View source for Timeline of space exploration

{{Short description|none}}
{{About|highlighting milestones in space exploration|a comprehensive list of all events|Timeline of Solar System exploration||}}
{{Cleanup list|date=February 2023}}
This is a '''timeline of [[space exploration]]''' which includes notable achievements, first accomplishments and milestones in humanity's exploration of [[outer space]].

<!-- Do not removed the following sentence as it defines what should and should not be listed. -->This timeline generally does not distinguish achievements by a specific country or private company, as it considers humanity as a whole. See otherwise the [[timeline of private spaceflight]] or look for achievements [[List of government space agencies|by each space agency]].

==Pre-20th century==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date
! Event leading to space exploration
! Country
! Researcher(s)
!{{Abbr|Ref(s).|Reference(s)}}
|-
|1610
|First telescopic observation of the night sky: discovery of the [[Galilean moons]], [[lunar craters]] and the [[phases of Venus]].
|[[File:Flag of Most Serene Republic of Venice.svg|20x20px]] [[Republic of Venice|Venice]]
|[[Galileo Galilei]]
|
|-
| 1668
| First [[reflecting telescope]].
| [[File:Flag of England.svg|20px]] [[Kingdom of England|England]]
| [[Isaac Newton]]
|
|-
| 1781
| First telescopic discovery of planet ([[Uranus]]).
| [[File:Flag of Great Britain (1707–1800).svg|20px]] [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]]
| [[William Herschel]]
|
|-
| 1801
| First discovery of asteroid ([[Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres]]).
| [[File:Bandiera del Regno di Sicilia 4.svg|20px]] [[Kingdom of Sicily|Sicily]]
| [[Giuseppe Piazzi]]
|
|-
| 1813
| First exposition of the [[rocket equation]] based on Newton's third law of motion: ''Treatise on the Motion of Rockets''.
| [[File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg|20px]] [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|UK]]
| [[William Moore (mathematician)|William Moore]]
|
|-
| 1840
| First clear telescopic photograph of another world: the [[Moon]].
| [[File:US flag 26 stars.svg|20px]] [[United States]]
| [[John William Draper]]
|
|-
| 1845
| First proper observation of other galaxies which are termed "whirlpool nebulae".
| [[File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg|20px]] [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|UK]]
| [[William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse|William Parsons]]
|
|-
| 1861
| ''A Journey Through Space'' makes first proposal of using rockets for space flight.
| [[File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg|20px]] UK
| [[William Leitch (scientist)|William Leitch]]
|
|-
| 1895
| First proposal of [[space elevator]].
| [[File:Flag of Russia.svg|20px]] [[Russian Empire|Russia]]
| [[Konstantin Tsiolkovsky]]
|
|}

==1900–1956==
{{sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sticky-header"
|-
! Date
! Mission success
! width=130em|Country
! Mission name
!{{Abbr|Ref(s).|Reference(s)}}
|-
|| 1903
|| Publication of ''Exploration of the Universe with Rocket-Propelled Vehicles''<ref>Russian title ''Issledovaniye mirovykh prostranstv reaktivnymi priborami'' (''Исследование мировых пространств реактивными приборами'')</ref> that showed physical [[space exploration]] was theoretically possible, including the [[Tsiolkovsky rocket equation]], multi staged rockets and using liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen in liquid propellant
|| [[File:Flag of Russia.svg|20px]] Russia
|| [[Konstantin Tsiolkovsky]]
|<ref name = 'Siddiqi'>{{cite book |last1=Siddiqi |first1=Asif |title=Challenge to Apollo : the Soviet Union and the space race, 1945-1974 |date=2000 |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA History Div. |pages=1 |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4408pt1.pdf |access-date=24 July 2022 |archive-date=16 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916023444/https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4408pt1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|| 1914
|| Goddard files for and is subsequently awarded U.S. patents on multistage and liquid-fueled rockets.
|| [[File:US flag 48 stars.svg|20px]] United States
|| [[Robert H. Goddard]]
|
|-
|| 1917
|| First observation of an extrasolar planet ([[exoplanet]]) round [[Van Maanen 2]] although it is not recognised as such at the time.
|| [[File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg|20px]] [[Netherlands]]
|| [[Adriaan van Maanen]]
|
|-
|| 1919
|| Goddard's widely influential paper "A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes" discussed solid- and liquid-fueled rocketry.
|| [[File:US flag 48 stars.svg|20px]] United States
|| [[Robert H. Goddard]]
|
|-
|| {{dts|15 December 1923}}
|| {{lang|de|[[Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen]]}} ("By Rocket into Planetary Space") self-published after its rejection as a doctoral thesis.
|| [[File:Flag of Germany.svg|20px]] [[Weimar Republic|Germany]]
|| [[Hermann Oberth]]
|
|-
|| 1924
|| [[Society for Studies of Interplanetary Travel]] founded.
|| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1924-1936).svg|20px]] [[Soviet Union|USSR]]
|| Members include Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, [[Friedrich Zander]], [[Yuri Kondratyuk]]
|
|-
|| {{dts|16 March 1926}}
|| Goddard launches the [[Robert H. Goddard#First liquid-fueled flight|first liquid-fueled rocket]].
|| [[File:US flag 48 stars.svg|20px]] United States
|| [[Robert H. Goddard]]
|
|-
|| 1927
|| [[Verein für Raumschiffahrt]] (Society for Space Travel) formed; it includes many top European rocket scientists.
|| [[File:Flag of Germany.svg|20px]] Germany
|| &nbsp;
|
|-
|| 1927
|| ''Завоевание межпланетных пространств'' (''The Conquest of Interplanetary Space'') discusses rocket mechanics and orbital effects including the [[gravitational slingshot]].
|| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1924-1936).svg|20px]] USSR
|| [[Yuri Kondratyuk]]
|
|-
|| 1928
|| {{lang|de|Das Problem der Befahrung des Weltraums – der Raketen-Motor}} (The Problem of Space Travel – The Rocket Motor) discusses space travel and its potential uses for scientific experiments.
|| [[File:Flag of Germany.svg|20px]] Germany
|| [[Herman Potočnik]]
|
|-
|{{dts|January 1933}}
|[[British Interplanetary Society]] founded.
|[[File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg|20px]] UK
|Philip E. Cleator
|
|-
|{{dts|April 1933}}
|First detection of radio waves from an astronomical object.
|[[File:US flag 48 stars.svg|20px]] United States
|[[Karl Jansky]]
|
|-
|{{dts|September 1933}}
|Establishment of the Soviet rocket research lab [[Reactive Scientific Research Institute]] (RNII)  by combining the [[Group for the Study of Reactive Motion]] (GIRD) with the [[Gas Dynamics Laboratory]] (GDL).
|[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1924-1936).svg|20px]] USSR
|Key people [[Sergei Korolev]] & [[Valentin Glushko]]
|<ref name="R&P_Vol1">{{cite book |last1=Chertok |first1=Boris |title=Rockets and People |date=31 January 2005 |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |page=9 |edition=Volume 1 |url=https://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/rockets_people_vol1_detail.html |access-date=24 July 2022 |archive-date=28 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428151752/https://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/rockets_people_vol1_detail.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|| {{dts|20 June 1944}}
|| First [[spaceflight]] in history.
First human-made object in space (later defined as above the [[Kármán line]]).
|| [[File:Flag of the German Reich (1935–1945).svg|20px]] [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] ([[Wehrmacht]])
|| [[V-2 rocket]] ([[MW 18014]])
|
|-
|| {{dts|October 1945}}
|| Article in ''[[Electronics World|Wireless World]]'', "Extra-Terrestrial Relays — Can Rocket Stations Give Worldwide Radio Coverage?" makes first discussion of [[Geostationary orbit|geostationary satellites]] as a means of communication.
|| [[File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg|20px]] UK
|| [[Arthur C. Clarke]]
|
|-
||{{dts|10 May 1946}}
||First space research flight ([[cosmic radiation]] experiments).
||[[File:US flag 48 stars.svg|20px]] United States
|| captured and improved [[V-2]] rocket
|
|-
||{{dts|24 October 1946}}
||First pictures of Earth from 105&nbsp;km (65&nbsp;mi).
||[[File:US flag 48 stars.svg|20px]] United States
||[[V-2]]
|<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.wsmr.army.mil/PAO/WSHist/Pages/ChronologyCowboystoV2stotheSpaceShuttletolasers.aspx|title=Chronology: Cowboys to V-2s to the Space Shuttle to lasers|website=Wsmr.army.mil|access-date=4 August 2017|archive-date=13 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013081400/http://www.wsmr.army.mil/PAO/WSHist/Pages/ChronologyCowboystoV2stotheSpaceShuttletolasers.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://media.airspacemag.com/images/1stPhotoFromSpace.jpg|title=First Photo from Space|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221145846/http://media.airspacemag.com/images/1stPhotoFromSpace.jpg|archive-date=2014-02-21|url-status=dead|access-date=2013-01-17}}</ref>
|-
||20 February 1947
||First [[animals in space]] (fruit flies).
||[[File:US flag 48 stars.svg|20px]] United States
||[[V-2]]
|<ref name="auto" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://history.nasa.gov/afspbio/part1.htm|title=Part 1|website=History.nasa.gov|access-date=4 August 2017|archive-date=25 January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080125044753/https://history.nasa.gov/afspbio/part1.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|24 February 1949}}
||First two-stage liquid-fueled rocket, that sets a record altitude of 244 miles (393&nbsp;km) ([[WAC Corporal]] missile mounted onto a V-2 rocket).
||[[File:US flag 48 stars.svg|20px]] United States
||[[RTV-G-4 Bumper|Bumper-5]]
|
|-
||{{dts|14 June 1949}}
||First mammal in space ([[Albert II (monkey)|Albert II]], a rhesus monkey).
First primate in space.
||[[File:US flag 48 stars.svg|20px]] United States
||[[V-2]]
|
|-
||{{dts|22 July 1951}}
||First dogs in space ([[Dezik and Tsygan]]).
First living organisms to fly in space and safely return.
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1924-1936).svg|20px]] USSR
||[[Soviet space dogs]]
| <ref name="Sidd">{{cite book |last1=Siddiqi |first1=Asif|title= Challenge to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945–1974 |year=2000 |publisher=NASA |page=95 |url=https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/static/history/SP-4408pt1.pdf}}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|5 October 1954}}
|| The composite image taken from specially modified cameras on-board an Aerobee sounding rocket produces the first color picture of Earth and the first detailed view of a tropical cyclone.
|
[[File:US flag 48 stars.svg|20px]] United States
|
Dr. Otto Berg's films
|
<ref>{{cite web | url=https://apollospace.com/first-color-photo-of-earth-berg-film-i/ | title=First Color Photo of Earth from Space - the Berg Film I | date=6 February 2023 }}</ref>
<ref>https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/83/6/1520-0493_1955_083_0119_arpoat_2_0_co_2.pdf</ref>
<ref>{{cite web | url=https://yagottalovethis.com/forgotten-space-program.php | title=YaGottaLoveThis - America's Forgotten Space Program }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|20 September 1956}}
||First rocket to pass the [[thermopause]] and enter the [[exosphere]]. At 682 miles (1,098&nbsp;km) altitude and 3,335 miles range, the 3-stage Jupiter-C breaks both records and achieves MACH 18 velocity.
||[[File:US flag 48 stars.svg|20px]] United States
||[[Jupiter-C]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Space Review: Old Reliable: The story of the Redstone |url=https://www.thespacereview.com/article/1836/1 |access-date=2023-05-15 |website=www.thespacereview.com |archive-date=2023-06-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602011346/https://www.thespacereview.com/article/1836/1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The United States Army |url=https://history.redstone.army.mil/space-firsts.html |access-date=2023-05-15 |website=history.redstone.army.mil |archive-date=2023-08-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230803211547/https://history.redstone.army.mil/space-firsts.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}

