![]() Launch of New Horizons, the first probe to Pluto, on the first Atlas V 551 |
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| Fact Sheet | |
|---|---|
| Orbital Launches | |
| First | 19 January |
| Last | 27 December |
| Total | 66 or 67 |
| Successes | 62 |
| Failures | 4 or 5 |
| Partial Failures | 0 |
| Catalogued | 63 |
| National Firsts | |
| Satellite | |
| Space Traveller | |
| Rockets | |
| Maiden Flights | Atlas
V 411 Atlas V 551 Long March 4B-II (4C) Falcon 1 H-IIA 204 Soyuz-2.1b |
| Retirements | Tsyklon-2 M-V |
| Manned flights | |
| Orbital | 5 |
| Total travellers | 26 |
Contents |
| ← Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec → |
| Date/Time (UTC) | Rocket | Launch site | LSP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
| Remarks | |||||||
January |
|||||||
| 19
January 19:00:00 |
|||||||
| NASA | Galactocentric | Pluto flyby | In orbit | Operational | |||
| Maiden flight of Atlas V 551, will explore Pluto and the Kuiper belt, first spacecraft planned to visit Pluto | |||||||
| 18
January 11:48[1] |
|||||||
| NSPO/NCU | Suborbital | Ionospheric | 11:57 | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 282 kilometres (175 mi) | |||||||
| 22
January 04:00 |
|||||||
| JAXA | Suborbital | Technology | 22 January | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 130 kilometres (81 mi) | |||||||
| 24
January 01:33 |
|||||||
| JAXA | Sun-synchronous | Remote Sensing | In orbit | Partial
spacecraft failure Operational |
|||
| Poor quality images returned due to attitude control and noise problems[2] was resolved by software adjustment.[3] | |||||||
February |
|||||||
| 6 February | |||||||
| PLA | Suborbital | ASAT | 6 February | Spacecraft failure | |||
| Apogee: 800 kilometres (500 mi), missed satellite | |||||||
| 8
February 18:47 |
|||||||
| Suborbital | Solar | 8 February | Successful | ||||
| Apogee: 282 kilometres (175 mi) | |||||||
| 15
February 23:34:55 |
|||||||
| EchoStar | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 16
February 08:01 |
|||||||
| US Air Force | Suborbital | Missile test | 16 February | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) | |||||||
| 18
February 06:27 |
|||||||
| MILT/JMA | Geosynchronous | ATC/Weather | In orbit | Operational | |||
| Last launch conducted by RSC | |||||||
| 21
February 21:28:00 |
|||||||
| JAXA | Sun-synchronous | IR astronomy | In orbit | Operational | |||
| TiTech | Low Earth | Amateur radio | In orbit | Operational | |||
| Cute-1.7+APD is a 2U CubeSat | |||||||
| 23
February 16:09 |
|||||||
| Suborbital | Target | rowspan=1 | rowspan=1 | Successful | ||||
| Apogee: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) | |||||||
| 28
February 20:10:00 |
|||||||
| Arabsat | Intended: Geosynchronous Achieved: Medium Earth |
Communications | 24 March[7] | Launch failure | |||
| Upper stage malfunction left payload in useless orbit, deorbited after attempts to raise orbit failed | |||||||
March |
|||||||
| 8
March 08:45 |
|||||||
| US Navy/MDA/JMSDF | Suborbital | Missile test | rowspan=1 | rowspan=1 | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 150 kilometres (93 mi) | |||||||
| 11
March 22:33 |
|||||||
| Hisdesat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| Eutelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 22
March 14:03 |
|||||||
| NASA | Low Earth | Technology | In orbit | Successful | |||
| NASA | Low Earth | Technology | In orbit | Successful | |||
| NASA | Low Earth | Technology | In orbit | Successful | |||
| All three satellites deactivated on 30 June | |||||||
| 24
March 22:30 |
|||||||
| USAF Academy | Intended: Low Earth | Plasma research | T+60 seconds | Launch failure | |||
| Maiden flight of Falcon 1, rocket lost power shortly after launch due to engine fire caused by corrosion of a nut on a fuel line. | |||||||
| 25
March 03:15 |
|||||||
| Queensland | Suborbital | Hypersonic research | 03:25 | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 325 kilometres (202 mi) | |||||||
| 30
March 02:30:20 |
|||||||
| Roskosmos | Low Earth (ISS) | ISS Expedition 13 | 29
September 01:13 |
Successful | |||
| Manned orbital flight with 3 cosmonauts, first Brazilian in space | |||||||
| 30
March 02:40 |
|||||||
| Queensland/JAXA | Suborbital | Hypersonic research | 30 March | Launch failure | |||
| Apogee: 290 kilometres (180 mi), nosecone failed to separate | |||||||
April |
|||||||
| 7
April 13:00 |
|||||||
| US Air Force | Suborbital | Missile test | 7 April | Successful | |||
| Long-range test, aimed at Guam, apogee: 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) | |||||||
| 12
April 18:10 |
|||||||
| NASA | Suborbital | Solar | 12 April | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 318 kilometres (198 mi) | |||||||
| 12
April 23:29:59 |
|||||||
| JCSAT | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 13 April | |||||||
| MDA | Suborbital | Target | 13 April | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 200 kilometres (120 mi) | |||||||
| 15
April 01:40:00 |
|||||||
| NASA/NSPO | Low Earth | Atmospheric | In orbit | Operational | |||
| NASA/NSPO | Low Earth | Atmospheric | In orbit | Partial spacecraft failure Operational |
|||
| NASA/NSPO | Low Earth | Atmospheric | In orbit | Partial spacecraft failure Operational |
|||
| NASA/NSPO | Low Earth | Atmospheric | In orbit | Operational | |||
| NASA/NSPO | Low Earth | Atmospheric | In orbit | Operational | |||
| NASA/NSPO | Low Earth | Atmospheric | In orbit | Operational | |||
| Power system and solar panel malfunctions on FM2 and FM3, control issues with FM6 during 2007 | |||||||
| 20
April 20:27:00 |
|||||||
| SES Astra | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| Maiden flight of Atlas V 411, final ILS Atlas launch | |||||||
| 22
April 16:40 |
|||||||
| RVSN | Suborbital | REV test | 22 April | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 675 kilometres (419 mi) | |||||||
| 24
April 16:03:25 |
|||||||
| Roskosmos | Low Earth (ISS) | Logistics | 18 September | Successful | |||
