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1985 in spaceflight

Last updated: 2025-07-30 02:45:20

1985 in spaceflight

1985 in spaceflight
National firsts
Space traveller Mexico
 Saudi Arabia
Rockets
Maiden flightsSpace Shuttle Atlantis
M-3SII
Crewed flights
Orbital11
Total travellers63
1985 in spaceflight
← 1984
1986 →

The following is an outline of 1985 in spaceflight.

Overview

First Atlantis flight

This section is an excerpt from Space Shuttle Atlantis.[edit]
Atlantis in orbit in 2010, during STS-132
Space Shuttle Atlantis (Orbiter Vehicle designation: OV‑104) is a retired Space Shuttle orbiter vehicle which belongs to NASA, the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States.[1] Atlantis was manufactured by the Rockwell International company in Southern California and was delivered to the Kennedy Space Center in Eastern Florida in April 1985. Atlantis is the fourth operational and the second-to-last Space Shuttle built.[2][3] Its maiden flight was STS-51-J made from October 3 to 7, 1985.

Orbital launches

Date and time (UTC) Rocket Flight number Launch site LSP
Payload
(⚀ = CubeSat)		 Operator Orbit Function Decay (UTC) Outcome
Remarks

January

7 January
19:26		 Japan M-3SII / KM-P M-3SII-1 Japan Kagoshima LP-M Japan ISAS
Japan Sakigake (MS-T5) ISAS Heliocentric 1P/Halley comet flyby8 January 1999Successful
Maiden flight of M-3SII. First Japanese deep space probe.
9 January
10:45		 Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Baikonur Site 31/6 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1616 (Yantar-4K2 №12/Kobalt №12) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
15 January
14:50		 Soviet Union Tsyklon-3 Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 32/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1617 (Strela-3 №1) VKS Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1618 (Strela-3 №2) VKS Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1619 (Strela-3 №3) VKS Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1620 (Strela-3 №4) VKS Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1621 (Strela-3 №5) VKS Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1622 (Strela-3 №6) VKS Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
16 January Soviet Union Molniya-M / Blok-ML Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Molniya-3 36L NPO PM Molniya CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
16 January Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Baikonur Site 1/5 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1623 (Zenit-8 №10/Oblik №10) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
17 January Soviet Union Kosmos-3M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1624 (Strela-2M №36) Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
18 January Soviet Union Proton-K / Blok-DM Soviet Union Baikonur Site 200/39 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Gorizont 11 (Gorizont 21L) Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
23 January Soviet Union Tsyklon-2 Soviet Union Baikonur LC-90 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1625 (US-P №20) Low Earth In orbitOperational
24 January Soviet Union Tsyklon-3 Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 32/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1626 (Tselina-D №47) Low Earth SIGINTIn orbitOperational
24 January
19:50		 United States Space Shuttle Discovery / IUS United States Kennedy LC-39A United States United Space Alliance
United States STS-51-C NASA Low Earth Satellite deployment27 January
21:23		Successful
United States Orion 1 (USA-8/Magnum 1) NRO Geosynchronous ELINTIn orbitSuccessful
Crewed orbital flight with five astronauts

February

1 February
19:36		 Soviet Union Kosmos-3M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1627 (Parus №48) Low Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
6 February Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1628 (Zenit-8 №11/Oblik №11) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
6 February Soviet Union Tsyklon-3 Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 32/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Meteor-2 12 Low Earth MeteorologyIn orbitOperational
8 February
06:10		 United States Titan 34B / Agena-D United States Vandenberg SLC-4W United States
United States Quasar 6 (SDS 6/USA-9) NRO Molniya CommunicationsIn orbitSuccessful
8 February
23:22		 France Ariane 3 France Kourou ELA-1 France Arianespace
Saudi Arabia Arabsat-1A Arabsat Geosynchronous CommunicationsMarch 1992Successful
Brazil Brasilsat-A1 Embratel Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitSuccessful
Arabsat 1A failed in March 1992
21 February Soviet Union Proton-K Blok-DM Soviet Union Baikonur Site 200/39 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1629 (US-KS №3) Geosynchronous Early warningIn orbitOperational
27 February Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Baikonur Site 31/6 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1630 (Yantar-4K2 №13/Kobalt №13) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
27 February Soviet Union Kosmos-3M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1631 (Taifun-1 №18/Vektor №18) Low Earth Radar CalibrationIn orbitOperational