==1957–1959==
{{About|2=the milestones relevant to the Space Race only|3=Timeline of the Space Race}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Date
! Mission achievements
! Country/organization
! Mission name
!{{Abbr|Ref(s).|Reference(s)}}
|-
|valign=top|{{dts|4 October 1957}}
||First artificial [[satellite]]. <br>First human-made signals from space.
|valign=top|[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
|valign=top|''[[Sputnik 1]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|3 November 1957}}
||First mammal in [[orbit]], the dog [[Laika]].
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
||''[[Sputnik 2]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|31 January 1958}}
||Confirmed existence of the [[Van Allen radiation belt]].
||[[File:US flag 48 stars.svg|20px]] USA ([[Army Ballistic Missile Agency|ABMA]])
||''[[Explorer 1]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|17 March 1958}}
||First use of [[solar power]] in space.<br>The oldest artificial object still in space.
||[[File:US flag 48 stars.svg|20px]] USA ([[United States Naval Research Laboratory|NRL]])
||''[[Vanguard 1]]''
|
|-
|valign=top|{{dts|4 January 1959}}
||First rocket to reach Earth [[escape velocity]].
First spacecraft to attempt to impact the Moon's surface. <br>First artificial object in [[heliocentric orbit]]. <br>First detection of [[solar wind]].
|valign=top|[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
|valign=top|''[[Luna 1]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|17 February 1959}}
||First [[weather satellite]].
||[[File:US flag 48 stars.svg|20px]] USA (NRL)
||''[[Vanguard 2]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|7 August 1959}}
||[[Timeline of first images of Earth from space|First photograph of Earth]] from Earth orbit.
||[[File:US flag 49 stars.svg|20px]] USA ([[NASA]])
||''[[Explorer 6]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|13 September 1959}}
||First spacecraft to impact another celestial body (the [[Moon]]).<br>First delivery of national pennants to a celestial body.
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
||''[[Luna 2]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|4 October 1959}}
||First photos of another world from space: the [[far side of the Moon]].
First [[gravity assist]].
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
||''[[Luna 3]]''
|
|-
|}

