunar orbiter, first discoverer of lunar mascons; Last contact: 30 May 1966 | |||||||
April[edit] | |||||||
6 April 11:40 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 14 April[1] | Successful | |||
7 April 22:02:55 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 26 April 1966 | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | ??? | ??? | Successful | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | ??? | Successful | |||
8 April 01:00:02 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Highly elliptical | Technology | 14 April | Failure[2] | ||
Launch vehicle development flight. It carried a mass model of the Surveyor spacecraft. The second Centaur engine firing was unsuccessful. | |||||||
8 April 19:35:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Low Earth | In orbit | Spacecraft failure | |||
19 April 19:15 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 26 April 1966 | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | 22 April 1966 | Successful | |||
20 April 10:40 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 28 April 1966 | Successful | |||
22 April 09:45 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | USAF | Low Earth | Radiation belt particle and fields experiments | In orbit | Successful | ||
25 April 07:10 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Molniya | Communications technology | 11 June 1973 | Successful | |||
Third successful Molniya; also transmitted cloud cover images | |||||||
26 April 10:04 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Radar calibration | In orbit | Successful | |||
May[edit] | |||||||
3 May 19:25:25 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 3 May | Failure | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | 3 May | Failure | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | 3 May | Failure | |||
6 May 10:58 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 14 May 1966 | Successful | |||
11 May 14:10 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Weather | 23 November 1988 | Successful | |||
14 May 19:02 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 27 October 1970 | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | 17 May 1966 | Successful | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | 21 May 1966 | Successful | |||
15 May 07:55:34 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Low Earth | Weather Technology | In orbit | Successful | ||
17 May 11:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 17 May | Failure | |||
17 May 15:15:03 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | US Air Force | Low Earth | Docking target | 17 May | Launch failure | ||
19 May 02:27:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Successful | |||
19 May 19:30 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 19 May | Successful | ||
24 May 02:00:33 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 9 June 1966 | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | ??? | Successful | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | ??? | Successful | |||
24 May 05:31? | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Ionospheric research | In orbit | Successful | |||
25 May 14:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Low Earth | Atmospheric | 22 February 1985 | Successful | ||
30 May 14:41:01 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Highly elliptical | Lunar Lander | 2 June 1966 | Successful | ||
First lunar soft-lander | |||||||
June[edit] | |||||||
1 June 15:00:02 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | US Air Force | Low Earth | Docking target | 11 June | Spacecraft failure | ||
Shroud failed to come off target adapter precluding docking | |||||||
3 June 13:39:33 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Low Earth | Technology/Biological/Target | 6 June 02:00:23 | Successful | ||
Failed attempt to dock with Agena target vehicle; two hour EVA by Eugene Cernan | |||||||
3 June 19:25 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 6 June | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | 9 June | Successful | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | 9 June | Successful | |||
7 June 02:48 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Low Earth | Ionospheric Magnetospheric | 14 September 1981 | Successful | ||
Routine spacecraft operation was discontinued on 1 December 1969, after which only data from Heppner's experiment (E-11) was acquired. All spacecraft support terminated on 29 February 1972. | |||||||
8 June 11:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 16 June | Successful | |||
9 June 20:15 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | USAF | Low Earth | Early Warning | 3 December | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Technology (performed metal-to-metal bonding experiments) | 12 March 1967 | Successful | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Geodetic | 6 July 1967 | Successful | |||
10 June 04:15 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | USAF | Low Earth | Tissue equivalent radiation chamber, linear energy transfer spectrometer, electron and proton spectrometers, a solid state charged particle spectrometer and a tri-axial magnetometer. | In orbit | Successful | ||
16 June 14:01 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | USAF | Geosynchronous Earth | Gravity Gradient stabilization | In orbit | Partial Spacecraft Failure -- magnetic field in one of the dampers was compromised[4] | ||
![]() | Geosynchronous Earth | Geosynchronous Communications | In orbit | Successful | |||
![]() | Geosynchronous Earth | Geosynchronous Communications | In orbit | Successful | |||
![]() | Geosynchronous Earth | Geosynchronous Communications | In orbit | Successful | |||
![]() | Geosynchronous Earth | Geosynchronous Communications | In orbit | Successful | |||
![]() | Geosynchronous Earth | Geosynchronous Communications | In orbit | Successful | |||
![]() | Geosynchronous Earth | Geosynchronous Communications | In orbit | Successful | |||
![]() | Geosynchronous Earth | Geosynchronous Communications | In orbit | Successful | |||
17 Jun 11:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 25 Jun | Successful | |||
21 Jun 21:23:30 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 14 July | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | Before 14 July | Successful | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | Before 14 July | Successful | |||
