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Space Exploration Timeline | Chronology.guru

1610

First telescopic observation of the night sky: discovery of the Galilean moons, lunar craters and the phases of Venus

1668

First reflecting telescope

1781

First telescopic discovery of planet (Uranus)

1801

First discovery of asteroid (Ceres)

1813

First exposition of the rocket equation based on Newton's third law of motion: Treatise on the Motion of Rockets

1840

First clear telescopic photograph of another world: the Moon

1845

First proper observation of other galaxies which are termed "whirlpool nebulae"

1861

A Journey Through Space makes first proposal of using rockets for space flight

Between 1880 and 1881

Tsiolkovsky's first scientific study, a paper called "Theory of Gases"

1895

First proposal of space elevator

1903

Publication of Exploration of the Universe with Rocket-Propelled Vehicles

1914

Goddard files for and is awarded U.S. patents on multistage and liquid-fueled rockets

1917

First observation of an extrasolar planet (exoplanet) round Van Maanen 2

1919

Goddard's paper "A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes" discussed rocketry

Dec 15, 1923

Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen ("By Rocket into Planetary Space") self-published

1924

Society for Studies of Interplanetary Travel founded

Mar 16, 1926

Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket

1927

Завоевание межпланетных пространств (The Conquest of Interplanetary Space) discusses rocket mechanics

1927

Verein für Raumschiffahrt (Society for Space Travel) formed

1928

Das Problem der Befahrung des Weltraums – der Raketen-Motor discusses space travel

1929

Tsiolkovsky proposed the construction of multistage rockets in his book Space Rocket Trains

Jan of 1933

British Interplanetary Society founded

Apr of 1933

First detection of radio waves from an astronomical object

Sep of 1933

Establishment of the Soviet rocket research lab Reactive Scientific Research Institute (RNII)

Feb 25, 1942

The first A-4 flight-test model was completed. Later after series of prototypes went to war as the V2.

Jun 20, 1944

First spaceflight in history

Oct of 1945

Article in Wireless World discusses geostationary satellites

May 10, 1946

First space research flight (cosmic radiation experiments)

Oct 24, 1946

First pictures of Earth from 105 km (65 mi)

Feb 20, 1947

First animals in space (fruit flies)

May 13, 1948

RTV-G-4 Bumper first flight

Sep 13, 1948

The first tests of R-1 rocket (V-2 close copy) began

Feb 24, 1949

First two-stage liquid-fueled rocket sets a record altitude (WAC Corporal missile mounted onto a V-2 rocket)

Jun 14, 1949

First mammal in space (Albert II, a rhesus monkey). First primate in space.

Jul 29, 1950

RTV-G-4 Bumper last flight

Jul 22, 1951

First dogs in space (Dezik and Tsygan). First living organisms to fly in space and safely return.

Sep 19, 1952

Last launch of captured V-2 rocket in the United States

Oct 5, 1954

First color picture of Earth and detailed view of a tropical cyclone

Jun 14, 1956

R-1 last flight

Sep 20, 1956

Jupiter-C first flight. First rocket to pass the thermopause and enter the exosphere.

Aug 8, 1957

Jupiter-C last flight

Oct 4, 1957 19:28

Sputnik 1 launch. First artificial satellite. First human-made signals from space.

Nov 3, 1957 2:30

Sputnik 2 launch. First mammal in orbit, the dog Laika.

Jan 4, 1958

Sputnik 1 decay

Jan 31, 1958

Confirmed existence of the Van Allen radiation belt

Feb 1, 1958 3:47

Explorer 1 launch. The first satellite launched by the United States.

Mar 17, 1958 12:15

Vanguard 1 satellite launch. Currently the oldest artificial object still in space.

Circa Mar 17, 1958 13:00

First use of solar power in space by Vanguard 1 satellite

Circa Apr 14, 1958 2:00

Sputnik 2 decay

May 23, 1958

Explorer 1 last contact

Oct 1, 1958

NASA began operations absorbing NACA

Jan 2, 1959 16:41

Luna 1 spacecraft launch

Jan 4, 1959

First rocket to reach Earth escape velocity. First spacecraft to attempt to impact the Moon's surface.

