This timeline of spaceflight may require cleanup to ensure consistency with other timeline of spaceflight articles. See Wikipedia:WikiProject Spaceflight/Timeline of spaceflight working group for guidelines on how to improve the article. .mw-parser-output .hidden-begin{box-sizing:border-box;width:100%;padding:5px;border:none;font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .hidden-title{font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .hidden-content{text-align:left}Details Concerns have been raised that: A large amount of information is missing
1980 in spaceflight
Voyager 1 flew past Saturn on 12 November
Orbital launches
First9 January
Last26 December
Total108
Successes102
Failures6
Partial failures0
Catalogued105
National firsts
Orbital launch India
Space traveller Hungary
 Vietnam
 Cuba
Rockets
Maiden flightsMu-3S
RetirementsThor DSV-2U
Crewed flights
Orbital6
Total travellers13

The following is an outline of 1980 in spaceflight.

1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s

Launches

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

January[edit]

9 January
12:15 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1149 (Zenit-6) Low Earth Optical imaging 23 January Successful
11 January
12:28 		Soviet Union Molniya-M/ML Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Molniya 1-46 Molniya Communications 22 October 1992 Successful
18 January
01:26:00 		United States Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1AR United States Cape Canaveral LC-36A United States
United States OPS 6293 (FLTSATCOM 3) US Navy Geostationary Communication In orbit Successful
14 January
19:49 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1150 (Parus) Low Earth Navigation In orbit Successful
23 January
07:00 		Soviet Union Tsyklon-3 Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 32/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1151 (Okean-E No.2) Low Earth Technology In orbit Successful
Prototype oceanography satellite, not equipped with radar
24 January
15:45 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1152 (Yantar-2K No.928) Low Earth Optical imaging 6 February Partial spacecraft failure
25 January
20:36 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1153 (Parus) Low Earth Navigation In orbit Successful
30 January
12:51 		Soviet Union Vostok-2M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1154 (Tselina-D) Low Earth SIGINT 5 November 2002 Successful

February[edit]

7 February
11:00 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1155 (Zenit-6) Low Earth Optical imaging 21 February Successful
7 February
21:10 		United States Titan III(23)D United States Vandenberg SLC-4E United States
United States OPS 2581 (KH-11) NRO Low Earth Optical imaging 30 October 1982 Successful
9 February
23:08 		United States Atlas E/F-SGS-1 United States Vandenberg SLC-3E United States
United States OPS 5117 (Navstar 5) Medium Earth Navigation In orbit Successful
11 February
23:32 		Soviet UnionKosmos-3M Soviet UnionPlesetsk Site 132/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1156 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1157 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1158 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1159 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1160 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1161 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1162 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1163 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
12 February
00:53 		Soviet UnionMolniya-M/2BL Soviet UnionPlesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1164 (Oko) Intended: Molniya
Achieved: Highly elliptical 		Missile defence 12 February Launch failure
Upper stage malfunction
14 February
15:57 		United States Delta 3910 United States Cape Canaveral LC-17A United States
United States SolarMax NASA Low Earth Solar 2 December 1989 Successful
Spacecraft's attitude control system malfunctioned ten months after launch, subsequently repaired by Space Shuttle Challenger during STS-41-C in April 1984
17 February
00:40 		Japan Mu-3S Japan Kagoshima LA-M Japan ISAS
Japan Tansei-4 ISAS Low Earth Technology 12 May 1983 Successful
Maiden flight of Mu-3S
20 February
08:05:00 		Soviet UnionProton-K/DM Soviet UnionBaikonur Site 200/39 Soviet Union
Soviet UnionGran' No.16L (Raduga) Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Successful
21 February
12:00 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1165 (Zenit-4MKM) Low Earth Optical imaging 5 March Successful
22 February
08:35 		JapanUnited States N-I Japan Tanagashima LA-O Japan NASDA
Japan Ayame-2 NASDA Intended: Geostationary
Achieved: Transfer 		Technology In orbit Spacecraft failure
Spacecraft's apogee motor malfunctioned, leaving it with a perigee ~4,000 km (~2,500 mi) short of geostationary orbit.