==1960–1969==
{{About|2=the milestones relevant to the Space Race only|3=Timeline of the Space Race}}
{{sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sticky-header"
|-
! Date
! Mission success
! Country/organization
! Mission name
!{{Abbr|Ref(s).|Reference(s)}}
|-
||{{dts|March 1960}}
||First solar probe.
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Pioneer 5]]''
|
|-attack
|valign=top|{{dts|19 August 1960}}
|First plants and animals to return alive from Earth orbit.
|valign=top|[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
|valign=top|''[[Sputnik 5]]''
|
|-
|25 September 1960
|First rocket engine fired in space.
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|''[[Pioneer P-30]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Able 5A (Pioneer P-30) {{!}} Pioneer P-30 |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/pioneer-p-30/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=15 November 2017 |archive-date=2023-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204013509/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/pioneer-p-30/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|31 January 1961}}
||First [[hominidae]] in space (chimpanzee [[Ham (chimpanzee)|Ham]]).
First tasks performed in space.
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[Mercury-Redstone 2|M-R 2]]
|
|-
|valign=top|{{dts|12 February 1961}} <!-- different firsts on different dates-->
||First launch from Earth orbit of [[upper stage]] into a [[heliocentric orbit]].<br>First mid-course corrections. <br>First [[spin-stabilisation]].
|valign=top|[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
|valign=top|''[[Venera 1]]''
|
|-
|valign=top|{{dts|12 April 1961}}
||First [[human spaceflight]] ([[Yuri Gagarin]]).<br>First human-crewed orbital flight.
|valign=top|[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
|valign=top|[[Vostok 1]]
|<ref name="PS_Gagarin_V1">{{cite web |title=Yuri Gagarin and Vostok 1, the First Human Spaceflight |url=https://www.planetary.org/space-missions/vostok-1 |website=Planetary Society |access-date=10 July 2022 |archive-date=10 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710014858/https://www.planetary.org/space-missions/vostok-1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Yuri Gagarin: Who was the first person in space? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/56718196 |website=BBC |access-date=13 July 2022 |archive-date=8 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008083730/https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/56718196 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|valign=top|{{dts|5 May 1961}}
||First human-piloted space flight ([[Alan Shepard]]).<br>First human-crewed suborbital flight.
|valign=top|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA
|valign=top|''[[Freedom 7]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|19 May 1961}}
||First planetary flyby (within 100,000&nbsp;km of [[Venus]] – no data returned).
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
|valign=top|''[[Venera 1]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|6 August 1961}}
||First crewed space flight lasting over twenty four hours by [[Gherman Titov]], who is also the first to suffer from [[space sickness]].
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
|valign=top|[[Vostok 2]]
|
|-
||{{dts|7 March 1962}}
||First orbital [[space observatory|solar observatory]].
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[Orbiting Solar Observatory|''OSO-1'']]
|
|-
||{{dts|26 April 1962}}
||First spacecraft to impact the [[far side of the Moon]].
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|valign=top|''[[Ranger 4]]''
|<ref>{{Cite journal|date=1998-02-01|title=Discussion|journal=Space Policy|volume=14|issue=1|page=6|doi=10.1016/S0265-9646(97)00038-6|bibcode=1998SpPol..14....5. }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|11 August 1962}}
||First dual crewed spaceflight.<br>First communication between two crewed space vehicles in orbit.<br>First person to float freely in microgravity.
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
||[[Vostok 3]] and [[Vostok 4]]
|
|-
|18 August 1962
|First auroral research rocket launched into the ionosphere.
|[[File:Flag of Norway.svg|left|frameless|20x20px]] [[Norway]]
||[[Andøya Space#Ferdinand 1|''Ferdinand 1'']]
|
|-
||{{dts|November 1962}}
||First Mars flyby (11,000&nbsp;km) but contact was lost.
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
||''[[Mars 1]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|14 December 1962}}
||First planetary flyby with data returned ([[Venus]]).
First successful [[planetary science]] mission.
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Mariner 2]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Mariner 02 |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/mariner-02/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=20 December 2017 |archive-date=2019-04-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415220328/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/mariner-02/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|16 June 1963}}
||First woman in space ([[Valentina Tereshkova]]).
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
||[[Vostok 6]]
|
|-
||{{dts|19 July 1963}}
||First [[X-15|reusable crewed spacecraft]] (''suborbital'').
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[X-15 Flight 90]]
|
|-
|25 April 1964
|First launch of a lithergol rocket, burning solid fuel and a liquid oxidizer, LEX, from the [[Levant Island]].
|[[File:Flag of France.svg|20px]] [[France]]
|
|
|-
||{{dts|12 October 1964}}
||First multi-person crew (3) in orbit.
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
||[[Voskhod 1]]
|
|-
||{{dts|18 March 1965}}
||First space walk/[[extra-vehicular activity]] ([[Alexei Leonov]]).
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
||[[Voskhod 2]]
|
|-
||{{dts|March 1965}}
||First crewed spacecraft to change orbit.
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[Gemini 3]]
|
|-
||{{dts|14 July 1965}}
||First flyby of [[Mars]] (returned pictures).
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Mariner 4]]''
|<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Mariner 04 |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/mariner-04/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=20 December 2017 |archive-date=2019-04-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415220338/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/mariner-04/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|14 July 1965}}
||First photographs of another planet from deep space ([[Mars]]).
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Mariner 4]]''
|<ref name=":1" />
|-
|26 November 1965
|France launches its first satellite, [[Astérix (satellite)|Asterix]], from a  rocket ''[[Diamant]]'', becoming the world's third space power.
|[[File:Flag of France.svg|20px]] France
|[[Diamant]]
|
|-
||{{dts|15 December 1965}}
||First orbital [[Space rendezvous|rendezvous]] (parallel flight, no docking).
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[Gemini 6A]]/[[Gemini 7]]
|
|-
| valign="top" |{{dts|3 February 1966}}
||First [[soft landing (rocketry)|soft landing]] on another world (the Moon). <br>First photos from another world.
| valign="top" |[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
| valign="top" |''[[Luna 9]]''
|<ref>{{cite web |title=Luna 9 |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1966-006A |website=NASA |access-date=29 January 2024 |archive-date=17 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417154714/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1966-006A |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|1 March 1966}}
||First impact into another planet (Venus).
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
||''[[Venera 3]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|16 March 1966}}
||First orbital docking between two spacecraft.
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[Gemini 8]]/[[Agena target vehicle]]
|
|-
||{{dts|3 April 1966}}
||First artificial satellite around another world (the [[Moon]]).
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
||''[[Luna 10]]''
|
|-
||23 {{dts|August 1966}}
||[[Timeline of first images of Earth from space|First picture of Earth]] from another astronomical object (the [[Moon]]).
First probe to [[Selenography|map the Moon]].
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA
||''[[Lunar Orbiter 1]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Lunar Orbiter 1 |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/lunar-orbiter-1/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |archive-date=2018-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115031713/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/lunar-orbiter-1/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|26 January 1967
|First sounding rocket launch from Antarctica, a Dragon rocket from the Dumont-d'Urville Antarctic Base.
|[[File:Flag of France.svg|20px]] France
|[[Dragon (rocket)|Dragon]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=French sounding rocket launches from Antarctica (TAAF) |url=https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=50498.0 |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=forum.nasaspaceflight.com}}</ref>
|-
|8 May 1967
|First [[polar orbit]] around the Moon.
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA
|''[[Lunar Orbiter 4]]''
|<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Lunar Orbiter 4 |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/lunar-orbiter-4/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=8 December 2017 |archive-date=2020-02-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217232712/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/lunar-orbiter-4/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|July 1967
|First photos of the [[Lunar south pole]].
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA
|''[[Lunar Orbiter 4]]''
|<ref name=":2" />
|-
||{{dts|30 October 1967}}
||First automated (crewless) [[Docking and berthing of spacecraft|docking]].
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
||''[[Kosmos 186 and Kosmos 188|Cosmos 186]]/[[Kosmos 186 and Kosmos 188|Cosmos 188]]''
|
|-
|17 November 1967
|First liftoff from another celestial body (the [[Moon]]).
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA
|''[[Surveyor 6]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Surveyor 6 |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/surveyor-6/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=27 December 2017 |archive-date=2020-02-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217232701/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/surveyor-6/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|September 1968}}
||First [[Animals in space|animals]] and [[Plants in space|plants to leave Earth]] orbit and travel to and around the Moon.
[[List of missions to the Moon|First lunar spacecraft]] to be recovered successfully.
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
| valign="top" |[[Zond 5]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1968-076A |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov |archive-date=2019-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629021123/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1968-076A |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|7 December 1968}}
||First orbital ultraviolet observatory.
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[Orbiting Astronomical Observatory|''OAO-2'']]
|
|-
||{{dts|21 December 1968}}
||First human excursion beyond low Earth orbit.
First in-person observations of Earth from a distance.<br>First [[Trans-Earth injection]].
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[Apollo 8]]
|<ref name="In Depth {{!}} Apollo 8">{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Apollo 8 |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/apollo-8/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |archive-date=2019-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420091025/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/apollo-8/in-depth/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
|24 December 1968
|First human flight to another celestial body (the [[Moon]]) and to enter its gravitational influence.
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|[[Apollo 8]]
|<ref name="In Depth {{!}} Apollo 8"/>
|-
||{{dts|January 1969}}
||First docking between two crewed spacecraft in Earth orbit.
First crew exchange in space.
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
||[[Soyuz 4]] and [[Soyuz 5]]
|
|-
||{{dts|January 1969}}
||First spacecraft to parachute in Venus's atmosphere, lost contact before landing.
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
||''[[Venera 5]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|23 May 1969}}
||First docking of two crewed spacecraft around another celestial body.
First lunar mission to include a [[Apollo Lunar Module|lunar landing module]].
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[Apollo 10]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Apollo 10 |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/apollo-10/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |archive-date=2019-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420091021/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/apollo-10/in-depth/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|20 July 1969}}
||First human on another [[celestial body]] (the Moon).
First words spoken from another world.
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[Apollo 11]]
|<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Apollo 11 |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/apollo-11/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |archive-date=2019-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420091023/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/apollo-11/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|21 July 1969
|First space launch from another celestial body.
First [[sample return mission|sample return]] from another celestial body.
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|[[Apollo 11]]
|<ref name=":3" />
|-
||{{dts|19 November 1969}}
||First [[Space rendezvous|rendezvous]] on the surface of a celestial body.
First meet up between human explorers and a robotic spacecraft in space (on the [[Moon]]).
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[Apollo 12]]/''[[Surveyor 3]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Apollo 12 |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/apollo-12/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |archive-date=2019-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420091022/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/apollo-12/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}


==1970–1979==
{{sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sticky-header"
|-
! Date
! Mission success
! Country/organization
! Mission name
!{{Abbr|Ref(s).|Reference(s)}}
|-
||{{dts|14 April 1970}}
||Farthest distance from Earth traveled by humans.
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[Apollo 13]]
|<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Glenday |editor-first=Craig |editor-link=Craig Glenday|title=Guinness World Records 2010|year=2010|publisher=[[Bantam Books]]|location=New York|isbn=978-0-553-59337-2|url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00vari/page/13 |page=13}}</ref>{{NoteTag|The record was set because the Moon was nearly at [[Apsis|its furthest from Earth]] during the mission. Apollo&nbsp;13's unique free return trajectory caused it to go approximately {{convert|100|km|-1|sp=us}} further from the [[Far side of the Moon|lunar far side]] than other Apollo lunar missions, but this was a minor contribution to the record.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Elusive Human Maximum Altitude Record|last1=Adamo|first1=Daniel|magazine=Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly|volume=16|issue=4|year=2009|issn=1065-7738|url=http://www.aiaahouston.org/Horizons/ApolloMaxH.pdf|page=37}}</ref> A reconstruction of the trajectory by astrodynamicist Daniel Adamo in 2009 records the furthest distance as {{convert|400046|km|sp=us}} at 7:34&nbsp;pm&nbsp;EST (00:34:13&nbsp;UTC). Apollo 10 holds the record for second-furthest at a distance of {{convert|399806|km|sp=us}}.{{sfn|Adamo|2009|p=41}}}}
|-
||{{dts|24 September 1970}}
||First [[sample return mission|automatic sample return]] from the Moon.
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
||''[[Luna 16]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|17 November 1970}}
||First [[Rover (space exploration)|rover]] on another celestial body (the Moon).
First [[lunar rover]].
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
||''[[Lunokhod 1]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|12 December 1970}}
||First [[X-ray astronomy|X-ray orbital observatory]].
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[Uhuru (satellite)|''Uhuru'']]
|
|-
|valign=top|{{dts|15 December 1970}}
||First soft landing on another planet (Venus). <br>First signals from another planet.
|valign=top|[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
|valign=top|''[[Venera 7]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|19 April 1971}}
||First [[space station]].
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|20px]] USSR
||''[[Salyut 1]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|June, 1971}}
||First [[Space observatory|crewed orbital observatory]].
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|20px]] USSR
||[[Orion 1 and Orion 2 Space Observatories|''Orion 1'']]
|
|-
|30 July 1971
|First [[motor vehicle]] on another celestial body ([[Lunar Roving Vehicle]]).
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|[[Apollo 15]]
|<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Apollo 15 |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/apollo-15/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |archive-date=2019-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420103139/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/apollo-15/in-depth/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|14 November 1971}}
||First spacecraft to orbit another planet ([[Mars]]).
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Mariner 9]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|27 November 1971}}
||First spacecraft to impact another planet (Mars).
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
||''[[Mars 2]]''
|
|-
| valign="top" |{{dts|2 December 1971}}
||First [[List of Mars landers|soft landing on Mars]]. <br>First signals from [[Martian surface]].<br>First photograph from Martian surface.
| valign="top" |[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
| valign="top" |''[[Mars 3]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|3 March 1972}}
||First [[List of artificial objects leaving the Solar System|spacecraft on a trajectory out of the Solar System]].
First spacecraft to use all-nuclear electrical power ([[SNAP-19]] [[Radioisotope thermoelectric generator|RTGs]]).
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Pioneer 10]]''
|<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Pioneer 10 |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/pioneer-10/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=21 December 2017 |archive-date=2019-05-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531205857/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/pioneer-10/in-depth |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|15 July 1972}}
||First spacecraft to enter the [[asteroid belt]].
First spacecraft beyond the [[orbit of Mars]].
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Pioneer 10]]''
|<ref name=":4" />
|-
||{{dts|15 November 1972}}
||First orbital [[Gamma-ray astronomy|gamma ray observatory]].
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[Second Small Astronomy Satellite|''SAS 2'']]
|
|-
|3 November 1973
|First mission sent to study [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]].
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|''[[Mariner 10]]''
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
||{{dts|3 December 1973}}
||First flyby of [[Jupiter]].
First spacecraft beyond the Inner Solar System.
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Pioneer 10]]''
|<ref name=":4" />
|-
|January 1974
|First spacecraft to return data on a [[long-period comet]].
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|''[[Mariner 10]]''
|<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Mariner 10 |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/mariner-10/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=20 December 2017 |archive-date=2020-02-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217235127/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/mariner-10/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|5 February 1974}}
||First mission to explore two planets in a single mission (Mercury and Venus).<br>First photograph of [[Venus (planet)|Venus]] from space.