Jan 4, 1959

First artificial object in heliocentric orbit. First detection of solar wind.

Jan 5, 1959

Luna 1 last contact

Feb 17, 1959 15:55

Vanguard 2 launch. First weather satellite.

Mar 15, 1959

Vanguard 2 last contact

Jun 8, 1959

First X-15 flight - unpowered glide

Aug 7, 1959 14:24

Explorer 6 satellite launch. First NASA satellite.

Aug 14, 1959

First photograph of Earth from Earth orbit

Sep 12, 1959 6:39

Luna 2 spacecraft launch

Sep 13, 1959 21:02

Luna 2 impact. First spacecraft to impact another celestial body (the Moon). First delivery of national pennants to a celestial body.

Oct 4, 1959 0:43

Luna 3 spacecraft launch

Oct 6, 1959

Explorer 6 last contact

Oct 7, 1959

Luna 3 made first photos of another world from space: the far side of the Moon. First gravity assist.

Oct 22, 1959

Luna 3 last contact

Mar 11, 1960 13:00

Pioneer 5 launch. First solar probe.

Apr 29, 1960

Luna 3 decay

Jun 26, 1960

Pioneer 5 last contact

Aug 19, 1960 8:44

Sputnik 5 launch. First plants and animals to return alive from Earth orbit. Belka and Strelka space dogs.

Aug 20, 1960 6:00

Sputnik 5 successful landing

Sep 25, 1960 15:13

Pioneer P-30 unsuccessful launch. First rocket engine fired in space.

Jan 31, 1961 16:55

Mercury-Redstone 2 launch. First hominidae in space (chimpanzee Ham)

Jan 31, 1961 17:12

Mercury-Redstone 2 landing

Feb 12, 1961 0:34

Venera 1 lauhch. First launch from Earth orbit of upper stage into a heliocentric orbit. First mid-course corrections. First spin-stabilisation.

Feb 19, 1961

Venera 1 last contact

Apr 12, 1961 6:07

Vostok 1 launch. First human spaceflight (Yuri Gagarin).

Apr 12, 1961 8:05

Gagarin landing

May 5, 1961 14:34

Freedom 7 / Mercury-Redstone 3 launch. First human-piloted space flight (Alan Shepard).

May 5, 1961 14:49

Mercury-Redstone 3 landing

May 19, 1961

Venera 1, first planetary flyby (within 100,000 km of Venus – no data returned)

Jul 1, 1961

Explorer 6 decay

Aug 6, 1961 6:00

Vostok 2 launch. First crewed space flight lasting over twenty four hours by Gherman Titov, who is also the first to suffer from space sickness.

Aug 7, 1961 7:18

Vostok 2 landing

Mar 7, 1962

Launch of OSO 1 (OSO A). First orbital solar observatory.

Apr 23, 1962 20:50

Ranger 4 launch

Apr 26, 1962 20:49

First spacecraft to impact the far side of the Moon

Aug 11, 1962 8:24

Vostok 3 launch

Aug 12, 1962 8:02

Vostok 4 launch

Between Aug 12, 1962 8:02 and Aug 15, 1962 6:52

First dual crewed spaceflight. First communication between two crewed space vehicles in orbit. First person to float freely in microgravity.

Aug 15, 1962 6:52

Vostok 3 landing

Aug 15, 1962 6:59

Vostok 4 landing

Aug 18, 1962

First Norwegian rocket Ferdinand. First auroral research rocket launched into the ionosphere.

Aug 27, 1962 6:53

Mariner 2 launch

Nov 1, 1962 16:14

Mars 1 launch

Dec 14, 1962

First planetary flyby with data returned (Venus). First successful planetary science mission.

Jan 3, 1963 7:00

Mariner 2 last contact

Mar 21, 1963

Mars 1 last contact

Jun 16, 1963 9:29

Vostok 6 launch. First woman in space (Valentina Tereshkova).

