Compiled by
Gregory P. Kennedy
Manned Space Flight Chronology 1961 to 1966
January 31, 1961 -- Mercury Redstone-2, suborbital test flight carrying chimpanzee "HAM." (USA)
February 21, 1961 -- Mercury Atlas-2, unmanned reentry test. (USA)
February 22, 1961 French launch of rat Hector aboard Veronique sounding rocket. Reached 69 miles. (FRA)
March 9, 1961 -- Launch of Korabl Sputnik-4; unmanned test of Vostok spacecraft; carried dog Chernushka; recovered successfully. (USSR)
March 18, 1961 -- Mercury Little Joe 5-A launch from Wallops Island, VA. (USA)
March 24, 1961 -- MR-BD Mercury Redstone suborbital test flight. (USA)
March 25, 1961 -- Launch of Korabl Sputnik-5; unmanned test of Vostok spacecraft; carried dog Zvezdochka; recovered successfully. (USSR)
April 12, 1961 -- Vostok-1; first manned spaceflight, Soviet Air Force Major Yuri Gagarin orbited the earth once. (USSR)
April 25, 1961 -- Mercury Atlas-3; unmanned orbital test of Mercury spacecraft; booster failed and was destroyed; launch escape system worked and spacecraft was recovered. (USA)
April 28, 1961 -- Mercury Little Joe 5-B launch from Wallops Island, VA. (USA)
May 4, 1961 -- Commander Malcolm D. Ross and Lt. Commander Victor G. Prather reached 113,740 feet in Strato Lab High V balloon flight over Gulf of Mexico; Prather drowned during recovery. (USA)
May 5, 1961 -- Mercury Redstone -3, Freedom-7; suborbital flight piloted by Alan B. Shepard, Jr.; first American manned space flight. (USA)
May 25, 1961 -- President John F. Kennedy announces the United States will "land a man on the moon and return him safely to the earth before this decade is out." (USA)
July 21, 1961 -- Mercury Redstone-4, Liberty Bell 7; suborbital flight piloted by Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom; pilot survived but spacecraft lost during recovery. (USA)
August 6 - 7, 1961 -- Vostok-2 flight by Gherman Titov. (USSR)
August 25, 1961 -- Launch of Ranger-1; Earth-orbital test of lunar impact spacecraft. (USA)
September 13, 1961 -- Mercury Atlas-4; unmanned orbital test of Mercury spacecraft. (USA)
October 27, 1961 SA-1, first flight of the Saturn-1 launch vehicle; suborbital test with dummy upper stage. (USA)
November 18, 1961 Launch of Ranger-2; Earth-orbital test of lunar impact spacecraft. (USA)
November 1, 1961 Mercury-Scout-1; unmanned launch of telemetry package to test worldwide tracking network; launch failure, vehicle destroyed after 43 seconds. (USA)
November 10, 1961 USAF Atlas E; carried squirrel monkey named Goliath, fruit flies, insect eggs, bread mold, and viruses in ballistic capsule. Planned suborbital flight to 650 miles; rocket destroyed by range safety officer shortly after launch. (USA)
November 29, 1961 Mercury Atlas-5, two-orbit flight with chimpanzee Enos on board. (USA)
December 20, 1961 USAF Atlas F; carried Rhesus monkey named Scatback in ballistic capsule. Suborbital flight reached 600 miles; not recovered. (USA)
January 3, 1962 -- Mercury Mark II program became Project Gemini. (USA)
January 26, 1962 -- Launch of Ranger-3; lunar impact spacecraft; missed Moon by 22,862 miles. (USA)
February 20, 1962 -- Mercury Atlas-6, Friendship-7; piloted by John H. Glenn, Jr.; first American manned orbital space flight; orbited Earth three times. (USA)
April 23, 1962 -- Launch of Ranger-4; impacted Moon, but timer failed to turn on instrumentation. (USA)
April 25, 1962 -- SA-2, second flight of Saturn-1; suborbital flight with dummy upper stage. (USA)
May 24, 1962 -- Mercury Atlas-7, Aurora-7, piloted by M. Scott Carpenter. (USA)
July 17, 1962 -- X-15 flight # 62; reached altitude of 314,750 feet; piloted by Robert M. White. (USA)