March[edit]

3 March
09:27 		United States Atlas E/F-MSD United States Vandenberg SLC-3W United States
United States OPS 7245 (MSD) NRO Low Earth Dispenser In orbit Successful
United States OPS 7245 SSU-1 (NOSS SSU) NRO Low Earth ELINT In orbit Successful
United States OPS 7245 SSU-2 (NOSS SSU) NRO Low Earth ELINT In orbit Successful
United States OPS 7245 SSU-3 (NOSS SSU) NRO Low Earth ELINT 2 April 2021
16:08[1]		 Successful
4 March
10:30 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/4 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1166 (Zenit-6) Low Earth Optical imaging 18 March Successful
14 March
10:40 		Soviet UnionTsyklon-2 Soviet UnionBaikonur Site 90 Soviet Union
Soviet UnionKosmos 1167 (US-P) Low Earth ELINT 1 October 1981 Successful
17 March
21:37 		Soviet UnionKosmos-3M Soviet UnionPlesetsk Site 132/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1168 (Tsikada) Low Earth Navigation In orbit Successful
27 March
07:30 		Soviet UnionKosmos-3M Soviet UnionPlesetsk Site 132/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1169 (Taifun-1) Low Earth Calibration 3 March 1983 Successful
27 March
11:38:22 		Soviet UnionSoyuz-U Soviet UnionBaikonur Site 31/6 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Progress 8 Low Earth (Salyut 6) Station resupply 26 April
07:40		 Successful

April[edit]

1 April
08:00 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Baikonur Site 31/6 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1170 (Zenit-4MKM) Low Earth Optical imaging 12 April Successful
3 April
07:40 		Soviet UnionKosmos-3M Soviet UnionPlesetsk Site 132/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1171 (Lira) Low Earth ASAT target In orbit Successful
Target for Kosmos 1174, which failed to intercept it
9 April
11:38:22 		Soviet UnionSoyuz-U Soviet UnionBaikonur Site 31/6 Soviet Union
Soviet UnionSoyuz 35 Low Earth (Salyut 6) Salyut 6 EO-4 3 June
15:06		 Successful
Crewed flight with two cosmonauts
12 April
20:18 		Soviet UnionMolniya-M/2BL Soviet UnionPlesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1172 (Oko) Molniya Missile defence 26 December 1997 Successful
Replacement for Kosmos 1109
17 April
08:30 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Baikonur Site 31/6 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1173 (Zenit-4MKM) Low Earth Optical imaging 28 April Successful
18 April
00:51 		Soviet UnionTsyklon-2 Soviet UnionBaikonur Site 90 Soviet Union
Soviet UnionKosmos 1174 (IS-A) Low Earth ASAT test 20 April 1981 Spacecraft failure
Failed to intercept Kosmos 1171
18 April
17:31 		Soviet UnionMolniya-M/ML Soviet UnionPlesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1175 (Molniya-3 No.26) Intended: Molniya
Achieved: Low Earth 		Communications 29 September Launch failure
Upper stage malfunction
26 April
22:00 		United States Atlas E/F-SGS-1 United StatesVandenberg SLC-3E United States
United StatesOPS 5118 (Navstar 6) US Air Force Medium Earth Navigation In orbit Successful
27 April
06:24:00 		Soviet UnionSoyuz-U Soviet UnionBaikonur Site 1/5 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Progress 9 Low Earth (Salyut 6) Station resupply 22 May
01:30		 Successful
29 April
11:40 		Soviet UnionTsyklon-2 Soviet UnionBaikonur Site 90 Soviet Union
Soviet UnionKosmos 1176 (US-A) Low Earth Technology 4 October Successful
Demonstration of new nuclear reactor safety systems
29 April
13:30 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1177 (Yantar-4K1 No.2) Low Earth Optical imaging 12 June Successful

May[edit]

