2011 in spaceflight


Space Shuttle Atlantis lands at the Shuttle Landing Facility on July 21, 2011, completing the final mission of the Space Shuttle programme.
Orbital launches
First 20 January
Last 28 December
Total 84
Successes 78
Failures 6
Catalogued 80
Rockets
Maiden Flights Zenit-3F
Long March 2F/G
Retirements Space Shuttle
Delta II Heavy
Manned flights
Orbital 7
Total travellers 28

The year 2011 saw a number of significant events in spaceflight, including the retirement of NASA's Space Shuttle after its final flight in July 2011, and the launch of China's first space station module, Tiangong-1, in September. The Zenit-3F and Long March 2F/G carrier rockets made their maiden flights, while the Delta II Heavy made its last.

Contents

Overview

A total of 84 orbital launches were attempted in 2011, with 78 being reported as successful; 80 launches reached orbit. 35 launches were conducted using Russian and former Soviet rockets, whilst China conducted 19 launches, and the United States 18. Europe conducted five launches, India and Japan launched three rockets each, and Iran conducted one launch.

Space exploration

Numerous scientific exploration missions were begun in 2011. In March 2011, the MESSENGER probe became the first artificial satellite of the planet Mercury. In July, the Dawn spacecraft became the first artificial satellite of the asteroid 4 Vesta. In November, the Mars Science Laboratory – the largest Mars rover yet constructed – was launched.

Manned spaceflight

Seven manned spaceflights – four Soyuz and three Space Shuttle missions – were launched in 2011, carrying a total of 28 astronauts and cosmonauts into orbit. At the beginning of the year, the Expedition 26 crew was aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The first manned flight of the year was STS-133. The final flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery, it launched from the Kennedy Space Center on 24 February, carrying Leonardo; the final American pressurised module of the ISS. The module was successfully installed, with Discovery returning to Earth on 9 March.

On 16 March, Expedition 27 began aboard the ISS with the departure of the Soyuz TMA-01M spacecraft, which had been docked since October 2010. On 4 April, Soyuz TMA-21 launched to the space station, delivering a further three crewmembers. On 16 May, Space Shuttle Space Shuttle Endeavour launched to the station on its final mission, STS-134, delivering and installing the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, before returning to Earth on 1 June. Expedition 28 began aboard the ISS on 23 May with the departure of Soyuz TMA-20, which had been launched in December 2010, and landed in the early morning of 24 May. Three more crewmembers were launched to the space station aboard Soyuz TMA-02M on 7 June.

The final Space Shuttle mission, STS-135, began on 8 July with the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis, carrying supplies for the ISS aboard the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM). After resupplying the space station, Atlantis returned to Earth, landing at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility at 09:57 UTC on 21 July, and concluding thirty years of Space Shuttle operations. Two days before landing, Atlantis deployed PSSC-2, the last satellite to be launched from a Space Shuttle.

On 29 September, China launched its first space station module, Tiangong-1, which was placed into orbit by a Long March 2F/G carrier rocket flying from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. Although no manned missions to the space station were conducted in 2011, the unmanned Shenzhou 8, launched on 31 October, docked twice with the module to test its systems ahead of planned 2012 manned dockings.

ISS Expedition 28 ended, and Expedition 29 began, with the undocking of Soyuz TMA-21 on 16 September. The launch of Soyuz TMA-22 did not take place until 14 November, having been delayed by reliability concerns surrounding the Soyuz rocket after an unmanned launch failure in August. A week later, Soyuz TMA-02M undocked, beginning Expedition 30, with the Soyuz spacecraft landing on 22 November. The final manned launch of the year took place on 21 December, when Soyuz TMA-03M was launched to bring a further three crewmembers to the ISS.

Launch failures

Six orbital launches failed in 2011, four of which failed to achieve orbit and the remaining two reached lower orbits than expected. The first failure occurred on 1 February, when a Rokot with a Briz-KM upper stage placed Kosmos 2470 into a useless orbit, from which it could not recover. The failure was later traced to a software problem on the Briz-KM.

The next failure occurred on 4 March, when the payload fairing of a Taurus-XL failed to separate, resulting in the rocket being too heavy to reach orbit. The Glory climate research satellite, along with the KySat-1, Hermes and Explorer-1 [PRIME] CubeSats were lost in the failure. The previous Taurus-XL launch, carrying the Orbiting Carbon Observatory in February 2009, also failed due to the fairing not separating.

No more launch failures occurred until mid-August when, over the space of a week, three consecutive orbital launches failed. On 17 August, a Proton-M/Briz-M launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying the Ekspress-AM4 communications satellite. In the morning of 18 August, the rocket's upper stage failed to conduct the fourth of five planned burns due to an attitude control system malfunction, leaving the spacecraft in a parking orbit. Later on 18 August, a Long March 2C launched from Jiuquan carrying the Shijian XI-04 satellite. The structural failure of the second stage vernier engine's mounting resulted in a loss of control, and the rocket failed to reach orbit. Finally, on 24 August, a Soyuz-U carrying the Progress M-12M cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station suffered a third-stage engine failure and also failed to orbit.

The final launch failure of 2011 occurred on 23 December, when a Soyuz-2-1b/Fregat carrying the Meridian 5 satellite failed to achieve orbit due to a third-stage malfunction. Debris fell over Novosibirsk Oblast, with one piece hitting a house; however, no casualties were reported.