March

1 March Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1632 (Zenit-8 №12/Oblik №12) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
5 March Soviet Union Tsyklon-3 Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 32/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1633 (Tselina-D №48) Low Earth SIGINTIn orbitOperational
13 March
02:00		 United States Atlas E / OIS United States Vandenberg SLC-3W United States
United States Geosat US Navy Sun-synchronous Earth observationIn orbitSuccessful
Mission ended in January 1990
14 March Soviet Union Kosmos-3M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1634 (Parus №49) Low Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
21 March Soviet Union Kosmos-3M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1635 (Strela-1M №289) Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1636 (Strela-1M №290) Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1637 (Strela-1M №291) Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1638 (Strela-1M №292) Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1639 (Strela-1M №293) Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1640 (Strela-1M №294) Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1641 (Strela-1M №295) Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1642 (Strela-1M №296) Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
22 March Soviet Union Proton-K Blok-DM Soviet Union Baikonur Site 200/40 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Ekran 14 (Ekran 28L) NPO PM Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
22 March
23:55:00		 United States Atlas G / Centaur-D1AR AC-63 United States Cape Canaveral LC-36B United States
United Nations Intelsat VA F-10 (Intelsat 510) Intelsat Geosynchronous CommunicationsJuly 1999Successful
25 March Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Baikonur Site 1/5 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1643 (Yantar-4KS1 №3/Terilen №3) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational

April

3 April Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Baikonur Site 31/6 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1644 (Zenit-8 №13/Oblik №13) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
12 April
13:59		 United States Space Shuttle Discovery / PAM-D United States Kennedy LC-39A United States United Space Alliance
United States STS-51-D NASA Low Earth Satellite deployment19 April
13:54		Successful
Canada Anik C1 Telesat Canada Current: Graveyard
Operational: Geosynchronous		 CommunicationsIn orbitSuccessful
United StatesLeasat 3 (Syncom-4 3) US Navy Current: Graveyard
Operational: Geosynchronous		 CommunicationsIn orbitSuccessful
Crewed orbital flight with seven astronauts including the first sitting member of the United States Congress to fly in space (Senator Jake Garn).
Anik C1 was retired on 5 May 2003.
Leasat 3 failed to maneuver to geosynchronous orbit and was re-captured by mission STS-51-I in August, repaired and subsequently maneuvered to geosynchronous orbit.
Discovery suffered extensive brake and tyre damage upon landing at Kennedy Space Center.
13 April Soviet Union Zenit-2 Soviet Union Baikonur Site 45 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos (EPN 03.0694 №1) Low Earth Vehicle EvaluationIn orbitFailure
16 April Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1645 (Foton №1) Low Earth MicrogravityIn orbitOperational
18 April Soviet Union Tsyklon-2 Soviet Union Baikonur Site 90 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1646 (US-P №21) GRU Low Earth In orbitOperational
19 April Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1647 (Yantar-4K2 №14/Kobalt №14) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
25 April Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1648 (Zenit-8 №14/Oblik №14) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
26 April Soviet Union Molniya-M / Blok-SO-L Soviet Union Baikonur Site 31/6 Soviet Union
Soviet UnionCzechoslovak Socialist Republic Interkosmos 23 (Prognoz №10) Interkosmos/NPO Lavochkin Molniya Magnetosphere researchIn orbitOperational
29 April
16:02		 United States Space Shuttle Challenger United States Kennedy LC-39A United StatesUnited Space Alliance
United States STS-51-B NASA Low Earth Microgravity research6 May
16:11		Successful
United States Spacelab Long Module 1 NASA/ESRO Low Earth (Challenger) Microgravity researchSuccessful
United States GLOMAR Intended: Low Earth Getaway SpecialDeployment failure
United States NUSAT Low Earth Getaway Special15 DecemberSuccessful
Crewed orbital flight with seven astronauts; GLOMAR failed to deploy from its GAS canister

