1957 in spaceflight

1957 in spaceflight

Artist's impression of Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, in orbit
Orbital launches
First	4 October
Last	6 December
Total	3
Successes	1
Failures	1
Partial failures	1
Catalogued	2
National firsts
Spaceflight	Australia  United Kingdom
Satellite	Soviet Union
Orbital launch	Soviet Union
Rockets
Maiden flights	Sputnik-PS Vanguard
Retirements	Sputnik-PS
v t e

1957 in spaceflight

Timeline of spaceflight

The first orbital flight of an artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched in October 1957, by the Soviet Union. In November, the second orbital flight took place. The Soviet Union launched the first animal to orbit the Earth, a dog, Laika, who died in orbit a few hours after launch.

• Thor, Atlas, and R-7 rocket families all have maiden flights this year, all three of which will have long legacies for over 50 years.
• Australia and the UK go to space with sounding rockets; first space launches from Australia.
• The R-12 makes its maiden flight.
• The US makes its first orbital attempt and fails (Vanguard TV-3).^[1]

Overview

First Orbital launch

On 4 October, Sputnik 1 was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 1/5 on a Sputnik rocket, a variant of R-7 rocket. The Successful Insertion of Sputnik 1 into Orbit is marked as the first orbital launch in human history.

A Second satellite Sputnik 2 was also launched on 3 November marking the second orbital launch attempt carried a dog named, Laika.

Orbital launches

← Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec →

Date and time (UTC)	Rocket		Flight number	Launch site		LSP
		Payload (⚀ = CubeSat)	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (UTC)	Outcome
		Remarks
October
4 October 19:28:34[3]	Sputnik-PS		M1-PS	Baikonur Site 1/5		MVS
		Sputnik 1 (PS-1 №1)[4]	OKB-1	Low Earth	Technology demonstration	4 January 1958	Successful
		First orbital launch, first artificial satellite of Earth, Maiden flight of the Sputnik-PS rocket[2]
← Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec → November
3 November 02:30:42[5]	Sputnik-PS		M1-2PS	Baikonur Site 1/5		MVS
		Sputnik 2 (PS-2 №1)[6]	OKB-1	Low Earth	Biological research	14 April 1958	Partial spacecraft failure
		Carried Laika, the first animal in orbit. Laika died prior to completion of experiments. Final flight of the Sputnik-PS.[2]
← Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec → December
6 December 16:44:35[8]	Vanguard		TV-3	Cape Canaveral LC-18A		US Navy
		Vanguard (Test Satellite F)[9]	NRL	Intended: Medium Earth	Geodesy	6 December	Launch failure
		First US orbital launch attempt, and first orbital launch attempt failure. Lost thrust and exploded on launch pad after 2 seconds.[7]
← Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec →

← Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec →

Suborbital flights

Date and time (UTC)	Rocket		Flight number	Launch site		LSP
		Payload (⚀ = CubeSat)	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (UTC)	Outcome
		Remarks
8 January	X-17			Cape Canaveral LC-3		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	REV test	8 January	Successful
		Apogee: 140 kilometres (87 mi)[10]
13 January	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	13 January	Successful[11]
14 January	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	14 January	Successful[11]
15 January	X-17			Cape Canaveral LC-3		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	REV test	15 January	Launch failure
		Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi)[10]
19 January	R-5M			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			MVS	Suborbital	Nuclear weapon test	19 January	Successful[12]
24 January	HJ-Nike			Wallops Island		NACA
			NACA	Suborbital	Cone REV test	24 January	Successful
		Apogee: 10 kilometres (6.2 mi)[13]
26 January	XSM-75 Thor		101	Cape Canaveral LC-17B		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	Missile test	26 January	Launch failure
		Maiden launch of the SM-75 Thor missile, designated XSM-75 to indicate it was an experimental R&D launch; exploded on launch pad[14]
29 January	X-17			Cape Canaveral LC-3		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	REV test	29 January	Launch failure
		Apogee: 0 kilometres (0 mi)[10]
2 February 08:05	Aerobee AJ10-34		USAF 76	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force
		Firefly	AFCRC	Suborbital	Aeronomy	2 February	Successful
		Apogee: 143 kilometres (89 mi)[15]
7 February	X-17			Cape Canaveral LC-3		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	REV test	7 February	Successful
		Apogee: 107 kilometres (66 mi)[10]
12 February 20:30	Loki Rockoon		II5.097	Guam		University of Iowa
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Fields	12 February	Successful
		Apogee: 75 kilometres (47 mi)[16]
13 February 01:51	Skylark (Raven 1)		SL01	Woomera LA-2 SL		WRE / RAE
			WRE / RAE	Suborbital	Test flight	13 February	Successful
		Apogee: 12 kilometres (7.5 mi), maiden flight of the Skylark[17]
14 February 20:05	Loki Rockoon		II5.098	Guam		University of Iowa
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Fields	14 February	Successful
		Apogee: 75 kilometres (47 mi)[16]
14 February	X-17			Cape Canaveral LC-3		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	REV test	14 February	Successful
		Apogee: 141 kilometres (88 mi)[10]
17 February 21:36	Loki Rockoon		II5.099	Guam		University of Iowa
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Fields	17 February	Successful
		Apogee: 75 kilometres (47 mi)[16]
19 February	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	19 February	Successful[11]
28 February	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	28 February	Successful[18]
1 March	X-17			Cape Canaveral LC-3		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	REV test	1 March	Successful
		Apogee: 151 kilometres (94 mi)[10]
1 March 21:51	SM-78 Jupiter			Cape Canaveral LC-5		US Air Force
			ABMA	Suborbital	Missile test	1 March	Launch failure
		Apogee: 14 kilometres (8.7 mi), maiden flight of the SM-78 Jupiter missile; overheated and disintegrated[19]
11 March	R-5M			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	11 March	Successful[12]
11 March	X-17			Cape Canaveral LC-3		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	REV test	11 March	Successful
		Apogee: 134 kilometres (83 mi)[10]
18 March	R-5M			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	18 March	Successful[12]
18 March	R-5M			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	18 March	Successful[12]
		Live warhead used
21 March	R-5M			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	21 March	Successful[12]
21 March	X-17			Cape Canaveral LC-3		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	REV test	21 March	Successful
		Apogee: 103 kilometres (64 mi)[10]
28 March	R-5M			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	28 March	Successful[12]
29 March 04:51	Aerobee RTV-N-10c		NRL 31	White Sands LC-35		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	UV Astronomy	29 March	Successful
		Apogee: 135 kilometres (84 mi), final flight of the Aerobee RTV-N-10c[15]
10 April	HJ-Nike			Wallops Island		NACA
			NACA	Suborbital	Heat transfer REV test	10 April	Successful[13]
11 April 16:31	Aerobee Hi		NRL 40	White Sands LC-35		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Vanguard instrumentation test	11 April	Successful
		Apogee: 204 kilometres (127 mi), Navy variant designation: RV-N-13c; tested equipment for the Vanguard rocket[15]
12 April	R-2A			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Test flight	12 April	Successful
		Maiden flight of the R-2A, a scientific variant of the R-2[20]
13 April	Polaris FTV-5			Cape Canaveral LC-3		US Navy
			USNSPO	Suborbital	REV test	13 April	Launch failure
		Technology test for development of the UGM-27 Polaris; maiden flight of the Polaris FTV-5[21]
14 April	R-2A			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Test flight	14 April	Successful[20]
20 April 04:31	XSM-75 Thor		102	Cape Canaveral LC-17B		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	Missile test	20 April	Launch failure
		Destroyed by range safety officer after console error gave erroneous indications that the missile was off course[14][22]
26 April 20:12	SM-78 Jupiter			Cape Canaveral LC-5		US Air Force
			ABMA	Suborbital	Test flight	26 April	Partial failure
		Apogee: 18 kilometres (11 mi)[19]
30 April 15:10	Aerobee Hi		NRL 41	White Sands LC-35		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Meteorite research	30 April	Successful
		Apogee: 289 kilometres (180 mi), Navy variant designation: RV-N-13c[15]
1 May 06:29	Viking (second model)			Cape Canaveral LC-18A		US Navy
		Vanguard TV-1	NRL	Suborbital	Vanguard third stage test	1 May	Successful
		Apogee: 195 kilometres (121 mi), final flight of the Viking; a second stage tested the future Vanguard third stage[23]
3 May 14:04	Aerobee Hi		NRL 44	White Sands LC-35		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Solar UV	3 May	Successful
		Apogee: 204 kilometres (127 mi), Navy variant designation: RV-N-13c[15]
15 May 07:55	Jupiter-C			Cape Canaveral LC-6		ABMA
			ABMA	Suborbital	Nose cone re-entry test	15 May	Launch failure
		Apogee: 655 kilometres (407 mi); gyroscope malfunctioned 134 seconds after launch and the nose cone was not recovered, but instruments indicated that the test may have been successful[24]
15 May 16:01	R-7			Baikonur Site 1/5		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	15 May	Launch failure
		Maiden flight of the R-7 and first launch of an ICBM. Engine fire in Block D booster rocket at liftoff, followed by premature separation 98 seconds after launch.[2]
16 May 02:14	R-2A			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1 / RAS	Suborbital	Test flight	16 May	Successful[20]
16 May 03:18	R-2A			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			RAS	Suborbital	Biological	16 May	Successful
		Apogee: 212 kilometres (132 mi), carried dogs[20]
22 May 05:20	Skylark (Raven 1)		SL02	Woomera LA-2 SL		WRE / RAE
			WRE / RAE	Suborbital	Test flight	22 May	Successful
		Apogee: 75 kilometres (47 mi)[17]
22 May	XSM-75 Thor		103	Cape Canaveral LC-17B		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	Missile test	22 May	Launch failure
		Exploded on pad after valve malfunction caused pressure build up[14][22]
24 May	R-2A			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			RAS	Suborbital		24 May	Successful[20]
29 May	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	29 May	Successful[18]
31 May 18:08	SM-78 Jupiter			Cape Canaveral LC-5		US Air Force
			ABMA	Suborbital	Missile test	31 May	Successful
		Apogee: 402 to 482 kilometres (250 to 300 mi), first successful IRBM launched in the western world[19]
June	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	Same day	Successful[11]
June	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	Same day	Successful[11]
5 June	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	5 June	Successful[18]
7 June	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	7 June	Successful[18]
7 June	R-2A			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	ABM target	7 June	Successful[20]
10 June	R-2A			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	ABM target	10 June	Successful[20]
11 June 19:37	XSM-65A Atlas		4A	Cape Canaveral LC-14		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	Test flight	11 June	Partial failure
		Apogee: 3 kilometres (1.9 mi), maiden flight of the XSM-65A Atlas missile; destroyed by range safety after fuel system malfunction, but succeeded at other primary mission goals including launch mechanisms, airframe integrity, subsystems performance, and operating procedures[25]