Circa Jun 19, 1963

Mars 1 estimated Mars flyby

Jun 19, 1963 8:20

Vostok 6 landing

Jul 19, 1963 18:20

X-15 Flight 90. First reusable crewed spacecraft (suborbital).

Apr 25, 1964

First launch of a French experimental lithergol rocket, LEX, from the Levant Island

May of 1964

Vanguard 1 last contact

Oct 12, 1964 7:30

Voskhod 1 launch. First multi-person crew (3) in orbit. First flight without the use of spacesuits. First non-pilot crew member.

Oct 13, 1964 7:47

Voskhod 1 landing

Nov 28, 1964 14:22

Mariner 4 launch

Feb 3, 1965

Launch of OSO 2 (OSO B2)

Mar 18, 1965 7:00

Voskhod 2 launch

Mar 18, 1965 8:34

First space walk/extra-vehicular activity (Alexei Leonov)

Mar 19, 1965 9:02

Voskhod 2 landing

Mar 23, 1965 14:24

Gemini 3 launch

Mar 23, 1965 15:57

First orbital maneuver by crewed spacecraft

Mar 23, 1965 19:16

Gemini 3 landing

Jul 14, 1965

First flyby of Mars (returned pictures)

Jul 14, 1965

First photographs of another planet from deep space (Mars)

Nov 16, 1965 4:19

Venera 3 launch

Nov 26, 1965

Diamant rocket (France) first flight

Nov 26, 1965 9:52

France launches its first satellite, Asterix, from a rocket Diamant

Dec 4, 1965 19:30

Gemini 7 launch

Dec 15, 1965 13:37

Gemini 6A launch

Circa Dec 15, 1965 15:00

First orbital rendezvous (parallel flight, no docking)

Dec 16, 1965 15:28

Gemini 6A landing

Dec 18, 1965 14:05

Gemini 7 landing

Dec 26, 1965

Course correction maneuver placed Venera 3 on a collision course

Jan 31, 1966 11:41

Luna 9 launch

Feb 3, 1966 18:45

First soft landing on the Moon. Confirmed lunar surface could support a lander; measured surface radiation.

Feb 4, 1966 1:45

First transmitted images/panoramas from the lunar surface (began ~7 hours after landing)

Feb 6, 1966 22:55

Luna 9 last contact

Feb 15, 1966

Venera 3 contact lost, likely due to overheating

Feb 22, 1966

Soviet space dogs, Veterok and Ugolyok were launched to spent 21 days in orbit

Mar 1, 1966

Venera 3 impact on Venus. First space probe to hit the surface of another planet.

Mar 16, 1966 16:41

Gemini 8 launch

Mar 16, 1966 23:14

Gemini 8 first orbital docking (with Agena target vehicle)

Mar 16, 1966 23:45

Gemini 8 undocking following onset of uncontrolled roll (abort initiated)

Mar 17, 1966

Gemini 8 landing, emergency splashdown in the western Pacific

Mar 31, 1966 10:48

Luna 10 launch toward the Moon

Apr 3, 1966

First artificial satellite around another world (the Moon)

Apr 3, 1966

Luna 10 became the first artificial satellite of the Moon

Apr 3, 1966

Luna 10 lunar orbit insertion (first orbit completed ~3 hours later)

May 30, 1966

Luna 10 end of communications (after 460 lunar orbits, 219 data sessions)

Aug 10, 1966 19:31

Lunar Orbiter 1 Earth parking orbit achieved

Aug 10, 1966 20:04

Lunar Orbiter 1 trans-lunar injection

Aug 14, 1966

Lunar Orbiter 1 lunar orbit insertion (92.1 hours after launch)

Aug 23, 1966

First picture of Earth from another astronomical object (the Moon)

Aug 23, 1966

Lunar Orbiter 1 first image of Earth from the vicinity of the Moon

Aug 25, 1966

Lunar Orbiter 1 second Earth-from-Moon image

Oct 29, 1966

Lunar Orbiter 1 impact on Moon’s far side (planned end)

