50 years of access to space
| Russia | U.S. | Europe | Rest of the world |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-1961 | |||
| Oct. 1957 - Russia launches the world's first satellite, Sputnik 1, on an R-7 missile
Apr. 1961 - Vostok 1 Yuri Gagarin is the first man in orbit |
Jan. 1958 - First successful U.S. launch to orbit: Explorer 1 is lofted by a Juno rocket | Apr. 1960 - The UK cancels the Blue Streak missile programme and proposes to turn it into the first stage of a European launcher | |
| 1962-1966 | |||
| Jun. 1963 - Valentina Tereshkova is launched aboard Vostok 6 and becomes the first woman to fly in space | Feb. 1962 - John Glenn becomes the first U.S. astronaut in space when he orbits the Earth on Friendship 7 | Mar. 1962 - Preliminary work begins on ELDO's Europa rocket based on Blue Streak
Jun. 1964 - First development flight of Europa Nov. 1965 - France launches its first satellite Asterix from the Diamant launcher |
|
| 1967-1971 | |||
| 1969-1972 - Four failed attempts to launch the N-1 rocket | Nov. 1967 - First launch of Saturn 5
July 1969 - Apollo 11, first manned Moon landing |
1968-1971 - Four failed orbital launch attempts with ELDO's Europa rocket
Oct. 1971 - Prospero on Black Arrow: the first successful UK launch to orbit |
Feb. 1970 - Japan launches its first satellite
Apr. 1970 - China launches its first satellite |
| 1972-1976 | |||
| Jul. 1975 - Apollo-Soyuz: first joint U.S./Soviet manned space mission | Aug. 1973 - Europe decides to develop Ariane and Spacelab
1974 - ELDO is merged into ESA |
||
| 1977-1981 | |||
| Jan. 1978 - First flight of the Soyuz-based Progress freighter
1978-1981 - Astronauts from Eastern Europe are flown on Soyuz missions |
Apr. 1981 - First flight of the Space Shuttle | Dec. 1979 - First Ariane launch
Mar. 1980 - Arianespace is founded |
Jul. 1980 - India's first successful launch to orbit |
| 1982-1986 | |||
| Jun. 1982 - Jean-Loup Chrétien becomes the first western European in space when he takes part in the Soyuz T6 mission
Nov. 1983 - Ulf Merbold is ESA's first astronaut in space on Spacelab 1 |
Apr. 1984 - India's first astronaut flies on Soyuz T11 | ||
| 1987-1991 | |||
| May 1987 - First launch of Energiya
Nov. 1988 - Unique flight of the Buran space shuttle |
1987-1991 - ESA studies the Hermes spaceplane
Jun. 1988 - First launch of Ariane 4 |
Sep. 1988 - Israel launches its first satellite
Dec. 1990 - Japan's first astronaut flies on Soyuz TM11 |
|
| 1992-1996 | |||
| Jun. 1996 - First launch of Ariane 5
Aug. 1996 - Starsem is founded |
|||
| 1997-2001 | |||
| Oct. 1998 - Flight of the ARD
Feb. 1999 - Starsem begins launching Soyuz Dec. 2000 - ESA initiates development of Vega |
|||
| 2001-2006 | |||
| Jan. 2004 - NASA decides to retire the Space Shuttle by 2010
Aug. 2006 - NASA starts development of the Orion capsule |
Feb. 2004 - ESA approves building a Soyuz launch pad in French Guiana | Oct. 2003 - Launch of Shenzhou 5 with Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut | |
| 2007 | |||
Last update: 14 July 2009
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