14 June	R-5M			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
		Vibrator	OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	14 June	Successful[12]
		The Vibrator system was a non-contact explosive device
18 June 14:00	Aerobee Hi		USAF 78	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force
			AFCRC / University of Utah	Suborbital	Ionospheric	18 June	Successful
		Apogee: 171 kilometres (106 mi)[15]
22 June	R-2A			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	ABM target	22 June	Successful[20]
22 June	R-12		LKI1-1	Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	22 June	Successful[26]
		Maiden flight of the R-12 missile
23 June	R-2A			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	ABM target	23 June	Successful[20]
25 June 14:07	Aerobee Hi		USAF 79	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force
			AFCRC / University of Utah	Suborbital	Ionospheric	25 June	Successful
		Apogee: 202 kilometres (126 mi)[15]
28 June	R-2A			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	ABM target	28 June	Successful[20]
28 June	R-5M			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	28 June	Successful[12]
28 June	R-5M			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
		Vibrator	OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	28 June	Successful[12]
		The Vibrator system was a non-contact explosive device
29 June	R-2A			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	ABM target	29 June	Successful[20]
1 July 19:00	Nike-Deacon		NN7.37F	San Nicolas		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Solar UV / X-ray	1 July	Successful
		Apogee: 93 kilometres (58 mi)[27]
3 July 16:29	Nike-Deacon		NN7.38F	San Nicolas		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Solar UV / X-ray	3 July	Successful
		Apogee: 113 kilometres (70 mi)[27]
4 July	R-2A			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	ABM target	4 July	Successful[20]
4 July	R-12		LKI1-2	Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	4 July	Successful[26]
4 July 18:15:40	Aerobee Hi		NN3.08F	Churchill		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Ionospheric	4 July	Successful
		Apogee: 237 kilometres (147 mi)[15]
5 July	R-2A			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	ABM target	5 July	Successful[20]
5 July 06:17:56	Aerobee Hi		NN3.09F	Churchill		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Ionospheric	5 July	Launch failure
		Apogee: 16 kilometres (9.9 mi)[15]
7 July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	7 July	Successful[18]
8 July	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	8 July	Successful[28]
9 July	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	9 July	Successful[28]
9 July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	9 July	Successful[18]
9 July	R-5M			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	9 July	Successful[12]
10 July	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	10 July	Successful[28]
10 July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	10 July	Successful[18]
12 July 12:53	R-7			Baikonur Site 1/5		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	12 July	Launch failure
		Control system short-circuited resulting in loss of control, boosters fell off 33 seconds after launch[2]
13 July	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	13 July	Successful[28]
13 July	R-12		LKI1-3	Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	13 July	Successful[26]
15 July 21:23	Nike-Deacon		NN7.39F	San Nicolas		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Solar UV / X-ray	15 July	Launch failure
		Apogee: 28 kilometres (17 mi)[27]
16 July 13:30	Aerobee RTV-A-1a[29]: 43		USAF 80	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force
			AFCRC	Suborbital	Meteorite research	16 July	Successful
		Apogee: 122 kilometres (76 mi),[15] final known flight of the Aerobee RTV-A-1a
18 July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	18 July	Successful[18]
18 July	R-5M			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	18 July	Successful[12]
18 July 14:30	Aerobee (unknown type)		USAF 81	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force
			AFCRC	Suborbital	Meteorite research	18 July	Launch failure[15]
19 July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	19 July	Successful[18]
19 July	Polaris FTV-3			Cape Canaveral LC-3		US Navy
			USNSPO	Suborbital	REV test	19 July	Successful
		Apogee: 130 kilometres (81 mi), technology test for development of the UGM-27 Polaris; maiden flight of the Polaris FTV-3[21]
22 July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	22 July	Successful[18]
22 July 04:16:28	Aerobee (unknown type)		SM1.02	Churchill		US Army
		Grenades	SCEL / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	22 July	Successful
		Apogee: 92 kilometres (57 mi)[15]
22 July	X-17			Cape Canaveral LC-3		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	REV test	22 July	Successful
		Apogee: 114 kilometres (71 mi)[10]
23 July 03:02	Skylark (Raven 1)		SL03	Woomera LA-2 SL		WRE / RAE
			RAE / QUB	Suborbital	Test flight / Airglow	23 July	Successful
		Apogee: 85 kilometres (53 mi)[17]
23 July 23:31:52	Nike-Deacon		NN7.40F	San Nicolas		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Solar UV / X-ray	23 July	Successful
		Apogee: 129 kilometres (80 mi)[27]
24 July	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	24 July	Successful[28]
24 July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	24 July	Successful[18]
24 July	R-5M			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	24 July	Successful[12]
24 July 05:29:50	Aerobee (unknown type)		SM1.03	Churchill		US Army
		Grenades	SCEL / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	24 July	Successful
		Apogee: 88 kilometres (55 mi)[15]
27 July	R-12		LKI1-4	Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	27 July	Successful[26]
29 July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	29 July	Successful[18]
29 July 21:59	Aerobee Hi		NN3.13F	Churchill		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Aeronomy	29 July	Successful
		Apogee: 210 kilometres (130 mi)[15]
30 July 18:10:02	Nike-Cajun		AM6.32	Churchill		University of Michigan / US Army
			University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	30 July	Launch failure
		Apogee: 25 kilometres (16 mi)[27]
2 August	R-12		LKI1-5	Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	2 August	Launch Failure[26]
2 August	HJ-Nike			Wallops Island		NACA
			NACA	Suborbital	Flat REV test	2 August	Successful[13]
5 August	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	5 August	Successful[18]
5 August 19:10	Nike-Deacon		NN7.41F	San Nicolas		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Solar UV / X-ray	5 August	Launch Failure
		Apogee: 14 kilometres (8.7 mi)[27]
5 August 13:22	Loki Rockoon		SUI 56	USS Plymouth Rock, Labrador Sea[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Chemical Release	5 August	Successful[16]
5 August 16:59	Loki Rockoon		SUI 57	USS Plymouth Rock, Labrador Sea[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Fields	5 August	Successful[16]
6 August	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	6 August	Successful[18]
6 August 13:13	Loki Rockoon		SUI 58	USS Plymouth Rock, southern Davis Strait[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Auroral / Chemical Release	6 August	Successful
		Apogee: 116 kilometres (72 mi)[16]
6 August 15:30	Aerobee AJ10-34		USAF 82	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force
			AFCRC	Suborbital	Solar UV	6 August	Successful
		Apogee: 145 kilometres (90 mi)[15]
6 August 17:23	Loki Rockoon		SUI 59	USS Plymouth Rock, Davis Strait[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Ionospheric	6 August	Successful
		Apogee: 117 kilometres (73 mi)[16]
7 August 03:28	Loki Rockoon		SUI 60	USS Plymouth Rock, northern Davis Strait[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Chemical Release	7 August	Launch failure[16]
7 August	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	7 August	Successful[18]
7 August 22:04	Loki Rockoon		SUI 61	USS Plymouth Rock, Baffin Bay[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Fields	7 August	Launch failure[16]
8 August	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	8 August	Successful[18]
8 August 06:59	Jupiter-C			Cape Canaveral LC-6		ABMA
			ABMA	Suborbital	REV test	8 August	Successful
		Apogee: 460 kilometres (290 mi), re-entry nose cone recovered[24]
8 August 07:17	Loki Rockoon		SUI 62	USS Plymouth Rock, Baffin Bay[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Chemical Release	8 August	Successful
		Apogee: 132 kilometres (82 mi)[16]
9 August	Polaris FTV-3			Cape Canaveral LC-3		US Navy
			USNSPO	Suborbital	REV test	9 August	Successful
		Apogee: 116 kilometres (72 mi), technology test for development of the UGM-27 Polaris[21]
10 August 06:29	Loki Rockoon		SUI 63	USS Plymouth Rock, Baffin Bay[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Auroral / Chemical Release	10 August	Successful