First use of [[solar wind]] for spacecraft orientation.
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Mariner 10]]''
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
||{{dts|29 March 1974}}
||First flyby of [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]].
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Mariner 10]]''
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|21 Sept. 1974
|First spacecraft to flyby the same planet multiple times ([[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]]).
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|''[[Mariner 10]]''
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
||{{dts|15 July 1975}}
||First multinational crewed mission.
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR [[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[Apollo-Soyuz Test Project]]
|
|-
||{{dts|20 October 1975}}
||First spacecraft to orbit Venus.
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
||''[[Venera 9]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|22 October 1975}}
||First successful photos from the surface of another planet (Venus).
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg|20px]] USSR
||''[[Venera 9]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|20 July 1976}}
||First successful photos and soil samples from the [[Areography|surface of Mars]].
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[Viking program|''Viking Lander'']]
|
|-
||{{dts|26 January 1978}}
||First real time remotely operated ultraviolet orbital observatory.
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)<br>[[File:Flag of Europe.svg|20px]] [[ESA]]<br>[[File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg|20px]] [[UK]] ([[Science and Engineering Research Council|SERC]])
||''[[International Ultraviolet Explorer]]''
|
|-
|20 November 1978
|First spacecraft to orbit the Sun at [[Lagrange point|Lagrange 1]].
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|[[International Cometary Explorer|ISEE-3/ICE]]
|<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=2015-06-10 |title=Solar System Exploration: Missions: By Target: Our Solar System: Past: ISEE-3/ICE |url=http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?MCode=ISEEICE |access-date=2023-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610112432/http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?MCode=ISEEICE |archive-date=2015-06-10 }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|4 December 1978}}
||First extended (multi-year) orbital exploration of Venus (from 1978 to 1992).
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[Pioneer Venus project|''Pioneer Venus Orbiter'']]
|
|-
||{{dts|5 March 1979}}
||[[Jupiter]] flyby (closest approach 349,000&nbsp;km)<br>Encounters with five [[Moons of Jupiter|Jovian moons]].<br>Discovery of volcanism on [[Io (moon)|Io]].
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Voyager 1]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|1 September 1979}}
||First flyby of [[Saturn]].
First photograph of [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] from deep space.
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Pioneer 11]]''
|
|}

==1980–1989==
{{sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sticky-header"
|-
! Date
! Mission success
! Country/organization
! Mission name
!{{Abbr|Ref(s).|Reference(s)}}
|-
||{{dts|12 November 1980}}
||Saturn flyby (closest approach 124,000&nbsp;km), close encounter of [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] and encounters with a [[Moons of Saturn|dozen other moons]].
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Voyager 1]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|12 April 1981}}
||First reusable crewed orbital spacecraft ([[Space Shuttle]]).
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[STS-1]]
|
|-
||{{dts|1 March 1982}}
||First [[Geology of Venus|Venus soil samples]]
First sound recording of another world (Venus).
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|20px]] USSR
||''[[Venera 13]]''
|
|-
|10 June 1982
|First spacecraft to conduct a deep survey of [[Earth's magnetic field|Earth's magnetic tail]].
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|[[International Cometary Explorer|''ISEE-3/ICE'']]
|<ref name=":6" />
|-
||{{dts|19 August 1982}}
||First mixed gender crew aboard space station, and first woman, [[Svetlana Savitskaya]], on space station.
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|20px]] USSR
||[[Salyut 7]]
|
|-
|1982
|First [[Plants in space|plants grown in space]] (''[[Arabidopsis]]'').
|[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|20px]] USSR
|Salyut 7
|<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Merkys |first1=A. J. |last2=Laurinavicius |first2=R. S. |last3=Svegzdiene |first3=D. V. |date=1984 |title=Plant growth, development and embryogenesis during Salyut-7 flight |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11539644/ |journal=Advances in Space Research |volume=4 |issue=10 |pages=55–63 |doi=10.1016/0273-1177(84)90224-2 |issn=0273-1177 |pmid=11539644 |access-date=2023-02-02 |archive-date=2023-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202165758/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11539644/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=First species of plant to flower in space |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-species-of-plant-to-flower-in-space |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=Guinness World Records |language=en-gb |archive-date=2019-04-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422110352/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-species-of-plant-to-flower-in-space |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|25 January 1983}}
||First Infrared orbital observatory.
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)<br>[[File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg|20px]] UK (SERC)<br>[[File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg|20px]] [[Netherlands]] ([[Netherlands Agency for Aerospace Programmes|NIVR]])
||''[[IRAS]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|13 June 1983}}
||First spacecraft beyond the orbit of [[Neptune]].
First spacecraft beyond all Solar System planets.
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Pioneer 10]]''
|<ref name=":4"/>
|-
||{{dts|7 February 1984}}
||First untethered [[spacewalk]] ([[Bruce McCandless II]]).
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[STS-41-B]]
|
|-
||{{dts|25 July 1984}}
||First spacewalk by a woman ([[Svetlana Savitskaya]]).
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|20px]] USSR
||[[Salyut 7]]
|
|-
||{{dts|11 June 1985}}
||First [[Balloon (aeronautics)|balloon]] deployed on another planet (Venus).
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|20px]] USSR
||''[[Vega 1]]''
|
|-
|11 September 1985
|First spacecraft to flyby a comet ([[21P/Giacobini-Zinner]]).{{NoteTag|Soviet spacecraft [[Vega 1]] and [[Vega 2]] and ESA spacecraft [[Giotto (spacecraft)|Giotto]] all made a flyby of [[Halley's Comet]] the year after, in 1986.|name=}}
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|[[International Cometary Explorer|''ISEE-3/ICE'']]
|<ref name=":6" />
|-
||{{dts|24 January 1986}}
||First spacecraft to flyby [[Uranus]].
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Voyager 2]]''
|<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Voyager 2 |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/voyager-2/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=5 December 2017 |archive-date=2019-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418200459/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/voyager-2/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|19 February 1986}}
||First consistently inhabited long-term research [[space station]].
||[[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|20px]] USSR
||''[[Mir]]''
|
|-
||{{dts| 13 March 1986}}
||First close up observations of a comet ([[Halley's Comet]], 596 kilometers).
||[[File:Flag of Europe.svg|20px]] ESA
||''[[Giotto (spacecraft)|Giotto]]''
|
|-
|{{dts|July 1988}}
|First suspected detection of an [[exoplanet]] ([[Gamma Cephei Ab]]).{{NoteTag|Although the discovery was retracted in 1994, and not confirmed until 2002.}}
|[[File:Flag of Canada.svg|20px]] [[Canada]]
|Astronomers Bruce Campbell, Gordon Walker and Stephenson Yang.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=ESA Science & Technology - A brief introduction to exoplanets |url=https://sci.esa.int/web/exoplanets/-/60654-a-brief-introduction-to-exoplanets |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=sci.esa.int |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204175238/https://sci.esa.int/web/exoplanets/-/60654-a-brief-introduction-to-exoplanets |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|8 August 1989}}
|First [[Astrometry|astrometric]] satellite.
|[[File:Flag of Europe.svg|20px]] ESA
|''[[Hipparcos]]''
|
|-
|{{dts|25 August 1989}}
|First spacecraft to flyby [[Neptune]].
First spacecraft to study all four of the Solar System's [[giant planet]]s at close range.
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|''[[Voyager 2]]''
|<ref name=":7" />
|-
|{{dts|18 November 1989}}
|First orbital cosmic [[Microwave astronomy|microwave observatory]].
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|[[Cosmic Background Explorer|''COBE'']]
|
|}