May

8 May
01:15		 France Ariane 3 France Kourou ELA-1 France Arianespace
United States GStar 1 GTE Spacenet Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitSuccessful
France Télécom 1B France Télécom Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitSuccessful
15 May Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1649 (Zenit-8 №15/Oblik №15) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
17 May Soviet Union Proton-K Blok-DM-2 Soviet Union Baikonur Site 200/39 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1650 (GLONASS №10) NPO PM Medium Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1651 (GLONASS №11) NPO PM Medium Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1652 (GLONASS-GVM №7) Medium Earth Dummy satelliteIn orbitOperational
22 May Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1653 (Resurs-F1 №22) Low Earth (SSO) Earth ObservationIn orbitOperational
23 May Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Baikonur Site 31/6 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1654 (Yantar-4K2 №15/Kobalt №15) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
29 May Soviet Union Molniya-M / Blok-ML Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Molniya-3 39L NPO PM Molniya CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
30 May Soviet Union Kosmos-3M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1655 (Tsikada №12) NPO PM Low Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
30 May Soviet Union Proton-K Blok-DM-2 Soviet Union Baikonur Site 200/40 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1656 (Tselina-2 №2) Low Earth SIGINTIn orbitOperational

June

6 June
06:39		 Soviet Union Soyuz-U2 Soviet Union Baikonur Site 1/5 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Soyuz T-13 Low Earth (Salyut 7) Salyut 7 EO-426 September
09:51		Successful
Crewed orbital flight with two cosmonauts
7 June Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1657 (Resurs-F1 №23) Low Earth Earth ObservationIn orbitOperational
11 June Soviet Union Molniya-M / Blok-2BL Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1658 (US-K №39) Molniya Early warningIn orbitOperational
13 June Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 16/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1659 (Zenit-8 №16/Oblik №16) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
14 June Soviet Union Tsyklon-3 Soviet Union Baikonur Site 32/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1660 (Geo-IK №6/Musson №6) NPO PM Low Earth GeodesyIn orbitOperational
17 June
11:33		 United States Space Shuttle Discovery / PAM-D United States Kennedy LC-39A United States United Space Alliance
United States STS-51-G NASA Low Earth Satellite deployment24 June
13:11		Successful
Mexico Morelos 1 Morelos Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitSuccessful
Saudi Arabia Arabsat-1B Arabsat Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitSuccessful
United StatesTelstar 303 AT&T Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitSuccessful
United States Spartan 101 NASA Low Earth Astronomy24 June
13:11		Successful
Crewed orbital flight with seven astronauts including the first Saudi Arabian space traveller and member of royalty to fly in space (Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud)
Arabsat 1B retired in 1993.
18 June Soviet Union Molniya-M / Blok-2BL Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 16/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1661 (US-K №40) Molniya Early warningIn orbitOperational
19 June Soviet Union Kosmos-3M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1662 (Taifun-2 №20) Low Earth Radar calibrationIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union 23 Romb Low Earth In orbitOperational
21 June
00:39		 Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Baikonur Site 1/5 Soviet Union
Soviet UnionProgress 24 Low Earth (Salyut 7) Logistics15 July
22:33		Successful
21 June Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1663 (Resurs-F1 №24) Low Earth (SSO) Earth ObservationIn orbitOperational
21 June Soviet Union Zenit-2 Soviet Union Baikonur Site 45 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos (EPN 03.0694 №2) Low Earth Vehicle EvaluationIn orbitPartial Failure
26 June Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1664 (Zenit-8 №17/Oblik №17) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
30 June
00:44		 United States Atlas G / Centaur-D1AR AC-64 United States Cape Canaveral LC-36B United States
United Nations Intelsat VA F-11 (Intelsat 511) Intelsat Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitSuccessful

July

2 July
11:23		 France Ariane 1 France Kourou ELA-1 France Arianespace
Giotto ESA Heliocentric Flyby of Halley's CometIn orbitSuccessful
Closest approach of Halley's Comet (596 kilometres (370 mi)) achieved on 13 March 1986
Closest approach of 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup (200 kilometres (120 mi)) achieved on 10 July 1992
3 July Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 16/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1665 (Zenit-8 №18/Oblik №18) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
8 July Soviet Union Tsyklon-3 Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 32/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1666 (Tselina-D №49) Low Earth SIGINTIn orbitOperational
10 July Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1667 (Bion №7) Low Earth Life ScienceIn orbitOperational
15 July Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Baikonur Site 31/6 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1668 (Zenit-8 №19/Oblik №19) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
17 July Soviet Union Molniya-M / Blok-ML Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Molniya-3 37L NPO PM Molniya CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
19 July
13:05		 Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Baikonur Site 1/5 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1669 (Progress) Low Earth (Salyut 7) Logistics30 August
01:20		Successful
29 July
21:00		 United States Space Shuttle Challenger United States Kennedy LC-39A United States United Space Alliance
United States STS-51-F NASA Low Earth Astronomical experiments6 August
19:45		Successful
United States PDP NASA Low Earth Plasma researchSuccessful
United States Spacelab 2 (three pallets) NASA/ESRO Low Earth (Challenger) AstronomySuccessful
Crewed orbital flight with seven astronauts; A main engine shut-down during ascent caused an Abort to Orbit, the first (and only) abort of the Space Shuttle program.

August

1 August Soviet Union Tsyklon-2 Soviet Union Baikonur Site 90 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1670 (US-A №26) Low Earth Ocean SurveillanceIn orbitOperational
2 August Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 16/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1671 (Zenit-8 №20/Oblik №20) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
3 August United States Scout-G 1 United States Vandenberg SLC-5 United States
United States Transit-O 24 US Navy Low Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
United States Transit-O 30 US Navy Low Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
7 August Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1672 (Resurs-F1 №25) Low Earth (SSO) Earth observationIn orbitOperational
8 August Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Baikonur Site 1/5 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1673 (Yantar-1KFT №5/Kometa №5) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
8 August Soviet Union Tsyklon-3 Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 32/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1674 (Tselina-D №50) Low Earth SIGINTIn orbitOperational
8 August Soviet Union Proton-K Blok-DM Soviet Union Baikonur Site 200/39 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Raduga 16 (Gran 26L) NPO PM Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
12 August Soviet Union Molniya-M / Blok-2BL Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 16/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1675 (US-K №41) Molniya Early warningIn orbitOperational
16 August Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1676 (Yantar-4K2 №16/Kobalt №16) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
18 August
23:33		 Japan M-3SII / KM-P M-3SII-2 Japan Kagoshima LP-M Japan ISAS
Japan Suisei (Planet A) ISAS Heliocentric 1P/Halley comet flyby22 February 1991Successful
22 August Soviet Union Molniya-M / Blok-ML Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Molniya-1T 64 (Molniya-1T 74L) NPO PM Molniya CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
23 August Soviet Union Tsyklon-2 Soviet Union Baikonur Site 90 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1677 (US-A №27) Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
27 August
10:58		 United States Space Shuttle Discovery / PAM-D United States Kennedy LC-39A United States United Space Alliance
United States STS-51-I NASA Low Earth Satellite deployment and repair3 September
13:15		Successful
Australia Aussat A1 Aussat Pty Ltd Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitSuccessful
United States ASC-1 ASC Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitSuccessful
United States Leasat 4 (Syncom-4 4) US Navy Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitSpacecraft failure
Crewed orbital flight with five astronauts
Leasat 4 failed in orbit after becoming operational for a short period
Retrieved Leasat 3, deployed by STS-51-D in April and repaired the malfunctioning perigee motor to allow the satellite to reach geosynchronous orbit.
28 August
21:20		 United States Titan 34D United States Vandenberg SLC-4E United States
United States KH-11 7 (Crystal 7) NRO Intended: Sun-synchronous Reconnaissance28 AugustLaunch Failure
First stage propellant feed malfunction
29 August Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1678 (Resurs-F1 №26) Low Earth (SSO) Earth observationIn orbitOperational
29 August Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Baikonur Site 31/6 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1679 (Yantar-4K2 №17/Kobalt №17) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational

September

4 September Soviet Union Kosmos-3M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1680 (Strela-2M №27) NPO PM Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
6 September Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1681 (Zenit-4MKT №27/Fram №27) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
12 September
23:26		 France Ariane 3 France Kourou ELA France Arianespace
France Eutelsat I F-3 (ECS-3) Eutelsat Intended: Geosynchronous Communications12 SeptemberLaunch Failure
United States Spacenet F3 Spacenet Intended: Geosynchronous Communications
Third stage failed to ignite
17 September
12:38		 Soviet Union Soyuz-U2 Soviet Union Baikonur Site 1/5 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Soyuz T-14 Low Earth (Salyut 7) Salyut 7 EP-521 November
10:31		Successful
Crewed orbital flight with three cosmonauts
19 September Soviet Union Tsyklon-2 Soviet Union Baikonur Site 90 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1682 (US-P №22) Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
19 September Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1683 (Zenit-8 №21/Oblik №21) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
24 September Soviet Union Molniya-M / Blok-2BL Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1684 (US-K №42) Molniya Early warningIn orbitOperational
26 September Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Baikonur Site 16/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1685 (Zenit-8 №22/Oblik №22) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
27 September
08:41		 Soviet Union Proton-K Soviet Union Baikonur Site 200/39 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1686 (TKS-M №1) Low Earth (Salyut 7) Logistics7 February 1991Successful
TKS-4; remained docked with Salyut 7 through that station's re-entry
28 September
23:17		 United States Atlas G United States Cape Canaveral LC-36B United States
United Nations Intelsat VA F-11 (Intelsat 512) Intelsat Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitSuccessful
30 September Soviet Union Molniya-M / Blok-2BL Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 16/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1687 (US-K №43) Molniya Early warningIn orbitOperational

October

2 October Soviet Union Kosmos-3M Soviet Union Kapustin Yar Site 107 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1688 (Taifun-2 №21) Low Earth Radar calibrationIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union O Romb Low Earth In orbitOperational
3 October Soviet Union Vostok-2M Soviet Union Baikonur Site 31/6 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1689 (Resurs-O1 №1) NPO Planeta Low Earth Earth observationIn orbitOperational
3 October Soviet Union Molniya-M / Blok-ML Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Molniya-3 38L NPO PM Molniya CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
3 October
15:15		 United States Space Shuttle Atlantis / IUS United States Kennedy LC-39A United StatesUnited Space Alliance
United States STS-51-J NASA Low Earth Satellite deployment7 October
17:00		Successful
United States DSCS-III 2 (USA-11) US Air Force Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitSuccessful
United States DSCS-III 3 (USA-12) US Air Force Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitSuccessful
Crewed orbital flight with five astronauts; Maiden flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis
9 October
02:53		 United States Atlas E/SGS-2 United States Vandenberg SLC-3W United States
United States GPS-11 (USA-10) US Air Force Medium Earth NavigationIn orbitSuccessful
9 October Soviet Union Tsyklon-3 Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 32/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1690 (Strela-3 №7) VKS Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1691 (Strela-3 №8) VKS Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1692 (Strela-3 №9) VKS Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1693 (Strela-3 №10) VKS Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1694 (Strela-3 №11) VKS Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1695 (Strela-3 №12) VKS Low Earth Military communicationsIn orbitOperational
16 October Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Baikonur Site 31/6 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1696 (Zenit-8 №23/Oblik №23) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
21 October China Long March 2C 2C-Y4 China Jiuquan LA-2B China CASC
China FSW-0 7 CAST Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
22 October Soviet Union Zenit-2 Soviet Union Baikonur Site 45/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1697 (EPN 03.0694 №3) Low Earth Vehicle EvaluationIn orbitOperational
22 October Soviet Union Molniya-M / Blok-2BL Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1698 (US-K №44) Molniya Early warningIn orbitOperational
23 October Soviet Union Molniya-M / Blok-ML Soviet Union Baikonur Site 1/5 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Molniya-1T 65 (Molniya-1T 73L) NPO PM Molniya CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
23 October Soviet Union Kosmos-3M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 133/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos (Parus №50) NPO PM Low Earth NavigationIn orbitFailure
24 October Soviet Union Tsyklon-3 Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 32/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Meteor-3 1 VNIEM Low Earth MeteorologyIn orbitOperational
25 October Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 16/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1699 (Yantar-4K2 №18/Kobalt №18) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
25 October Soviet Union Proton-K / Blok-DM-2 Soviet Union Baikonur Site 200/40 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1700 (Luch №1/Altair 11L) NPO PM Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
28 October Soviet Union Molniya-M / Blok-ML Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Molniya-1T 66 (Molniya-1T 76L) NPO PM Molniya CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
30 October
17:00		 United States Space Shuttle Challenger United States Kennedy LC-39A United States United Space Alliance
United States STS-61-A NASA Low Earth Microgravity research6 November
17:44		Successful
United States Spacelab Long Module 2 NASA Low Earth (Challenger) Spacelab D1Successful
Germany GLOMAR DLR Low Earth Getaway Special26 December 1986Successful
Crewed orbital flight with eight astronauts
Maiden flight of Spacelab Long Module #2