		Apogee: 117 kilometres (73 mi)[16]
10 August 23:36	Loki Rockoon		SUI 64	USS Plymouth Rock, Baffin Bay[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Auroral / Chemical Release	10 August	Successful
		Apogee: 77 kilometres (48 mi)[16]
11 August 05:16	Loki Rockoon		SUI 65	USS Plymouth Rock, Baffin Bay[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Chemical Release	11 August	Launch failure[16]
11 August 20:30	Loki Rockoon		SUI 66	USS Plymouth Rock, Davis Strait[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Chemical Release	11 August	Successful[16]
12 August 07:48	Loki Rockoon		SUI 67	USS Plymouth Rock, Davis Strait[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Auroral / Chemical Release	12 August	Launch failure[16]
12 August 15:15	Loki Rockoon		SUI 68	USS Plymouth Rock, Davis Strait[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Auroral / Fields	12 August	Successful[16]
12 August 15:59:31	Aerobee (unknown type)		SM1.04	Churchill		US Army
		Grenades	SCEL / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	12 August	Successful
		Apogee: 74 kilometres (46 mi)[15]
13 August 01:58	Loki Rockoon		SUI 69	USS Plymouth Rock, southern Davis Strait[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Auroral / Chemical Release	13 August	Successful[16]
13 August	R-2A			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
		SOI	RAS	Suborbital	Solar UV	13 August	Successful[31]
14 August 09:24	Loki Rockoon		SUI 70	USS Plymouth Rock, Labrador Sea[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Auroral / Chemical Release	14 August	Successful[16]
14 August 15:07	Loki Rockoon		SUI 71	USS Plymouth Rock, Labrador Sea[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Auroral / Fields	14 August	Successful
		Apogee: 97 kilometres (60 mi)[16]
14 August 21:19	Loki Rockoon		SUI 72	USS Plymouth Rock, Labrador Sea[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Auroral / Chemical Release	14 August	Successful
		Apogee: 130 kilometres (81 mi)[16]
15 August 00:11	Loki Rockoon		SUI 73	USS Plymouth Rock, Labrador Sea[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Auroral / Chemical Release	15 August	Successful
		Apogee: 97 kilometres (60 mi)[16]
15 August	R-12		LKI1-6	Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	15 August	Successful[26]
16 August	Polaris FTV-5			Cape Canaveral LC-3		US Navy
			USNSPO	Suborbital	REV test	16 August	Successful
		Apogee: 169 kilometres (105 mi), technology test for development of the UGM-27 Polaris; final flight of the Polaris FTV-5[21]
19 August	Aerobee (unknown type)		USAF 83	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force
			AFCRC	Suborbital	Aeronomy	19 August	Successful
		Apogee: 178 kilometres (111 mi)[15]
20 August 02:29:51	Aerobee (unknown type)		SM1.05	Churchill		US Army
		Grenades	SCEL / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	20 August	Successful
		Apogee: 88 kilometres (55 mi)[15]
20 August	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	20 August	Successful[18]
20 August 16:50:04	Nike-Deacon		NN7.42F	San Nicolas		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Solar UV / X-ray	20 August	Successful
		Apogee: 96 kilometres (60 mi)[27]
21 August 12:25	R-7			Baikonur Site 1/5		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	21 August	Successful
		First successful R-7 launch[2]
21 August	Aerobee (unknown type)		USAF 84	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force
			AFCRC	Suborbital	Aeronomy	21 August	Successful[15]
22 August	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	22 August	Successful[18]
23 August	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	23 August	Successful[18]
23 August 21:54:05	Nike-Cajun		RP6.X1	Churchill		University of Michigan / US Army
			BRL	Suborbital	Test flight	23 August	Successful
		Apogee: 114 kilometres (71 mi)[27]
24 August 06:00	Nike-Cajun		SS6.38	Churchill		University of Michigan / US Army
			USASC	Suborbital	Aeronomy	24 August	Launch failure[27]
25 August 02:23	R-2A			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			NIIAM	Suborbital	Ionospheric / Biological	25 August	Successful
		Apogee: 206 kilometres (128 mi)[31]
25 August 02:29	Aerobee (unknown type)		SM2.05	Churchill		US Army
			SCEL / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	25 August	Successful
		Apogee: 51 kilometres (32 mi)[15]
25 August 03:27	R-2A			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			RAS	Suborbital	Test flight	25 August	Successful
		Apogee: 208 kilometres (129 mi)[31]
25 August 14:08:05	Aerobee (unknown type)		SM2.06	Churchill		US Army
		Grenades	SCEL / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	25 August	Successful
		Apogee: 130 kilometres (81 mi)[15]
27 August	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	27 August	Successful[18]
27 August	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	27 August	Successful[18]
27 August	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	27 August	Successful[18]
27 August 15:54	Nike-Deacon		NN7.43F	San Nicolas		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Solar UV / X-ray	27 August	Launch failure
		Apogee: 16 kilometres (9.9 mi)[27]
28 August 04:15:03	Nike-Cajun		II6.22F	Churchill		University of Michigan
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Auroral particles	28 August	Successful[27]
28 August 20:21:40	Nike-Deacon		NN7.44F	San Nicolas		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Solar UV / X-ray	28 August	Successful
		Apogee: 96 kilometres (60 mi)[27]
28 August 21:02	SM-78 Jupiter			Cape Canaveral LC-26A		US Air Force
			ABMA	Suborbital	Missile test	28 August	Successful[19]
29 August	R-12		LKI1-7	Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	29 August	Successful[26]
29 August 21:12:25	Nike-Deacon		NN7.45F	San Nicolas		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Solar UV / X-ray	29 August	Successful
		Apogee: 113 kilometres (70 mi)[27]
30 August 20:10	XSM-75 Thor		104	Cape Canaveral LC-17A		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	Missile test	30 August	Launch failure
		Disintegrated 96 seconds after launch[14][22]
31 August 04:57	Nike-Cajun		II6.23F	Churchill		University of Michigan / US Air Force
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Auroral particles	31 August	Successful
		Apogee: 115 kilometres (71 mi)[27]
31 August 05:30	R-2A			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			NIIAM	Suborbital	Ionospheric / Biological	31 August	Successful
		Apogee: 185 kilometres (115 mi)[31]
1 September 22:28	Aerobee Hi		AM4.001	Churchill		US Air Force
			AFCRC / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	1 September	Successful
		Apogee: 160 kilometres (99 mi)[15]
5 September	R-5M		M1-1	Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
		Generator-5	OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	5 September	Successful[12]
7 September 11:39	R-7			Baikonur Site 1/5		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	7 September	Successful[2]
9 September 15:50	R-2A			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			RAS	Suborbital	Ionospheric / Biological	9 September	Successful
		Apogee: 212 kilometres (132 mi)[31]
12 September	R-5M			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	12 September	Successful[12]
12 September 15:19:30	Nike-Deacon		NN7.46F	San Nicolas		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Solar UV / X-ray	12 September	Launch failure
		Apogee: 3 kilometres (1.9 mi)[27]
14 September	R-5M			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	14 September	Successful[12]
15 September 20:43	Nike-Deacon		NN7.47F	San Nicolas		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Solar UV / X-ray	15 September	Launch failure[27]
17 September 14:04	Aerobee RTV-N-10		NRL 21	White Sands LC-35		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Solar UV	17 September	Successful
		Apogee: 51 kilometres (32 mi), final flight of the RTV-N-10[15]
18 September 17:42	Nike-Deacon		NN7.48F	San Nicolas		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Solar UV / X-ray	18 September	Launch failure
		Apogee: 21 kilometres (13 mi)[27]
18 September 17:54	Nike-Deacon		NN7.49F	San Nicolas		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Solar UV / X-ray	18 September	Successful
		Apogee: 77 kilometres (48 mi), final flight of the Nike-Deacon[27]
19 September 16:30	Aerobee (unknown type)			Holloman LC-A		US Air Force
			AFCRC	Suborbital	Aeronomy	19 September	Successful
		Released caesium[15]
20 September 14:25	XSM-75 Thor		105	Cape Canaveral LC-17B		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	Missile test	20 September	Successful
		First successful Thor launch[22]
21 September	R-2			Urda, Kazakhstan		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	21 September	Successful[18]
		Launched with tactical launcher
