Timeline of space exploration
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about". Script error: No such module "Unsubst". This is a timeline of space exploration which includes notable achievements, first accomplishments and milestones in humanity's exploration of outer space.
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 by each space agency.
Pre-20th century
| Date | Event leading to space exploration | Country | Researcher(s) | Ref(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 Venice | Galileo Galilei | |
| 1668 | First reflecting telescope. | File:Flag of England.svg England | Isaac Newton | |
| 1781 | First telescopic discovery of planet (Uranus). | File:Flag of Great Britain (1707–1800).svg Great Britain | William Herschel | |
| 1801 | First discovery of asteroid (Ceres). | File:Bandiera del Regno di Sicilia 4.svg 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 UK | William Moore | |
| 1840 | First clear telescopic photograph of another world: the Moon. | File:US flag 26 stars.svg United States | John William Draper | |
| 1845 | First proper observation of other galaxies which are termed "whirlpool nebulae". | File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UK | William Parsons | |
| 1861 | A Journey Through Space makes first proposal of using rockets for space flight. | File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UK | William Leitch | |
| 1895 | First proposal of space elevator. | File:Flag of Russia.svg Russia | Konstantin Tsiolkovsky |
1900–1956
| Date | Mission success | Country | Mission name | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903 | Publication of Exploration of the Universe with Rocket-Propelled Vehicles[1] 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 Russia | Konstantin Tsiolkovsky | [2] |
| 1914 | Goddard files for and is subsequently awarded U.S. patents on multistage and liquid-fueled rockets. | File:US flag 48 stars.svg 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 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 United States | Robert H. Goddard | |
| Template:Dts | Script error: No such module "Lang". ("By Rocket into Planetary Space") self-published after its rejection as a doctoral thesis. | File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany | Hermann Oberth | |
| 1924 | Society for Studies of Interplanetary Travel founded. | File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1924-1936).svg USSR | Members include Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Friedrich Zander, Yuri Kondratyuk | |
| Template:Dts | Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket. | File:US flag 48 stars.svg 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 Germany | ||
| 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 USSR | Yuri Kondratyuk | |
| 1928 | Script error: No such module "Lang". (The Problem of Space Travel – The Rocket Motor) discusses space travel and its potential uses for scientific experiments. | File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany | Herman Potočnik | |
| Template:Dts | British Interplanetary Society founded. | File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UK | Philip E. Cleator | |
| Template:Dts | First detection of radio waves from an astronomical object. | File:US flag 48 stars.svg United States | Karl Jansky | |
| Template:Dts | 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 USSR | Key people Sergei Korolev & Valentin Glushko | [3] |
| Template:Dts | 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 Germany (Wehrmacht) | V-2 rocket (MW 18014) | |
| Template:Dts | Article in Wireless World, "Extra-Terrestrial Relays — Can Rocket Stations Give Worldwide Radio Coverage?" makes first discussion of geostationary satellites as a means of communication. | File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UK | Arthur C. Clarke | |
| Template:Dts | First space research flight (cosmic radiation experiments). | File:US flag 48 stars.svg United States | captured and improved V-2 rocket | |
| Template:Dts | First pictures of Earth from 105 km (65 mi). | File:US flag 48 stars.svg United States | V-2 | [4][5] |
| 20 February 1947 | First animals in space (fruit flies). | File:US flag 48 stars.svg United States | V-2 | [4][6] |
| Template:Dts | First two-stage liquid-fueled rocket, that sets a record altitude of 244 miles (393 km) (WAC Corporal missile mounted onto a V-2 rocket). | File:US flag 48 stars.svg United States | Bumper-5 | |
| Template:Dts | First mammal in space (Albert II, a rhesus monkey).
First primate in space. |
File:US flag 48 stars.svg United States | V-2 | |
| Template:Dts | 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 USSR | Soviet space dogs | [7] |
| Template:Dts | 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 United States |
Dr. Otto Berg's films |
|
| Template:Dts | First rocket to pass the thermopause and enter the exosphere. At 682 miles (1,098 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 United States | Jupiter-C | [11][12] |
1957–1959
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1960–1969
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| Date | Mission success | Country/organization | Mission name | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Dts | First solar probe. | File:Flag of the United States.svg USA (NASA) | Pioneer 5 | |
| Template:Dts | First plants and animals to return alive from Earth orbit. | File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg USSR | Sputnik 5 | |
| 25 September 1960 | First rocket engine fired in space. | File:Flag of the United States.svg USA (NASA) | Pioneer P-30 | [13] |
| Template:Dts | First hominidae in space (chimpanzee Ham).
First tasks performed in space. |
File:Flag of the United States.svg USA (NASA) | M-R 2 | |
| Template:Dts | First launch from Earth orbit of upper stage into a heliocentric orbit. First mid-course corrections. First spin-stabilisation. |
File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg USSR | Venera 1 | |
| Template:Dts | First human spaceflight (Yuri Gagarin). First human-crewed orbital flight. |
File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg USSR | Vostok 1 | [14][15] |
| Template:Dts | First human-piloted space flight (Alan Shepard). First human-crewed suborbital flight. |
File:Flag of the United States.svg USA | Freedom 7 | |
| Template:Dts | First planetary flyby (within 100,000 km of Venus – no data returned). | File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg USSR | Venera 1 | |
| Template:Dts | 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 USSR | Vostok 2 | |
| Template:Dts | First orbital solar observatory. | File:Flag of the United States.svg USA (NASA) | OSO-1 | |
| Template:Dts | First spacecraft to impact the far side of the Moon. | File:Flag of the United States.svg USA (NASA) | Ranger 4 | [16] |
| Template:Dts | First dual crewed spaceflight. First communication between two crewed space vehicles in orbit. First person to float freely in microgravity. |
File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg USSR | Vostok 3 and Vostok 4 | |
| 18 August 1962 | First auroral research rocket launched into the ionosphere. | Ferdinand 1 | ||
| Template:Dts | First Mars flyby (11,000 km) but contact was lost. | File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg USSR | Mars 1 | |
| Template:Dts | First planetary flyby with data returned (Venus).
