Spaceflight before 1951
National firsts
Launch of a V-2 from Peenemünde
Spaceflight	Germany (1944) United States (1946) Soviet Union (1948)
Rockets
Maiden flights	V-2 Bumper Viking (first model) Aerobee RTV-N-8 Aerobee RTV-N-10 Aerobee XASR-SC-1 Aerobee XASR-SC-2 Aerobee RTV-A-1 R-1 R-1A R-2E R-2
Retirements	Bumper Aerobee RTV-N-8 R-1A R-2E
v t e

Spaceflight as a practical endeavor began during World War II with the development of operational liquid-fueled rockets. Beginning life as a weapon, the V-2 was pressed into peaceful service after the war at the United States' White Sands Missile Range as well as the Soviet Union's Kapustin Yar. This led to a flourishing of missile designs setting the stage for the exploration of space. The small American WAC Corporal rocket was evolved into the Aerobee, a much more powerful sounding rocket. Exploration of space began in earnest in 1947 with the flight of the first Aerobee, 46 of which had flown by the end of 1950. These and other rockets, both Soviet and American, returned the first direct data on air density, temperature, charged particles and magnetic fields in the Earth's upper atmosphere.

By 1948, the United States Navy had evolved the V-2 design into the Viking capable of more than 100 miles (160 km) in altitude. The first Viking to accomplish this feat, number four, did so 10 May 1950. The Soviet Union developed a virtual copy of the V-2 called the R-1, which first flew in 1948. Its longer-ranged successor, the R-2, entered military service in 1950. This event marked the entry of both superpowers into the post-V-2 rocketry era.

Origins and rocket development

The era of spaceflight began in 1942 with the development of the V-2 rocket (A-4) as a ballistic missile by Germany, the first vehicle capable of reaching the 100 kilometres (62 mi) boundary of space (as defined by the World Air Sports Federation).^[1] On 20 June 1944, a V-2 (MW 18014) was launched vertically, reaching a height of 174.6 kilometres (108.5 mi).^[2]

The post-war years saw rapid development in rocket technology by both superpowers, jumpstarted by the dozens of V-2s and hundreds of German specialists that ended up in the custody of the Soviet Union and the United States.^[3]^: 216–7^[4]^: 226^[5]^: 43 The V-2, designed for carrying a warhead horizontally rather than vertical science missions, made an inefficient sounding rocket, while the wartime American WAC Corporal sounding rocket was too small to carry much scientific equipment.^[4]^: 250 In 1946, the US Navy began development of its own heavy sounding rocket, the Viking, derived in part from the V-2.^[6]^: 21–25^[6]^: 236 The Aerobee was developed from the WAC Corporal to loft lighter payloads.^[4]^: 250–1

The Soviet Union began military development of the R-1, a copy of the V-2 with modifications intended to improve reliability, in 1947.^[5]^: 41, 48 Flight testing of this first Soviet-made liquid-fueled missile began on 13 September 1948,^[5]^: 129 and the rocket entered military service in 1950.^[5]^: 149 Also from 1947, two advanced rockets with ranges of 600 kilometres (370 mi), the German émigré-designed G-1 (or R-10) and the Russian-designed R-2, competed for limited engineering and production staff, the latter winning out by the end of 1949^[5]^: 65 and being put into service in 1951.^[5]^: 274 The draft plan for the 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi) range R-3 was approved on 7 December 1949,^[5]^: 67 though it was never developed, later designs proving more useful and achievable.^[5]^: 275–6

Space exploration

V-2, WAC Corporal, and R-1A

Main article: RTV-G-4 Bumper

Main article: R-1 (missile)

The V-2s captured from Germany at the end of World War II were used for engineering and scientific missions by the United States and the Soviet Union. The first 25 captured V-2s were launched in the 15 months commencing 15 March 1946.^[4]^: 398 By the end of 1950, more than 60 had been launched by the Americans, most of them equipped with research instruments.^[7]^: 6 The first biological payloads launched to high altitude were sent on V-2s, starting with seeds and fruit flies in 1947, followed by mice and monkeys from 1948 onward.^[8]

The V-2 was also used in early experiments with two-stage rockets: Project Bumper combined the V-2 first stage with the WAC Corporal as second stage. On 24 February 1949, Bumper 5 set an altitude record of 417 kilometres (259 mi).^[4]^: 257–8 Around 10 WAC Corporals were also launched on their own in this period.^[7]^: 6

The Soviet Union launched 11 captured V-2s in 1947.^[5]^: 41 Three of the V-2s launched by the USSR in 1947 carried 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) experiment packages for measuring cosmic rays at high altitude; at least one returned usable data.^[9]^: 56 Two Soviet R-1As (an experimental R-1 variant that tested nose cone separation at altitude) also carried scientific equipment during test launches in 1949, but neither returned usable data.^[10]

Aerobee

Main article: Aerobee

First launched on 24 November 1947, the solid/liquid-fuel hybrid Aerobee quickly secured a reputation for reliability. With the development of these first generation purpose-built sounding rockets, the exploration of Earth's upper atmosphere and the nearest reaches of space began in earnest, a total of 46 Aerobee flights being launched through 1950.^[11] Aerobee flights measured the velocity and density of cosmic rays above 70 miles (110 km) and made high altitude measurements of the Earth's magnetic field. Cameras mounted on Aerobee rockets returned the first high quality aerial photographs of sizeable regions of the Earth as well as large scale cloud formations.^[4]^: 251

Viking

Main article: Viking (rocket)

Vikings 1 and 2, launched in 1949 from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, both suffered from premature engine cutoff due to turbine leaks, significantly reducing their maximum altitude.^[6]^: 98–102 The improved Viking 3, launched 9 February 1950 reached 50 mi (80 km) and could have gone higher. However, after 34 seconds of accurately guided flight, the rocket veered westward and had to be destroyed by range safety.^[6]^{: 108–114}

On 10 May 1950, Viking 4 was launched from a site in the Pacific Ocean between Jarvis Island and Christmas Island. The fourth Viking became the first sounding rocket ever launched from a sea-going vessel, the USS Norton Sound. This flight was perfect, reaching 106.4 mi (171.2 km), more than double that reached by the earlier Vikings.^[6]^{: 108–114}

Viking 5, launched 21 November 1950, carried a vast array of radiation detectors. The rocket also carried two movie cameras to take high altitude film of the Earth all the way to its peak height of 108 miles (174 km) as well as Pirani gauges to measure air densities in the upper atmosphere.^[6]^{: 148, 236} Viking 6, launched 11 December, underperformed, reaching a maximum altitude of 40 miles (64 km).^[6]^{: 151–153, 236}