21 September	R-2			Urda, Kazakhstan		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	21 September	Successful[18]
		Launched with tactical launcher
22 September	R-2			Urda, Kazakhstan		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	22 September	Successful[18]
		Launched with tactical launcher
23 September	R-2			Urda, Kazakhstan		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	23 September	Successful[18]
		Launched with tactical launcher
25 September	Farside		Shot 1	Eniwetok		US Air Force
			AFOSR	Suborbital	Ionospheric	25 September	Launch failure
		Maiden flight of the Farside, stage zero (balloon) malfunction[32][33]
25 September 19:57	XSM-65A Atlas		6A	Cape Canaveral LC-14		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	Test flight	25 September	Partial failure
		Apogee: 4 kilometres (2.5 mi), destroyed by range safety following fuel system malfunction, flight considered partial success[25]
26 September	R-5M			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	26 September	Successful[12]
26 September 18:21	Loki Rockoon		SUI 74	USS Glacier, Atlantic Ocean		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Test flight	26 September	Successful[16]
26 September 20:00	Nike-Asp		NN8.50F	San Nicolas		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Test flight	26 September	Launch failure
		Apogee: 16 kilometres (9.9 mi), maiden flight of the Nike-Asp[27]
27 September 14:27	Loki Rockoon		SUI 75	USS Glacier, east of The Bahamas[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Chemical release	27 September	Successful
		Apogee: 119 kilometres (74 mi)[16]
29 September	R-2			Urda, Kazakhstan		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	29 September	Successful[18]
		Launched with tactical launcher
30 September	R-2			Urda, Kazakhstan		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	30 September	Successful[18]
		Launched with tactical launcher
October	Long Tom		LT1	Woomera LA-2 SL		WRE
			WRE	Suborbital	Test flight	Same Day	Successful
		Maiden flight of the Long Tom and first Australian spaceflight[34][35]
1 October	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	1 October	Successful[18]
2 October	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	2 October	Successful[18]
3 October	Farside		Shot 2	Eniwetok		US Air Force
			AFOSR	Suborbital	Ionospheric	3 October	Launch failure[32][33]
3 October	XSM-75 Thor		107	Cape Canaveral LC-17A		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	Missile test	3 October	Launch failure[22]
4 October 20:36	Loki Rockoon		SUI 76	USS Glacier, Pacific Ocean, Southwest of Costa Rica[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Chemical release	4 October	Successful
		Apogee: 113 kilometres (70 mi)[16]
6 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	6 October	Successful[28]
6 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	6 October	Successful[28]
7 October	Farside		Shot 3	Eniwetok		US Air Force
			AFOSR	Suborbital	Ionospheric	7 October	Launch failure[32][33]
11 October	Farside		Shot 4	Eniwetok		US Air Force
			AFOSR	Suborbital	Ionospheric	11 October	Launch failure[32][33]
11 October 16:33	XSM-75 Thor		108	Cape Canaveral LC-17B		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	Missile test	11 October	Partial launch failure
		Turbopump gearbox malfunctioned, still met primary test objectives[14][22]
12 October	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	12 October	Successful[18]
12 October	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	12 October	Successful[18]
13 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	13 October	Successful[28]
13 October	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	13 October	Successful[18]
13 October	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	13 October	Successful[18]
13 October 18:15	Loki Rockoon		SUI 77	USS Glacier, Central Pacific Ocean, east of Kiribati[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Chemical release	13 October	Successful[16]
14 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	14 October	Successful[28]
14 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	14 October	Successful[28]
14 October 15:08	Aerobee (unknown type)		USAF 87	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force
			AFCRC	Suborbital	Meteorite research	14 October	Successful
		Apogee: 146 kilometres (91 mi)[15]
14 October 22:31	Loki Rockoon		SUI 78	USS Glacier, Central Pacific Ocean, east of Kiribati[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Fields	14 October	Successful
		Apogee: 113 kilometres (70 mi)[16]
16 October 21:17	Loki Rockoon		SUI 79	USS Glacier, Central Pacific Ocean, near Kiribati[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Fields	16 October	Successful[16]
17 October 00:09	Loki Rockoon		SUI 80	USS Glacier, Central Pacific Ocean, near Kiribati[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Fields	17 October	Launch failure[16]
17 October 02:18	Loki Rockoon		SUI 81	USS Glacier, Central Pacific Ocean, near Kiribati[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Fields	17 October	Launch failure[16]
17 October 05:05	Aerobee (unknown type)		USAF 88	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force
		Artificial Meteor	AFCRC / Caltech	Suborbital	Meteorite research	17 October	Successful
		Apogee: 114 kilometres (71 mi)[15]
17 October 21:16	Loki Rockoon		SUI 82	USS Glacier, Central Pacific Ocean, near Kiribati[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Fields	17 October	Launch failure
		Apogee: 44 kilometres (27 mi)[16]
18 October 00:59	Loki Rockoon		SUI 83	USS Glacier, Central Pacific Ocean, near Kiribati[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Fields	18 October	Successful
		Apogee: 127 kilometres (79 mi)[16]
18 October 09:35	Loki Rockoon		SUI 84	USS Glacier, Central Pacific Ocean, near Kiribati[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Chemical release	18 October	Successful[16]
18 October 20:58	Loki Rockoon		SUI 85	USS Glacier, Central Pacific Ocean, near Kiribati[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Fields	18 October	Successful
		Apogee: 121 kilometres (75 mi)[16]
19 October 00:59	Loki Rockoon		SUI 86	USS Glacier, Central Pacific Ocean, near Kiribati[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Fields	19 October	Successful
		Apogee: 121 kilometres (75 mi)[16]
19 October 20:07	Loki Rockoon		SUI 87	USS Glacier, Central Pacific Ocean, near Kiribati[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Fields	19 October	Successful
		Apogee: 122 kilometres (76 mi)[16]
20 October	Farside		Shot 5	Eniwetok		US Air Force
			AFOSR	Suborbital	Ionospheric	20 October	Spacecraft failure
		Apogee: 3,200 to 5,000 kilometres (2,000 to 3,100 mi), returned no data due to transmitter malfunction[32][33]
20 October 02:19	Loki Rockoon		SUI 88	USS Glacier, Central Pacific Ocean, near Kiribati[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Fields	20 October	Successful
		Apogee: 104 kilometres (65 mi)[16]
20 October 03:57	Loki Rockoon		SUI 89	USS Glacier, Central Pacific Ocean, near Kiribati[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Chemical release	20 October	Successful[16]
20 October 20:11	Loki Rockoon		SUI 90	USS Glacier, Central Pacific Ocean, southwest of Kiribati[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Chemical release	20 October	Successful[16]
22 October	Farside		Shot 6	Eniwetok		US Air Force
			AFOSR	Suborbital	Ionospheric	22 October	Spacecraft failure
		Apogee: 3,200 to 5,000 kilometres (2,000 to 3,100 mi), returned no data due to transmitter malfunction[32][33]
22 October 22:31	Loki Rockoon		SUI 91	USS Glacier, South Pacific Ocean, near the Cook Islands[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Chemical release	22 October	Successful[16]
23 October 01:07	SM-78 Jupiter			Cape Canaveral LC-26B		US Air Force
			ABMA	Suborbital	Missile test	23 October	Successful[19]
23 October	Aerobee (unknown type)			Holloman LC-A		US Air Force
			AFCRC	Suborbital	Aeronomy	23 October	Successful[15]
23 October 19:22:54	Vanguard		TV-2	Cape Canaveral LC-18A		US Navy
		Vanguard TV-2	NRL	Suborbital	Test flight	23 October	Successful
		Maiden flight of the Vanguard, battleship upper stages, apogee: 175 kilometres (109 mi)[7]
24 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	24 October	Successful[28]
24 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	24 October	Successful[28]
24 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	24 October	Successful[28]
24 October 14:30	Polaris FTV-3			Cape Canaveral LC-3		US Navy
			USNSPO	Suborbital	REV test	24 October	Successful
		Technology test for development of the UGM-27 Polaris[21]
24 October 16:38	XSM-75 Thor		109	Cape Canaveral LC-17A		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	Missile test	24 October	Successful
		Final flight of R&D Series I; long range test[14][22]
25 October	Aerobee (unknown type)			Holloman LC-A		US Air Force