Oct 29, 1966

Lunar Orbiter 1 primary imaging period; readout through 1966-09-14

Jan 26, 1967

First sounding rocket launch from Antarctica, a Dragon rocket

Mar 8, 1967

Launch of OSO 3 (OSO E1)

May 4, 1967

Lunar Orbiter 4 launch

May 8, 1967

First polar orbit around the Moon

May 11, 1967

Lunar Orbiter 4 began global lunar imaging

May 26, 1967

Lunar Orbiter 4 photographic mission terminated (readout through 1967-06-01)

Jul of 1967

First photos of the Lunar south pole

Sep 15, 1967

Mariner 4 passed through debris of D/1895 Q1 (D/Swift) comet

Oct 3, 1967

World record for the highest speed ever recorded by a crewed, powered aircraft, which remains unbroken

Oct 18, 1967

Launch of OSO 4 (OSO D)

Oct 27, 1967 9:29

Kosmos 186 launch

Oct 30, 1967 8:12

Kosmos 188 launch

Between Oct 30, 1967 8:12 and Oct 30, 1967 23:59

Kosmos 186 and Kosmos 188 first fully automated rendezvous and docking (IGLA system), docking achieved ~62 minutes after Kosmos 188 launch; remained docked ~3.5 hours

Oct 31, 1967

Kosmos 186 landing and recovery

Oct 31, 1967

Lunar Orbiter 4 impact due to orbital decay (end of mission)

Nov of 1967

LEX rocket last flight

Nov 2, 1967

Kosmos 188 descent; recovery prevented by self‑destruct activation (per post‑Soviet accounts)

Nov 10, 1967

Surveyor 6 soft landing in Sinus Medii (0.49°N, 1.40°W)

Nov 17, 1967

First liftoff from another celestial body (the Moon)

Nov 17, 1967 10:32

Surveyor 6 first lunar liftoff “hop” (engine restart; 2.5 s; ~4 m up; ~2.5 m lateral; re‑landed)

Nov 24, 1967

Surveyor 6 shutdown for lunar night

Dec 14, 1967

Surveyor 6 contact reestablished; no useful data

Dec 21, 1967

Mariner 4 last contact

Sep of 1968

First animals and plants to leave Earth orbit and travel to and around the Moon

Oct 24, 1968

X-15 last flight

Dec 7, 1968

First orbital ultraviolet observatory

Dec 21, 1968

First human excursion beyond low Earth orbit

Dec 24, 1968

First human flight to another celestial body (the Moon) and to enter its gravitational influence

Jan of 1969

First spacecraft to parachute in Venus's atmosphere, lost contact before landing

Jan of 1969

First docking between two crewed spacecraft in Earth orbit

Jan 22, 1969

Launch of OSO 5 (OSO F)

May 23, 1969

First docking of two crewed spacecraft around another celestial body

Jul 20, 1969

First human on another celestial body (the Moon)

Jul 21, 1969

First space launch from another celestial body

Aug 9, 1969

Launch of OSO 6 (OSO G)

Nov 19, 1969

First rendezvous on the surface of a celestial body

Mar 31, 1970

Explorer 1 decay

Apr 14, 1970

Farthest distance from Earth traveled by humans

Sep 24, 1970

First automatic sample return from the Moon

Nov 17, 1970

First rover on another celestial body (the Moon)

Dec 12, 1970

First X-ray orbital observatory

Dec 15, 1970

First soft landing on another planet (Venus)

Apr 19, 1971

First space station

Jun of 1971

First crewed orbital observatory

Jul 30, 1971

First motor vehicle on another celestial body (Lunar Roving Vehicle)

Sep 29, 1971

Launch of OSO 7 (OSO H)

Nov 14, 1971

First spacecraft to orbit another planet (Mars)

Nov 27, 1971

First spacecraft to impact another planet (Mars)

Dec 2, 1971

First soft landing on Mars

Mar 3, 1972

First spacecraft on a trajectory out of the Solar System

Jul 15, 1972

First spacecraft to enter the asteroid belt

Nov 15, 1972

First orbital gamma ray observatory

Nov 3, 1973

First mission sent to study Mercury

Dec 3, 1973

First flyby of Jupiter

Jan of 1974

First spacecraft to return data on a long-period comet

Feb 5, 1974

First mission to explore two planets in a single mission (Mercury and Venus)