7 May
13:00 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1178 (Zenit-6) Low Earth Optical imaging 22 May Successful
14 May
13:00 		Soviet UnionKosmos-3M Soviet UnionPlesetsk Site 132/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1179 (Taifun-1Yu) Low Earth Calibration 18 July 1989 Successful
15 May
05:35 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1180 (Zenit-4MT) Low Earth Optical imaging 26 May Successful
20 May
09:21 		Soviet UnionKosmos-3M Soviet UnionPlesetsk Site 132/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1181 (Parus) Low Earth Navigation In orbit Successful
23 May
07:10 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1182 (Zenit-4MKT) Low Earth Optical imaging 5 June Successful
23 May
14:29:39 		EuropeAriane 1 FranceKourou ELA-1 FranceArianespace
EuropeFranceCAT-2 ESA/Arianespace Intended: GTO Test 23 May Launch failure
West GermanyFirewheel MPG Intended: GTO Magnetospheric
West GermanyFIRE B MPG Intended: GTO Magnetospheric
West GermanyFIRE C MPG Intended: GTO Magnetospheric
West GermanyFIRE D MPG Intended: GTO Magnetospheric
West GermanyFIRE E MPG Intended: GTO Magnetospheric
West GermanyAmsat-P3A Amsat-DE Intended: Molniya Amateur radio
First stage failure due to combustion instability in main engine; first launch conducted by Arianespace
26 May
18:20:39 		Soviet UnionSoyuz-U Soviet UnionBaikonur Site 31/6 Soviet Union
Soviet UnionSoyuz 36 Low Earth (Salyut 6) Salyut 6 EP-5 31 July
15:15		 Successful
Crewed flight with two cosmonauts, first Hungarian in space
28 May
12:00 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1183 (Zenit-6) Low Earth Optical imaging 11 June Successful
29 May
10:53 		United StatesAtlas E/F-Star-37S-ISS United StatesVandenberg SLC-3W United States
United StatesNOAA-B NOAA Low Earth Weather 3 May 1981 Launch failure
First stage underperformed due to an engine leaking fuel and running at low thrust. Corrected by onboard guidance extending the duration of first stage flight, however this was not communicated to the upper stage, which attempted to separate at the normal time, whilst the first stage was still firing. Recontact prevented the upper stage orienting for its burn, leading to payload being deployed into useless orbit.[2]

June[edit]

4 June
07:34 		Soviet Union Vostok-2M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1184 (Tselina-D) Low Earth SIGINT 29 April 2002 Successful
5 June
14:19:30 		Soviet UnionSoyuz-U Soviet UnionBaikonur Site 31/6 Soviet Union
Soviet UnionSoyuz T-2 Low Earth (Salyut 6) Salyut 6 EP-6 9 June
12:39		 Successful
Crewed flight with two cosmonauts, first crewed flight of Soyuz-T spacecraft
6 June
07:00 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1185 (Resurs-F1 No.12) Low Earth Remote sensing 20 June Successful
6 June
11:00 		Soviet UnionKosmos-3M Soviet UnionPlesetsk Site 132/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1186 (Taifun-2) Low Earth Calibration 1 January 1982 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 1 Low Earth Calibration 24 September Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 2 Low Earth Calibration 14 September Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 3 Low Earth Calibration 3 May 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 4 Low Earth Calibration 3 May 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 5 Low Earth Calibration 1 May 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 6 Low Earth Calibration 3 May 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 7 Low Earth Calibration 3 May 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 8 Low Earth Calibration 3 May 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 9 Low Earth Calibration 3 May 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 10 Low Earth Calibration 3 May 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 11 Low Earth Calibration 28 May 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 12 Low Earth Calibration 20 May 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 13 Low Earth Calibration 22 June 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 14 Low Earth Calibration 18 June 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 15 Low Earth Calibration 27 September 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 16 Low Earth Calibration 22 June 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 17 Low Earth Calibration 18 June 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 18 Low Earth Calibration 17 June 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 19 Low Earth Calibration September 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 20 Low Earth Calibration 14 June 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 21 Low Earth Calibration 10 June 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 22 Low Earth Calibration 14 June 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 23 Low Earth Calibration 20 June 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 24 Low Earth Calibration 13 June 1981 Successful
Deployed 24 calibration spheres
12 June
12:30 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1183 (Zenit-6) Low Earth Optical imaging 26 June Successful
14 June
00:49:50 		Soviet UnionProton-K/DM Soviet UnionBaikonur Site 200/39 Soviet Union
Soviet UnionGorizont No.15L Operational: Geostationary
Current: Graveyard 		Communications In orbit Successful
Operated until 25 October 1988
14 June
20:52 		Soviet UnionMolniya-M/2BL Soviet UnionPlesetsk Site 43/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1188 (Oko) Molniya Missile defence In orbit Spacecraft failure
Replacement for Kosmos 1024, operated for only four months
18 June
06:14:12 		Soviet Union Vostok-2M Soviet Union Baikonur Soviet Union
Soviet Union Meteor-Priroda No.3-1 Low Earth Remote sensing 1 March 1992 Successful
18 June
18:30 		United StatesTitan III(23)D United StatesVandenberg SLC-4E United States
United StatesOPS 3123 (KH-9) NRO Low Earth Optical imaging 6 March 1981 Successful
United StatesOPS 3123 RV-1 NRO Low Earth Film return 24 July Successful
United StatesOPS 3123 RV-2 NRO Low Earth Film return 7 September Successful
United StatesOPS 3123 RV-3 NRO Low Earth Film return 24 October Successful
United StatesOPS 3123 RV-4 NRO Low Earth Film return 5 March 1981 Successful
United StatesOPS 3123 RV-5 NRO Low Earth Film return 14 October Successful
All SRVs recovered successfully
21 June
18:34 		Soviet Union Molniya-M/ML Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Molniya 1-47 Molniya Communications 1 April 1991 Successful
26 June
12:20 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1189 (Zenit-6) Low Earth Optical imaging 10 July Successful
29 June
04:40:42 		Soviet UnionSoyuz-U Soviet UnionBaikonur Site 1/5 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Progress 10 Low Earth (Salyut 6) Station resupply 19 July
02:30		 Successful