			AFCRC	Suborbital	Ionospheric	25 October	Successful[15]
25 October	HJ-Nike-Nike			Wallops Island		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	REV test	25 October	Successful
		Maiden flight of the HJ-Nike-Nike, although it wouldn't go to space until 1962[36]
26 October	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	26 October	Successful[18]
26 October 19:47	Loki Rockoon		SUI 92	USS Glacier, South Pacific Ocean, east of New Zealand[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Chemical release	26 October	Successful[30]
27 October 02:46	Loki Rockoon		SUI 93	USS Glacier, South Pacific Ocean, east of New Zealand[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Chemical release	27 October	Launch failure[30]
27 October	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	27 October	Successful[18]
29 October 00:13	Loki Rockoon		SUI 94	USS Glacier, South Pacific Ocean, southeast of New Zealand[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Chemical release	29 October	Launch failure
		Apogee: 8 kilometres (5.0 mi)[30]
30 October 22:50	Loki Rockoon		SUI 95	USS Glacier, Southern Ocean, southeast of New Zealand[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Chemical release	30 October	Successful[30]
31 October 01:44	Loki Rockoon		SUI 96	USS Glacier, Southern Ocean, southeast of New Zealand[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Chemical release	31 October	Successful[30]
31 October 19:51	Loki Rockoon		SUI 97	USS Glacier, Southern Ocean, southeast of New Zealand[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Fields	31 October	Successful[30]
1 November 01:00	Loki Rockoon		SUI 98	USS Glacier, Southern Ocean, southeast of New Zealand[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Fields	1 November	Launch failure[30]
3 November	R-5M		M1-2	Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
		Generator-5	OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	3 November	Successful[12]
3 November 20:08	Loki Rockoon		SUI 99	USS Glacier, Southern Ocean, north of McMurdo Station[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Fields	3 November	Launch failure[30]
4 November 00:39	Loki Rockoon		SUI 100	USS Glacier, Southern Ocean, north of McMurdo Station[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Chemical release	4 November	Successful[30]
4 November 02:50	Loki Rockoon		SUI 101	USS Glacier, Southern Ocean, north of McMurdo Station[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Fields	4 November	Successful
		Apogee: 113 kilometres (70 mi)[30]
4 November 03:47	Loki Rockoon		SUI 102	USS Glacier, Southern Ocean, north of McMurdo Station[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Fields	4 November	Launch failure[30]
4 November 07:16	Loki Rockoon		SUI 103	USS Glacier, Southern Ocean, north of McMurdo Station[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Chemical release	4 November	Launch failure[30]
4 November	R-2			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			MVS	Suborbital	Missile test	4 November	Successful[18]
4 November 18:52	Loki Rockoon		SUI 104	USS Glacier, Southern Ocean, north of McMurdo Station[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Fields	4 November	Successful[30]
5 November 01:25	Loki Rockoon		SUI 105	USS Glacier, Southern Ocean, north of McMurdo Station[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Chemical release	5 November	Successful[30]
5 November 20:23	Loki Rockoon		SUI 106	USS Glacier, Southern Ocean, north of McMurdo Station[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Fields	5 November	Successful
		Apogee: 97 kilometres (60 mi)[30]
5 November 23:17	Loki Rockoon		SUI 107	USS Glacier, Southern Ocean, north of McMurdo Station[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Fields	5 November	Successful
		Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi)[30]
7 November 16:05	Aerobee (unknown type)		USAF 89	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force
			AFCRC	Suborbital	Ionospheric	7 November	Successful[15]
8 November	Polaris FTV-3			Cape Canaveral LC-3		US Navy
			USNSPO	Suborbital	REV test	8 November	Successful
		Technology test for development of the UGM-27 Polaris, final flight of the Polaris FTV-3[21]
8 November 14:57	Aerobee (unknown type)		USAF 90	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force
			AFCRC	Suborbital	Ionospheric	8 November	Launch failure[15]
8 November 22:00	Loki Rockoon		SUI 108	USS Glacier, South Pacific Ocean, near New Zealand[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Chemical release	8 November	Successful
		Apogee: 110 kilometres (68 mi)[30]
9 November 00:00	Loki Rockoon		SUI 109	USS Glacier, South Pacific Ocean, near New Zealand[30]		US Navy
			University of Iowa	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Chemical release	9 November	Successful
		Apogee: 110 kilometres (68 mi), final flight of the Loki Rockoon[30]
9 November 16:54	A-1			Kapustin Yar		MVS
			RAS	Suborbital	Ionospheric / Aeronomy	9 November	Successful
		Apogee: 330 kilometres (210 mi)[31]
10 November	Aerobee (unknown type)			Holloman LC-A		US Air Force
			AFCRC	Suborbital	Aeronomy	10 November	Successful[15]
13 November 11:52	Skylark (Raven 1)		SL04	Woomera LA-2 SL		WRE / RAE
			University College London	Suborbital	Aeronomy	13 November	Successful
		Apogee: 127 kilometres (79 mi), first British spaceflight[17]
19 November 16:29:56	Aerobee (unknown type)			Holloman LC-A		US Air Force
		Smoke Puff	AFCRC	Suborbital	Aeronomy	19 November	Successful
		Apogee: 121 kilometres (75 mi), released potassium nitrate and aluminium to create a temporary 'radio mirror'[15]
26 November 12:55	Aerobee (unknown type)			Holloman LC-A		US Air Force
			AFCRC	Suborbital	Aeronomy	26 November	Successful[15]
27 November 02:10	SM-78 Jupiter			Cape Canaveral LC-26B		US Air Force
			ABMA	Suborbital	Missile test	27 November	Partial failure
		Apogee: 20 kilometres (12 mi), mechanical failure of turbo-pump caused loss of thrust and missile exploded. Other primary and secondary flight objectives were considered successful.[19]
30 November	R-5M			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	30 November	Successful[12]
7 December 22:11	XSM-75 Thor		112	Cape Canaveral LC-17B		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	Missile test	7 December	Successful
		Start of R&D Series II[22]
10 December 17:35	Nike-Cajun		OB6.02F	White Sands		University of Michigan / US Army
			BRL	Suborbital	Ionospheric / Fields	10 December	Successful
		Apogee: 145 kilometres (90 mi)[27]
10 December 18:12	Nike-Asp		NN8.51F	San Nicolas		US Navy
			NRL	Suborbital	Test flight	10 December	Successful
		Apogee: 169 kilometres (105 mi)[27]
10 December 21:36	Nike-Cajun		SS6.39	Churchill		University of Michigan / US Army
			USASC	Suborbital	Aeronomy	10 December	Launch failure[27]
12 December 04:00	Aerobee (unknown type)		SM1.07	Churchill		US Army
		Grenades	AFCRC / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	12 December	Successful
		Apogee: 80 kilometres (50 mi)[15]
14 December 21:00	Aerobee (unknown type)		SM1.08	Churchill		US Army
		Grenades	USASC / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	14 December	Successful
		Apogee: 97 kilometres (60 mi)[15]
15 December 00:38	Nike-Cajun		AM6.34	Churchill		University of Michigan / US Army
			University of Michigan / ARDC	Suborbital	Aeronomy	15 December	Launch failure
		Apogee: 9 kilometres (5.6 mi)[27]
17 December 17:39	XSM-65A Atlas		12A	Cape Canaveral LC-14		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	Test flight	17 December	Successful
		First successful Atlas launch[25]
19 December 00:07	SM-78 Jupiter			Cape Canaveral LC-26B		US Air Force
			ABMA	Suborbital	Missile test	19 December	Partial failure
		Apogee: 92 kilometres (57 mi), mechanical failure of turbo-pump caused loss of thrust at 116.87 seconds. Other primary and secondary flight objectives were considered successful.[19]
19 December 19:57	XSM-75 Thor		113	Cape Canaveral LC-17A		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	Missile test	19 December	Successful[22]
23 December	Nike-Cajun			Wallops Island		NACA
		HUGO 2	New Mexico State University	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Hurricane photography	23 December	Launch failure[27]
26 December	R-5M		M1-3	Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
		Generator-5	OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	26 December	Successful[12]
Unknown	Terrapin			Wallops Island		NSA
			University of Maryland	Suborbital	Chemical Release	Same day	Successful[37]
Unknown	Terrapin			Wallops Island		NSA
			University of Maryland	Suborbital	Chemical Release	Same day	Successful[37]
Unknown	Terrapin			Wallops Island		NSA
			University of Maryland	Suborbital	Chemical Release	Same day	Successful[37]
Unknown	Terrapin			Wallops Island		NSA
			University of Maryland	Suborbital	Chemical Release	Same day	Successful
		Final flight of the Terrapin[37]