1942

1942 launches
Date and time (UTC)	Rocket		Flight number	Launch site		LSP
		Payload	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (UTC)	Outcome
		Remarks
13 June — 12 December	V-2			Peenemünde		Wehrmacht

			Wehrmacht	Suborbital	Missile test	Same day	Mixed
		7 V-2 rockets launched on test flights, 3 successfully^[12]

1943

1943 launches
Date and time (UTC)	Rocket		Flight number	Launch site		LSP
		Payload	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (UTC)	Outcome
		Remarks
7 January — 30 December	V-2			Peenemünde, Heidelager		Wehrmacht

			Wehrmacht	Suborbital	Missile test	Same day	Mixed
		39 V-2 rockets launched on test flights; at least 9 failures^[12]

1944

1944 launches
Date and time (UTC)	Rocket		Flight number	Launch site		LSP
		Payload	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (UTC)	Outcome
		Remarks
20 June	V-2			Greifswalder Oie		Wehrmacht

		MW 18014^[2]	Wehrmacht	Suborbital	Missile test	20 June	Successful
		First artificial object to cross 100 km.^{[citation needed]} Vertical test, apogee: 174.6 kilometres (108.5 mi)
8 September	V-2			Houffalize		Wehrmacht

			Wehrmacht	Suborbital	Missile attack	8 September	Successful
		First combat usage of V-2 after more than a hundred test flights; ~3000 combat launches followed until March 1945^[12] (see List of V-2 test launches)

1945

1945 launches
Date and time (UTC)	Rocket		Flight number	Launch site		LSP
		Payload	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (UTC)	Outcome
		Remarks
2 October 13:41	V-2			Cuxhaven		UK military

				Suborbital		2 October	Successful
		First launch of Operation Backfire; apogee: 69.4 kilometres (43.1 mi)^[13]
4 October 13:15	V-2			Cuxhaven		UK military

				Suborbital		4 October	Partial failure
		Apogee: 17.4 kilometres (10.8 mi)^[13]
15 October 14:06	V-2			Cuxhaven		UK military

				Suborbital		15 October	Successful
		Press and international observers present; Apogee: 64 kilometres (40 mi)^[13]

1946

1946 launches
Date and time (UTC)	Rocket		Flight number	Launch site		LSP
		Payload	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (UTC)	Outcome
		Remarks
16 April 21:47	V-2		V-2 No. 2	White Sands LC-33		General Electric / US Army

			WSPG^[14]	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation (Applied Physics Laboratory)^[16]	16 April	Launch failure
		First launch of Project Hermes, apogee: 8 kilometres (5.0 mi), guidance failure;^[14] carried Geiger counter designed by James Van Allen^[15]
10 May 21:15	V-2		V-2 No. 3	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			WSPG^[14]	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation (APL)^[16]	10 May	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 112 kilometres (70 mi), First US spaceflight
29 May 21:12	V-2		V-2 No. 4	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			GE^[14]	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation (APL)^[16]	29 May	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 112 kilometres (70 mi)
13 June 23:40	V-2		V-2 No. 5	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			GE^[14]	Suborbital	Solar Radiation / Ionospheric (Naval Research Laboratory)^[16]	13 June	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 117 kilometres (73 mi)
28 June 19:25	V-2		V-2 No. 6	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			NRL^[14]	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Solar Radiation / Aeronomy / Ionospheric^[17]^{: 336–337}	28 June	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 108 kilometres (67 mi)
9 July 19:25	V-2		V-2 No. 7	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			GE^[14]	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Ionospheric (NRL) / Biological (Harvard University)^[17]^{: 338–339}	9 July	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 134 kilometres (83 mi), sent seeds to space
19 July 19:11	V-2		V-2 No. 8	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			GE^[14]	Suborbital	Ionospheric (NRL)^[16]	19 July	Launch failure
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 4.8 kilometres (3.0 mi), explosion at 28.5 seconds^[14]
30 July 19:36	V-2		V-2 No. 9	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			APL^[14]	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Ionospheric (NRL)^[17]^{: 342–343}	30 July	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 167 kilometres (104 mi)
15 August 18:00	V-2		V-2 No. 10	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			Princeton University^[14]	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Ionospheric^[17]^: 344	15 August	Launch failure
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi), guidance failure at 13.9 seconds^[14]
22 August 17:15	V-2		V-2 No. 11	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			University of Michigan^[14]	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Ionospheric / Sky Brightness^[16]^[17]^: 345	22 August	Launch failure
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 0.1 kilometres (0.062 mi), guidance failure immediately after lift^[14]
10 October 18:02	V-2		V-2 No. 12	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			NRL	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Solar Spectroscopy / Aeronomy / Ionospheric / Biological (Harvard)^[17]^{: 346–347}	10 October	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 164 kilometres (102 mi),^[14] launched with seeds and cross jet attenuation transmitter and receiver
24 October 19:15	V-2		V-2 No. 13	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			APL^[14]	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Solar UV / Aeronomy / Photography^[16]	24 October	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 105 kilometres (65 mi), first photo of Earth from space, short burning time (59 sec)^[18]
7 November 20:31	V-2		V-2 No. 14	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			Princeton University^[14]	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation	7 November	Launch failure
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 0.4 kilometres (0.25 mi). Guidance failure at 2 seconds, missile turned sideways, flew horizontal and was destroyed.^[17]^: 350
21 November 16:55	V-2		V-2 No. 15	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			Watson Laboratories / University of Michigan^[18]	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Ionospheric / Sky Brightness / Voltage Breakdown^[17]^{: 351–352}	21 November	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 102 kilometres (63 mi)
5 December 20:08	V-2		V-2 No. 16	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			NRL^[14]	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Solar UV / Aeronomy / Photography^[16]	5 December	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 167 kilometres (104 mi), guidance problems
18 December 05:12	V-2		V-2 No. 17	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Grenades	APL^[14]	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Meteor Research / Biological (National Institute of Health)^[16]	18 December	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 187 kilometres (116 mi), first night flight of a V-2. Released artificial meteors for photographic observation.^[19] Carried fungus spores. Extraordinary range due to guidance failure.^[17]^{: 355–356}