First successful planetary science mission. |
File:Flag of the United States.svg USA (NASA) | Mariner 2 | [17] |
| Template:Dts | First woman in space (Valentina Tereshkova). | File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg USSR | Vostok 6 | |
| Template:Dts | First reusable crewed spacecraft (suborbital). | File:Flag of the United States.svg 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 France | ||
| Template:Dts | First multi-person crew (3) in orbit. | File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg USSR | Voskhod 1 | |
| Template:Dts | First space walk/extra-vehicular activity (Alexei Leonov). | File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg USSR | Voskhod 2 | |
| Template:Dts | First crewed spacecraft to change orbit. | File:Flag of the United States.svg USA (NASA) | Gemini 3 | |
| Template:Dts | First flyby of Mars (returned pictures). | File:Flag of the United States.svg USA (NASA) | Mariner 4 | [18] |
| Template:Dts | First photographs of another planet from deep space (Mars). | File:Flag of the United States.svg USA (NASA) | Mariner 4 | [18] |
| 26 November 1965 | France launches its first satellite, Asterix, from a rocket Diamant, becoming the world's third space power. | File:Flag of France.svg France | Diamant | |
| Template:Dts | First orbital rendezvous (parallel flight, no docking). | File:Flag of the United States.svg USA (NASA) | Gemini 6A/Gemini 7 | |
| Template:Dts | First soft landing on another world (the Moon). First photos from another world. |
File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg USSR | Luna 9 | [19] |
| Template:Dts | First impact into another planet (Venus). | File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg USSR | Venera 3 | |
| Template:Dts | First orbital docking between two spacecraft. | File:Flag of the United States.svg USA (NASA) | Gemini 8/Agena target vehicle | |
| Template:Dts | First artificial satellite around another world (the Moon). | File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg USSR | Luna 10 | |
| 23 Template:Dts | First picture of Earth from another astronomical object (the Moon).
First probe to map the Moon. |
File:Flag of the United States.svg USA | Lunar Orbiter 1 | [20] |
| 26 January 1967 | First sounding rocket launch from Antarctica, a Dragon rocket from the Dumont-d'Urville Antarctic Base. | File:Flag of France.svg France | Dragon | [21] |
| 8 May 1967 | First polar orbit around the Moon. | File:Flag of the United States.svg USA | Lunar Orbiter 4 | [22] |
| July 1967 | First photos of the Lunar south pole. | File:Flag of the United States.svg USA | Lunar Orbiter 4 | [22] |
| Template:Dts | First automated (crewless) docking. | File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg USSR | Cosmos 186/Cosmos 188 | |
| 17 November 1967 | First liftoff from another celestial body (the Moon). | File:Flag of the United States.svg USA | Surveyor 6 | [23] |
| Template:Dts | First animals and plants to leave Earth orbit and travel to and around the Moon.
First lunar spacecraft to be recovered successfully. |
File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg USSR | Zond 5 | [24] |
| Template:Dts | First orbital ultraviolet observatory. | File:Flag of the United States.svg USA (NASA) | OAO-2 | |
| Template:Dts | First human excursion beyond low Earth orbit.
First in-person observations of Earth from a distance. |
File:Flag of the United States.svg USA (NASA) | Apollo 8 | [25] |
| 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 USA (NASA) | Apollo 8 | [25] |
| Template:Dts | First docking between two crewed spacecraft in Earth orbit.
First crew exchange in space. |
File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg USSR | Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 | |
| Template:Dts | First spacecraft to parachute in Venus's atmosphere, lost contact before landing. | File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1980).svg USSR | Venera 5 | |
| Template:Dts | First docking of two crewed spacecraft around another celestial body.
First lunar mission to include a lunar landing module. |
File:Flag of the United States.svg USA (NASA) | Apollo 10 | [26] |
| Template:Dts | First human on another celestial body (the Moon).
First words spoken from another world. |
File:Flag of the United States.svg USA (NASA) | Apollo 11 | [27] |
| 21 July 1969 | First space launch from another celestial body.
First sample return from another celestial body. |
File:Flag of the United States.svg USA (NASA) | Apollo 11 | [27] |
| Template:Dts | First 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 USA (NASA) | Apollo 12/Surveyor 3 | [28] |
1970–1979
1980–1989
1990–1999
2000–2009
2010–2019
Since 2020
Notes
See also
- Discovery and exploration of the Solar System
- List of spaceflight records
- 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
External links
- Chronology of Space Exploration Template:Webarchive archive of important space exploration missions and events, including future planned and proposed endeavors
- Crewed spaceflight 1961–1980
- Crewed spaceflight chronology
- History of crewed space missions Template:Webarchive
- Timeline of the Space Race/Moon Race Template:Webarchive
- Chronology: Moon Race at russianspaceweb.com
- Space Timeline in 3d
Template:Planetary exploration Template:Space exploration lists and timelines Template:Exploration
- ↑ Russian title Issledovaniye mirovykh prostranstv reaktivnymi priborami (Исследование мировых пространств реактивными приборами)
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