| ISS flight 21P | |||||||
| 25
April 16:47:16 |
|||||||
| ImageSat | Low Earth (polar) | Imaging | In orbit | Operational | |||
| Final launch from Svobodny Cosmodrome | |||||||
| 26
April 22:48 |
|||||||
| CAST | Low Earth | Imaging | In orbit | Operational | |||
| Maiden flight of Long March 4B-II, redesignated Long March 4C by November 2007 | |||||||
| 28
April 10:02:16 |
|||||||
| NASA/CNES | Sun-synchronous | Climatology | In orbit | Operational | |||
| NASA | Sun-synchronous | Climatology | In orbit | Operational | |||
| Both satellites part of the A-train constellation, spacecraft study aerosols and clouds respectively | |||||||
| 28 April | |||||||
| MDA | Suborbital | Target | 28 April | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 200 kilometres (120 mi) | |||||||
| 29 April | |||||||
| Army of Pakistan | Suborbital | Target | 29 April | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 300 kilometres (190 mi) | |||||||
May |
|||||||
| 2
May 06:16 |
|||||||
| ESA/SSC | Suborbital | Microgravity | 2 May | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 702 kilometres (436 mi) | |||||||
| 3
May 17:38 |
|||||||
| VKS | Low Earth | Optical imaging | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 10
May 08:12 |
|||||||
| DLR/SSC | Suborbital | Microgravity | 10 May | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 237 kilometres (147 mi) | |||||||
| 11 May | |||||||
| MDA | Suborbital | ABM test | 11 May | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi), simulated intercept | |||||||
| 22
May 09:30 |
|||||||
| NASA | Suborbital | Test | 22 May | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 150 kilometres (93 mi) | |||||||
| 22 May | |||||||
| IRG | Suborbital | Missile test | 22 May | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 150 kilometres (93 mi) | |||||||
| 24
May 22:11:00 |
|||||||
| NASA/NOAA | Geostationary | Weather | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 26
May 18:50 |
|||||||
| Roskosmos | Low Earth | Earthquake detection | In orbit | Partial
spacecraft failure Operational |
|||
| Control and power problems made satellite unusable. Written off on 29 May 2006. Problems cleared by November, and satellite re-activated.[8] | |||||||
| 27
May 21:09 |
|||||||
| SatMex | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| Shin Satellite | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| Record for heaviest dual-payload to geosynchronous transfer orbit, stood until May 2007 | |||||||
June |
|||||||
| 5
June 16:05 |
|||||||
| NAWC | Suborbital | Target | 5 June | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 130 kilometres (81 mi) | |||||||
| 7
June 22:00 |
|||||||
| NAWC | Suborbital | Target | 7 June | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 130 kilometres (81 mi) | |||||||
| 8
June 16:00 |
|||||||
| NAWC | Suborbital | Target | 8 June | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 130 kilometres (81 mi) | |||||||
| 14
June 08:22 |
|||||||
| US Air Force | Suborbital | Missile test | 14 June | Successful | |||
| Carried three Mk. 21 re-entry vehicles, Apogee: 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) | |||||||
| 15
June 08:00:00 |
|||||||
| Roskosmos | Low Earth | Remote sensing | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 17
June 22:44:05 |
|||||||
| JSC KazSat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Spacecraft failure | |||
| First Kazakh satellite, satellite suffered control problems and was unusable by October 2008 | |||||||
| 18
June 07:50 |
|||||||
| Intelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| Launched for PanAmSat, transferred to Intelsat before entry into service due to merger | |||||||
| 21
June 22:15 |
|||||||
| US Air Force/DARPA | Geostationary | Technology | In orbit | Operational | |||
| US Air Force/DARPA | Geostationary | Technology | In orbit | Operational | |||
| NRL/DARPA | Geostationary | Technology | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 22
June 22:00 |
|||||||
| US Navy/MDA | Suborbital | Target | 22 June | Successful | |||
| Intercepted by SM-3, apogee: 150 kilometres (93 mi) | |||||||
| 22
June 22:04 |
|||||||
| US Navy/MDA | Suborbital | ABM test | 22 June | Successful | |||
| Intercepted MRT, apogee: 150 kilometres (93 mi) | |||||||
| 23
June 23:02 |
|||||||
| NAWC/MDA | Suborbital | Target | 23 June | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 130 kilometres (81 mi) | |||||||
| 24
June 15:08:18 |
|||||||
| Roskosmos | Low Earth (ISS) | Logistics | 17 January 2007 | Successful | |||
| ISS flight 22P | |||||||
| 25
June 04:00 |
|||||||
| VMF | Low Earth | ELINT | 20 March 2008 | Partial spacecraft failure | |||
| Final flight of Tsyklon-2 rocket. One of satellite's solar panels failed to deploy[9], ceased operations in February or March 2008 and destroyed in orbit on 20 March. Spacecraft carried KONUS-A gamma-ray astronomy experiment for Roskosmos | |||||||
| 28
June 03:30:00 |
|||||||
| NRO | Molniya | ELINT | In orbit | Operational | |||
| First EELV launch from Vandenberg, carried SBIRS-HEO-1 and TWINS-A experiments for the US Air Force and NASA respectively, NRO Launch 22 | |||||||
| 30
June 06:25 |
|||||||
| VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 30 June | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) | |||||||
July |
|||||||
| 1
July 06:39 |
|||||||
| ESPRIT | Suborbital | Ionospheric Plasma research |
1 July | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 200 kilometres (120 mi) | |||||||
| 1
July 06:39 |
|||||||
| Andøya | Suborbital | Aeronomy | 1 July | Launch failure | |||
| Apogee: 40 kilometres (25 mi) | |||||||
| 4
July 18:32 |
|||||||
| KPA | Suborbital | Missile test | 4 July | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 150 kilometres (93 mi), first of seven North Korean launches in fourteen hours | |||||||
| 4
July 18:37:55 |
|||||||
| NASA | Low Earth (ISS) | ISS assembly | 17
July 13:14 |
Successful | |||
| ASI/NASA | Low Earth (ISS) | Logistics | Successful | ||||