July[edit]

1 July
07:12 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1190 (Strela-2) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
2 July
00:54 		Soviet UnionMolniya-M/2BL Soviet UnionPlesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1191 (Oko) Molniya Missile defence In orbit Successful
Replacement for Kosmos 1124
9 July
00:42 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132/2 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1192 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1193 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1194 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1195 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1196 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1197 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1198 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1199 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
9 July
12:40 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1200 (Zenit-6) Low Earth Optical imaging 23 July Successful
14 July
22:35 		Soviet Union Proton-K/DM Soviet Union Baikonur Site 200/40 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Ekran No.19L Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Successful
15 July
02:22:11 		United StatesThor DSV-2U United StatesVandenberg SLC-10W United States
United StatesDMSP-5D1 F5 (AMS-5) US Air Force Intended: Low Earth Weather 15 July Launch failure
Final flight of Thor DSV-2U, final launch from SLC-10W. Anomaly during second stage separation led to wiring being pulled out of spacecraft. Vehicle also failed to achieve orbit.
15 July
07:30 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1201 (Zenit-4MKT) Low Earth Optical imaging 28 July Successful
18 July
02:33:45 		IndiaSLV IndiaSriharikota FLP IndiaISRO
IndiaRohini RS-1B ISRO Low Earth Technology 20 May 1981 Successful
First successful Indian orbital launch
18 July
10:37 		Soviet Union Molniya-M/ML Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Molniya 3-13 Molniya Communications In orbit Successful
23 July
18:33:03 		Soviet UnionSoyuz-U Soviet UnionBaikonur Site 1/5 Soviet Union
Soviet UnionSoyuz 37 Low Earth (Salyut 6) Salyut 6 EP-7 11 October
09:49		 Successful
Crewed flight with two cosmonauts, first Vietnamese space traveller
24 July
12:40 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1202 (Zenit-6) Low Earth Optical imaging 7 August Successful
31 July
07:45 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1203 (Resurs-F1 No.12) Low Earth Remote sensing 14 August Successful
31 July
11:00 		Soviet UnionKosmos-3M Soviet UnionKapustin Yar Site 107/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 (Taifun-2) Low Earth Calibration 23 February 1981 Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 1 Low Earth Calibration 11 October Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 2 Low Earth Calibration 14 October Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 3 Low Earth Calibration 31 October Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 4 Low Earth Calibration 24 October Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 5 Low Earth Calibration 24 October Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 6 Low Earth Calibration 26 October Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 7 Low Earth Calibration 3 November Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 8 Low Earth Calibration 3 November Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 9 Low Earth Calibration 4 November Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 10 Low Earth Calibration 10 November Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 11 Low Earth Calibration 27 November Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 12 Low Earth Calibration 18 November Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 13 Low Earth Calibration 18 November Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 14 Low Earth Calibration 23 November Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 15 Low Earth Calibration 3 December Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 16 Low Earth Calibration 19 November Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 17 Low Earth Calibration 17 November Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 18 Low Earth Calibration 17 November Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 19 Low Earth Calibration 16 November Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 20 Low Earth Calibration 23 November Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 21 Low Earth Calibration 14 December Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1204 Subsatellite 22 Low Earth Calibration 13 December Successful