1947

1947 launches
Date and time (UTC)	Rocket		Flight number	Launch site		LSP
		Payload	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (UTC)	Outcome
		Remarks
10 January 21:13	V-2		V-2 No. 18	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			NRL	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation	10 January	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 116 kilometres (72 mi), roll at 40 seconds^[14]^[17]^{: 357–358}
24 January 00:22	V-2		V-2 No. 19	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			GE^[14]	Suborbital	Test Guidance System^[14] / Hermes A-2 Telemetry System Test^[17]^{: 359–360}	24 January	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 50 kilometres (31 mi)
20 February 18:16	V-2		V-2 No. 20	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Blossom I	Air Materiel Command^[14]	Suborbital	Aeronomy (University of Michigan) / Ionospheric (AFCRC, University of Michigan) / Sky Brightness / Voltage Breakdown (AFCRC) / Biological^[17]^{: 361–362}	20 February	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 109 kilometres (68 mi), guidance disturbance at 27 sec, roll at 37.5 seconds.^[14] Flew with rye seeds, cotton seeds, and fruit flies, the first animals in space.^[20]
7 March 18:23	V-2		V-2 No. 21	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			NRL	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Aeronomy / Solar Radiation / Ionospheric (NRL) / Biological (Harvard)	7 March	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 161 kilometres (100 mi), sent seeds to space^[14]^[17]^{: 363–365}
1 April 20:10	V-2		V-2 No. 22	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			APL	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Solar UV (APL, Yerkes Observatory) / Photography	1 April	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 129 kilometres (80 mi)^[14]^[17]^{: 366–367}
9 April 00:10	V-2		V-2 No. 23	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			APL	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Solar UV / Photography	9 April	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 103 kilometres (64 mi)^[14]^[17]^{: 368–369}
17 April 23:22	V-2		V-2 No. 24	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Grenades	GE^[14]	Suborbital	Aeronomy (Signal Corps Engineering Laboratories)^[17]^{: 370–371}	17 April	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 140 kilometres (87 mi), roll at 57.5 seconds^[14]
15 May 23:08	V-2		V-2 No. 26	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Grenades	NRL	Suborbital	Aeronomy (SCEL) / Cosmic Radiation / Solar Radiation / Ionospheric (NRL)^[17]^{: 374–375}	15 May	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 122 kilometres (76 mi), steering trouble from lift^[14]
29 May	V-2			White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Hermes II	GE	Suborbital	Test of ramjet diffusers called "Organ"^[22]	29 May	Launch failure
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 50 kilometres (31 mi), maiden flight of the Hermes II V-2 variant. Rocket flew south instead of north and landed in Mexico^[21]
10 July 19:18	V-2		V-2 No. 29	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			NRL	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Cosmic Radiation / Ionospheric / Biological (Harvard College Observatory)	10 July	Launch failure
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 16.3 kilometres (10.1 mi), steering trouble from lift, cutoff triggered at 32 seconds^[14]^[17]^{: 383–384}
29 July 12:55	V-2		V-2 No. 30	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			APL	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Solar UV / Photography	29 July	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 159 kilometres (99 mi), vane #4 ceased to operate at 27 seconds^[14]^[17]^{: 386–387}
6 September	V-2			USS Midway, Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Bermuda		US Navy

			US Navy	Suborbital	Missile test	6 September	Launch failure
		Operation Sandy, first shipboard missile launch, apogee: 1 kilometre (0.62 mi)
9 October 19:15	V-2		V-2 No. 27	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			GE	Suborbital	Aeronomy (University of Michigan) / Solar UV (NRL)^[17]^{: 376–378}	9 October	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 156 kilometres (97 mi), steering disturbance at 48.4 seconds, roll at 52 seconds^[14]
18 October 07:47	V-2			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	28 October	Partial failure
		Apogee: 86 kilometres (53 mi); destroyed during ballistic portion of flight^[23]
20 October 07:47	V-2			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	20 October	Partial failure
		Apogee: 85 kilometres (53 mi); tore loose from launch stand; flew 180 kilometres (110 mi) left of planned target^[23]
23 October 14:05	V-2			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	23 October	Launch failure
		Apogee: 14 kilometres (8.7 mi); payload destroyed, rocket disintegrated^[23]
28 October 14:05	V-2			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	28 October	Successful
		Apogee: 87 kilometres (54 mi)^[23]
31 October 13:41	V-2			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	31 October	Launch failure
		Apogee: 0 kilometres (0 mi); loss of control on longitudinal axis^[23]
2 November 15:14	V-2			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	2 November	Successful
		Apogee: 88 kilometres (55 mi)^[23]
3 November 12:05	V-2			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	3 November	Launch failure
		Apogee: 0 kilometres (0 mi); rolled after launch and lost stabilization^[23]
4 November 15:02	V-2			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	4 November	Successful
		Apogee: 89 kilometres (55 mi)^[23]
10 November 09:39	V-2			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	10 November	Launch failure
		Apogee: 11 kilometres (6.8 mi); lost guidance^[23]
13 November 08:30	V-2			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	13 November	Successful
		Apogee: 89 kilometres (55 mi)^[23]
13 November 14:00	V-2			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	13 November	Partial failure
		Apogee: 89 kilometres (55 mi); broke up on re-entry^[23]
20 November 23:47	V-2		GE Special	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			GE	Suborbital	Technology development flight for GE	20 November	Launch failure
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 21 kilometres (13 mi), propulsion trouble at 36 seconds^[14]^[17]^: 471
24 November 17:20	Aerobee RTV-N-8		A4	White Sands LC-35		US Navy

			APL	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation	24 November	Launch failure
		Apogee: 55.8 kilometres (34.7 mi), maiden flight of the Aerobee RTV-N-8, although three booster tests with dummy upper stages occurred earlier in the year.^[17]^{: 260–261} Flew off course, flight terminated.^[24]
8 December 21:42	V-2		V-2 No. 28	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Blossom II	AMC	Suborbital	Aeronomy (University of Michigan, Boston University) / Solar X-Ray / Ionospheric (Boston University, WADC) / Sky Brightness (AFCRC)^[17]^{: 379–382}	8 December	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 105 kilometres (65 mi)^[14]

1948

1948 launches
Date and time (UTC)	Rocket		Flight number	Launch site		LSP
		Payload	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (UTC)	Outcome
		Remarks
22 January 20:12	V-2		V-2 No. 34	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			NRL	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Cosmic Radiation / Ionospheric	22 January	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 159 kilometres (99 mi)^[14]^[17]^{: 396–397}
6 February 17:17	V-2		V-2 No. 36	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			GE	Suborbital	Technology development flight for GE	6 February	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 113 kilometres (70 mi)^[14]^[17]^{: 401–402}
5 March 22:51	Aerobee RTV-N-8		A5	White Sands LC-35		US Navy