Mar 29, 1974

First flyby of Mercury

Jul 8, 1974

Re-entry date of OSO 7 (OSO H)

Sep 21, 1974

First spacecraft to flyby the same planet multiple times (Mercury)

Jun 21, 1975

Launch of OSO 8 (OSO I)

Jul 15, 1975

First multinational crewed mission

Sep 27, 1975

Diamant rocket last flight

Oct 20, 1975

First spacecraft to orbit Venus

Oct 22, 1975

First successful photos from the surface of another planet (Venus)

Jul 20, 1976

First successful photos and soil samples from the surface of Mars

Jan 26, 1978

First real time remotely operated ultraviolet orbital observatory

Nov 20, 1978

First spacecraft to orbit the Sun at Lagrange 1

Dec 4, 1978

First extended (multi-year) orbital exploration of Venus (from 1978 to 1992)

Mar 5, 1979

Jupiter flyby (closest approach 349,000 km)

Sep 1, 1979

First flyby of Saturn

Nov 12, 1980

Saturn flyby (closest approach 124,000 km), close encounter of Titan and encounters with a dozen other moons

Mar 7, 1981

Re-entry date of OSO 6 (OSO G)

Apr 12, 1981

First reusable crewed orbital spacecraft (Space Shuttle)

Oct 7, 1981

Re-entry date of OSO 1 (OSO A)

1982

First plants grown in space (Arabidopsis)

Mar 1, 1982

First Venus soil samples

Mar 1, 1982

First sound recording of another world (Venus)

Apr 4, 1982

Re-entry date of OSO 3 (OSO E1)

Jun 10, 1982

First spacecraft to conduct a deep survey of Earth's magnetic tail

Jun 14, 1982

Re-entry date of OSO 4 (OSO D)

Aug 19, 1982

First mixed gender crew aboard space station, and first woman, Svetlana Savitskaya, on space station

Jan 25, 1983

First Infrared orbital observatory

Jun 13, 1983

First spacecraft beyond the orbit of Neptune

Feb 7, 1984

First untethered spacewalk (Bruce McCandless II)

Apr 2, 1984

Re-entry date of OSO 5 (OSO F)

Jul 25, 1984

First spacewalk by a woman (Svetlana Savitskaya)

Jun 11, 1985

First balloon deployed on another planet (Venus)

Sep 11, 1985

First spacecraft to flyby a comet (21P/Giacobini-Zinner)

Jan 24, 1986

First spacecraft to flyby Uranus

Feb 19, 1986

First consistently inhabited long-term research space station

Mar 13, 1986

First close up observations of a comet (Halley's Comet, 596 kilometers)

Jul 8, 1986

Re-entry date of OSO 8 (OSO I)

Jul of 1988

First suspected detection of an exoplanet (Gamma Cephei Ab)

Aug 8, 1989

First astrometric satellite

Aug 8, 1989

Re-entry date of OSO 2 (OSO B2)

Aug 25, 1989

First spacecraft to flyby Neptune

Nov 18, 1989

First orbital cosmic microwave observatory

Feb 14, 1990

First photograph of the whole Solar System (Family Portrait).

Apr 24, 1990

First telescope designed to be repaired in space.

Jul 2, 1990

First time a spacecraft coming from deep space uses the Earth for a gravity-assist manoeuvre.

Oct 21, 1991

First asteroid flyby (951 Gaspra closest approach 1,600 km).

1992

First confirmed observation of an exoplanet.

Feb 8, 1992

First polar orbit around the Sun.

Sep 13, 1992

First spacecraft to map Venus in its entirety.

1995

First laser communication from space.

Mar 22, 1995

Record longest duration spaceflight to date (437.7 day by Valeri Polyakov).

Jul of 1995

Identification and confirmation of the first exoplanet orbiting a main-sequence star.

Dec 7, 1995

First orbit of Jupiter.