24 Jun 21:31:30 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Low Earth | Geodetic | 1975 - 2016 | Successful | ||
25 Jun 10:30 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Weather | 14 November 1989 | Successful | |||
July[edit] | |||||||
1 Jul 16:02:25 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | High Earth | Magnetospheric | In orbit | Successful | ||
5 July 16:12:01 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Low Earth | S-IVB test | 5 July | Successful (spacecraft inadvertently destroyed after four orbits) | ||
6 July 12:57 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Physics | 16 Sep | Successful | |||
8 July 05:31 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Radar calibration | In orbit | Successful | |||
12 July 17:55 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 20 Jul 1966 | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | July | Successful | |||
14 July 02:10:02 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | USAF | Low Earth | Communications | 4 Jan 1978 | Successful | ||
![]() | USAF | Low Earth | X-Ray Astronomy/Ionosphere | 14 July | Failed to orbit | ||
14 July 10:25 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 22 July | Successful | |||
18 July 20:39:46 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | US Air Force | Low Earth | Docking target | 29 Dec | Successful | ||
18 July 22:20:27 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Low Earth | Technology/Biological/Target | 21 July 21:07:05 | Successful | ||
Second successful docking with Agena target vehicle; First EVA to another spacecraft, by Michael Collins | |||||||
20 July 08:58 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | ELINT | 2 Aug 1966 | Successful | |||
28 Jul 10:50 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 2 Aug | Successful | |||
29 July 18:30:20 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 6 Aug 1966 | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | before 6 Aug 1966 | Successful | |||
August[edit] | |||||||
4 Aug 10:45:01 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | USAF | Low Earth | Radiation belt particle and fields experiments | In orbit | Successful | ||
8 Aug 11:29 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 16 Aug | Successful | |||
9 Aug 20:46:03 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 11 Sep | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | Before 11 Sep | Successful | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | Before 11 Sep | Successful | |||
10 Aug 19:26:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Lunar | Mapping | 29 Oct 13:29 | Successful | |||
First US spacecraft to orbit Moon. First spacecraft to photograph Earth from the Moon. | |||||||
16 Aug 18:30 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 24 Aug 1966 | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | before 24 Aug 1966 | Successful | |||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | ELINT Reconnaissance | 5 Mar 1970 | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | ELINT Reconnaissance | 5 Mar 1970 | Successful | |||
17 August 15:20:17 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Heliocentric | Scientific | In orbit | Successful | ||
18 Aug 02:25:02 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Successful | |||
19 Aug 1925 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | USAF | Low Earth | Early Warning | In orbit | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Technology (performed metal-to-metal bonding experiments) | 12 March 1967 | Successful | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Geodetic | In orbit | Successful | |||
24 Aug 08:03:21 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Lunar transfer | Lunar orbiter | In orbit | Partial spacecraft failure | |||
TV camera failed to return usable images; Last contact: 1 October 1966 | |||||||
25 Aug 17:15:32 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Sub-orbital | Test spacecraft | 25 Aug 18:48:34 | Successful | ||
Second flight of the Apollo Spacecraft and launch vehicle; resulted in man-rating of Block 1 Apollo and Saturn 1B rocket | |||||||
26 Aug 13:59:56 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Geosynchronous Communications | 26 Aug | Launch failure | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Geosynchronous Communications | 26 Aug | Launch failure | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Geosynchronous Communications | 26 Aug | Launch failure | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Geosynchronous Communications | 26 Aug | Launch failure | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Geosynchronous Communications | 26 Aug | Launch failure | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Geosynchronous Communications | 26 Aug | Launch failure | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Geosynchronous Communications | 26 Aug | Launch failure | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Geosynchronous Communications | 26 Aug | Launch failure | |||
27 Aug 09:50 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 4 Sep | Successful | |||
September[edit] | |||||||
12 Sep 13:05:02 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | US Air Force | Low Earth | Docking target | 30 Dec | Successful | ||
12 Sep 14:42:27 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Low Earth | Technology/Biological/Target | 15 Sep 13:59:35 | Successful | ||
First-ever direct-ascent (first orbit) rendezvous with an Agena Target Vehicle, highest apogee orbit to date. | |||||||
16 Sep 09:30 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | USAF | Low Earth | Meteorology | In orbit | Successful | ||
16 Sep 09:30 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 16 Sep | Failure | |||
16 Sep 17:59 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 23 Sep | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | before 23 Sep | Successful | |||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | ELINT Reconnaissance | 9 May 1968 | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | ELINT Reconnaissance | 9 May 1968 | Successful | |||
17 Sep 22:35 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | RVSN | LEO | Missile test | 11 Nov | Partial launch failure | ||
First attempted orbital Fractional Orbital Bombardment System test. | |||||||
20 Sep 12:32:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Highly elliptical | Lunar Lander | 23 Sep | Spacecraft failure | ||
Mid-course correction failure resulted in the spacecraft losing control. Contact was lost with the spacecraft at 9:35 UTC, September 22. | |||||||