==1990–1999==
{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Mission success
! Country/organization
! Mission name
!{{Abbr|Ref(s).|Reference(s)}}
|-
| {{dts|14 February 1990}}
| First photograph of the whole Solar System ''([[Family Portrait (Voyager)|Family Portrait]])''.
| [[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
| ''[[Voyager 1]]''
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://filer.case.edu/sjr16/advanced/20th_far_voyagers.html|title=Voyagers|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331174421/http://filer.case.edu/sjr16/advanced/20th_far_voyagers.html|archive-date=2009-03-31|url-status=dead|access-date=2009-07-21}}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|24 April 1990}}
|First telescope designed to be repaired in space.
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)<br>[[File:Flag of Europe.svg|20px]] ESA
|[[Hubble Space Telescope]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Hubble Space Telescope |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/hubble-space-telescope/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |archive-date=2019-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420114056/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/hubble-space-telescope/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|{{dts| 2 July 1990}}
|First time a spacecraft coming from deep space uses the Earth for a [[Gravity assist|gravity-assist]] manoeuvre.
|[[File:Flag of Europe.svg|20px]] ESA
|''[[Giotto (spacecraft)|Giotto]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Giotto_overview|title=Giotto overview|website=European Space Agency|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-07-11|archive-date=2019-07-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706125856/http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Giotto_overview|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|21 October 1991}}
|First [[asteroid]] flyby ([[951 Gaspra]] closest approach 1,600&nbsp;km).
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|''[[Galileo (spacecraft)|Galileo]]''
|
|-
|1992
|First confirmed observation of an exoplanet.
|[[File:Flag of Canada.svg|20px]] Canada<br>[[File:Flag of Poland.svg|20px]] [[Poland]]
|[[Aleksander Wolszczan]] & [[Dale Frail]]
|
|-
|{{dts|8 February 1992}}
|First [[polar orbit]] around the [[Sun]].
First mission to survey the space environment above and below the poles of the Sun.
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)<br>[[File:Flag of Europe.svg|20px]] ESA
|''[[Ulysses (spacecraft)|Ulysses]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Ulysses |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/ulysses/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=27 December 2017 |archive-date=2019-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420120530/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/ulysses/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|13 September 1992}}
|First spacecraft to [[Mapping of Venus|map Venus]] in its entirety.
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|[[Magellan (spacecraft)|''Magellan'']]
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Magellan |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/magellan/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |archive-date=2021-10-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019095913/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/magellan/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|22 March 1995}}
|Record longest duration spaceflight to date (437.7 day by [[Valeri Polyakov]]).
|[[File:Flag of Russia.svg|20px]] [[Russia]] ([[Russian Federal Space Agency|FKA]])
|''[[Mir]]''
|
|-
|{{dts|July 1995}}
|Identification and confirmation of the first [[exoplanet]] orbiting a [[main-sequence star]].
|[[File:Flag of Switzerland.svg|20px]] [[Switzerland]]
|[[Michel Mayor]], [[Didier Queloz]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nobel Winners Changed Our Understanding with Exoplanet Discovery |url=https://science.nasa.gov/universe/exoplanets/nobel-winners-changed-our-understanding-with-exoplanet-discovery/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=NASA Science |date=8 October 2019 }}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|7 December 1995}}
|First orbit of Jupiter.
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|''[[Galileo (spacecraft)|Galileo]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|7 December 1995}}
||First spacecraft to enter the atmosphere of a [[gas giant]] (Jupiter).
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||[[Galileo (spacecraft)|''Galileo''{{'}}s atmospheric entry probe]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Galileo Probe |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/galileo-probe/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=December 2017 |archive-date=2019-04-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419225005/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/galileo-probe/in-depth |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|1995
|First [[laser communication in space|laser communication from space]].
|[[File:Flag of Japan.svg|20px]] [[Japan]] ([[JAXA]], [[National Institute of Information and Communications Technology|NICT]])
|[[ETS-VI]]
|<ref>{{cite conference |last1=Araki |first1=Kenichi |last2=Arimoto |first2=Yoshinori |last3=Shikatani |first3=Motokazu |last4=Toyoda |first4=Masahiro |last5=Toyoshima |first5=Morio |last6=Takahashi |first6=Tetsuo |last7=Kanda |first7=Seiji |last8=Shiratama |first8=Koichi |year=1996 |title=Performance evaluation of laser communication equipment onboard the ETS-VI satellite |publisher=SPIE |volume=2699 |page=52 |doi=10.1117/12.238434 |book-title=Free-Space Laser Communication Technologies VIII |editor-last1=Mecherle |editor-first1=G. Stephen}}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|12 February 1997}}
||First orbital radio observatory.
||[[File:Flag of Japan.svg|20px]] [[Japan]] ([[Institute of Space and Astronautical Science|ISAS]])
||''[[HALCA]]''
|
|-
|{{dts|4 July 1997}}
|First operational [[Rover (space exploration)|rover]] on another planet ([[Mars]]).
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|''[[Mars Pathfinder]]'' / ''[[Sojourner (rover)|Sojourner]]''
|
|-
|{{dts|17 September 1997}}
|First spacecraft to use aerobraking to enter orbit ([[Orbit of Mars|Martian orbit]]).
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|''[[Mars Global Surveyor]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Mars Global Surveyor |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/mars-global-surveyor/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=20 December 2017 |archive-date=2019-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420183813/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/mars-global-surveyor/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|20 November 1998}}
|First multinational space station.<br>[[List of heaviest spacecraft|Largest artificial object built in space]] to date.
|[[File:Flag of Russia.svg|20px]] Russia (FKA)<br>[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)<br>[[File:Flag of Europe.svg|20px]] Europe (ESA)<br>[[File:Flag of Japan.svg|20px]] Japan ([[JAXA]])<br>[[File:Flag of Canada.svg|20px]] Canada ([[Canadian Space Agency|CSA]])
|[[International Space Station]]
|
|}