| Manned flight with 7 astronauts, second Return to Flight mission after Columbia accident | |||||||
| 4
July 19:04 |
|||||||
| KPA | Suborbital | Missile test | 4 July | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 150 kilometres (93 mi), second of seven North Korean launches in fourteen hours | |||||||
| 4
July 20:01 |
|||||||
| KPA | Intended: Low Earth (unconfirmed) |
Weather/Communication | +42 seconds | Launch failure | |||
| Maiden flight of Taepodong-2, rocket failed shortly after launch, reaching an apogee of 4 kilometres (2.5 mi), intended as an orbital launch attempt,[10] but later North Korea claimed for a suborbital missile self-destruct test and destruction succsess (not launch failure)[11], third of seven North Korean launches in fourteen hours | |||||||
| 4
July 22:31 |
|||||||
| KPA | Suborbital | Missile test | 4 July | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 150 kilometres (93 mi), fourth of seven North Korean launches in fourteen hours | |||||||
| 4
July 22:12 |
|||||||
| KPA | Suborbital | Missile test | 4 July | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 150 kilometres (93 mi), fifth of seven North Korean launches in fourteen hours | |||||||
| 4
July 23:20 |
|||||||
| KPA | Suborbital | Missile test | 4 July | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 150 kilometres (93 mi), sixth of seven North Korean launches in fourteen hours | |||||||
| 5
July 08:20 |
|||||||
| KPA | Suborbital | Missile test | 5 July | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 150 kilometres (93 mi), last of seven North Korean launches in fourteen hours | |||||||
| 9
July 05:33 |
|||||||
| DRDO | Suborbital | Missile test | 9 July | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi) | |||||||
| 10
July 12:08 |
|||||||
| ISRO | Intended: Geostationary | Communications | T+60 seconds | Launch failure | |||
| Loss of control due to LRB engine failure, self-destructed 60 seconds into flight | |||||||
| 12
July 11:17 |
|||||||
| US Army/MDA | Suborbital | Target | 12 July | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 300 kilometres (190 mi), Intercepted after reentry by endoatmospheric THAAD launched at 11:20 | |||||||
| 12
July 14:53:36 |
|||||||
| Bigelow | Low Earth | Technology | In orbit | Operational | |||
| First unmanned prototype of a commercial space station module | |||||||
| 21
July 10:14 |
|||||||
| US Air Force | Suborbital | Missile test | 21 July | Successful | |||
| Carried three Mk.21 reentry vehicles, apogee: 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) | |||||||
| 21
July 04:20:03 |
|||||||
| VKS | Molniya | Missile defence | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 26
July 19:43:05 |
|||||||
| NAS | Intended: Low Earth | Observation | T+74 seconds | Launch failure | |||
| Sapienza | Intended: Low Earth | Technology | |||||
| Roskosmos | Intended: Low Earth | Technology | |||||
| POLITIO | Intended: Low Earth | Technology | |||||
| Arizona Montpelier Alcatel |
Intended: Low Earth | Radiation | |||||
| Illinois | Intended: Low Earth | Technology Ionospheric |
|||||
| Arizona | Intended: Low Earth | Technology | |||||
| Cornell | Intended: Low Earth | Technology | |||||
| Kansas | Intended: Low Earth | Technology | |||||
| Nichidai | Intended: Low Earth | Amateur radio | |||||
| NSSP | Intended: Low Earth | Technology | |||||
| HAU | Intended: Low Earth | Technology | |||||
| Montana | Intended: Low Earth | Technology | |||||
| CalPoly | Intended: Low Earth | Technology | |||||
| Aerospace | Intended: Low Earth | Technology | |||||
| CalPoly | Intended: Low Earth | Technology | |||||
| Hawaii | Intended: Low Earth | Technology | |||||
| Cornell | Intended: Low Earth | Technology | |||||
| First-stage engine hydraulic pump failure, thrust termination system activated | |||||||
| 28
July 07:05:43 |
|||||||
| KARI | Low Earth | Earth Observation | In orbit | Operational | |||
August |
|||||||
| 3
August 10:38 |
|||||||
| RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 11:04 | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi), impacted Kura Test Range | |||||||
| 4
August 21:48:00 |
|||||||
| Eutelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 11
August 22:15 |
|||||||
| JSAT | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| DGA | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 21
August 14:30 |
|||||||
| MDA | Suborbital | Target | 21 August | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 380 kilometres (240 mi) | |||||||
| 22
August 03:27:01 |
|||||||
| KT/ADD | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 25
August 14:30 |
|||||||
| MDA | Suborbital | Target | 21 August | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 382 kilometres (237 mi), THAAD target | |||||||
September |
|||||||
| 1
September 17:22 |
|||||||
| MDA | Suborbital | Target | 1 September | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi), intercepted by GBI | |||||||
| 1
September 17:39 |
|||||||
| MDA | Suborbital | ABM test | 1 September | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi), intercepted STARS | |||||||
| 4 September | |||||||
| PLA | Suborbital | Missile test | 4 September | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) | |||||||
| 7
September 15:50 |
|||||||
| VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 7 September | Launch failure | |||
| Apogee: 1 kilometre (0.62 mi), first stage malfunction | |||||||
| 9
September 07:00 |
|||||||
| CASC | Low Earth | Biological | 24
September 02:43 |
Successful | |||
| Investigated exposure of seeds to microgravity and radiation, spacecraft recovered after reentry | |||||||
| 9
September 11:20 |
|||||||
| VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 9 September | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) | |||||||
| 9
September 15:14:55 |
|||||||
| NASA | Low Earth (ISS) | ISS assembly | 21
September 10:21 |
Successful | |||
| NASA | Low Earth (ISS) | ISS component | In orbit | Operational | |||
| Manned orbital flight with 6 astronauts, first ISS assembly mission since 2002 | |||||||