August[edit]

12 August
11:50 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1205 (Zenit-6) Low Earth Optical imaging 26 August Successful
15 August
05:34 		Soviet Union Vostok-2M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1206 (Tselina-D) Low Earth SIGINT 14 January 2002 Successful
22 August
10:00 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1207 (Zenit-4MKT) Low Earth Optical imaging 4 September Successful
26 August
15:45 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1208 (Yantar-2K No.927) Low Earth Optical imaging 24 September Successful
26 August
16:10 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1236 (Yantar-2K No.941) Low Earth Optical imaging 21 January 1981 Successful

September[edit]

3 September
10:20 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1209 (Resurs-F1 No.14) Low Earth Remote sensing 17 September Successful
9 September
11:00 		Soviet Union Vostok-2M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Meteor 2-06 Low Earth Weather In orbit Successful
9 September
22:27 		United StatesDelta 3914 United StatesCape Canaveral LC-17A United States
United StatesGOES 4 (GOES-D) NOAA Operational: Geostationary
Current: Graveyard 		Weather In orbit Successful
Retired and moved to graveyard orbit on 9 November 1988
18 September
19:11:03 		Soviet UnionSoyuz-U Soviet UnionBaikonur Site 1/5 Soviet Union
Soviet UnionSoyuz 38 Low Earth (Salyut 6) Salyut 6 EP-8 26 September
15:54		 Successful
Crewed flight with two cosmonauts, first Cuban in space
19 September
10:10 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1210 (Zenit-6) Low Earth Optical imaging 3 October Successful
23 September
10:30 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1211 (Zenit-4MT) Low Earth Optical imaging 4 October Successful
26 September
10:10 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1212 (Zenit-4MKT) Low Earth Optical imaging 9 October Successful
28 September
15:09:55 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Baikonur Site 1/5 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Progress 11 Low Earth (Salyut 6) Station resupply 11 December
14:45		 Successful

October[edit]

3 October
12:00 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1213 (Zenit-6) Low Earth Optical imaging 17 October Successful
5 October
17:10 		Soviet Union Proton-K/DM Soviet Union Baikonur Site 200/39 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Gran' No.17L (Raduga) Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Successful
10 October
13:10 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1214 (Zenit-4MKM) Low Earth Optical imaging 23 October Successful
Final flight of Zenit-4MKM
14 October
20:41 		Soviet Union Kosmos-3M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 132/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1215 (Tselina-O) Low Earth SIGINT 12 May 1983 Successful
16 October
12:20 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1216 (Zenit-6) Low Earth Optical imaging 30 October Successful
16 October
12:00 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1219 (Zenit-6) Low Earth Optical imaging 13 November Successful
24 October
10:53 		Soviet Union Molniya-M/2BL Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1217 (Oko) Molniya Missile defence In orbit Successful
Replacement for Kosmos 1188
30 October
10:00 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Baikonur Site 31/6 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1218 (Yantar-4K1 No.3) Low Earth Optical imaging 12 December Successful
31 October
03:54 		United StatesAtlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1AR United StatesCape Canaveral LC-36A United States
United StatesOPS 6294 (FLTSATCOM 4) US Navy Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Successful

November[edit]

