1968 in spaceflight
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Orbital launches | |
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Total | 6 |
The United States National Space Science Data Center catalogued 157 spacecraft placed into orbit by launches which occurred in 1968.[1] The first crewed Apollo missions occurred in 1968. It was also the year in which Earth lifeforms first left low Earth orbit, during the successful Zond 5 mission to the Moon and the Zond 6 lunar mission which crashed upon return, and the year that humans first left low Earth orbit, during the successful Apollo 8 mission to the Moon.
Deep space lunar missions[edit]
Date (UTC) | Spacecraft | Event | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
10 January | Surveyor 7 | Lunar landing | in the debris from Tycho crater |
31 January | Lunar Orbiter 5 | Lunar impact | |
10 April | Luna 14 | Lunar orbit insertion | |
18 September | Zond 5 | Flyby of the Moon; first return to Earth after flight to Moon; first Earth life forms to travel around the Moon (two Russian tortoises) | Closest approach: 1,950 kilometres (1,210 mi) |
14 November | Zond 6 | Flyby of the Moon, with turtles, flies, and bacteria | Closest approach: 2,420 kilometres (1,500 mi) |
24 December | Apollo 8 | Lunar orbit insertion; first humans to travel around the Moon | |
25 December | Apollo 8 | Leaves lunar orbit | Completed 10 orbits |
Orbital launches[edit]
- Key
January[edit]
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
7 January | Atlas-SLV3 Centaur-D | Cape Canaveral SLC-36A | |||||
Surveyor 7 | NASA | Selenocentric | Lunar lander | In orbit | Successful | ||
11 January | Delta E1 | Vandenberg SLC-2E | |||||
Explorer 36 (GEOS-B) | NASA | Low Earth | Research | In orbit | Successful | ||
16 January | Voskhod | Site 41/1, Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 199 (Zenit-2 #58) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
17 January | Thor SLV-2A Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-2W | |||||
OPS 1965 Multigroup 3&Setter 1B-2 | USAF | Low Earth | ELINT | In orbit | Successful | ||
18 January | Titan IIIB Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-4W | |||||
OPS 5028 KH-8 4311 | USAF | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
19 January | Kosmos 3M | Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 200 (Tselina O #2) | Low Earth Orbit | SIGNIT | In orbit | Successful | |||
22 January 23:45 |
Saturn IB (C-1B) | LC-37B, Cape Canaveral | NASA | ||||
Apollo 5 | NASA | LEO | Test Lunar Module | 12 February 1968 09:59 |
successful | ||
Minor malfunction of LM descent stage engine, otherwise successful | |||||||
24 January | Thorad-SLV2G Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-1E | |||||
OPS 5028 KH-4A 1045 | CIA | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
Tivoli 1 | USAF | Low Earth | ELINT | In orbit | Successful |
February[edit]
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
6 February | Voskhod | Site 31/6, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 201 (Zenit-4 #38) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
7 February | Molniya-M / Blok L | Site 1/5, Baikonur | |||||
(Ye-6LS No 112) | Selenocentric | Lunar Orbiter | In orbit | Failure | |||
20 January | Kosmos 2 | Kapustin Yar | |||||
Kosmos 202 (DS-U2-V #4) | Low Earth Orbit | Ionospheric research | In orbit | Successful | |||
20 January | Kosmos 3M | Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 203 (Sfera #1) | Low Earth Orbit | Geodesy | In orbit | Successful |
March[edit]
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
2 March | Scout-A | Vandenberg SLC-5 | |||||
OPS 7034 Transit 18 | USN | Low Earth | Navigation | In orbit | Successful | ||
2 March | Proton K / Blok D | Pad 81/23, Baikonur | MOM | ||||
Zond 4 (L1 6) | MOM | Lunar Free-return | Prototype Soyuz 7K-L1P/Zond | In orbit | Successful | ||
4 March | Atlas-SLV3 Agena-D | Cape Canaveral LC-13 | |||||
OGO 5 (EGO 3) | NASA | Low Earth | Research | In orbit | Successful | ||
5 March | Kosmos 2 | Plesetsk Site 133/1 | |||||