| 9
September 22:17:00 |
|||||||
| Andøya/DLR | Suborbital | Atmospheric | 9 September | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 130 kilometres (81 mi) | |||||||
| 10
September 14:50 |
|||||||
| VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 10 September | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) | |||||||
| 11
September 04:35 |
|||||||
| CSICE | Low Earth | Optical imaging | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 12
September 16:02 |
|||||||
| ChinaSat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 13
September 10:30 |
|||||||
| US Army/MDA | Suborbital | Target | 13 September | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 300 kilometres (190 mi), THAAD target | |||||||
| 14
September 13:41:00 |
|||||||
| VKS | Low Earth | Optical imaging | 17 November | Successful | |||
| Ceased operations on 14 November, self-destructed 3 days later | |||||||
| 17
September 21:06:46 |
|||||||
| Andøya/DLR | Suborbital | Atmospheric | 17 September | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 129 kilometres (80 mi) | |||||||
| 18
September 04:08:42 |
|||||||
| Roskosmos | Low Earth (ISS) | ISS Expedition 14 | 21 April
2007 12:31 |
Successful | |||
| Manned orbital flight with 3 cosmonauts including the first female space tourist and Iranian-born space traveller | |||||||
| 22
September 21:36:00 |
|||||||
| JAXA | Sun-synchronous | Solar | In orbit | Operational | |||
| HIT | Low Earth | Technology | 18 June
2008 08:48 |
Successful | |||
| JAXA | Solar sail | 26 September | Spacecraft failure | ||||
| Final flight of M-V rocket and Mu family, SSSat failed to establish communications with ground[12] | |||||||
| 23
September 15:17:54 |
|||||||
| NASA | Suborbital | Test | 23 September | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 300 kilometres (190 mi) | |||||||
| 25
September 18:50 |
|||||||
| US Air Force | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 25
September 20:14 |
|||||||
| Various | Suborbital | Various | T+60 seconds | Launch failure | |||
| Maiden flight of SpaceLoft XL sounding rocket, first flight from Spaceport America, rocket went out of control and failed to reach space, apogee: 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) | |||||||
October |
|||||||
| 13
October 20:56 |
|||||||
| DirecTV | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| Optus | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| JAXA | Geosynchronous transfer | Technology | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 19
October 16:28:13 |
|||||||
| EUMETSAT | Sun-synchronous | Weather | In orbit | Operational | |||
| Maiden flight of Soyuz-2.1a/Fregat | |||||||
| 23
October 13:40:36 |
|||||||
| Roskosmos | Low Earth (ISS) | Logistics | 27 March
2007 22:44 |
Successful | |||
| ISS flight 23P, antenna stowage issues on 26 October initially prevented full mechanical docking, second attempt was successful. | |||||||
| 23
October 23:34 |
|||||||
| CASC | Low Earth | Environmental | In orbit | Operational | |||
| CASC | Low Earth | Environmental | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 25
October 13:05 |
|||||||
| VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 25 October | Launch failure | |||
| Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi), first stage malfunction | |||||||
| 26
October 00:52:00 |
|||||||
| NASA | Heliocentric | Solar | In orbit | Operational | |||
| NASA | Heliocentric | Solar | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 28
October 16:20 |
|||||||
| Sinosat | Intended: Geosynchronous Achieved: Subsynchronous |
Communications | In orbit | Spacecraft failure | |||
| Solar panels and communications antenna failed to deploy | |||||||
| 28
October 17:58:00 |
|||||||
| Suborbital | Solar | 28 October | Successful | ||||
| Apogee: 300 kilometres (190 mi) | |||||||
| 30
October 23:48:59 |
|||||||
| XM Satellite Radio | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
November |
|||||||
| 2 November | |||||||
| IRG | Suborbital | Missile test | 2 November | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 150 kilometres (93 mi) | |||||||
| 4
November 13:53 |
|||||||
| US Air Force/NOAA | Sun-synchronous | Weather | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 7
November 19:30 |
|||||||
| Suborbital | Solar | 7 November | Successful | ||||
| Apogee: 300 kilometres (190 mi) | |||||||
| 8
November 20:01:00 |
|||||||
| ARABSAT | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 9
November 08:51 |
|||||||
| French Navy | Suborbital | Missile test | 9 November | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) | |||||||
| 9
November 11:35 |
|||||||
| RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 9 November | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) | |||||||
| 16 November | |||||||
| US Navy | Suborbital | Target | 16 November | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 150 kilometres (93 mi) | |||||||
| 16 November | |||||||
| Army of Pakistan | Suborbital | Missile test | 16 November | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi) | |||||||
| 17
November 19:12:00 |
|||||||
| US Air Force | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 21
November 02:00 |
|||||||
| Suborbital | XR Astronomy | 21 November | Successful | ||||
| Apogee: 300 kilometres (190 mi) | |||||||
| 21 November | |||||||
| US Navy | Suborbital | Missile test | 21 November | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) | |||||||
| 21 November | |||||||
| US Navy | Suborbital | Missile test | 21 November | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) | |||||||
| 26 November | |||||||
| DRDO | Suborbital | Missile test | 26 November | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi) | |||||||
| 27
November 04:45 |
|||||||
| DRDO | Suborbital | Target | 27 November | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi), intercepted by another Prithvi | |||||||
| 27
November 04:46 |
|||||||