4 November
15:04 		Soviet Union Tsyklon-2 Soviet Union Baikonur Site 90 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1220 (US-P) Low Earth ELINT 20 June 1982 Successful
12 November
12:21 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1221 (Zenit-6) Low Earth Optical imaging 26 November Successful
15 November
22:49 		United States Delta 3910/PAM-D United States Cape Canaveral LC-17A United States
United States SBS-1 SBS Operational: Geostationary
Current: Graveyard 		Communications In orbit Successful
Retired on 22 June 1990 and moved to graveyard orbit
16 November
18:34 		Soviet Union Molniya-M/ML Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Molniya 1-48 Molniya Communications 18 November 1995 Successful
21 November
11:53 		Soviet Union Vostok-2M Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1222 (Tselina-D) Low Earth SIGINT 27 April 2011 Successful
27 November
21:37 		Soviet Union Molniya-M/2BL Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 41/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1223 (Oko) Molniya Missile defence In orbit Successful
Replacement for Kosmos 903
27 November
14:18:28 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Baikonur Site 1/5 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Soyuz T-3 Low Earth (Salyut 6) Salyut 6 EO-5 10 December
09:26		 Successful
Crewed flight with three cosmonauts, first three-man Soyuz flight since 1971

December[edit]

1 December
12:15 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1224 (Zenit-6) Low Earth Optical imaging 15 December Successful
5 December
04:23 		Soviet UnionKosmos-3M Soviet UnionPlesetsk Site 132/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1225 (Parus) Low Earth Navigation In orbit Successful
6 December
23:31 		United StatesAtlas SLV 3D Centaur-D1AR United StatesCape Canaveral LC-36B United States
United NationsIntelsat V F-2 Intelsat Geostationary Communications In orbit Successful
9 December
07:18 		United StatesAtlas E/F-MSD United StatesVandenberg SLC-3W United States
United States OPS 3255 (MSD) NRO Intended: Low Earth Dispenser 9 December Launch failure
United States OPS 3255 SSU-1 (NOSS SSU) NRO Intended: Low Earth ELINT
United States OPS 3255 SSU-2 (NOSS SSU) NRO Intended: Low Earth ELINT
United States OPS 3255 SSU-3 (NOSS SSU) NRO Intended: Low Earth ELINT
United States LIPS-1 NRL Intended: Low Earth Technoilogy
Booster engine failure led to loss of control, rocket turned around and began flying backwards before exploding.[3]
10 December
20:53 		Soviet UnionKosmos-3M Soviet UnionPlesetsk Site 132/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1226 (Tsikada) Low Earth Navigation In orbit Successful
13 December
16:04 		United StatesTitan III(34)B United StatesVandenberg SLC-4W United States
United StatesOPS 5805 (SDS) NRO Molniya Communication 30 October 1982 Successful
16 December
12:15 		Soviet Union Soyuz-U Soviet Union Plesetsk Site 43/3 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1227 (Zenit-6) Low Earth Optical imaging 28 December Successful
23 December
22:48 		Soviet UnionKosmos-3M Soviet UnionPlesetsk Site 132/1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Kosmos 1228 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1229 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1230 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1231 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1232 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1233 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1234 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
Soviet Union Kosmos 1235 (Strela-1M) Low Earth Communication In orbit Successful
25 December
04:02 		Soviet Union Molniya-M/SO-L Soviet Union Baikonur Site 31/6 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Prognoz 8 Highly elliptical Solar
Magnetospheric		 28 December 1984 Successful
26 December
11:49 		Soviet Union Proton-K/DM Soviet Union Baikonur Site 200/40 Soviet Union
Soviet Union Ekran No.20L Geosynchronous Communications In orbit Successful

Deep Space Rendezvous

Date (GMT) Spacecraft Event Remarks
12 November Voyager 1 Flyby of Saturn Closest approach: 124,000 kilometres (77,000 mi)

Orbital launch summary

By country

  Europe
  India
  Japan
  Soviet Union
  United States
Orbital launch attempts by country in 1980
Country Launches Successes Failures Partial
failures 		Remarks
 Europe 1 0 1 0
 India 1 1 0 0
 Japan 2 2 0 0
 Soviet Union 89 87 2 0
 United States 15 12 3 0

By rocket

By family

Family Country Launches Successes Failures Partial failures Remarks
Ariane  Europe 1 0 1 0
Atlas  United States 8 6 2 0
Mu  Japan 1 1 0 0
R-7  Soviet Union 63 61 2 1
R-14  Soviet Union 16 16 0 0
R-36  Soviet Union 5 5 0 0
SLV  India 1 1 0 0
Thor/Delta  United States 5 4 1 0 Includes N-I
Titan  United States 3 3 0 0
Universal Rocket  Soviet Union 5 5 0 0