Kosmos 204 (DS-P1-I #3) | Low Earth Orbit | Calibration | In orbit | Successful | |||
5 March | Voskhod | Site 41/1, Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 205 (Zenit-2 #59) | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
5 March | Scout-B | Wallops | |||||
Explorer 37 (Solrad 9) | NASA | Low Earth | Research | In orbit | Successful | ||
6 March | Kosmos 2 | Kapustin Yar | |||||
(DS-U1-Ya #1) | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Failure | |||
13 March | Titan IIIB Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-4W | |||||
OPS 5057 KH-8 4312 | USAF | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
14 March | Vostok-2M | Site 41/1, Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 206 (Meteor-1 #9) | Low Earth Orbit | Meteorology | In orbit | Successful | |||
14 March | Thorad-SLV2G Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-1E | |||||
OPS 4849 KH-4A 1046 | CIA | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
OPS 7076 Lampan 1 / Sampan 2 | USAF | Low Earth | ELINT | In orbit | Successful | ||
16 March | Voskhod | Site 41/1, Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 207 (Zenit-4 #39) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
21 March | Voskhod | Site 1/5, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 208 (Zenit-2M #1,Gektor #1) & Nauka-1KS 1L | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
22 March | Tsyklon-2A | Site 90/19, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 209 (US-AO #4) | Low Earth Orbit | In orbit | Successful |
April[edit]
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
3 April | Voskhod | Site 41/1, Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 210 (Zenit-2 #60) | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
4 April 12:00:02 |
Saturn V (C-5) | LC-39A, Kennedy | NASA | ||||
Apollo 6 | NASA | Low Earth (achieved) TLI to direct return abort (planned) |
Test CSM heat shield at Lunar return speeds. Test S-IVB re-ignition in LEO. | 4 April 1968 21:57:26 |
Partial failure | ||
Experienced Pogo oscillation during S-IC first stage ascent. S-IVB failed restart test. | |||||||
6 April | Atlas F | Vandenberg | |||||
OV1 13 | USAF | Low Earth | In orbit | Successful | |||
OV1 14 | USAF | Low Earth | In orbit | Successful | |||
7 April | Molniya-M / Blok L | Site 1/5, Baikonur | |||||
Luna 14 | Selenocentric | Lunar Orbiter | In orbit | Successful | |||
9 April | Kosmos 2 | Plesetsk Site 133/1 | |||||
Kosmos 211 (DS-P1-Yu #12) | Low Earth Orbit | Calibration | In orbit | Successful | |||
14 April | Soyuz | Site 31/6, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 212 (Soyuz Test #5) | Low Earth Orbit | In orbit | Successful | ||||
15 April | Soyuz | Site 1/5, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 213 (Soyuz Test #6) | Low Earth Orbit | In orbit | Successful | ||||
17 April | Titan IIIB Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-4W | |||||
OPS 5105 KH-8 4313 | USAF | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
18 April | Voskhod | Site 41/1, Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 214 (Zenit-4 #40) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
18 April | Kosmos 2 | Kapustin Yar | |||||
Kosmos 215 (DS-U1-A #1) | Low Earth Orbit | Calibration | In orbit | Successful | |||
20 April | Voskhod | Site 31/6, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 216 (Zenit-2 #61) | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
21 April | Molniya-M / Blok ML | Site 1/5, Baikonur | |||||
Molniya-1 08 | Molniya | Communications | In orbit | Successful | |||
22 April | Proton K / Blok D | Pad 81/23, Baikonur | MOM | ||||
Zond (L1 7) | MOM | Lunar Free-return | Prototype Soyuz 7K-L1P/Zond | In orbit | Failure | ||
24 April | Tsyklon-2A | Site 90/19, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 217 (I2M #1) | Low Earth Orbit | In orbit | Successful | ||||
25 April | R-36-0 | Site 162/36, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 218 (OGCh #17) | Low Earth Orbit | In orbit | Successful | ||||
26 April | Kosmos 2 | Kapustin Yar | |||||
Kosmos 219 (DS-U2-D #2) | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful |
May[edit]
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
1 May | Thorad-SLV2G Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-3W | |||||
OPS 1413 KH-4B 1103 | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
7 May | Kosmos 3M | Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 220 (Zaliv #2) | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
17 May | Scout B | Vandenberg SLC-5 | |||||
ESRO 2B (Iris 2) | ESRO | Low Earth Orbit | Research | In orbit | Successful | ||
18 May | Thorad-SLV2G Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-2E | |||||
Nimbus B | NASA/NOAA | Low Earth | Meteorology | In orbit | Failure | ||
SECOR 10 | US Army | Low Earth | Geodesy | In orbit | Failure | ||
23 May | Thor LV-2F Burner 2 | Vandenberg SLC-10W | |||||
OPS 7869 DMSP-4B F1 | Low Earth | Meteorology | In orbit | Successful | |||
24 May | Kosmos 2 | Kapustin Yar | |||||
Kosmos 221 (DS-P1-Yu #13) | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
30 May | Kosmos 2 | Plesetsk Site 133/1 | |||||
Kosmos 222 (DS-P1-Yu #14) | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful |
June[edit]
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
1 June | Voskhod | Site 41/1, Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 223 (Zenit-2 #62) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
4 June | Voskhod | Site 31/6, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 224 (Zenit-4 #41) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
4 June | Kosmos 3M | Plesetsk Site 132/2 | |||||
Sfera #2 | Low Earth Orbit | Geodesy | In orbit | Failure | |||
5 June | Titan IIIB Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-4W | |||||
OPS 5138 KH-8 4314 | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
11 June | Kosmos 2 | Kapustin Yar | |||||
Kosmos 225 (DS-U1-Ya #2) | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
12 June | Vostok-2M | Site 41/1, Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 226 (Meteor-1 #10) | Low Earth Orbit | Meteorology | In orbit | Successful | |||
13 June 14:03:00 |
Titan IIIC | LC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station | USAF | ||||
OPS 9341 IDCSP 20 | USAF | Sub-GSO | Part of the Initial Defense Communications Satellite Program | In orbit | Success | ||
OPS 9342 IDCSP 21 | USAF | Sub-GSO | Part of the Initial Defense Communications Satellite Program | In orbit | Success | ||
OPS 9343 IDCSP 22 | USAF | Sub-GSO | Part of the Initial Defense Communications Satellite Program | In orbit | Success | ||
OPS 9344 IDCSP 23 | USAF | Sub-GSO | Part of the Initial Defense Communications Satellite Program | In orbit | Success | ||
OPS 9345 IDCSP 24 | USAF | Sub-GSO | Part of the Initial Defense Communications Satellite Program | In orbit | Success | ||
OPS 9346 IDCSP 25 | USAF | Sub-GSO | Part of the Initial Defense Communications Satellite Program | In orbit | Success | ||
OPS 9347 IDCSP 26 | USAF | Sub-GSO | Part of the Initial Defense Communications Satellite Program | In orbit | Success | ||
OPS 9348 IDCSP 27 | USAF | Sub-GSO | Part of the Initial Defense Communications Satellite Program | In orbit | Success | ||
15 June | Kosmos 3 | Plesetsk Site 41/15 | |||||
(Strela-2 #4) | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Failure | |||
18 June | Voskhod | Site 31/6, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 227 (Zenit-4 #42) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
20 June | Thorad-SLV2G Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-1E | |||||
OPS 5343 KH-4A 1047 | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
OPS 5259 Tripos 3/Sousea 2 | USAF | Low Earth | ELINT | In orbit | Successful | ||
21 June | Voskhod | Site 31/6, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 228 (Zenit-2M #2,Gektor #2&Nauka-1KS 2L) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
26 June | Voskhod | Site 41/1, Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 229 (Zenit-4 #43) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful |
July[edit]
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
4 July | Delta J | Vandenberg SLC-2E | |||||