August 11 - 15, 1962 Vostok-3, piloted by Andrian Nikolayev. (USSR)
August 12 - 15, 1962 Vostok-4, piloted by Pavel Popovich. (USSR)
October 3, 1962 -- Mercury Atlas-8, Sigma-7; piloted by Walter M. Schirra, Jr. (USA)
October 15, 1962 French launch of Veronique sounding rocket with rat Castor on board. Reached altitude of 75 miles. (FRA)
October 18, 1962 French launch of Veronique sounding rocket with rat Pollux on board. Not recovered. (FRA)
October 18, 1962 Launch of Ranger-5; spacecraft systems failed; missed Moon by 450 miles. (USA)
November 16, 1962 SA-3, suborbital flight of Saturn-1 with dummy second stage. (USA)
December 13 - 14, 1962 Project Stargazer balloon flight; Joseph Kittinger and William White reached 81,500 feet. (USA)
January 17, 1963 -- X-15 flight # 77; reached altitude of 271,700 feet; piloted by Joseph Walker; first flight bu a civilian above 50 miles. (USA)
March 3, 1963 -- Luna; launch failure of lunar spacecraft. (USSR)
March 28, 1963 -- SA-4, suborbital flight of Saturn-1 with dummy second stage. (USA)
April 2, 1963 -- Launch of Luna 4; lunar fly-by; passed by Moon at 8,499 kilometers. (USSR)
May 15 - 16, 1963 -- Mercury Atlas-9, Faith-7, piloted by L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. (USA)
June 14 - 19, 1963 Vostok-5, piloted by Valeri Bykovsky. (USSR)
June 16 - 19, 1963 Vostok-6, piloted by Valentina Tereshkova, first woman in space. (USSR)
June 27, 1963 -- X-15 flight # 87; reached 285,000 feet; piloted by Robert Rushworth. (USA)
July 19, 1963 -- X-15 flight #90; reached altitude of 347,800 feet; piloted by Joseph Walker. (USA)
August 22, 1963 X-15 flight #91; reached altitude of 354,200 feet; piloted by Joseph Walker. (USA)
September 18, 1963 -- Launch of ASSET 1; unmanned suborbital test of X-20 Dyna Soar type vehicle; not recovered. (USA)
October 18, 1963 French launch of cat Felicette aboard Veronique sounding rocket. Reached 97 miles; successfully recovered. (FRA)
October 24, 1963 --- French launch of unnamed cat aboard Veronique sounding rocket. Rocket reached 55 miles then exploded. (FRA)
November 7, 1963 Apollo Pad Abort Test #1 at White Sands Missile Range. (USA)
January 29, 1964 -- SA-5, first flight of Saturn-1 with live second stage. (USA)
January 30, 1964 -- Launch of Ranger-6; lunar impact, but TV system failed; no pictures of impact. (USA)
March 24, 1964 -- Launch of ASSET 2; unmanned suborbital test of X-20 Dyna Soar type vehicle; booster malfunctioned; not recovered. (USA)
April 8, 1964 -- Gemini-1, unmanned test flight with boilerplate spacecraft. (USA)
May 13, 1964 -- Apollo mission A-001; Little Joe II flight at White Sands Missile Range; boilerplate spacecraft BP-12. (USA)
May 28, 1964 -- SA-6, unmanned Saturn-1 launched Apollo boilerplate capsule BP-13 into orbit. (USA)
July 19, 1964 First biological rocket flight in China; carried albino rats. (PRC)
July 22, 1964 -- Launch of ASSET 3; unmanned suborbital test of X-20 Dyna Soar type vehicle; recovered. (USA)
July 28, 1964 -- Launch of Ranger-7; first Ranger success; returned close-up images of the Moon prior to impact. (USA)
September 18, 1964 -- SA-7, unmanned Saturn-1 launched Apollo boilerplate capsule BP-15 into orbit. (USA)
October 6, 1964 -- Kosmos-47; unmanned test of Voskhod spacecraft. (USSR)
October 12, 1964 Voskhod-1; crewed by Vladimir Komarov, Konstantine Feoktistov, and Boris Yegorov; first multi-person space flight. (USSR)
October 22, 1964 Launch of ASSET 4; unmanned suborbital test of X-20 Dyna Soar type vehicle; not recovered. (USA)
December 8, 1964 Launch of ASSET 5; unmanned suborbital test of X-20 Dyna Soar type vehicle; not recovered. (USA)