| DRDO | Suborbital | ABM test | 27 November | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi), intercepted another Prithvi | |||||||
| 29 November | |||||||
| Army of Pakistan | Suborbital | Target | 29 November | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi) | |||||||
December |
|||||||
| 7 December | |||||||
| US Navy/MDA | Suborbital | Target | 7 December | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 300 kilometres (190 mi), AEGIS target | |||||||
| 8
December 00:53 |
|||||||
| CMA | Geosynchronous | Weather | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 8
December 22:08 |
|||||||
| WildBlue | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| SES Americom | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 10
December 01:47:35 |
|||||||
| NASA | Low Earth (ISS) | ISS assembly | 22
December 22:32 |
Successful | |||
| NASA | Low Earth (STS) | Logistics | Successful | ||||
| NASA | Low Earth (ISS) | ISS component | In orbit | Operational | |||
| US Naval Academy | Low Earth | Technology | 9 February 2007 | Partial spacecraft failure | |||
| US Naval Academy | Low Earth | Technology | 9 February 2007 | Successful | |||
| US Naval Academy | Low Earth | Calibration | In orbit | Operational | |||
| US Naval Academy | Low Earth | Calibration | In orbit | Operational | |||
| DARPA | Low Earth | Technology | 8 March 2007 | Successful | |||
| Manned orbital flight with 7 astronauts, including
the first Swedish space traveller; ISS crew exchange. ANDE-MAA failed to deploy after becoming stuck in launch canister, but still transmitted data; RAFT1, MARScom, and MEPSI-2 were cubesats. |
|||||||
| 11
December 23:28:43 |
|||||||
| MEASAT | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 14
December 21:00:00 |
|||||||
| NRO | Low Earth | Radar imaging Technology (unconfirmed) |
21 February
2008 03:29 |
Spacecraft failure | |||
| NRO Launch 21, first launch to be conducted by United Launch Alliance. Satellite failed to contract ground, destroyed by SM-3 ASAT on 21 February 2008. | |||||||
| 16
December 12:00:00 |
|||||||
| NRL | Low Earth | Optical imaging Technology |
In orbit | Partial spacecraft failure | |||
| NASA | Low Earth | Biological | In orbit | Operational | |||
| First launch from Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. Little or no imagery returned by TacSat due to politial dispute. TacSat lost contact with ground in January 2008. | |||||||
| 18
December 06:32 |
JAXA | ||||||
| JAXA | Geosynchronous | Technology | In orbit | Operational | |||
| Maiden flight of H-IIA 204, full spacecraft antenna deployment one day late[13] | |||||||
| 19
December 14:00:19 |
|||||||
| Bundeswehr | Low Earth | Radar imaging | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 24
December 08:34:44 |
|||||||
| VKS | Molniya | Communications | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 24 December | |||||||
| VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 24 December | Launch failure | |||
| Apogee: 1 kilometre (0.62 mi), first stage malfunction | |||||||
| 25
December 20:18:12 |
|||||||
| KNITs | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational | |||
| KNITs | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational | |||
| KNITs | Medium Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Operational | |||
| 27
December 14:23:38 |
|||||||
| CNES | Low Earth | Astronomy | In orbit | Operational | |||
| Maiden flight of Soyuz-2.1b/Fregat | |||||||
| Unknown | |||||||
| US Navy | Suborbital | Missile test | Successful | ||||
| Apogee: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) | |||||||
| Unknown | |||||||
| US Navy | Suborbital | Missile test | Successful | ||||
| Apogee: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) | |||||||
| ← Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec → |
| Date (GMT) | Spacecraft | Event | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 January | Stardust | Capsule landing on Earth with cometary samples | |
| 15 January | Cassini | 10th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 2,042 kilometres (1,269 mi) |
| 27 February | Cassini | 11th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 1,812 kilometres (1,126 mi) |
| 10 March | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter | Areocentric orbit injection | |
| 18 March | Cassini | 12th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 1,947 kilometres (1,210 mi) |
| 11 April | Venus Express | Cytherean orbit injection | |
| 30 April | Cassini | 13th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 1,853 kilometres (1,151 mi) |
| 20 May | Cassini | 14th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 1,879 kilometres (1,168 mi) |
| 2 July | Cassini | 15th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 1,911 kilometres (1,187 mi) |
| 22 July | Cassini | 16th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 950 kilometres (590 mi) |
| 4 September | SMART-1 | Lunar impact | |
| 7 September | Cassini | 17th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 950 kilometres (590 mi) |
| 23 September | Cassini | 18th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 950 kilometres (590 mi) |
| 9 October | Cassini | 19th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 950 kilometres (590 mi) |
| 23 October | MESSENGER | 1st flyby of Venus | Gravity assist |
| 25 October | Cassini | 20th flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 950 kilometres (590 mi) |
| 12 December | Cassini | 21st flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 950 kilometres (590 mi) |
| 28 December | Cassini | 22nd flyby of Titan | Closest approach: 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) |
| Start Date/Time | Duration | End Time | Spacecraft | Crew | Function | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 February 09:55 |
5 hours 43 minutes |
16:27 | Expedition 12 ISS Pirs |
Released SuitSat-1, retrieved the Biorisk experiment, photographed a sensor for a micrometeoroid experiment, and tied off the surviving umbilical of the Mobile Transporter.[14] | ||