November

9 November Soviet Union Molniya-M / Blok-2BL Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1701 (US-K №45) NPO PM Molniya Early warningIn orbitOperational
13 November Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 16/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1702 (Zenit-8 №24/Oblik №24) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
15 November Soviet Union Proton-K / Blok-DM Soviet Union Baikonur Site 200/39 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Raduga 17 (Gran 28L) NPO PM Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
22 November Soviet Union Tsyklon-3 Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 32/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1703 (Tselina-D №51) Yuzhnoye Low Earth SIGINTIn orbitOperational
27 November
00:29		 United States Space Shuttle Atlantis / IUS United States Kennedy LC-39A United States United Space Alliance
United States STS-61-B NASA Low Earth Satellite deployment2 December
21:33		Successful
Mexico Morelos 2 Morelos Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitSuccessful
Australia Aussat A2 Aussat Pty Ltd Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitSuccessful
United States Satcom K2 RCA Americom Geosynchronous CommunicationsIn orbitSuccessful
United States OEX Target NASA Low Earth 2 March 1987Successful
United States EASE/ACCESS NASA Low Earth (Atlantis) Structure assembly experiment2 December
21:33		Successful
Crewed orbital flight with seven astronauts including the first Mexican space traveller.
28 November Soviet Union Kosmos-3M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 133/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1704 (Parus №51) NPO PM Low Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational

December

3 December Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 16/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1705 (Zenit-8 №25/Oblik №25) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
11 December Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 16/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1706 (Yantar-4K2 №19/Kobalt №19) GRU Low Earth ReconnaissanceIn orbitOperational
12 December Soviet Union Tsyklon-3 Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 32/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1707 (Tselina-D №52) Yuzhnoye Low Earth SIGINTIn orbitOperational
13 December United States Scout-G 1 United States Wallops LA-3 United States
United States ITV 1 (USA-13) USAF Low Earth ASAT TargetIn orbitOperational
United States ITV 2 (USA-14) USAF Low Earth ASAT TargetIn orbitOperational
13 December Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1708 (Resurs-F1 №) Low Earth (SSO) Earth observationIn orbitOperational
19 December Soviet Union Kosmos-3M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1709 (Parus №52) NPO PM Low Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
24 December Soviet Union Molniya-M / Blok-ML Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Molniya-3 40L NPO PM Molniya CommunicationsIn orbitOperational
24 December Soviet Union Proton-K / Blok-DM-2 Soviet Union Baikonur Site 200/39 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1710 (GLONASS №12) NPO PM Medium Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1711 (GLONASS №13) NPO PM Medium Earth NavigationIn orbitOperational
Soviet Union Kosmos 1712 (GLONASS-GVM №8) Medium Earth Dummy SatelliteIn orbitOperational
26 December Soviet Union Tsyklon-3 Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 32/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Meteor-2 13 VNIEM Low Earth MeteorologyIn orbitOperational
27 December Soviet Union Soyuz U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1713 (Efir №2) Low Earth Cosmic radiationIn orbitOperational
28 December Soviet Union Zenit-2 Soviet Union Baikonur Site 45 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1714 (Tselina-2 №3) Yuzhnoye Low Earth SIGINTIn orbitPartial Failure