			APL	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation	5 March	Successful
		Apogee: 117.5 kilometres (73.0 mi)^[17]^{: 262–263}
19 March 23:10	V-2		V-2 No. 39	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Blossom IIA	GE / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Magnetic Field	19 March	Launch failure
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi), air pressure failure caused early burnout^[14]^[17]^{: 408–409}
2 April 13:47	V-2		V-2 No. 25	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Grenades	USASC / University of Michigan / NRL	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Cosmic Radiation / Solar UV	2 April	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 144 kilometres (89 mi)^[14]^[17]^{: 372–373}
13 April 21:41	Aerobee RTV-N-8		A6	White Sands LC-35		US Navy

			APL / NOL	Suborbital	Magnetic field research	13 April	Successful
		Apogee: 114.3 kilometres (71.0 mi)^[17]^{: 264–265}
19 April 19:54	V-2		V-2 No. 38	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			NRL	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Cosmic Radiation / Solar UV / Ionospheric	19 April	Launch failure
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 56 kilometres (35 mi), guidance failure caused irratic flight and cutoff was triggered at 57.1 seconds^[14]^[17]^{: 406–407}
13 May 13:43	Bumper			White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Bumper 1	GE	Suborbital	Solar / Ionosphere	13 May	Successful
		Maiden flight of Bumper, apogee: 127.6 kilometres (79.3 mi)^[25]
27 May 14:15	V-2		V-2 No. 35	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			APL	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Cosmic Radiation / Solar UV / Photography	27 May	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 140 kilometres (87 mi)^[14]^[17]^{: 399–400}
11 June 10:22	V-2		V-2 No. 37	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Blossom III	AMC	Suborbital	Solar X-Ray / Ionospheric / Sky Brightness / Aeronomy / Biological	11 June	Launch failure
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 63 kilometres (39 mi), premature valve closure caused an early engine cutoff.^[14]^[17]^{: 403–405} Carried the monkey Albert I.
26 July 16:47	Aerobee RTV-N-8		A7	White Sands LC-35		US Navy

			APL	Suborbital	Earth Imaging	26 July	Successful
		Apogee: 112.7 kilometres (70.0 mi)^[17]^{: 266–267}
26 July 18:03	V-2		V-2 No. 40	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			APL	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Aeronomy	26 July	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 97 kilometres (60 mi), propulsion issues at 45.2 seconds^[14]^[17]^{: 411–412}
5 August 12:07	V-2		V-2 No. 43	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			NRL	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Cosmic Radiation / Solar UV / Solar X-Ray / Ionospheric / Photography	5 August	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 167 kilometres (104 mi)^[14]^[17]^{: 418–419}
6 August 01:37	Aerobee RTV-N-8		NRL 1	White Sands LC-35		US Navy

			NRL	Suborbital	Solar Radiation / Aeronomy	6 August	Successful
		Apogee: 97 kilometres (60 mi)^[17]^{: 293–294}
19 August 14:45	Bumper			White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Bumper 2	GE	Suborbital	Solar UV	19 August	Launch failure
		Apogee: 13.1 kilometres (8.1 mi)^[25]
3 September 01:00	V-2		V-2 No. 33	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Grenades	USASC / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	3 September	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 151 kilometres (94 mi)^[14]^[17]^{: 394–395}
17 September	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	17 September	Launch failure
		Maiden flight of the R-1^[26]
30 September 15:30	Bumper			White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Bumper 3	GE	Suborbital	Solar UV / X-Ray	30 September	Launch failure
		Apogee: 150.6 kilometres (93.6 mi), 2nd stage failure^[25]
10 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	10 October	Successful^[26]
11 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test, sounding rocket	11 October	Successful
		First Soviet spaceflight with scientific experiments^[26]
13 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	13 October	Successful^[26]
21 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	21 October	Successful^[26]
23 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	23 October	Successful^[26]
1 November 14:24	Bumper			White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Bumper 4	GE	Suborbital	Test flight	1 November	Launch failure
		Apogee: 5 kilometres (3.1 mi), tail explosion at 28.5 seconds^[25]
1 November	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	1 November	Successful^[26]
2 November 00:15	Aerobee RTV-N-8		A8	White Sands LC-35		US Navy

			APL / NRL	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Solar X-Ray	2 November	Successful
		Apogee: 90.9 kilometres (56.5 mi)^[17]^{: 268–269}
3 November	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	3 November	Successful^[26]
4 November	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	4 November	Successful^[26]
5 November	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	5 November	Successful
		Last of nine launches in the first test series^[26]
18 November 22:35	V-2		V-2 No. 44	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			GE	Suborbital	Ramjet research / Aeronomy / Solar X-Ray / Biological	18 November	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 145 kilometres (90 mi), carried seeds and tested a Hermes B-1 ramjet diffuser in place of the warhead^[14]^[17]^{: 420–421}
9 December 16:08	V-2		V-2 No. 42	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			USASC	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Solar X-Ray / Biological	9 December	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 108 kilometres (67 mi), carried seeds^[14]^[17]^{: 416–417}
9 December 22:38	Aerobee XASR-SC-1		SC 1	White Sands LC-35		US Army

			USASC / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	9 December	Successful
		Apogee: 91.6 kilometres (56.9 mi), maiden flight of the XASR-SC-1^[17]^{: 188–189}

1949

1949 launches
Date and time (UTC)	Rocket		Flight number	Launch site		LSP
		Payload	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (UTC)	Outcome
		Remarks
14 January 20:26	V-2			White Sands LC-33		US Army

		Hermes II	US Army	Suborbital	Missile test	14 January	Launch failure
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 1 kilometre (0.62 mi)^[27]
28 January 17:20	V-2		V-2 No. 45	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			NRL	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Cosmic Radiation / Solar Radiation / Ionospheric / Photography / Biological	28 January	Launch failure
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 60 kilometres (37 mi), carried seeds. Poor propulsion and control, fuel cutoff triggered at 56.4 seconds.^[14]^[17]^{: 423–424}
29 January 06:17	Aerobee RTV-N-8		NRL 2	White Sands LC-35		US Navy

			NRL	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Aeronomy / Ionospheric / Solar X-Ray	29 January	Successful
		Apogee: 97 kilometres (60 mi)^[17]^{: 295–296}
1 February 18:38	Aerobee RTV-N-8		NRL 3	White Sands LC-35		US Navy

			NRL	Suborbital	Solar UV / Solar X-Ray	1 February	Launch failure
		Apogee: 0 kilometres (0 mi), booster exploded at ignition^[17]^: 297
17 February 17:00	V-2		V-2 No. 48	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			APL	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Cosmic Radiation / Solar UV / Photography / Biological	17 February	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 127 kilometres (79 mi), carried fruit flies^[14]^[17]^{: 431–432}
24 February 22:14	Bumper			White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Bumper 5	GE	Suborbital	Aeronomy	24 February	Successful
		Apogee: 393 kilometres (244 mi). The new altitude record.^[25]
2 March 00:15	Aerobee RTV-N-8		A9	White Sands LC-35		US Navy