| 1 June 23:48 |
6 hours 31 minutes |
2 June 06:19 |
Expedition
13 ISS Pirs |
Repaired a vent for the Elektron unit, retrieved a Biorisk experiment, retrieved a contamination-monitoring device from Zvezda, and replaced a malfunctioning camera on the Mobile Base System.[15] | ||
| 8 July 13:17 |
7 hours 31 minutes |
20:48 | STS-121 ISS Quest |
Installed a blade blocker in the zenith Interface Umbilical Assembly (IUA) to protect the undamaged power, data and video cable, rerouted the cable to prepare for the second EVA. Tested the combination of the SSRMS and the Orbiter Boom Sensor System as a platform for astronauts to make repairs to a damaged orbiter.[16] | ||
| 10 July 12:14 |
6 hours 47 minutes |
19:01 | STS-121 ISS Quest |
Restored the Mobile Transporter to full operation, and delivered a spare pump module for the station’s cooling system.[17] | ||
| 12 July 07:11 |
6 hours 20 minutes |
13:31 | STS-121 ISS Quest |
Used an infrared camera to shoot 20 seconds of video of selected reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) panels on the shuttle wing’s leading edge, and then moved to the payload bay to test a shuttle tile repair material known as NOAX on pre-damaged shuttle tiles that were flown in a test container.[18] | ||
| 3 August 14:04 |
5 hours 54 minutes |
19:58 | Expedition 13 ISS Quest |
Installed the Floating Potential Measurement Unit, two MISSE containers, a controller for a thermal radiator rotary joint on the S1 truss, a starboard jumper and spool positioning device on S1, a light on the truss railway handcart, and installed and replaced a malfunctioning GPS antenna. Tested an infrared camera designed to detect damage in a shuttle's thermal protection tiles. Inspection and photography of a scratch on the Quest airlock hatch.[19] | ||
| 12 September 10:17 |
5 hours 26 minutes |
15:43 | STS-115 ISS Quest |
Initial installation of the P3/P4 truss. Connected power cables on the truss, released the launch restraints on the solar array blanket box, the Beta Gimbal Assembly, and the solar array wings. Configured the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint, and removed two circuit interrupt devices to prepare for STS-116.[20] | Piper became the 7th American and the 8th female spacewalker. | |
| 13 September 09:05 |
7 hours 11 minutes |
16:16 | STS-115 ISS Quest |
Continued installation of the P3/4 truss onto the station, and activated the SARJ.[21] | ||
| 15 September 10:00 |
6 hours 42 minutes |
16:42 | STS-115 ISS Quest |
Installed a radiator onto the P3/4 truss, powered up a cooling radiator for the new solar arrays, replaced an S-Band radio antenna, and installed insulation for another antenna. Tanner took photos of the shuttle's wings using an infrared camera.[22] | ||
| 22 November 23:17 |
5 hours 38 minutes |
23 November 04:55 |
Expedition
14 ISS Pirs |
"Orbiting golf shot" event sponsored by a Canadian golf company. Lopez-Alegria put the tee on the ladder outside Pirs, while Tyurin set up a camera, and then performed the golf shot. Inspected and photographed a Kurs antenna, relocated an ATV WAL antenna, installed a BTN neutron experiment, and jettisoned two thermal covers from the BTN.[23] | ||
| 12 December 20:31 |
6 hours 36 minutes |
13 December 03:07 |
STS-116 ISS Quest |
Installed the P5 Truss, and replaced a video camera on the S1 truss.[24] | ||
| 14 December 19:41 |
5 hours | 15 December 00:41 |
STS-116 ISS Quest |
Reconfigured channels 2–3 on the P3/P4 truss to take advantage of the new solar arrays, relocated two handcarts that run along the station’s main truss, put a thermal cover on the station’s robotic arm, and installed bags of tools for future spacewalkers.[25] | ||
| 16 December 19:25 |
7 hours 31 minutes |
17 December 02:57 |
STS-116 ISS Quest |
Reconfigured channels 1 and 4 on the P3/P4 truss to take advantage of the new solar arrays, installed a robotic arm grapple fixture, and positioned three bundles ofdebris shield panels outside Zvezda. Additional time was spent trying to help retract the P6 solar array panel by shaking the panel's blanket box from its base.[26] | Williams became the 8th American and the 9th female spacewalker. | |
| 18 December 19:00 |
6 hours 38 minutes |
19 December 01:38 |
STS-116 ISS Quest |
Assisted ground controllers with retracting the P6 solar array panels.[27] |
![]() |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Orbital launch attempts by country in 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | (Sea Launch) | |
| 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Disputed | |
| 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 25 | 23 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 18 | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| Orbital regime | Launches | Successes | Failures | Accidentally Achieved |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Earth orbit | 35 | 32 | 3 | 0 | Includes disputed North Korean launch failure |
| Medium Earth orbit | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| Geosynchronous/transfer | 24 | 22 | 2 | 0 | |
| High Earth orbit | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Including lunar transfer and Molniya orbits |
| Heliocentric orbit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Including planetary transfer orbits |
| Galactocentric orbit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Timeline of spaceflight | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | |||||||
| 1950s | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | |||
| 1960s | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | |||
| 1970s | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | |||
| 1980s | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | |||
| 1990s | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | |||
| 2000s | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |||
| 2010s | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |||
|
|||||||||||||
This is a list of spacecraft which were launched into space during the year 2006.