Suborbital flights

Date and time (UTC) Rocket Flight number Launch site LSP
Payload
(⚀ = CubeSat)		 Operator Orbit Function Decay (UTC) Outcome
Remarks
13 September United StatesASM-135 ASAT United StatesCelestial Eagle, Vandenberg United StatesUS Air Force
US Air Force Suborbital Anti-satellite weapon13 SeptemberSuccessful
Successful intercept and destruction of Solwind P78-1.

Deep Space Rendezvous

Date (GMT) Spacecraft Event Remarks
11 JuneVega 1delivered lander and balloon on Venus
15 JuneVega 2delivered lander and balloon on Venus
11 SeptemberISEE-3/ICEFlyby of 21P/Giacobini-Zinner

EVAs

Start Date/Time Duration End Time Spacecraft Crew Remarks
16 April 3 hours
6 minutes		 STS-51-D
Discovery		 United StatesJeffrey A. Hoffman
United StatesS. David Griggs		 Installed an improvised switch-pulling tool, called the Flyswatter, on the RMS robotic arm. The Flyswatter was used in an effort to push the sequencer start lever on the Leasat-3 in the proper position for deployment.[4] This attempted repair was the first unplanned spacewalk in NASA history.[5]
2 August
07:15		 5 hours 12:15 Salyut 7 EO-4 Soviet UnionVladimir Dzhanibekov
Soviet UnionViktor Savinykh		 Installed a third pair of solar arrays on exterior of Salyut 7.
31 August 7 hours
20 minutes		 STS-51-I
Discovery		 United StatesWilliam Fisher
United StatesJames van Hoften		 Van Hoften rode the RMS to capture the Leasat 3 satellite and pulled it into payload bay. Fisher and Van Hoften secured and started repairs on the satellite in the payload bay. The retrieval was complicated by a malfunction of the RMS that made operation of the arm more complicated.[6]
1 September 4 hours
26 minutes		 STS-51-I
Discovery		 United StatesWilliam Fisher
United StatesJames van Hoften		 Completed repairs on the Leasat 3 satellite. Then Van Hoften, riding the RMS, heaved the satellite out of the payload bay, imparting the required spin needed to fire the perigee motor.[6]
29 November 5 hours
32 minutes		 STS-61-B
Atlantis		 United StatesJerry L. Ross
United StatesSherwood C. Spring		 Practiced construction techniques in the payload bay and assembled and disassembled the two experimental EASE/ACCESS structures.[7]
1 December 6 hours
41 minutes		 STS-61-B
Atlantis		 United StatesJerry L. Ross
United StatesSherwood C. Spring		 Conducted supplementary experiments on the EASE and ACCESS structures, including a test of the RMS to aid in the construction experiments.[7]

References

Generic references:

Spaceflight portal

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "Space Shuttle Overview: Atlantis (OV-104)". NASA. 2007. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2007. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ↑ Justin Ray (11 May 2010). "Respecting Atlantis as the shuttle faces retirement". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
  3. ↑ Peter W. Merlin (20 May 2010). "Space Shuttle Atlantis Wraps Up 25-year Career". NASA. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2010. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ↑ "Space Shuttle Mission Archives". NASA. 2007. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2009.
  5. ↑ Becker, Joachim; Janssen, Heinz Hermann (2009). "Human Spaceflights - STS-51D". Space Facts. Archived from the original on 29 July 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2009.
  6. 1 2 "Space Shuttle Flight 20 (STS-51A)". Space Shuttle Video Library. National Space Society. July 2008. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2009.
  7. 1 2 Rumerman, Judith; Gamble, Chris; Okolski, Gabriel (2007). "Human Spaceflight" (PDF). NASA History Division. p. 45. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 February 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2009.


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