By type

Rocket Country Family Launches Successes Failures Partial failures Remarks
Ariane 1  Europe Ariane 1 0 1 0
Atlas E/F  United States Atlas 5 3 2 0
Atlas-Centaur  United States Atlas 3 3 0 0
Delta 3000  United States Thor/Delta 3 3 0 0
Kosmos  Soviet Union R-12/R-14 16 16 0 0
Molniya  Soviet Union R-7 12 10 2 0
Mu-3  Japan Mu 1 1 0 0
N  Japan/ United States Thor/Delta 1 1 0 0
Proton  Soviet Union Universal Rocket 5 5 0 0
SLV  India SLV 1 1 0 0
Soyuz  Soviet Union R-7 45 45 0 0
Titan III  United States Titan 3 3 0 0
Tsyklon  Soviet Union R-36 5 5 0 0
Thor DSV-2U  United States Thor/Delta 1 0 1 0 Retired
Vostok  Soviet Union R-7 6 6 0 0

By configuration

Rocket Country Type Launches Successes Failures Partial failures Remarks
Ariane 1  Europe Ariane 1 1 0 1 0
Atlas E/F-MSD  United States Atlas E/F 2 1 1 0 Retired
Atlas E/F-SGS-1  United States Atlas E/F 2 2 0 0 Retired
Atlas E/F-Star-37S-ISS  United States Atlas E/F 1 0 1 0
Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1AR  United States Atlas-Centaur 3 3 0 0
Delta 3910  United States Delta 3000 1 1 0 0
Delta 3910/PAM-D  United States Delta 3000 1 1 0 0
Delta 3914  United States Delta 3000 1 1 0 0
Kosmos-3M  Soviet Union Kosmos 16 16 0 0
N-I  Japan/ United States N 1 1 0 0
Mu-3S  Japan Mu-3 1 1 0 0 Maiden flight
Molniya-M/2BL  Soviet Union Molniya 6 5 1 0
Molniya-M/ML  Soviet Union Molniya 5 4 1 0
Molniya-M/SO-L  Soviet Union Molniya 1 1 0 0
SLV  India SLV 1 1 0 0
Proton-K/DM  Soviet Union Proton 5 5 0 0
Soyuz-U  Soviet Union Soyuz 45 45 0 0
Titan III(34)B  United States Titan III 1 1 0 0
Titan III(23)D  United States Titan III 2 2 0 0
Thor DSV-2U  United States Thor DSV-2U 1 0 1 0 Retired
Tsyklon-2  Soviet Union Tsyklon 4 4 0 0
Tsyklon-3  Soviet Union Tsyklon 1 1 0 0
Vostok-2M  Soviet Union Vostok 6 6 0 0

By launch site

Site Country Launches Successes Failures Partial failures Remarks
Baikonur  Soviet Union 24 24 0 0
Cape Canaveral  United States 6 6 0 0
Kourou  France 1 0 1 0
Kagoshima  Japan 1 1 0 0
Kapustin Yar  Soviet Union 1 1 0 0
Plesetsk  Soviet Union 64 62 2 0
Sriharikota  India 1 1 0 0
Tanegashima  Japan 1 1 0 0
Vandenberg  United States 9 6 3 0

By orbit

Orbital regime Launches Achieved Not Achieved Accidentally
achieved 		Remarks
Low Earth 82 80 2 1
Medium Earth 2 2 0 0
Geosynchronous/transfer 11 10 1 0
High Earth 13 12 1 0 Including highly elliptical (HEO) and Molniya orbits, one launch to Molniya orbit ended up in HEO

References

  • 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. "Jonathan's Space Report".
  • 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.
  • "Space Calendar". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
  • "Space Information Center". JAXA.
  • "Хроника освоения космоса" [Chronicle of space exploration]. CosmoWorld (in Russian).
Generic references:

 Spaceflight portal

Footnotes

  1. ^ McDowell, Jonathan [@planet4589] (4 April 2021). "One of the NRO PARCAE 3 signals intelligence sats launched in March 1980 reentered east of Christchurch, New Zealand on Apr 2 at 1608 UTC" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Wade, Mark. "Tiros N". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 27 February 2002. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
  3. ^ Wade, Mark. "NOSS". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 11 October 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
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