			APL	Suborbital	Test for shipboard launch	2 March	Successful
		Dummy firing to evaluate shipboard launching procedures^[17]^: 270
17 March 23:20	Aerobee RTV-N-8		A10	USS Norton Sound, Pacific Ocean near South America		US Navy

			APL	Suborbital	Ionospheric	17 March	Successful
		Apogee: 105 kilometres (65 mi)^[28]^[17]^{: 271–272}
22 March 06:43	V-2		V-2 No. 41	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Blossom IVA	AMC	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Solar X-Ray / Imaging / Ionospheric	22 March	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 129 kilometres (80 mi)^[14]^[17]^{: 413–415}
22 March 17:30	Aerobee RTV-N-8		A11	USS Norton Sound, Pacific Ocean near South America		US Navy

			APL	Suborbital	Ionospheric	22 March	Successful
		Apogee: 105 kilometres (65 mi)^[17]^{: 273–274}
24 March 15:14	Aerobee RTV-N-8		A12	USS Norton Sound, Pacific Ocean near South America		US Navy

			APL	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation	24 March	Launch failure
		Apogee: 6.0 kilometres (3.7 mi), pressure valve malfunction, booster separated on ignition^[17]^: 275
11 April 22:05	V-2		V-2 No. 50	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			USASC	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Solar X-Ray / Biological	11 April	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 85 kilometres (53 mi), carried seeds and bacteria^[14]^[17]^{: 436–437}
22 April 00:17	Bumper			White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Bumper 6	GE	Suborbital	Solar / Aeronomy	22 April	Launch failure
		Apogee: 50 kilometres (31 mi)^[25]
3 May 16:14	Viking (first model)			White Sands LC-33 – Army Launch Area 1		US Navy

		Viking 1	NRL	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Imaging	3 May	Partial launch failure
		Apogee: 83 kilometres (52 mi)^[6]^: 236^[29]
5 May 15:15	V-2		V-2 No. 46	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			GE	Suborbital	Technology development for GE / Solar Radiation	5 May	Launch failure
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 8.77 kilometres (5.45 mi), carried a Hermes B-1 ramjet diffuser in place of the warhead. Premature cutoff at 25.5 seconds.^[14]^[17]^{: 425–426}
7 May 03:12	R-1A			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	7 May	Successful
		Apogee: 109 kilometres (68 mi), maiden flight of R-1A,^[10] tested separable warhead
10 May 15:57	R-1A			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	10 May	Successful
		Tested separable warhead^[10]
15 May 02:48	R-1A			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	15 May	Successful
		Tested separable warhead^[10]
16 May 21:55	R-1A			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	16 May	Successful
		Tested separable warhead^[10]
24 May 01:40	R-1A			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

		FIAR-1	NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test / Aeronomy	24 May	Partial Failure
		Vertical flight, tested separable warhead, carried aeronomy experiments that were not recovered^[10]
28 May 01:50	R-1A			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

		FIAR-1	NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test / Aeronomy	28 May	Partial Failure
		Final R-1A flight; vertical flight, tested separable warhead, carried aeronomy experiments damaged on landing and returned no usable data^[10]
2 June 13:10	Aerobee XASR-SC-1		SC 2	White Sands LC-35		US Army

			USASC / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	2 June	Successful
		Apogee: 78.4 kilometres (48.7 mi)^[17]^{: 190–191}
14 June 22:35	V-2		V-2 No. 47	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Blossom IVB	AMC	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Solar X-Ray / Aeronomy / Ionospheric / Biological	14 June	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 134 kilometres (83 mi), carried Albert II, the first mammal and monkey in space. Albert II died on impact after his capsule's parachute failed.^[20]^[14]^[17]^{: 427–430}
15 June 02:03	Aerobee RTV-N-8		NRL 5	White Sands LC-35		US Navy

			NRL	Suborbital	Ozone Spectroscopy / Solar X-Ray	15 June	Successful
		Apogee: 109 kilometres (68 mi)^[17]^{: 300–301}
17 June 11:50	Aerobee RTV-N-8		A13	White Sands LC-35		US Navy

			APL	Suborbital	Aerodynamics test	17 June	Successful
		Apogee: 88 kilometres (55 mi)^[17]^: 276
23 June 23:21	Aerobee RTV-N-8		A14	White Sands LC-35		US Navy

			APL / NRL	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Solar X-Ray	23 June	Successful
		Apogee: 88 kilometres (55 mi)^[17]^{: 277–278}
21 July 16:01	Aerobee XASR-SC-1		SC 4	White Sands LC-35		US Army

			USASC / University of Michigan / NRL	Suborbital	Solar X-Ray / Aeronomy	21 July	Successful
		Apogee: 76.1 kilometres (47.3 mi)^[17]^{: 194–195}
6 September 16:57	Viking (first model)			White Sands LC-33 – Army Launch Area 1		US Navy

		Viking 2	NRL	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Imaging	6 September	Launch failure
		Apogee: 51 kilometres (32 mi)^[6]^: 236^[29]
10 September	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	10 September	Successful^[26]
		First flight of second series of tests
11 September	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	11 September	Successful^[26]
13 September	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	13 September	Successful^[26]
14 September	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	14 September	Successful^[26]
16 September 23:19	V-2		V-2 No. 32	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Blossom IVC	AMC	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Ionospheric / Cosmic Radiation / Solar X-Ray / Biological	16 September	Launch failure
		Apogee: 4.2 kilometres (2.6 mi), carried Albert III. Rocket tumbled after two explosions in the tail section at 10.7 and 24.2 seconds.^[14]^[17]^{: 391–393}
17 September	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	17 September	Successful^[26]
19 September	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	19 September	Successful^[26]
20 September	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	20 September	Launch failure^[26]
20 September 17:03	Aerobee XASR-SC-1		SC 5	White Sands LC-35		US Army