==2000–2009==
{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Mission success
! Country/organization
! Mission name
!{{Abbr|Ref(s).|Reference(s)}}
|-
||{{dts|14 February 2000}}
||First orbit of an asteroid ([[433 Eros]]).
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA) [[File:Flag of Europe.svg|20px]] ESA
||''[[NEAR Shoemaker]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|2 November 2000}}
||Beginning of an uninterrupted human presence in space.
||[[File:Flag of Russia.svg|20px]] Russia (FKA)<br>[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)<br>[[File:Flag of Kazakhstan.svg|20px]] Kazakhstan
||''[[Expedition 1]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|12 February 2001}}
||First landing on an asteroid ([[433 Eros]]).
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[NEAR Shoemaker]]''
|
|-
|November 2001
|First [[laser communication in space]] between two objects.
|[[File:Flag of Europe.svg|20px]] ESA {{Flagicon|France|size=x13px}}France ([[CNES]])
|[[Artemis (satellite)|Artemis]], [[SPOT (satellite)|SPOT 4]]
|<ref>{{cite web |date=22 November 2001 |title=A world first: Data transmission between European satellites using laser light |url=http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Telecommunications_Integrated_Applications/A_world_first_Data_transmission_between_European_satellites_using_laser_light |access-date=5 September 2015 |archive-date=5 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200205065944/http://www.esa.int/Applications/Telecommunications_Integrated_Applications/A_world_first_Data_transmission_between_European_satellites_using_laser_light |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|17 May 2004}}
||First [[amateur]] spaceflight.
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA ([[Civilian Space eXploration Team|CSXT]])
||''[[Civilian Space eXploration Team#2004 "GoFast"|CSXT GoFast]]''
|<ref name=Rocketman2005>Rocketman Enterprises (2005).  CSXT: Civilian Space eXploration Team.  Retrieved on 2007-01-27.
http://www.the-rocketman.com/CSXT/default2.asp|{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} http://www.the-rocketman.com/CSXT/about/teamlist.htm#| {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415160948/http://www.the-rocketman.com/CSXT/about/teamlist.htm#%7C |date=2012-04-15 }} http://www.the-rocketman.com/go-fast.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209162241/http://www.the-rocketman.com/go-fast.html |date=2015-12-09 }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|1 July 2004}}
||First orbit of [[Saturn]].
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA) [[File:Flag of Europe.svg|20px]] ESA [[File:Flag of Italy.svg|20px]] [[Italy]] ([[Italian Space Agency|ASI]])
||''[[Cassini–Huygens]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|8 September 2004}}
||First [[Sample-return mission|sample return]] beyond lunar orbit (solar wind).
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Genesis (spacecraft)|Genesis]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|14 January 2005}}
||First landing in the [[outer Solar System]] (Titan).
First landing on [[Natural satellite|a moon]] other than Earth's Moon.
||[[File:Flag of Europe.svg|20px]] ESA [[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA) [[File:Flag of Italy.svg|20px]] Italy (ASI)
||''[[Cassini–Huygens]]''
|
|-
|January–February 2005
|First confirmed [[cryovolcano]] ([[Enceladus]]).
|[[File:Flag of Europe.svg|20px]] ESA [[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA) [[File:Flag of Italy.svg|20px]] Italy (ASI)
|''[[Cassini–Huygens]]''
|<ref name="Porco Helfenstein et al. 2006">{{cite journal| doi = 10.1126/science.1123013| last1 = Porco| first1 = C. C.| author-link1 = Carolyn Porco| last2 = Helfenstein| first2 = P.| last3 = Thomas| first3 = P. C.| last4 = Ingersoll| first4 = A. P.| last5 = Wisdom| first5 = J.| last6 = West| first6 = R.| last7 = Neukum| first7 = G.| last8 = Denk| first8 = T.| last9 = Wagner| first9 = R.| s2cid = 6976648| date = March 10, 2006| title = Cassini Observes the Active South Pole of Enceladus| journal = Science| volume = 311| issue = 5766| pages = 1393–1401| pmid = 16527964| bibcode = 2006Sci...311.1393P| url = https://authors.library.caltech.edu/36593/7/PorcoCC.SOM.pdf| ref = {{sfnRef|Porco, Helfenstein et al. 2006}}| access-date = August 29, 2020| archive-date = August 6, 2020| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200806170909/https://authors.library.caltech.edu/36593/7/PorcoCC.SOM.pdf| url-status = live}}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|4 July 2005}}
|First spacecraft to impact a comet ([[Tempel 1]]).
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|''[[Deep Impact (spacecraft)|Deep Impact]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|19 November 2005}}
||First asteroid ascent ([[25143 Itokawa]]).<br />First interplanetary escape without separating and discarding the [[landing gear]].
||[[File:Flag of Japan.svg|20px]] Japan (JAXA)
||''[[Hayabusa]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|15 January 2006}}
||First [[Sample-return mission|sample return]] from a comet ([[81P/Wild]]).
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Stardust (spacecraft)|Stardust]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Stardust |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/stardust/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |archive-date=2019-04-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425174159/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/stardust/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|3 January 2007}}
|First confirmed [[List of largest lakes and seas in the Solar System|lakes on the surface of another celestial body]] ([[lakes of Titan]]).
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA) [[File:Flag of Europe.svg|20px]] ESA [[File:Flag of Italy.svg|20px]] Italy (ASI)
|''[[Cassini–Huygens]]''
|<ref name="NatureDefinitive">{{cite journal |title=The lakes of Titan |last1=Stofan |first1=E. R. |last2=Elachi |first2=C. |last3=Lunine |first3=Jonathan I. |last4=Lorenz |first4=R. D. |last5=Stiles |first5=B. |last6=Mitchell |first6=K. L. |last7=Ostro |first7=S. |last8=Soderblom |first8=L. |last9=Wood |first9=C. |display-authors=8 |issue=1 |volume=445 |pages=61–64 |journal=Nature |date=2007 |doi=10.1038/nature05438 |pmid=17203056 |bibcode=2007Natur.445...61S |s2cid=4370622 |url=https://authors.library.caltech.edu/records/qjkyp-wkk16/files/nature05438-s1.pdf?download=1 |access-date=2024-02-20 |archive-date=2024-02-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223192229/https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/caltechauthors/9c/a0/fadd-9049-40d5-9c40-234740e471ac/data?response-content-type=application%2Foctet-stream&response-content-disposition=attachment%3B%20filename%3Dnature05438-s1.pdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIARCVIVNNAKP37N3MU%2F20240223%2Fus-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240223T192228Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=20a06bdf5019795e7e4f46db9b860a5d1a1c658098259574b2ceaea0d70b48bc |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features.cfm?feature=1258 |title=Titan Has Liquid Lakes, Scientists Report in Nature |publisher=NASA/JPL |date=January 3, 2007 |access-date=January 8, 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523192017/https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=1258 |archive-date=May 23, 2013  }}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|25 May 2008}}
|First spacecraft to photograph another spacecraft landing on another celestial body ([[Phoenix (spacecraft)|''Phoenix'']], on Mars).
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|''[[Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=5 December 2017 |archive-date=2020-04-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200403194812/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|8 November 2008}}
||First discovery of [[lunar water]] in the form of ice.{{NoteTag|On December 3, 1996 (prior to 2008), the US Department of Defense announced that [[Clementine (spacecraft)|Clementine]] data suggested evidence of ice at the lunar south pole. However, the discovery was not confirmed and [[Clementine (spacecraft)|Clementine]] data might have been misinterpreted.|name1=NASA|url1=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/experiment/display.action?id=1994-004A-09|name2=NSSDC|url2=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/clementine/in-depth/|name=}}
||[[File:Flag of India.svg|20px]] India ([[ISRO]])
||''[[Chandrayaan-1]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Clementine |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/clementine/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=30 November 2017 |archive-date=2019-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420142534/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/clementine/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=NASA - NSSDCA - Experiment - Details |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/experiment/display.action?id=1994-004A-09 |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov |archive-date=2019-05-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517194029/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/experiment/display.action?id=1994-004A-09 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|| {{dts|6 March 2009}}
|| First space telescope designated to search for [[List of potentially habitable exoplanets|Earth-like exoplanets]].
|| [[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|| ''[[Kepler Mission]]''
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spacechronology.com/2000s.html#2009|title=NASA launches Kepler Mission: Search for Earth-like worlds|website=Spacechornology.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122064714/http://www.spacechronology.com/2000s.html#2009|archive-date=22 January 2011|url-status=dead|access-date=4 August 2017}}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|August 2009}}
|First images of the structures in the [[Ring system|rings of a planet]] ([[rings of Saturn]]).
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA) [[File:Flag of Europe.svg|20px]] ESA [[File:Flag of Italy.svg|20px]] Italy (ASI)
|''[[Cassini–Huygens]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=About the Mission {{!}} Mission |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/mission/about-the-mission |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=21 August 2018 |archive-date=2023-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204210048/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/mission/about-the-mission/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Tallest Peaks |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/141/the-tallest-peaks |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=November 2010 |archive-date=2023-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204203103/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/141/the-tallest-peaks/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}

==2010–2019==
{{sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sticky-header"
|-
! Date
! Mission success
! Country/organization
! Mission name
!{{Abbr|Ref(s).|Reference(s)}}
|-
|{{dts|20 May 2010}}
|First [[solar sail]].
|[[File:Flag of Japan.svg|20px]] Japan (JAXA)
|''[[IKAROS]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=JAXA {{!}} IKAROS Mission Overview |url=https://global.jaxa.jp/countdown/f17/overview/ikaros_e.html |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=global.jaxa.jp |archive-date=2023-03-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331094340/https://global.jaxa.jp/countdown/f17/overview/ikaros_e.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|13 June 2010}}
||First [[Sample-return mission|sample return]] from an asteroid ([[25143 Itokawa]]).
||[[File:Flag of Japan.svg|20px]] Japan (JAXA)
||''[[Hayabusa]]''
|
|-
|{{dts|25 August 2010}}
|First spacecraft to orbit one of the Moon's [[Lagrange point]] (L2).
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|[[ARTEMIS|''ARTEMIS-P1'']]
|<ref name="In Depth {{!}} ARTEMIS">{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} ARTEMIS |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=30 November 2017 |archive-date=2023-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204222451/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|22 October 2010}}
|First spacecraft to orbit the Moon's Lagrange 1 point.
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|[[ARTEMIS|''ARTEMIS-P2'']]
|<ref name="In Depth {{!}} ARTEMIS"/>
|-
||{{dts|18 March 2011}}
||First orbit of [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]].
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[MESSENGER]]''
|
|-
||{{dts|16 July 2011}}
||First orbit of an object in the [[asteroid belt]] ([[4 Vesta]]).
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Dawn (spacecraft)|Dawn]]''
|
|-
|{{dts|6 August 2012}}
|First use of a [[Sky crane (landing system)|sky crane]] to land on another celestial body ([[Mars]]).
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|''[[Mars Science Laboratory]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Curiosity (MSL) |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/curiosity-msl/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=30 November 2017 |archive-date=2019-06-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190616185245/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/curiosity-msl/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|25 August 2012}}
||First spacecraft to leave the [[heliosphere]].
First spacecraft in [[interstellar space]].
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Voyager 1]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Voyager 1 |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/voyager-1/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=6 December 2017 |archive-date=2019-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418200451/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/voyager-1/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|January 2013}}
|First [[Free-space optical communication|laser communication]] with a lunar satellite.
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|''[[Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/lro/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=29 November 2017 |archive-date=2018-12-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181228213926/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/lro/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|10 September 2014}}
|First spacecraft to orbit a [[comet nucleus]] ([[67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko]]).
|[[File:Flag of Europe.svg|20px]] ESA
|''[[Rosetta (spacecraft)|Rosetta]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Rosetta & Philae |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/rosetta-philae/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=21 December 2017 |archive-date=2019-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190525173700/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/rosetta-philae/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|12 November 2014}}
||First soft landing on a comet ([[67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko]]).
||[[File:Flag of Europe.svg|20px]] ESA
||''[[Philae (spacecraft)|Philae]]''
|<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/science/space/european-space-agencys-spacecraft-lands-on-comets-surface.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=photo-spot-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0|title=European Space Agency's Spacecraft Lands on Comet's Surface|last=Chang|first=Kenneth|date=November 12, 2014|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=November 12, 2014|archive-date=November 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112190320/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/science/space/european-space-agencys-spacecraft-lands-on-comets-surface.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=photo-spot-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|6 March 2015}}
||First flyby and orbit of a [[dwarf planet]] ([[Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres]]).<br>First spacecraft to orbit two separate celestial bodies.
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[Dawn (spacecraft)|Dawn]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Overview {{!}} Dawn |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/dawn/overview |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |archive-date=2023-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203075319/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/dawn/overview/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|July 2015}}
||First flyby of an object beyond Neptune ([[Pluto (dwarf planet)|Pluto]] and its moons).
First flyby in the [[Kuiper belt]].