Explorer 38 (RAE A) | NASA | Low Earth | Research | In orbit | Successful | ||
5 July | Kosmos 2 | Kapustin Yar | |||||
Kosmos 230 (DS-U3-S #2) | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
5 July | Molniya-M / Blok ML | Site 1/5, Baikonur | |||||
Molniya-1 09 | Molniya | Communications | In orbit | Successful | |||
10 July | Voskhod | Site 31/6, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 231 (Zenit-2 #63) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
11 July | Atlas F | Vandenberg | |||||
OV1 15 (SPADES) | USAF | Low Earth | Technology Demonstration | In orbit | Successful | ||
OV1 16 (LOADS 1) | USAF | Low Earth | Technology Demonstration | In orbit | Successful | ||
16 July | Voskhod | Site 41/1, Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 232 (Zenit-4 #44) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
18 July | Kosmos 2 | Plesetsk Site 133/1 | |||||
Kosmos 233 (DS-P1-Yu #15) | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
30 July | Voskhod | Site 31/6, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 234 (Zenit-4 #45) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful |
August[edit]
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
6 August | Atlas-SLV3 Agena-D | Cape Canaveral LC-13 | |||||
OPS 2222 Canyon 1 | USAF | Low Earth | SIGNIT | In orbit | Successful | ||
6 August | Titan IIIB Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-4W | |||||
OPS 5187 KH-8 4315 | USAF | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
7 August | Thorad-SLV2G Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-3W | |||||
OPS 5955 KH-4B 1104 | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
8 August | Scout B | Vandenberg SLC-5 | |||||
Explorer 39 (AD C) | NASA | Low Earth | Research | In orbit | Successful | ||
Explorer 40 (Injun 5) | NASA | Low Earth | Research | In orbit | Successful | ||
9 August | Voskhod | Site 31/6, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 235 (Zenit-2 #64) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
10 August | Atlas-SLV3 Centaur-D | Cape Canaveral SLC-36A | |||||
ATS 4 | NASA | Geosynchronous | Communications/Meteorology | In orbit | Failure | ||
16 August | Delta N | Vandenberg SLC-2E | |||||
ESSA 7 | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
16 August | Atlas-SLV3 Burner-2 | Vandenberg SLC-3E | |||||
Orbiscal 1 | USAF | Low Earth | Technology Demonstration | In orbit | Failure | ||
OV5 8 (ERS 19) | USAF | Low Earth | Technology Demonstration | In orbit | Failure | ||
Gridsphere 1 | USAF | Low Earth | Technology Demonstration | In orbit | Failure | ||
Gridsphere 2 | USAF | Low Earth | Technology Demonstration | In orbit | Failure | ||
MylarBalloon | USAF | Low Earth | Technology Demonstration | In orbit | Failure | ||
Rigidsphere | USAF | Low Earth | Technology Demonstration | In orbit | Failure | ||
LCS 3 | MIT Lincoln Laboratory | Low Earth | Calibration | In orbit | Failure | ||
LIDOS | USAF | Low Earth | Geodesy | In orbit | Failure | ||
SECOR 11 | US Army | Low Earth | Geodesy | In orbit | Failure | ||
SECOR 12 | US Army | Low Earth | Geodesy | In orbit | Failure | ||
Radcat | Low Earth | Calibration | In orbit | Failure | |||
RM 18 & UVR | USAF | Low Earth | Technology Demonstration | In orbit | Failure | ||
27 August | Kosmos 3 | Baikonur Site 41/15 | |||||
Kosmos 236 (Strela-2 #5) | Low Earth Orbit | Military communications | In orbit | Successful | |||
27 August | Voskhod | Site 41/1, Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 237 (Zenit-4 #46) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
28 August | Soyuz | Site 31/6, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 238 (Soyuz Test #7) | Low Earth Orbit | In orbit | Successful |
September[edit]
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
5 September | Voskhod | Site 31/6, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 239 (Zenit-4 #47) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
10 September | Titan IIIB Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-4W | |||||
OPS 5247 KH-8 4316 | USAF | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