			USASC / University of Michigan / NRL	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Solar X-Ray	20 September	Successful
		Apogee: 58.6 kilometres (36.4 mi)^[17]^{: 196–197}
23 September	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	23 September	Launch failure^[26]
25 September 11:16	R-2E			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	25 September	Successful
		Maiden flight of R-2E, a modified R-1 missile to test R-2 concepts: integral fuel tank and separable warhead^[30]
28 September	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	28 September	Successful^[26]
29 September 16:58	V-2		V-2 No. 49	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			NRL	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Cosmic Radiation / Ionospheric / Meteoric Dust Collectors	29 September	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 151 kilometres (94 mi)^[14]^[17]^{: 433–434}
30 September 11:49	R-2E			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	30 September	Successful^[30]
2 October 11:00	R-2E			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	2 October	Partial failure
		Fire in tail compartment^[30]
3 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	3 October	Successful^[26]
6 October	V-2			White Sands LC-33		US Army

		Hermes II	US Army	Suborbital	Missile test	6 October	Launch failure
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 4 kilometres (2.5 mi)^[27]
8 October 06:05	R-2E			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	8 October	Successful^[30]
8 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	8 October	Successful^[26]
10 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	10 October	Successful^[26]
11 October 12:45	R-2E			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	11 October	Partial failure
		Fire in tail compartment, last of five R-2E launches^[30]
12 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	12 October	Successful^[26]
13 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	13 October	Successful^[26]
13 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	13 October	Successful^[26]
15 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	15 October	Successful^[26]
18 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	18 October	Successful^[26]
19 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	19 October	Successful^[26]
22 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	22 October	Successful^[26]
23 October	R-1			Kapustin Yar		NII-88 Section 3

			NII-88 Section 3	Suborbital	Missile test	23 October	Successful^[26]
		Last of second series of twenty firings
18 November 16:03	V-2		V-2 No. 56	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Grenades	USASC	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Cosmic Radiation	18 November	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 124 kilometres (77 mi)^[14]^[17]^{: 450–451}
2 December 22:20	Aerobee RTV-A-1		USAF 1	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force

			AFCRL / Boston University / WADC	Suborbital	Solar X-Ray / Aeronomy / Imaging	2 December	Successful
		Apogee: 96.1 kilometres (59.7 mi), maiden flight of the RTV-A-1^[17]^: 46–47
6 December 18:32	Aerobee XASR-SC-1		SC 3	White Sands LC-35		US Army

			USASC / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	6 December	Successful
		Apogee: 64.9 kilometres (40.3 mi)^[17]^{: 192–193}
7 December 00:16	Aerobee XASR-SC-1		SC 7	White Sands LC-35		US Army

			USASC / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	7 December	Successful
		Apogee: 60.0 kilometres (37.3 mi)^[17]^{: 200–201}
8 December 19:15	V-2		V-2 No. 31	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Blossom IVD	AMC	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Ionospheric / Solar X-Ray / Biological	8 December	Successful
		Apogee: 127 kilometres (79 mi), carried Albert IV^[14]^[17]^{: 388–390}
15 December 17:10	Aerobee RTV-A-1		USAF 2	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force

			AFCRL / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Solar X-Ray / Aeronomy	15 December	Launch failure
		Apogee: 0.3 kilometres (0.19 mi), exploded shortly after leaving tower^[17]^: 48–49

1950

1950 launches
Date and time (UTC)	Rocket		Flight number	Launch site		LSP
		Payload	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (UTC)	Outcome
		Remarks
15 January 23:45	Aerobee RTV-N-10		A15	USS Norton Sound, Gulf of Alaska		US Navy

			APL	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation	15 January	Successful
		Ship-launched; Apogee: 72 kilometres (45 mi), maiden flight of the RTV-N-10^[17]^{: 279–280}
18 January 23:17	Aerobee RTV-N-10		A16	USS Norton Sound, Pacific Ocean near the state of Washington		US Navy

			APL	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation	18 January	Successful
		Ship-launched; Apogee: 80 kilometres (50 mi)^[17]^{: 281–282}
9 February 21:44	Viking (first model)			White Sands LC-33 – Army Launch Area 1		US Navy

		Viking 3	NRL	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Solar Radiation / Aeronomy / Imaging	9 February	Launch failure
		Veered off-course, failed to reach space, apogee: 80 kilometres (50 mi)^[6]^: 236^[29]
14 February 23:14	Aerobee RTV-N-8		NRL 4	White Sands LC-35		US Navy

			NRL	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation / Aeronomy	14 February	Successful
		Apogee: 87.5 kilometres (54.4 mi), final flight of the RTV-N-8^[17]^{: 298–299}
17 February 18:00	V-2		V-2 No. 53	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			NRL	Suborbital	Solar X-Ray / Cosmic Radiation / Aeronomy	17 February	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 148 kilometres (92 mi)^[14]^[17]^{: 444–445}
22 February 00:54:30	Aerobee XASR-SC-1		SC 9	White Sands LC-35		US Army

			USASC / University of Michigan / NRL	Suborbital	Solar X-Ray / Aeronomy	22 February	Successful
		Apogee: 49.1 kilometres (30.5 mi)^[17]^{: 204–205}
4 March 00:36	Aerobee XASR-SC-1		SC 6	White Sands LC-35		US Army

		Grenades	USASC	Suborbital	Aeronomy	4 March	Successful
		Apogee: 72 kilometres (45 mi)^[17]^{: 198–199}
14 March 20:43	Aerobee RTV-A-1		USAF 3	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force

			AFCRL / University of Rhode Island	Suborbital	Solar Radiation / Sky Brightness	14 March	Launch failure
		Apogee: 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi), premature fuel cutoff after 4.75 seconds.^[17]^: 50–51
26 April 01:11	Aerobee XASR-SC-2		SC 11	White Sands LC-35		US Army

			USASC / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	26 April	Successful
		Apogee: 99.5 kilometres (61.8 mi), maiden flight of the XASR-SC-2^[17]^{: 208–209}
12 May 03:08	Viking (first model)			USS Norton Sound, Pacific Ocean, near Jarvis Island		US Navy

		Viking 4	NRL	Suborbital	Ionospheric / Aeronomy	12 May	Successful
		Apogee: 169 kilometres (105 mi)^[6]^: 236^[29]
12 May 12:30	Aerobee RTV-N-10		A17	White Sands LC-35		US Navy

			APL	Suborbital	Cosmic Radiation	12 May	Successful
		Apogee: 88.1 kilometres (54.7 mi)^[17]^{: 283–284}
26 May 19:43	Aerobee RTV-A-1		USAF 4	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force

			AFCRL / University of Rhode Island	Suborbital	Solar Radiation	26 May	Successful
		Apogee: 67 kilometres (42 mi)^[17]^: 52–53
2 June 17:07	Aerobee RTV-A-1		USAF 5	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force