Dec 7, 1995

First spacecraft to enter the atmosphere of a gas giant (Jupiter).

Feb 12, 1997

First orbital radio observatory.

Jul 4, 1997

First operational rover on another planet (Mars).

Sep 17, 1997

First spacecraft to use aerobraking to enter orbit (Martian orbit).

Nov 20, 1998

First multinational space station.

Feb 14, 2000

First orbit of an asteroid (433 Eros).

Nov 2, 2000

Beginning of an uninterrupted human presence in space.

Feb 12, 2001

First landing on an asteroid (433 Eros).

Nov of 2001

First laser communication in space between two objects.

May 17, 2004

First amateur spaceflight.

Jul 1, 2004

First orbit of Saturn.

Sep 8, 2004

First sample return beyond lunar orbit (solar wind).

Jan of 2005

First confirmed cryovolcano (Enceladus).

Jan 14, 2005

First landing in the outer Solar System (Titan).

Jan 14, 2005

First landing on a moon other than Earth's Moon.

Jul 4, 2005

First spacecraft to impact a comet (Tempel 1).

Nov 19, 2005

First asteroid ascent (25143 Itokawa).

Nov 19, 2005

First interplanetary escape without separating and discarding the landing gear.

Jan 15, 2006

First sample return from a comet (81P/Wild).

Jan 3, 2007

First confirmed lakes on the surface of another celestial body (lakes of Titan).

May 25, 2008

First spacecraft to photograph another spacecraft landing on another celestial body (Phoenix, on Mars).

Nov 8, 2008

First discovery of lunar water in the form of ice.

Mar 6, 2009

First space telescope designated to search for Earth-like exoplanets.

Aug of 2009

First images of the structures in the rings of a planet (rings of Saturn).

May 20, 2010

First solar sail

Jun 13, 2010

First sample return from an asteroid (25143 Itokawa)

Aug 25, 2010

First spacecraft to orbit one of the Moon's Lagrange point (L2)

Oct 22, 2010

First spacecraft to orbit the Moon's Lagrange 1 point

Mar 18, 2011

First orbit of Mercury

Jul 16, 2011

First orbit of an object in the asteroid belt (4 Vesta)

Aug 6, 2012

First use of a sky crane to land on another celestial body (Mars)

Aug 25, 2012

First spacecraft to leave the heliosphere

Jan of 2013

First laser communication with a lunar satellite

Sep 10, 2014

First spacecraft to orbit a comet nucleus (67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko)

Nov 12, 2014

First soft landing on a comet (67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko)

Mar 6, 2015

First flyby and orbit of a dwarf planet (Ceres)

Jul of 2015

First flyby of an object beyond Neptune (Pluto and its moons)

Aug 10, 2015

First food grown in space eaten (lettuce)

Sep 14, 2015

First observation of gravitational waves

Nov 23, 2015

First propulsive landing of a rocket after sending something into space

Dec 21, 2015

First propulsive landing of an orbital rocket

Apr 16, 2016

First inflatable space habitat

Sep 15, 2017

First spacecraft to enter the atmosphere of Saturn

Building timeline...

Tsiolkovsky's active career

Ranger 4 spacecraft

Sputnik 5 / Vostok spacecraft

X-15 hypersonic aircraft

Jupiter-C rocket

Soviet Space Dogs program

Freedom 7 / Mercury-Redstone 3 spacecraft

Gemini 3 spacecraft

RTV-G-4 Bumper rocket

Vostok 3 and 4 dual flight

Diamant rocket program

Explorer 1 satellite

Kosmos 186 and Kosmos 188

Luna 10 lunar stellite

Vostok 6 spacecraft

OSO 7 telescope

Venera 3 spacecraft and probe

Luna 1 spacecraft

Vostok 1 spacecraft, Gagarin's flight

Mercury-Redstone 2 spacecraft

Voskhod 2 spacecraft

LEX rocket program

This is a demo timeline that highlights chronology.guru’s features, UX, and how it performs at large scales. WIP.

5051

Plotlines: 51

Events: 0

Updated: Mar 31, 2026

Owner: Mike

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