14 September | Voskhod | Site 31/6, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 240 (Zenit-2 #65) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
14 September | Proton K / Blok D | Pad 81/23, Baikonur | MOM | ||||
Zond 5 (L1 9) | MOM | Lunar Free-return | Prototype Soyuz 7K-L1P/Zond | In orbit | Successful | ||
16 September | Voskhod | Site 41/1, Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 241 (Zenit-4 #48) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
18 September | Thorad-SLV2G Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-1E | |||||
OPS 0165 KH-4A 1048 | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
OPS 8595 Vampan 1 | USAF | Low Earth | ELINT | In orbit | Successful | ||
19 September | Delta M | Cape Canaveral LC-17A | |||||
Intelsat III F1 | Intelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Failure | ||
20 September | Kosmos 2 | Plesetsk Site 133/1 | |||||
Kosmos 242 (DS-P1-I #4) | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
23 September | Voskhod | Site 1/5, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 243 (Zenit-2M #3,Gektor #3 & Nauka-2KS 1L) | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
26 September | Titan IIIC | Cape Canaveral SLC-41 | |||||
LES 6 | USAF | Technology Demonstration | In orbit | Successful | |||
OV2 5 | USAF | Technology Demonstration | In orbit | Successful | |||
OV5 2 (ERS 21) | USAF | Technology Demonstration | In orbit | Successful | |||
OV5 4 (ERS 28) | USAF | Technology Demonstration | In orbit | Successful |
October[edit]
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
2 October | R-36-0 | Site 161/35, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 244 (OGCh #20) | Low Earth Orbit | Weapon System Test | In orbit | Successful | |||
3 October | Kosmos 2 | Plesetsk Site 133/1 | |||||
Kosmos 245 (DS-P1-Yu #16) | Low Earth Orbit | Calibration | In orbit | Successful | |||
3 October | Scout-B | Vandenberg SLC-5 | |||||
ESRO 1A (Aurorae) | ESRO | Low Earth | Technology Demonstration | In orbit | Successful | ||
5 October | Molniya-M / Blok ML | Site 1/5, Baikonur | |||||
Molniya-1 10 | Molniya | Communications | In orbit | Successful | |||
5 October | Thorad-SLV2G Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-1W | |||||
OPS 0964 Strawman 1 | USAF | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
7 October | Voskhod | Site 41/1, Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 246 (Zenit-4 #49) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
11 October | Voskhod | Site 41/1, Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 247 (Zenit-2 #66) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
11 October 1968 15:02 |
Saturn IB (C-1B) | LC-34, Cape Canaveral | NASA | ||||
Apollo 7 | NASA | LEO | Crewed orbital flight | 22 October 1968 11:11:48 |
Successful | ||
First crewed Apollo flight | |||||||
19 October | Tsyklon-2A | Site 90/19, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 248 (I2M #2) | Low Earth Orbit | In orbit | Successful | ||||
20 October | Tsyklon-2A | Site 90/20, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 249 (I2P #1) | Low Earth Orbit | In orbit | Successful | ||||
23 October | Thor LV-2F Burner 2 | Vandenberg SLC-10W | |||||
OPS 4078 DSMP-4B F2 | Low Earth (SSO) | Meteorology | In orbit | Successful | |||
25 October 1968 09:00 |
Soyuz (R-7/A-2) | LC-1/5, Baikonur | RVSN | ||||
Soyuz 2 | RVSN | LEO | Docking target for Soyuz 3 | 28 October 1968 07:21 |
Successful | ||
Soyuz 3 failed to dock | |||||||
26 October 08:34 |
Soyuz (R-7/A-2) | LC-31/6 Baikonur | RVSN | ||||
Soyuz 3 | RVSN | LEO | Crewed orbital flight | 30 October 1968 07:25:03 |
Partial Failure | ||
Failed to dock with Soyuz 2 | |||||||
30 October | Kosmos 3M | Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 250 (Tselina-O #3) | Low Earth Orbit | SIGNIT | In orbit | Successful | |||
31 October | Voskhod | Site 1/5, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 251 (Zenit-4M #1,Rotor #1) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful |
November[edit]
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