			AFCRL	Suborbital	Sky Brightness	2 June	Partial launch failure
		Apogee: 24.8 kilometres (15.4 mi), nose cone broke off at 2.8 seconds and rocket continued flying without nose. Some telemetry received and instruments operated satisfactorally, but experiments returned no data due to short flight duration.^[17]^: 54–55
20 June 15:38	Aerobee RTV-A-1		USAF 6	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force

			AFCRL / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	20 June	Successful
		Apogee: 92.5 kilometres (57.5 mi)^[17]^: 56–57
14 July 08:39	Aerobee XASR-SC-1		SC 8	White Sands LC-35		US Army

		Grenades	USASC	Suborbital	Aeronomy	14 July	Successful
		Apogee: 69 kilometres (43 mi)^[17]^{: 202–203}
24 July 14:29	Bumper			Cape Canaveral LC-3		GE / US Army

		Bumper 8	GE	Suborbital	Low angle speed test	24 July	Launch failure
		First missile launch from Cape Canaveral; apogee: 20 kilometres (12 mi)^[25]
29 July 11:25	Bumper			Cape Canaveral LC-3		GE / US Army

		Bumper 7	GE	Suborbital	Low angle speed test	29 July	Successful
		Apogee: 35.2 kilometres (21.9 mi)^[25]
3 August 23:52	Aerobee RTV-N-10		NRL 6	White Sands LC-35		US Navy

			NRL	Suborbital	Sunfollower Spectroscopy / Solar X-Ray	3 August	Launch failure
		Apogee: 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi), fuel line rupture caused sustainer to produce no useful thrust^[17]^: 302
17 August 15:45	Aerobee RTV-N-10		A18	White Sands LC-35		US Navy

			APL	Suborbital	Aeronomy	17 August	Successful
		Apogee: 101 kilometres (63 mi)^[17]^{: 285–286}
31 August 17:09	V-2		V-2 No. 51	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

		Blossom IVG	AMC	Suborbital	Solar X-Ray / Aeronomy / Ionospheric / Sky Brightness / Biological	31 August	Successful
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 137 kilometres (85 mi), carried a mouse which did not survive due to a parachute failure^[14]^[17]^{: 438–440}
1 October	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1

			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	1 October	Partial failure
		Maiden flight of the R-2 prototype missile; missed target^[31]
1 October	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1

			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	1 October	Partial failure
		Missed target^[31]
12 October 19:36	Aerobee RTV-A-1		USAF 7	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force

			AFCRL / WADC / Boston University	Suborbital	Photography / Temperature	12 October	Successful
		Apogee: 91.2 kilometres (56.7 mi)^[17]^: 58–59
17 October 04:00	Aerobee XASR-SC-2		SC 10	White Sands LC-35		US Army

		Grenades	USASC	Suborbital	Aeronomy	17 October	Successful
		Apogee: 80 kilometres (50 mi)^[17]^{: 206–207}
18 October 04:30	Aerobee XASR-SC-2		SC 12	White Sands LC-35		US Army

		Grenades	USASC	Suborbital	Aeronomy	18 October	Successful
		Apogee: 85.6 kilometres (53.2 mi)^[17]^{: 210–211}
21 October	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1

			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	21 October	Partial Failure
		Missed target^[31]
26 October 23:02	V-2		V-2 No. 61	White Sands LC-33		GE / US Army

			Ballistic Research Laboratory	Suborbital	Technology development	26 October	Partial failure
		Project Hermes launch: 8.1 kilometres (5.0 mi), rocket exploded at 50 seconds, but experiment still considered successful.^[14]^[17]^{: 460–462}
27 October 13:30	Aerobee XASR-SC-2		SC 13	White Sands LC-35		US Army

			USASC / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	27 October	Successful
		Apogee: 80.1 kilometres (49.8 mi)^[17]^{: 212–213}
1 November	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1

			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	1 November	Partial failure
		Missed target^[31]
1 November	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1

			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	1 November	Partial failure
		Missed target^[31]
1 November	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1

			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	1 November	Partial failure
		Missed target^[31]
1 November	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1

			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	1 November	Partial failure
		Missed target^[31]
1 November	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1

			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	1 November	Partial failure
		Missed target^[31]
2 November 16:29	Aerobee RTV-A-1		USAF 8	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force

			AFCRL / University of Colorado / University of Denver	Suborbital	Airglow	2 November	Successful
		Apogee: 92 kilometres (57 mi)^[17]^: 60–61
9 November	V-2			White Sands LC-33		US Army

		Hermes II	US Army	Suborbital	Missile test	9 November	Partial Failure
		Project Hermes launch, apogee: 150 kilometres (93 mi), final flight of the Hermes II^[32]
21 November 17:18	Viking (first model)			White Sands LC-33 – Army Launch Area 1		US Navy

		Viking 5	NRL	Suborbital	Ionospheric / Solar Radiation / Aeronomy	21 November	Successful
		Apogee: 174 kilometres (108 mi)^[6]^: 236^[29]
1 December	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1

			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	1 December	Partial failure
		Missed target^[31]
1 December	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1

			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	1 December	Partial failure
		Missed target^[31]
1 December	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1

			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	1 December	Partial failure
		Missed target^[31]
11 December 17:04	Aerobee XASR-SC-2		SC 15	White Sands LC-35		US Army

			USASC / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	11 December	Launch failure
		Apogee: 0.3 kilometres (0.19 mi)^[17]^: 216
12 December 04:06	Aerobee XASR-SC-2		SC 14	White Sands LC-35		US Army

		Grenades	USASC	Suborbital	Aeronomy	12 December	Successful
		Apogee: 83.8 kilometres (52.1 mi)^[17]^{: 214–215}
12 December 07:04	Viking (first model)			White Sands LC-33 – Army Launch Area 1		US Navy

		Viking 6	NRL	Suborbital	Aeronomy / Solar Radiation / Ionospheric	12 December	Launch failure
		Apogee: 64 kilometres (40 mi)^[6]^: 236^[29]
12 December 09:10	Aerobee XASR-SC-2		SC 16	White Sands LC-35		US Army

		Grenades	USASC	Suborbital	Aeronomy	12 December	Successful
		Apogee: 77.7 kilometres (48.3 mi)^[17]^{: 217–218}
12 December 18:26	Aerobee RTV-A-1		USAF 9	Holloman LC-A		US Air Force

			AFCRL / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	12 December	Successful
		Apogee: 106 kilometres (66 mi)^[17]^: 62–63
19 December 18:52	Aerobee XASR-SC-2		SC 17	White Sands LC-35		US Army

			USASC / University of Michigan	Suborbital	Aeronomy	19 December	Successful
		Apogee: 81.9 kilometres (50.9 mi)^[17]^{: 219–220}
20 December	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1