Orbital launch statistics

By country

Launches by country

Country		Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures	Remarks
	Soviet Union	2[a]	1	0	1
	United States	1	0	1	0

By rocket

Rocket	Country	Type	Family	Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures	Remarks
Sputnik-PS (8K71PS)	Soviet Union	Sputnik	R-7	2	1	0	1	Maiden flight, first Soviet orbital flight and satellite, retired
Vanguard	United States	Vanguard	Viking	1	0	1	0	Maiden flight, first US orbital attempt

By launch site

Site	Country	Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures	Remarks
Baikonur	Soviet Union	2	1	0	1
Cape Canaveral	United States	1	0	1	0

By orbit

Orbital regime	Launches	Successes	Failures	Accidentally Achieved	Remarks
Low Earth	2	2	0	0
Medium Earth	1	0	1	0

Launch statistics

By country

Launches by country

Country		Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures
	Australia	1	1	0	0
	Soviet Union	106	102	3	1
	United Kingdom	4	4	0	0
	United States	170	119	46	5
World		281	226	49	6

By rocket

14

28

42

56

70

Viking/
Vanguard

Aerobee

Rockoon

Nike/
Deacon

Sergeant

Honest John

Jupiter

Thor

Atlas

R-1

R-2

R-5

R-7

R-12

Others

•   Viking (second model)
•   Vanguard
•   Aerobee RTV-N-10
•   Aerobee RTV-N-10c
•   Aerobee Hi (NRL)
•   Aerobee RTV-A-1a
•   Aerobee Hi (USAF)
•   Aerobee AJ10-34
•   Aerobee (Unknown)
•   Loki rockoon
•   Farside
•   Nike-Deacon
•   Nike-Cajun
•   Terrapin
•   Nike-Asp
•   X-17
•   Polaris FTV-5
•   Polaris FTV-3
•   HJ-Nike
•   HJ-Nike-Nike
•   Jupiter-C
•   SM-78 Jupiter
•   XSM-75 Thor
•   XSM-65A Atlas
•   R-1
•   A-1
•   R-2
•   R-2A
•   R-5M
•   R-7
•   Sputnik-PS (8K71PS)
•   R-12
•   Skylark (Raven 1)
•   Long Tom