December 8, 1964 Apollo mission A-002, Little Joe II flight from White Sands Missile Range; boilerplate spacecraft BP-23. (USA)
January 19, 1965 -- Gemini-2; unmanned suborbital flight test of Gemini heatshield and recovery system. (USA)
February 16, 1965 -- SA-9, unmanned Saturn-1 launched Apollo boilerplate capsule BP-16 and Pegasus meteoroid detection satellite into orbit. (USA)
February 17, 1965 -- Launch of Ranger-8; returned images of lunar surface prior to impact. (USA)
February 22, 1965 -- Kosmos 57; unmanned Voskhod test; an in-flight explosion surrounded spacecraft with a cloud of debris; main capsule recovered intact. (USSR)
February 23, 1965 -- Launch of ASSET 6; unmanned suborbital test of X-20 Dyna Soar type vehicle; not recovered. (USA)
March 18 - 19, 1965 -- Voskhod-2; crewed by Pavel Belyayev and Alexei Leonov; first extravehicular activity. (USSR)
March 21, 1965 -- Launch of Ranger-9; returned images of lunar surface prior to impact. (USA)
March 23, 1965 -- Gemini-3; crewed by Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom and John W. Young; first manned flight of Gemini spacecraft. (USA)
May 9, 1965 -- Launch of Luna-5; soft-landing attempt; crashed. (USSR)
May 19, 1965 -- Apollo mission A-003, Little Joe II test at White Sands Missile Range, boilerplate spacecraft BP-22. (USA)
May 25, 1965 -- SA-8, unmanned Saturn-1 launched Apollo boilerplate capsule BP-26 and Pegasus meteoroid detection satellite into orbit. (USA)
June 1, 1965 Chinese launch albino rats aboard T-7A(S) rocket. (PRC)
June 3 - 7, 1965 Gemini-4; crewed by James A. McDivitt and Edward H. White II; first American extravehicular activity. (USA)
June 5, 1965 Chinese launch albino rats aboard T-7A(S) rocket. (PRC)
June 8, 1965 -- Launch of Luna-6; soft-landing attempt; crashed. (USSR)
June 29, 1965 -- Apollo pad abort test #2 at White Sands Missile Range; boilerplate spacecraft BP-23A. (USA)
June 29, 1965 -- X-15 flight # 138; reached 280,600 feet; piloted by Joe Engle. (USA)
July 16, 1965 -- First launch of Soviet Proton booster. (USSR)
July 18, 1965 -- Launch of Zond-3; lunar fly-by. (USSR)
July 30, 1965 -- SA-10, unmanned Saturn-1 launched Apollo boilerplate capsule BP-9A and Pegasus meteoroid detection satellite into orbit. (USA)
August 10, 1965 X-15 flight # 143; reached altitude of 271,000 feet; piloted by Joe Engle. (USA)
August 21 - 29, 1965 Gemini-5; crewed by L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., and Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr. (USA)
September 28, 1965 -- X-15 flight # 150; reached altitude of 295,600 feet; piloted by John McKay. (USA)
October 4, 1965 -- Launch of Luna-7; soft landing attempt; crashed. (USSR)
October 14, 1965 X-15 flight # 153; reached altitude of 266,500 feet; piloted by Joe Engle. (USA)
December 3, 1965 Launch of Luna-8; soft landing attempt; crashed. (USSR)
December 4 - 18, 1965 -- Gemini-7; crewed by Frank Borman and James A. Lovell, Jr.; two-week mission; first rendezvous in space with Gemini-6A. (USA)
December 15 - 16, 1965 Gemini-6A; crewed by Walter M. Schirra, Jr., and Thomas P. Stafford; first rendezvous in space with Gemini-7. (USA)
January 20, 1966 -- Apollo mission A-004, Little Joe II flight at White Sands Missile Range; Apollo Command Module CM-002. (USA)
January 31, 1966 -- Launch of Luna-9, first spacecraft to soft-land on the moon; landed February 3, 1966. (USSR)
February 22 - March 16, 1966 -- Kosmos-110; unmanned flight using Voskhod spacecraft; carried dogs Veterok and Ugolek. (USSR)
February 26, 1966 -- Apollo Saturn AS-201; first launch of Saturn IB launch vehicle; suborbital test. (USA)