First flyby of a [[Trans-Neptunian object|trans-neptunian object]].<br>Last original encounter with one of the nine major planets [[IAU definition of planet|recognized before 2006]].
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
||''[[New Horizons (spacecraft)|New Horizons]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} New Horizons |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/new-horizons/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=5 December 2017 |archive-date=2019-04-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422201842/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/new-horizons/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|10 August 2015}}
||First food [[Space farming|grown in space]] eaten ([[lettuce]]).
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA) [[File:Flag of Japan.svg|20px]] Japan (JAXA)
||[[International Space Station]]
|<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/meals_ready_to_eat|title=Meals Ready to Eat: Expedition 44 Crew Members Sample Leafy Greens Grown on Space Station|date=7 July 2015|work=Nasa|access-date=8 April 2018|archive-date=26 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526112403/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/meals_ready_to_eat/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|14 September 2015}}
|[[First observation of gravitational waves]].
|[[LIGO Scientific Collaboration|LSC]] – [[European Gravitational Observatory|EGO]]
|''[[LIGO]]'' – [[Virgo interferometer|''Virgo'']]
|<ref>{{cite journal |collaboration=LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration |last1=Abbott |first1=Benjamin P. |title=Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger |journal=[[Phys. Rev. Lett.]] |volume=116 |issue=6 |pages=061102 |year=2016 |doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.061102 |arxiv=1602.03837 |bibcode=2016PhRvL.116f1102A |pmid=26918975|s2cid=124959784}}
* {{cite web |title=Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger |website=LIGO Scientific Collaboration |url=https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/system/media_files/binaries/301/original/detection-science-summary.pdf |access-date=2023-02-25 |archive-date=2016-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216132808/https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/system/media_files/binaries/301/original/detection-science-summary.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Einstein's gravitational waves found at last |journal=Nature News |url=http://www.nature.com/news/einstein-s-gravitational-waves-found-at-last-1.19361 |date=11 February 2016 |last1=Castelvecchi |first1=Davide |last2=Witze |first2=Alexandra |doi=10.1038/nature.2016.19361 |s2cid=182916902 |access-date=11 February 2016 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=16 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216095503/http://www.nature.com/news/einstein-s-gravitational-waves-found-at-last-1.19361 |url-status=live |doi-access=free }}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|23 November 2015}}
|First [[VTVL|propulsive landing]] of a rocket after sending something into space ([[Sub-orbital spaceflight|suborbital]]).
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA ([[Blue Origin]])
|[[New Shepard#First vertical soft landing|''New Shepard 2'']]
|<ref>{{cite news|last1=Foust|first1=Jeff|date=24 November 2015|title=Blue Origin Flies — and Lands — New Shepard Suborbital Spacecraft|work=[[SpaceNews (publication)|Space News]]|url=http://spacenews.com/blue-origin-successfully-flies-new-shepard-suborbital-vehicle/|access-date=1 December 2015|quote=We’re going to take that same exact architecture that was demonstrated and use it on our the booster stage of our orbital vehicle|archive-date=27 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327180425/https://spacenews.com/blue-origin-successfully-flies-new-shepard-suborbital-vehicle/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|21 December 2015}}
|| First [[VTVL|propulsive landing]] of an orbital rocket.
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA ([[SpaceX]])
||[[Falcon 9 flight 20]]
|
|-
|{{dts|16 April 2016}}
|First [[inflatable space habitat]].{{NoteTag|The reason why it is ''[[Bigelow Expandable Activity Module|BEAM]]'' (2016) rather than ''[[Genesis I]]'' (2006) is that BEAM was specifically designed for human habitation and was attached to the ISS, while ''Genesis I'' and ''[[Genesis II (space habitat)|Genesis II]]'' (2007) were technology demonstration prototypes for future space habitats.}}
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA ([[Bigelow Aerospace]])
|[[Bigelow Expandable Activity Module|''BEAM'']]
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=BEAM Successfully Installed to the International Space Station – Space Station |url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2016/04/16/beam-successfully-installed-to-the-international-space-station/ |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=blogs.nasa.gov |date=16 April 2016 |language=en-US |archive-date=2019-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401084909/https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2016/04/16/beam-successfully-installed-to-the-international-space-station/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|15 September 2017}}
|First spacecraft to enter the [[atmosphere of Saturn]].
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA) [[File:Flag of Europe.svg|20px]] ESA [[File:Flag of Italy.svg|20px]] Italy (ASI)
|''[[Cassini–Huygens]]''
|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chang |first=Kenneth |date=2017-09-14 |title=Cassini Vanishes Into Saturn, Its Mission Celebrated and Mourned |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/14/science/cassini-grand-finale-saturn.html |access-date=2023-02-04 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=2018-07-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708162700/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/14/science/cassini-grand-finale-saturn.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|19 October 2017}}
|| First known [[interstellar object]] detected passing through the Solar System.
||[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA ([[Haleakalā Observatory]])
||[[Oumuamua]]
|
|-
||{{dts|21 September 2018}}
|| First operational rover on an asteroid ([[162173 Ryugu]]).
||[[File:Flag of Japan.svg|20px]] Japan (JAXA)
||''[[Hayabusa2]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/hayabusa-2/in-depth/|title=Hayabusa 2|website=NASA Science Solar System Exploration|date=4 December 2017 |language=en|access-date=2020-07-29|archive-date=2019-09-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904002559/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/hayabusa-2/in-depth/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|1 December 2018}}
|First recorded sounds from [[Mars]].
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|''[[InSight]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} InSight |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/insight/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=4 December 2017 |archive-date=2019-06-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623011429/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/insight/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|1 January 2019}}
|First flyby of a [[classical Kuiper belt object]] ([[486958 Arrokoth]]).
First flyby of a [[Contact binary (small Solar System body)|contact binary]].

First spacecraft to make two different flybys in the [[Kuiper belt]].
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|''[[New Horizons (spacecraft)|New Horizons]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.sky.com/story/ultima-thule-clearest-image-yet-of-snowman-space-rock-released-by-nasa-11597230|title=Ultima Thule: Clearest image yet of 'snowman' space rock released by NASA|website=Sky News|language=en|access-date=2019-01-02|archive-date=2019-01-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102193241/https://news.sky.com/story/ultima-thule-clearest-image-yet-of-snowman-space-rock-released-by-nasa-11597230|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|3 January 2019}}
||First [[Soft landing (aeronautics)|soft landing]] on the [[far side of the Moon]].
First [[Space farming|germination of seeds on another celestial body]].
||{{Flagicon|China}} China ([[China National Space Administration|CNSA]])
||''[[Chang'e 4]]''
|<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jan/03/china-probe-change-4-land-far-side-moon-basin-crater|title=Far side of the moon: China's Chang'e 4 probe makes historic touchdown|last=Lyons|first=Kate|date=2019-01-03|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-01-03|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=2019-01-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103043232/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jan/03/china-probe-change-4-land-far-side-moon-basin-crater|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
||{{dts|3 January 2019}}
||First [[lunar rover]] ([[Yutu-2]]) traversing the far side of the Moon.
||{{Flagicon|China}} China ([[China National Space Administration|CNSA]])
||''[[Chang'e 4]]''
|<ref>{{cite news |last=Barbosa |first=Rui |title=China lands Chang'e-4 mission on the far side of the Moon |url = https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/01/china-returning-moon-change-4-mission/ |work=Nasaspacefight |date=3 January 2019 |access-date=24 September 2024 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190103063401/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/01/china-returning-moon-change-4-mission/ |archive-date=3 January 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|10 April 2019}}
|First direct photograph of a [[black hole]] and its vicinity.
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|[[Event Horizon Telescope]]
|<ref>{{Cite web|last=Drake|first=Nadia|author-link=Nadia Drake|date=10 April 2019|title=First-ever picture of a black hole unveiled|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/04/first-picture-black-hole-revealed-m87-event-horizon-telescope-astrophysics/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410221300/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/04/first-picture-black-hole-revealed-m87-event-horizon-telescope-astrophysics/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 10, 2019|access-date=27 Jan 2021|website=National Geographic}}</ref>
|-
|}