Launches by rocket

Rocket	Country	Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures	Remarks
Viking (second model)	United States	1	1	0	0	Retired
Vanguard	United States	2	1	1	0	Maiden flight, first US orbital attempt
Aerobee RTV-N-10	United States	1	1	0	0	Retired
Aerobee RTV-N-10c	United States	1	1	0	0	Retired
Aerobee Hi (NRL)	United States	6	5	1	0
Aerobee RTV-A-1a	United States	1	1	0	0	Retired
Aerobee Hi (USAF)	United States	3	3	0	0
Aerobee AJ10-34	United States	2	2	0	0
Aerobee (Unknown Type)	United States	21	19	2	0
Loki rockoon	United States	57	44	13	0	Retired
Farside	United States	6	0	6	0	Maiden flight, retired
Nike-Deacon	United States	13	7	6	0	Retired
Nike-Cajun	United States	9	4	5	0
Terrapin	United States	4	4	0	0	Retired
Nike-Asp	United States	2	1	1	0	Maiden flight
X-17	United States	9	7	2	0
Polaris FTV-5	United States	2	1	1	0	Maiden flight, retired
Polaris FTV-3	United States	4	4	0	0	Maiden flight, retired
HJ-Nike	United States	3	3	0	0
HJ-Nike-Nike	United States	1	1	0	0	Maiden flight
Jupiter-C	United States	2	1	1	0
SM-78 Jupiter	United States	7	3	1	3	Maiden flight
XSM-75 Thor	United States	10	4	5	1	Maiden flight
XSM-65A Atlas	United States	3	1	0	2	Maiden flight
R-1	Soviet Union	18	18	0	0
A-1	Soviet Union	1	1	0	0
R-2	Soviet Union	37	37	0	0
R-2A	Soviet Union	18	18	0	0	Maiden flight
R-5M	Soviet Union	19	19	0	0
R-7	Soviet Union	4	2	2	0	Maiden flight
Sputnik-PS (8K71PS)	Soviet Union	2	1	0	1	Maiden flight, first Soviet orbital flight and satellite, retired
R-12	Soviet Union	7	6	1	0	Maiden flight
Skylark (Raven 1)	United Kingdom	4	4	0	0	Maiden flight, first British spaceflight
Long Tom	Australia	1	1	0	0	Maiden flight, first Australian spaceflight

See also

• Timeline of spaceflight
• Pre-1963 Designations Of U.S. Missiles And Drones

References

1. First orbital launch

• Bergin, Chris. "NASASpaceFlight.com".
• Clark, Stephen. "Spaceflight Now".
• Kelso, T.S. "Satellite Catalog (SATCAT)". CelesTrak.
• Krebs, Gunter. "Chronology of Space Launches".
• Kyle, Ed. "Space Launch Report". Archived from the original on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
• McDowell, Jonathan. "GCAT Orbital Launch Log".
• Pietrobon, Steven. "Steven Pietrobon's Space Archive".
• Wade, Mark. "Encyclopedia Astronautica".
• Webb, Brian. "Southwest Space Archive".
• Zak, Anatoly. "Russian Space Web".
• "ISS Calendar". Spaceflight 101.
• "NSSDCA Master Catalog". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
• "Хроника освоения космоса" [Chronicle of space exploration]. CosmoWorld (in Russian).
• "Rocket Launch Manifest". Next Spaceflight.
• "Space Launch Plans". Novosti Kosmonavtiki.
• "Space Satellite Tracking". N2YO.

Generic references:

• view
• talk
• edit

Spaceflight portal

Footnotes

1. "Orbital Launches of 1957". space.skyrocket.de. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
2. Wade, Mark. "R-7". Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
3. "Sputnik 8K71PS | Sputnik 1". nextspaceflight.com. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
4. "Sputnik 1 (PS-1 #1)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
5. "Sputnik 8K71PS | Sputnik 2". nextspaceflight.com. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
6. "Sputnik 2 (PS-2 #1)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
7. Wade, Mark. "Vanguard". Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
8. "Vanguard | Vanguard TV3". nextspaceflight.com. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
9. "Vanguard (6.5in)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
10. Wade, Mark. "X-17". Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
11. Wade, Mark. "R-1 8A11". Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
12. Wade, Mark. "R-5". Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
13. Wade, Mark. "HJ Nike". Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
14. Wade, Mark. "Thor". Archived from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
15. McDowell, Jonathan C. "General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects, Launches, Aerobee". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
16. McDowell, Jonathan C. "General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects, Launches, Loki". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
17. McDowell, Jonathan C. "General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects, Launches, Raven". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
18. Wade, Mark. "R-2". Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
19. Wade, Mark. "Jupiter IRBM". Archived from the original on 16 July 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
20. Wade, Mark. "R-2A". Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
21. McDowell, Jonathan C. "General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects, Launches, Sergeant". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
22. McDowell, Jonathan C. "General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects, Launches, Thor". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
23. Wade, Mark. "Viking Sounding Rocket". Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
24. Wade, Mark. "Jupiter C". Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
25. Wade, Mark. "Atlas A". Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
26. McDowell, Jonathan C. "General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects, Launches, R-12". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
27. McDowell, Jonathan C. "General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects, Launches, Nike". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
28. Wade, Mark. "R-1". Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
29. Charles P. Smith Jr. (April 1958). Naval Research Laboratory Report No. 4276: Upper Atmosphere Research Report No. XXI, Summary of Upper Atmosphere Rocket Research Firings (pdf). Washington D.C.: Naval Research Laboratory. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
30. Wade, Mark. "Loki Rockoon". Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
31. McDowell, Jonathan C. "General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects, Launches, V-2". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
32. McDowell, Jonathan C. "General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects, Launches, Recruit". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
33. Parsch, Andreas. "Aeronutronics Farside". Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
34. Flight apogee not confirmed, but the rocket was capable of spaceflight
35. McDowell, Jonathan C. "General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects, Launches, Long Tom". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
36. McDowell, Jonathan C. "General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects, Launches, Honest John". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
37. McDowell, Jonathan C. "General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects, Launches, Deacon". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2022.

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