1 November | Tsyklon-2A | Site 90/20, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 252 (I2P #2) | Low Earth Orbit | In orbit | Successful | ||||
3 November | Thorad-SLV2G Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-3W | |||||
OPS 1315 KH-4B 1105 | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
6 November | Titan IIIB Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-4W | |||||
OPS 5296 KH-8 4317 | USAF | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
8 November | Delta E1 | Cape Canaveral SLC-17B | |||||
Pioneer 9 | NASA | Heliocentric | Solar Orbiter | In orbit | Successful | ||
TTS 2 | NASA | Low Earth | Technology Demonstration | In orbit | Successful | ||
10 November | Proton K / Blok D | Pad 81/23, Baikonur | MOM | ||||
Zond 6 (L1 12) | MOM | Lunar Free-return | Prototype Soyuz 7K-L1P/Zond | In orbit | Successful | ||
13 November | Voskhod | Site 41/1, Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 253 (Zenit-2 #67) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
16 November | Proton K | Pad 81/24, Baikonur | MOM | ||||
Proton 4 | MOM | Low Earth | Science | In orbit | Successful | ||
21 November | Voskhod | Site 41/1, Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 254 (Zenit-4 #50) | GRU | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
29 November | Voskhod | Site 41/1, Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 255 (Zenit-2 #68) | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
29 November | Europa 1 | Woomera | |||||
STV 1 | ELDO | Low Earth Orbit | Dummy Payload | In orbit | Failure | ||
30 November | Kosmos 3M | Plesetsk | |||||
Kosmos 256 (Sfera #3) | Low Earth Orbit | Geodesy | In orbit | Successful |
December[edit]
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
3 December | Kosmos 2 | Plesetsk Site 133/1 | |||||
Kosmos 257 (DS-P1-Yu #17) | Low Earth Orbit | Calibration | In orbit | Successful | |||
4 December | Titan IIIB Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-4W | |||||
OPS 6518 KH-8 4318 | USAF | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Failure | ||
5 December | Delta E1 | Cape Canaveral LC-17B | |||||
HEOS 1 | ESRO | Low Earth | Research | In orbit | Successful | ||
7 December | Atlas-SLV3 Agena-D | Cape Canaveral LC-36B | |||||
OAO 2 | Low Earth | UV Astronomy | In orbit | Successful | |||
10 December | Voskhod | Site 31/6, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 258 (Zenit-2 #69) | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
12 December | Thorad-SLV2G Agena-D | Vandenberg SLC-3W | |||||
OPS 4740 KH-4A 1049 | CIA | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
OPS 7684 P-801 1 | USAF | Low Earth | ELINT | In orbit | Successful | ||
14 December | Kosmos 2 | Kapustin Yar | |||||
Kosmos 259 (DS-U2-I #3) | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | |||
15 December | Delta N | Vandenberg SLC-2E | |||||
ESSA 8 | ESSA | SSO | Meteorology | In orbit | Successful | ||
16 December | Molniya-M / Blok ML | Site 1/5, Baikonur | |||||
Kosmos 260 (Molniya-1 Yu 15L) | Molniya | Technology Demonstration | In orbit | Successful | |||
19 December | Delta M | Cape Canaveral LC-17A | |||||
Intelsat III F2 | Intelsat | Geosynchronous | In orbit | Successful | |||
19 December | Kosmos 2 | Plesetsk Site 133/1 | |||||
Kosmos 261 (DS-U2-GK #1) | Yuzhnoye Design Bureau | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful | ||
21 December 12:51 |
Saturn V (C-5) | LC-39A, Kennedy | NASA | ||||
Apollo 8 | NASA | Selenocentric | Crewed lunar orbiter | 27 December 1968 15:51:42 |
Successful | ||
LTA B | NASA | Selenocentric | Mass Model | In orbit | Successful | ||
First crewed mission to the Moon | |||||||
26 December | Kosmos 2 | Kapustin Yar | |||||
Kosmos 262 (DS-U2-GF #1) | Low Earth Orbit | Reconnaissance | In orbit | Successful |
Suborbital Launches[edit]
January[edit]
Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks |
Orbital launch summary[edit]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2011) |
References[edit]
- ^ "Spacecraft Query Results". Master Catalog Search. NASA NSSDC. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2010.