| Date and time of launch (GMT) | Rocket | Launch site | Spacecraft | Owner of spacecraft | Mission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 January 19:00 | Atlas V | Cape Canaveral | New Horizons | NASA | Interplanetry | Flyby of Pluto in 2015 |
| 24 January 01:33 | H-IIA | Tanegashima | Daichi | JAXA | Earth observation | |
| 15 February 23:35 | Zenit-3 | Pacific Ocean | EchoStar 10 | EchoStar | Communication | |
| 16 February 08:01 | Minuteman | Vandenberg Air Force Base | Dummy bomb | US Air Force | ICBM test | |
| 18 February 06:27 | H-IIA | Tanegashima | MTSAT-2 | Japanese government | Air Traffic Control and weather | |
| 21 February 21:28 | M-V | Uchinoura | Akari | JAXA | Astronomy | |
| CUTE-1.7+APD | Nanosat (Very small satellite) | |||||
| 28 February 20:10 | Proton | Baikonur | ARABSAT 4A | Arab Satellite Communications Organisation | Communications | Did not reach correct orbit after problems with rocket |
| 11 March 22:33 | Ariane 5 | Kourou | SPAINSAT | Spanish government | Communications | |
| Hot Bird 7A | Eutelsat | Communications | ||||
| 22 March 14:03 | Pegasus | Aircraft from Vandenberg Air Force Base | Space Technology 5 (Forward) | NASA | Study Earth | |
| Space Technology 5 (Middle) | NASA | Study Earth | ||||
| Space Technology 5 (Aft) | NASA | Study Earth | ||||
| 24 March 22:30 | Falcon 1 | Omelek Island | FalconSat 2 | US Air Force | Study plasma | First flight of Falcon 1 rocket Engine failed 23 seconds after launch and the rocket crashed into the Pacific Ocean |
| 30 March 02:30 | Soyuz | Baikonur | Soyuz TMA-8 | Russian Space Agency | Manned mission to International Space Station | Crew of 3 ISS Expedition 13 |
| 7 April 13:00 | Minuteman | Vandenberg Air Force Base | Dummy bomb | US Air Force | ICBM test | |
| 12 April 23:30 | Zenit-3 | Pacific Ocean | JCSAT-9 | JCSAT | Communication | |
| 14 April 01:40 | Minotaur | Vandenberg Air Force Base | COSMIC-1 | COSMIC | Study Atmosphere | |
| COSMIC-2 | COSMIC | Study Atmosphere | ||||
| COSMIC-3 | COSMIC | Study Atmosphere | ||||
| COSMIC-4 | COSMIC | Study Atmosphere | ||||
| COSMIC-5 | COSMIC | Study Atmosphere | ||||
| COSMIC-6 | COSMIC | Study Atmosphere | ||||
| 20 April 20:27 | Atlas V | Cape Canaveral | Astra 1KR | SES Astra | Communication | |
| 24 April 16:03 | Soyuz | Baikonur | Progress | Russian Space Agency | Deliver supplies to International Space Station | |
| 25 April 16:47 | Start-1 | Svobodniy | EROS-B | ImageSat | Earth imaging | |
| 26 April 22:48 | Long March 4 | Taiyuan | Yaogan 1 | Spy satellite | ||
| 28 April 10:02 | Delta II | Vandenberg Air Force Base | CALIPSO | NASA | Study aerosols | |
| CloudSat | NASA | Study clouds | ||||
| 3 May 17:38 | Soyuz | Baikonur | Kosmos-2420 | Russian government | Spy satellite | |
| 24 May 22:11 | Delta IV | Cape Canaveral | GOES-13 | NASA/NOAA | Weather | |
| 26 May 18:50 | Shtil' | Barents Sea | Kompass 2 | Izmiran | Earthquake detection | |
| 27 May 21:09 | Ariane 5 | Kourou | SATMEX 6 | Satellites Mexicanas | Communication | |
| THAICOM 5 | Shin Satellite | Communication | ||||
| 14 June 14:08 | Minuteman | Vandenberg Air Force Base | Dummy bomb | US Air Force | ICBM test | |
| 15 June 08:00 | Soyuz | Baikonur | Resurs | Russian Space Agency | Earth observation | |
| 18 June 07:50 | Zenit-3 | Pacific Ocean | Galaxy 16 | PanAmSat | Communication | |
| 18 June 22:44 | Proton | Baikonur | KazSat | Government of Kazakhstan | Communication | |
| 21 June 22:15 | Delta II | Cape Canaveral | MITEX-A | US Air Force | Technology test | |
| MITEX-B | US Air Force | Technology test | ||||
| MITEX-Carrier | US Air Force | Technology test | ||||
| 24 June 15:08 | Soyuz | Baikonur | Progress | Russian Space Agency | Deliver supplies to International Space Station | |
| 25 June 04:00 | Tsyklon-2 | Baikonur | Kosmos-2421 | Russian Navy | Spy satellite | Solar panels did not work |
| 27 June 03:30 | Delta IV | Vandenberg Air Force Base | NRO L-22 | NRO | Spy satellite | |
| 4 July 18:38 | Space Shuttle Discovery | Kennedy Space Center | STS-121 | NASA | Manned mission to International Space Station | Crew of 7 |
| Leonardo MPLM | NASA | Deliver supplies to International Space Station | ||||
| 10 July 12:38 | GSLV | Satish Dhawan Space Centre | INSAT 4C | ISRO | Communications | Rocket destroyed after engine failure |
| 12 July 15:53 | Dnepr | Dombarovskiy | Genesis-1 | Bigelow Aerospace | Space Station | Prototype (no crew) |
| 20 July 10:14 | Minuteman | Vandenberg Air Force Base | Dummy bomb | US Air Force | ICBM test | |
| 21 July 04:20 | ||||||
| 26 July 19:43 | Dnepr | Baikonur | BelKA | National Academy of Sciences of Republic of Belarus | Earth imaging | Crashed back to Earth after engine failure |
| Unisat-4 | Universita di Roma | Technology test | ||||
| Baumanets | Moskovskiy Gosudarstvenniy Tekhnicheskiy Universitet | Earth imaging and radio | ||||
| PICPOT | Politecnico di Torino | Earth imaging | ||||