March 16, 1966 -- Gemini-8; crewed by David R. Scott and Neil A. Armstrong; first docking in space with Agena target vehicle. Crew made emergency landing in Pacific Ocean after thruster malfunctioned. (USA)
March 31, 1966 -- Launch of Luna-10; first object to orbit the Moon. (USSR)
May 30, 1966 -- Launch of Surveyor-1; first American spacecraft to make a soft-landing on the Moon; unmanned craft landed June 2, 1966. (USA)
June 3 - 6, 1966 Gemini-9A; crewed by Thomas P. Stafford and Eugene A. Cernan; rendezvous with Augmented Target Docking Adapter; EVA by Cernan. (USA)
July 5, 1966 Apollo Saturn AS-203; orbital test flight of Saturn IB, no Apollo spacecraft. (USA)
July 14, 1966 Chinese launch T-7A(S2) rocket carrying dog Xiao Bao and rats. (PRC)
July 18 - 21, 1966 -- Gemini-10; crewed by John W. Young and Michael Collins; docking with Agena target; rendezvous with Gemini-8 Agena; EVA by Collins. (USA)
July 28, 1966 Chinese launch T-7A(S2) rocket carrying dog Shan Shan and rats. (PRC)
August 10, 1966 Launch of Lunar Orbiter-1; photographed Moon from orbit. (USA)
August 24, 1966 Launch of Luna-11; lunar orbiting spacecraft. (USSR)
August 25, 1966 Apollo Saturn AS-202; suborbital test of Saturn IB. (USA)
September 12 - 15, 1966 -- Gemini-11; crewed by Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr. and Richard F. Gordon, Jr.; direct ascent, first orbit docking with Agena; boost to 850 miles; EVA by Gordon. (USA)
September 20, 1966 -- Launch of Surveyor-2; crashed on Moon. (USA)
October 22, 1966 Launch of Luna-12; lunar orbiting spacecraft. (USSR)
November 1, 1966 X-15 flight #174; reached 306,900 feet; piloted by Bill Dana. (USA)
November 3, 1966 Gemini 2A; unmanned suborbital test of Manned Orbiting Laboratory Gemini-B spacecraft (Gemini 2 modified to Manned Orbiting Laboratory configuration); launched by a Titan 3M booster. (USA)
November 6, 1966 Launch of Lunar Orbiter-2; photo reconnaissance of Moon. (USSR)
November 11 - 15, 1966 Gemini-12; crewed by James A. Lovell, Jr., and Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr.; docking with Agena; EVA by Aldrin. (USA)
November 28, 1966 Kosmos-133; unmanned test of Soyuz spacecraft. (USSR)
December 14, 1966 Launch attempt of unmanned Soyuz; booster exploded on pad. (USSR)
December 21, 1966 Launch of PRIME 1 (known also as SV-5D); unmanned suborbital test of subscale model of X-24A lifting body. (USA)
December 21, 1966 Launch of Luna-13; soft landing on Moon. (USSR)
NOTE: This chronology contains manned space missions; unmanned test flights of manned spacecraft; significant launch vehicle tests; unmanned lunar probes; select space biology flights; piloted stratospheric balloon flights; flights above 50 miles (264,000 feet) by the X-15 rocket plane; and other significant events in the development of manned space programs.
Biological satellites are listed only when they directly supported a manned space project. In the case of missions where crewmembers were launched in one spacecraft and returned in another, the crew names are with the launch spacecraft and explanations of their return to Earth are in the flight description.
A three- or four-letter country designation is given at the end of each entry. The country designations used are as follows:
BEL Belgium
CIS Post 1990 Russia (Commonwealth of Independent States)
FRA France
GER Germany
POL Poland
PRC Peoples Republic of China
RUS Pre-1917 Russia
USA United States
USSR Soviet Union
This chronology lists events through the second flight of Space Ship One on October 4, 2004.
© Gregory Kennedy 2007
© Optimadata, Inc. 2007