			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	20 December	Partial failure
		Final flight of 12 mission prototype series; missed target^[31]

← 1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950 →

Suborbital launch summary (1945–1950)

By country

Launches by country
	Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures
United Kingdom	3	2	0	1
United States	120	84	32	4
Soviet Union	64	38	7	19

By rocket

16

32

48

64

80

Launches by rocket
Rocket	Country	Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures	Remarks
V-2	United Kingdom	3	2	0	1	Maiden flight, retired
V-2 / Hermes II	United States	59	40	17	2	Maiden flight, first US spaceflight
Bumper	United States	8	3	5	0	Maiden flight, retired
Viking (first model)	United States	6	2	3	1	Maiden flight
Aerobee RTV-N-8	United States	16	13	3	0	Maiden flight, retired
Aerobee RTV-N-10	United States	5	4	1	0	Maiden flight
Aerobee XASR-SC-1	United States	9	9	0	0	Maiden flight
Aerobee XASR-SC-2	United States	8	7	1	0	Maiden flight
Aerobee RTV-A-1	United States	9	6	2	1	Maiden flight
V-2	Soviet Union	11	4	4	3	Maiden flight, retired
R-1	Soviet Union	30	27	3	0	Maiden flight, first Soviet spaceflight
R-1A	Soviet Union	6	4	0	2	Maiden flight, retired
R-2E	Soviet Union	5	3	0	2	Maiden flight, retired
R-2	Soviet Union	12	0	0	12	Maiden flight

References

^ Paul Voosen (24 July 2018). "Outer space may have just gotten a bit closer". Science. doi:10.1126/science.aau8822. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
^ ^a ^b Louis de Gouyon Matignon. "Peenemünde and the German V-2 rockets". Space Legal Issues. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
^ Dieter K. Kuzel (1962). Peenemünde to Canaveral. United States of America: Prentice Hall.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Willy Ley (June 1951). Rockets, Missiles, and Space Travel. Dominion of Canada: Viking Press. OCLC 716327624.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Boris Chertok (June 2006). Rockets and People, Volume II: Creating a Rocket Industry. Washington D.C.: NASA. OCLC 946818748.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Milton W. Rosen (1955). The Viking Rocket Story. New York: Harper & Brothers. OCLC 317524549.
^ ^a ^b George Ludwig (2011). Opening Space Research. Washington D.C.: geopress. OCLC 845256256.
^ Beischer, DE; Fregly, AR (1962). "Animals and man in space. A chronology and annotated bibliography through the year 1960" (PDF). US Naval School of Aviation Medicine. ONR TR ACR-64 (AD0272581). Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2011.((cite journal)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ Asif A. Siddiqi. Challenge to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945–1974 (pdf). Washington D.C.: NASA. OCLC 1001823253. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Mark Wade. "R-1A". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 21 January 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
^ Mark Wade. "Aerobee". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c Mark Wade. "V-2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c Report on operation 'Backfire' Recording and analysis of the trajectory. Vol. 5. Ministry of Supply. January 1946. pp. 9–11.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak ^al ^am ^an ^ao ^ap ^aq ^ar ^as ^at ^au ^av ^aw ^ax ^ay ^az ^ba ^bb ^bc ^bd ^be ^bf ^bg ^bh L. D. White (September 1952). Final Report, Project Hermes V-2 Missile Program. Schnectady, New York: Guided Missile Department, Aeronautic and Ordnance Systems Division, Defense Products Group, General Electric. p. Table I.
^ William R. Corliss (1967). Scientific Satellites. Washington D.C.: Science and Technical Information Division, Office of Technology Utilization, NASA. p. 62. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Gregory P. Kennedy (2009). The Rockets and Missiles of White Sands Proving Ground. Atglen, PA.: Schiffer Publishing. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-7643-3251-7.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak ^al ^am ^an ^ao ^ap ^aq ^ar ^as ^at ^au ^av ^aw ^ax ^ay ^az ^ba ^bb ^bc ^bd ^be ^bf ^bg ^bh ^bi ^bj ^bk ^bl ^bm ^bn ^bo ^bp ^bq ^br ^bs ^bt ^bu ^bv ^bw ^bx ^by ^bz ^ca ^cb ^cc ^cd ^ce ^cf ^cg ^ch ^ci ^cj ^ck ^cl ^cm ^cn ^co ^cp 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 8 November 2022.
^ ^a ^b H. E. Newell, Jr.; J. W. Siry (30 December 1946). Naval Research Laboratory Report No. R-3030: Upper Atmospheric Research Report Number II (PDF). Washington D.C.: Naval Research Laboratory. p. Table I. Archived from the original (pdf) on 6 September 2017.
^ F. Zwicky (February 1947). "The First Night–Firing of a V-2 Rocket in the United States" (pdf). Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 59 (346): 32. Archived from the original on 20 June 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
^ ^a ^b Gregory P. Kennedy. "Chronology of Human Space Exploration: Part 1: 1900 – 1950". I-Spy Space. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2008.
^ Gregory P. Kennedy (2009). The Rockets and Missiles of White Sands Proving Ground. Atglen, PA.: Schiffer Publishing. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-7643-3251-7.
^ Michael J. Neufeld (2007). Von Braun, Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War. New York: Vintage Books. p. 239. ISBN 978-0-307-38937-4.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Mark Wade. "Kapustin Yar V-2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
^ James A. Van Allen & John W. Townsend, Jr. (1959). "Chapter 4:The Aerobee Rocket". In H. E. Newell (ed.). Sounding Rockets. McGraw-Hill Book Company. pp. 61–62.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Mark Wade. "BUMPER-WAC". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 21 January 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad Mark Wade. "R-1". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
^ ^a ^b Mark Wade. "White Sands LC33". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
^ McDowell, Jonathan C. "General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects, Launches, Aerobee". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Mark Wade. "Viking Sounding Rocket". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 8 July 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Mark Wade. "R-2E". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Mark Wade. "R-2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
^ Michael J. Neufeld (2007). Von Braun, Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War. New York: Vintage Books. p. 249. ISBN 978-0-307-38937-4.

v t e Timeline of spaceflight
Spaceflight before 1951
1950s	1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960s	1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970s	1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980s	1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990s	1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000s	2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010s	2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
2020s	2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
Future

Origins and rocket development

Space exploration

V-2, WAC Corporal, and R-1A

Aerobee

Viking

Launches

1942

1943

1944

1945

1946

1947

1948

1949

1950

Suborbital launch summary (1945–1950)

By country

By rocket

See also

References