| SACRED | University of Arizona | CubeSat | ||||
| ION | University of Illinois | Double CubeSat | ||||
| Rincon 1 | University of Arizona | CubeSat | ||||
| ICECube-1 | Cornell | CubeSat | ||||
| KUTESat Pathfinder | University of Kansas | CubeSat | ||||
| SEEDS | Nihon University | CubeSat | ||||
| nCube | Government of Norway | CubeSat | ||||
| HAUSAT-1 | Government of South Korea | CubeSat | ||||
| MEROPE | University of Montana | CubeSat | ||||
| CP-2 | CalPoly | CubeSat | ||||
| AeroCube-1 | AerospaceCorp | CubeSat | ||||
| CP-1 | CalPoly | CubeSat | ||||
| Voyager | University of Hawaii | CubeSat | ||||
| ICECube2 | Cornell | CubeSat | ||||
| 28 July 07:05 | Rokot | Baikonur | KOMPSAT 2 | Earth imaging | ||
| 4 August 21:48 | Proton | Baikonur | Hot Bird 8 | Eutelsat | Communication | |
| 11 August 22:15 | Ariane 5 | Kourou | JCSat-10 | Communication | ||
| Syracuse 3B | Communication | |||||
| 22 August 03:27 | Zenit-3 | Pacific Ocean | Koreasat 5 | KT Corporation | Communication | |
| 9 September 07:00 | Long March 2 | Jiuquan | Shi Jian 8 | CASC | Grow seeds in space | |
| 9 September 15:15 | Space Shuttle Atlantis | Kennedy Space Center | STS-115 | NASA | Manned flight to International Space Station | Crew of 6 |
| ISS P3/4 Truss | NASA | Part of the International Space Station | ||||
| 11 September 04:35 | H-IIA | Tanegashima | Information Gathering Satellite | Japanese government | Spy satellite | |
| 12 September 16:02 | Long March 3 | Taiyuan | Zhongxing 22A | |||
| 14 September 13:41 | Soyuz | Baikonur | Kosmos-2423 | Spy satellite | ||
| 18 September 04:09 | Soyuz | Baikonur | Soyuz TMA-9 | Russian Space Agency | Manned mission to International Space Station | Crew of 3 ISS Expedition 14 |
| 22 September 21:36 | M-V | Uchinoura | Hinode | JAXA | Observe the Sun | Last flight of the M-V rocket SSSat did not work |
| HIT-SAT | Hokkaido Institute of Technology | Technology test | ||||
| SSSat | JAXA | Solar sail | ||||
| 25 September 18:50 | Delta II | Cape Canaveral | GPS 2R-M2 | US Air Force | Navigation | |
| 25 September 20:14 | SpaceLoft | Spaceport America | Various | UP Aerospace | Scientific experiments | First flight of SpaceLoft First flight from Spaceport America Lost control and crashed |
| 13 October 20:56 | Ariane 5 | Kourou | DirecTV-9S | Communication | ||
| Optus D1 | Communication | |||||
| LDREX-2 | Technology test | |||||
| 19 October 16:28 | Soyuz | Baikonur | MetOp-A | Eumetsat | Weather satellite | |
| 23 October 13:41 | Soyuz | Baikonur | Progress | Russian Space Agency | Deliver supplies to International Space Station | |
| 24 October 23:34 | Long March 4 | Taiyuan | Shi Jian 6-2A | Study environment | ||
| Shi Jian 6-2B | Study environment | |||||
| 26 October | Delta II | Cape Canaveral | STEREO-A | NASA | Study Sun and Earth | |
| STEREO-B | NASA | Study Sun and Earth | ||||
| 28 October 16:20 | Long March 3 | Xichang | Sinosat-2 | Sino Satellite Communications Company | Communication | Solar panels did not work |
| 30 October 23:48 | Zenit-3 | Pacific Ocean | XM-4 "Blues" | XM Satellite Radio | Communication | |
| 4 November 13:53 | Delta IV | Vandenberg Air Force Base | DMSP F17 | US Air Force | Weather | |
| 8 November 20:01 | Proton | Baikonur | Badr 4 | Arabsat | Communication | |
| 17 November 19:12 | Delta II | Cape Canaveral | GPS 2R-M3 | US Air Force | Navigation | |
| 8 December 00:53 | Long March 3 | Taiyuan | Feng Yun 2D | CSMA | Weather | |
| 8 December 22:07 | Ariane 5 | Kourou | Americom 18 | SES Americom | Communication | |
| WildBlue 1 | WildBlue | Communication | ||||
| 10 December 01:47 | Space Shuttle Discovery | Kennedy Space Center | STS-116 | NASA | Manned flight to International Space Station | Crew of 7 |
| ISS P5 Truss | NASA | Part of the International Space Station | ||||
| Spacehab module | NASA/Spacehab | Deliver supplies to International Space Station | ||||
| ANDE | US Navy | Technology test | ||||
| RAFT-1 | US Navy | Technology test | ||||
| MARScom | US Navy | Technology test | ||||
| MEPSI-2 | DARPA | Technology test | ||||
| 11 December 23:28 | Proton | Baikonur | MEASAT 3 | Communication | ||
| 14 December 21:00 | Delta II | Vandenberg Air Force Base | NRO L-21 | NRO | Spy satellite | |
| 16 December 12:00 | Minotaur | Wallops Island | TacSat 2 | US Navy | Technology test | |
| GeneSat | NASA | Scientific experiments | ||||
| 19 December 14:00 | Kosmos 3M | Plesetsk | SAR-Lupe 1 | |||
| 18 December 06:32 | H-IIA | Tanegashima | ETS-8 | JAXA | Technology test | |
| 22 December 08:34 | Soyuz | Plesetsk | TBC | VKS | Communication | |
| 25 December 20:18 | Proton | Baikonur | Glonass | KNITs | Navigation | |
| Glonass | KNITs | Navigation | ||||
| Glonass | KNITs | Navigation | ||||
| 27 December 14:23 | Soyuz | Baikonur | CoRoT | CNES | Astronomy |
| Preceded by 2005 | Timeline of spaceflight 2006 | Succeeded by 2007 |
|
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