20 Sep 21:14:05 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 12 Oct | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | Before 12 Oct | Successful | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | Before 12 Oct | Successful | |||
26 Sep 02:58 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | JAXA | 26 Sep | Launch failure | ||||
28 Sep 19:07 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 7 Oct | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | before 7 Oct | Successful | |||
October[edit] | |||||||
2 October 10:39:03 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | ESSA | Low Earth | Meteorology | In orbit | Successful | ||
5 Oct 22:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | USAF | Low Earth | Early Warning | In orbit | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Geodetic | In orbit | Successful | |||
12 Oct 19:15 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 20 Oct | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | before 20 Oct | Successful | |||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Technology | 21 Oct | Successful | ||
14 Oct 12:13:08 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 21 Oct | Successful | |||
20 Oct 07:50 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Molniya | Communications technology | 11 Sep 1968 | Successful | |||
20 Oct 08:46 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 28 Oct | Successful | |||
22 Oct 08:42:26 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Lunar transfer | Lunar orbiter | In orbit | Successful | |||
Took high-resolution photos of the Moon's surface from lunar orbit. Last contact: 19 Jan 1967 | |||||||
26 Oct 11:12:02 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Highly elliptical | Technology | In orbit | Successful | ||
Launch vehicle development flight. It carried a mass model of the Surveyor spacecraft. | |||||||
26 Oct 23:05:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Intelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful | ||
28 Oct 11:56:02 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | USAF | Low Earth | Radiation belt particle and fields experiments | 29 Sep 1971 | Successful | ||
November[edit] | |||||||
2 Nov 00:45:03 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | RVSN | LEO | Missile test | 29 Nov | Spacecraft failure | ||
Second attempted orbital Fractional Orbital Bombardment System test. | |||||||
2 Nov 20:24 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 10 Nov | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | before 10 Nov | Successful | |||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Technology | 16 Nov | Successful | ||
3 Nov 13:50:42 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | USAF | Low Earth | MOL mockup | 9 Jan 1967 | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Communications | 5 Jan 1967 | Successful | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Communications | 11 Jan 1967 | Successful | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical target deployment | 31 Dec | Successful | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Geosynchronous Communications | 3 Nov (suborbital test) | Successful | |||
6 Nov 23:21:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Lunar | Mapping | 11 Oct 67 | Successful | |||
8 Nov 19:53:02 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 29 Nov | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | Before 29 Nov | Successful | |||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | Before 29 Nov | Successful | |||
11 Nov 19:07:59 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Low Earth | Docking target | 23 Dec | Successful | ||
11 Nov 20:46:33 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Low Earth | Technology/Biological/Target | 15 Nov 19:21:04 | Successful | ||
Final Gemini flight | |||||||
12 Nov 09:50 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 20 Nov | Successful | |||
16 Nov 13:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Communications | 16 Nov | Launch failure | |||
19 Nov 08:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 27 Nov | Successful | |||
28 Nov 11:00:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Crewed spacecraft | 30 Nov 10:21 | Successful | |||
First test of Soyuz 7K-OK crewed spacecraft | |||||||
December[edit] | |||||||
3 Dec 08:15 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 11 Dec | Successful | |||
5 Dec 21:09 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 14 Dec | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | before 14 Dec | Successful | |||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Technology | 8 Dec | Successful | ||
7 Dec 02:12:01 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Geostationary | Communications/weather | In orbit | Successful | ||
The first experimental equatorial synchronous satellite. | |||||||
11 Dec 21:09:57 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | US Air Force | Low Earth | Radiation studies | In orbit | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Radiation studies | 30 Nov 2002 | Successful | |||
12 December 20:38? | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Planned: Low Earth | Micrometeoroid | 12 April 1967 | Successful | |||
14 Dec 11:00:00 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Crewed spacecraft | 14 Dec | Launch failure | |||
Second test of Soyuz 7K-OK crewed spacecraft | |||||||
14 Dec 18:14 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NRO | Low Earth | Optical Reconnaissance | 24 Dec | Successful | ||
![]() | Low Earth | Film return | before 24 Dec | Successful | |||
14 December 19:20:03 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | NASA | Low Earth | Bioscience | 15 February 1967 | Successful | ||
19 Dec 12:00:01 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Low Earth | Optical reconnaissance | 27 Dec | Successful | |||
20 Dec 02:20 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | JAXA | 20 Dec | Launch failure | ||||
21 Dec 10:17:08 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Lunar transfer | Lunar lander | 24 Dec | Successful | |||
Last contact: 28 December 1966, 06:13 | |||||||
21 Dec 13:12? | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
![]() | Planned: Low Earth | Magnetosphere | 23 Nov 1967 | Successful | |||
Last contact: 12 May 1967 | |||||||
21 Dec 22:15:02 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||