==Since 2020==
{{sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sticky-header"
|-
! Date
! Mission success
! Country/organization
! Mission name
!{{Abbr|Ref(s).|Reference(s)}}
|-
|{{dts|6 April 2021}}
|First confirmed [[Quake (natural phenomenon)|quake]] on another planet ([[marsquake]]).
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|''[[InSight]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cowing |first=Keith |date=2022-04-26 |title=Two Largest Marsquakes To Date Recorded From Planet's Far Side |url=https://spaceref.com/science-and-exploration/two-largest-marsquakes-to-date-recorded-from-planets-far-side/ |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=SpaceRef |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-02-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223192345/https://spaceref.com/science-and-exploration/two-largest-marsquakes-to-date-recorded-from-planets-far-side/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|19 April 2021}}
|First aerodynamically powered flight on another celestial body ([[Mars]]).
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|''[[Ingenuity (helicopter)|Ingenuity]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Succeeds in Historic First Flight|url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-succeeds-in-historic-first-flight|date=2021-04-19|website=www.nasa.gov|access-date=2021-04-19|archive-date=2021-04-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420111238/https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-succeeds-in-historic-first-flight/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|20 April 2021}}
|First [[in situ resource utilization]].
First production of oxygen on another celestial body ([[Mars]]).
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|[[Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment|''MOXIE'']]
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Potter |first=Sean |date=2021-04-21 |title=NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Extracts First Oxygen from Red Planet |url=http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-perseverance-mars-rover-extracts-first-oxygen-from-red-planet |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422000817/http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-perseverance-mars-rover-extracts-first-oxygen-from-red-planet/ |archive-date=22 April 2021 |access-date=2021-04-22 |website=NASA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Nasa device extracts breathable oxygen from thin Martian air|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/nasa-device-extracts-breathable-oxygen-from-thin-martian-air-1.4544767|access-date=2021-04-22|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en|archive-date=2021-04-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422134141/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/nasa-device-extracts-breathable-oxygen-from-thin-martian-air-1.4544767|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|14 December 2021}}
|First spacecraft to fly through the [[Stellar atmosphere|atmosphere of a star]] (the [[Sun's corona]]).
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|''[[Parker Solar Probe]]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Parker Solar Probe |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/parker-solar-probe/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=March 2019 |archive-date=2019-06-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623124132/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/parker-solar-probe/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|25 December 2021}}
|Launch of the largest [[space telescope]] to date.
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA) [[File:Flag of Europe.svg|20px]] ESA [[File:Flag of Canada.svg|20px]] Canada (CSA)
|[[James Webb Space Telescope]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} James Webb Space Telescope |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/james-webb-space-telescope/in-depth |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |archive-date=2021-12-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225131057/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/james-webb-space-telescope/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|{{dts|26 September 2022}}
|First [[Asteroid impact avoidance|spacecraft to measurably deflect an asteroid]].
First spacecraft to make contact with an [[Minor-planet moon|asteroid moon]] (impact on [[Dimorphos]]).
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (NASA)
|[[Double Asteroid Redirection Test|''DART'']]
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bardan |first=Roxana |date=2022-10-11 |title=NASA Confirms DART Mission Impact Changed Asteroid's Motion in Space |url=http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-confirms-dart-mission-impact-changed-asteroid-s-motion-in-space |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=NASA |archive-date=2022-10-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011182028/http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-confirms-dart-mission-impact-changed-asteroid-s-motion-in-space |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|23 August 2023
|First landing at the [[lunar south pole|lunar south polar region]].
|[[File:Flag of India.svg|20px]] India ([[ISRO]])
|[[Chandrayaan-3]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Robert Lea |date=2023-08-25 |title=Why Chandrayaan-3 landed near the moon's south pole — and why everyone else wants to get there too |url=https://www.space.com/chandrayaan-3-moon-south-pole-why-nasa-wants-to-go-too |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=Space.com |language=en |archive-date=2023-09-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922194256/https://www.space.com/chandrayaan-3-moon-south-pole-why-nasa-wants-to-go-too |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|14 March 2024
|First successful demonstration of [[orbital propellant depot|in space propellant transfer]].
| [[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (SpaceX)
|[[Starship flight test 3]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foust |first=Jeff |date=2024-04-27 |title=SpaceX making progress on Starship in-space refueling technologies |url=https://spacenews.com/spacex-making-progress-on-starship-in-space-refueling-technologies/ |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=SpaceNews |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|06 June 2024
|First successful instance of [[Reusable launch vehicle|both stages of a launch vehicle returned for a controlled landing]].
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (SpaceX)
|[[Starship flight test 4]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harwood |first=William |date=2024-06-06 |title=SpaceX's Super Heavy-Starship rocket launches on "epic" test flight - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spacex-super-heavy-starship-test-flight/ |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|25 June 2024
|First samples returned from the [[far side of the Moon]].
|{{Flagicon|China}} China ([[China National Space Administration|CNSA]])
|[[Chang'e 6]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |first1=Leonard |last1=David |first2=Lee |last2=Billings |title=China Makes History with First-Ever Samples from the Moon's Far Side |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/china-returns-first-ever-samples-from-the-moons-far-side/ |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=Scientific American |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|13 October 2024
|First catch of a [[Booster (rocketry)|rocket booster]].
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (SpaceX)
|[[Starship flight test 5]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |first1=Leonard |last1=David |first2=Lee |last2=Billings|title=China Makes History with First-Ever Samples from the Moon's Far Side |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/china-returns-first-ever-samples-from-the-moons-far-side/ |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=Scientific American |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|2 March 2025
|First commercial company to complete a fully successful soft landing on the [[Moon]].
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA ([[Firefly Aerospace]])
|[[Blue Ghost Mission 1]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davenport |first=Justin |date=2025-03-07 |title=Blue Ghost successfully starts lunar surface mission while IM-2 lands sideways |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/03/blue-ghost-im-2-landings/ |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=NASASpaceFlight.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|1 April 2025
|First crewed [[spaceflight]] to enter a [[Polar orbit]] around [[Earth]].
|[[File:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] USA (SpaceX)
|[[Fram2]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foust |first=Jeff |date=2025-04-01 |title=SpaceX launches Fram2 private astronaut mission |url=https://spacenews.com/spacex-launches-fram2-private-astronaut-mission/ |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=SpaceNews |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Billings |first=Lee |title=SpaceX's Private Fram2 Mission Reaches Polar Orbit—But That's Not the Most Impressive Part |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/spacexs-fram2-mission-sends-four-private-astronauts-into-polar-orbit/ |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=Scientific American |language=en}}</ref>
|}

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==See also==
* [[Discovery and exploration of the Solar System]]
* [[List of spaceflight records]]
** [[List of spaceflight records#Human spaceflight firsts]]
* [[Timeline of Solar System exploration]] – A comprehensive list of events in the exploration of the Solar System.
* [[Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes]] – A comprehensive list of artificial satellites and space probes.
* [[Timeline of space travel by nationality]]
* [[Timeline of spaceflight]] – Chronological list of events in spaceflight broken down as a separate article for each year
* [[Timeline of private spaceflight]] – For first achievements by private space companies

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.spacechronology.com Chronology of Space Exploration] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525172729/http://spacechronology.com/ |date=2017-05-25 }} archive of important space exploration missions and events, including future planned and proposed endeavors
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060915005252/http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/CosmosNotes/manchr1.htm Crewed spaceflight 1961–1980]
* [https://archive.today/20070219132314/http://pages.prodigy.net/pxkb94ars/Timeline/index.html Crewed spaceflight chronology]
* [http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/space_missions/manned_table.html History of crewed space missions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207041857/http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/space_missions/manned_table.html |date=2009-02-07 }}
* [http://www.historyshots.com/space/timeline.cfm Timeline of the Space Race/Moon Race] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051119095447/http://www.historyshots.com/space/timeline.cfm |date=2005-11-19 }}
* [http://www.russianspaceweb.com/chronology_moon_race.html Chronology: Moon Race at russianspaceweb.com]
* [https://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/769131/space-timeline#vars!date=1957-10-04_01:59:57! Space Timeline in 3d]

{{Planetary exploration}}
{{Space exploration lists and timelines}}
{{Exploration}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Timeline Of Space Exploration}}
[[Category:Spaceflight timelines|Exploration]]
[[Category:Space exploration|*]]
[[Category:Lists of firsts in outer space]]