Launches

← Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec →
Date and time (UTC) Rocket Launch site LSP
Payload Operator Orbit Function Decay (UTC) Outcome
Remarks

January
20 January
12:29:01		 Zenit-3F Baikonur Site 45/1 Roskosmos
Elektro-L No.1 Roskosmos Geostationary Weather In orbit Operational
Maiden flight of Zenit-3F
20 January
21:10[2]		 Delta IV-H Vandenberg SLC-6 United Launch Alliance
USA-224 (Improved Crystal) NRO Low Earth Optical imaging In orbit Operational
NRO Launch 49, first Delta IV Heavy launch from Vandenberg[1]
22 January
05:37:57[3]		 H-IIB 304 Tanegashima LA-Y2 Mitsubishi
Kounotori 2 (HTV-2) JAXA Low Earth (ISS) Logistics 30 March Successful
22 January
06:10[4]		 Terrier-Oriole Wallops Island MDA
Aegis Radar Test MDA Suborbital Radar target 22 January Successful
Aegis Radar target, not intercepted, Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi)
28 January
01:31:41		 Soyuz-U Baikonur Site 1/5 Roskosmos
Progress M-09M Roskosmos Low Earth (ISS) Logistics 26 April
13:22:53		 Successful
Kedr RKK Energia Low Earth Amateur radio In orbit Operational
28 January
10:46:00[5]		 Black Brant IX Poker Flat NASA
FIRE Colorado Suborbital Astronomy 28 January Spacecraft failure[5]

February
1 February
14:00		 Rokot/Briz-KM Plesetsk Site 133/3 VKS
Kosmos 2470 (Geo-IK-2 No.11) VKS Low Earth Geodesy In orbit Launch failure
Upper stage malfunctioned due to problems with the flight software,[6] reached lower orbit than planned
5 February
08:11:11[5]		 Black Brant IX Poker Flat NASA
Polar NOx VPI Suborbital Geospace 5 February Spacecraft failure[5]
6 February
12:26		 Minotaur I Vandenberg SLC-8 Orbital
USA-225 (RPP) NRO Low Earth Technology In orbit Operational[7]
NRO Launch 66
16 February
21:50[8]		 Ariane 5ES Kourou ELA-3 Arianespace
Johannes Kepler ATV ESA Low Earth (ISS) Logistics 21 June Successful
24 February
21:53:24		 Space Shuttle Discovery Kennedy LC-39A United Space Alliance
STS-133 NASA Low Earth (ISS) Logistics 9 March
16:57:17		 Successful
Leonardo (PMM)[9] ASI/NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS module In orbit Operational
ExPRESS-4 NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS logistics In orbit Operational
Manned flight, final flight of Discovery.
26 February
03:07		 Soyuz-2.1b/Fregat Plesetsk Site 43/4 RVSN
Kosmos 2471 (Glonass-K1) VKS Medium Earth Navigation In orbit Successful
February[4] Shahab-3 IRGC
IGRC Suborbital Missile test February Successful
Two missiles with a range of 1,900 kilometres were fired into the Indian Ocean prior to 19 February
February[4] Sejjil-2 IRGC
IGRC Suborbital Missile test February Successful
Two missiles with a range of 1,900 kilometres were fired into the Indian Ocean prior to 19 February

March
1 March
21:00[4]		 UGM-133 Trident II D5 USS Nevada, Pacific Ocean US Navy
US Navy Suborbital Missile test 1 March Successful
Demonstration and Shakedown Operation 22 (DASO-22)
2 March
13:40[4]		 Juno Fort Wingate LC-96 US Army
US Army Suborbital Target 2 March Successful
Target for MIM-104 Patriot PAC-3 MSE test, successfully intercepted
4 March
10:09:43		 Taurus-XL 3110 Vandenberg LC-576E Orbital Sciences
Glory NASA Intended: Sun-synchronous Climatology 4 March Launch failure
KySat-1 Kentucky Space Intended: Low Earth Technology
Hermes Colorado Intended: Low Earth Technology
Explorer-1 [PRIME] Montana Intended: Low Earth Radiation
All payloads CubeSats except Glory, which would be part of the A-train constellation. Fairing failed to separate.
5 March
22:46		 Atlas V 501 Cape Canaveral SLC-41 United Launch Alliance
USA-226 (X-37B FLT-2) US Air Force Low Earth Technology In orbit Operational
9 March[4] Terrier-Oriole Kauai MDA
ARAV-B MDA Suborbital Radar target 9 March Successful
Tracked by STSS satellites
11 March
23:38		 Delta IV-M+ (4,2) Cape Canaveral SLC-37B United Launch Alliance
USA-227 (SDS) NRO Geosynchronous In orbit Operational
NRO Launch 27
15 March[4] Kavoshgar Semnan ISA
Kavoshgar-4 ISA Suborbital Biological 15 March Successful
Apogee: 120 kilometres (75 mi)
16 March[4] Terrier-Oriole Kauai MDA
ARAV-B MDA Suborbital Radar target 16 March Successful
Tracked by both STSS Demo satellites
23 March
18:50:00[5]		 Black Brant IX White Sands NASA
Colorado Suborbital SDO calibration 23 March Successful[5]
29 March
04:01[10]		 VSB-30 Esrange EuroLaunch
TEXUS-49 DLR/ESA Suborbital Microgravity 29 March Successful
Apogee: 268 kilometres (167 mi)

April
4 April
22:18:20[11][12]		 Soyuz-FG Baikonur Site 1/5 Roskosmos
Soyuz TMA-21 Roskosmos Low Earth (ISS) ISS Expedition 27/28 September 16
03:59:39		 Successful
9 April
20:47:04		 Long March 3A Xichang LA-2 CNSA
Compass-IGSO3 CNSA Geosynchronous Navigation In orbit Operational
14 April
04:24		 Atlas V 411[13] Vandenberg SLC-3E United Launch Alliance
USA-229 (NOSS) NRO Low Earth In orbit Operational
USA-229 (NOSS) NRO Low Earth In orbit Operational
NRO Launch 34
15 April
06:52[4]		 UGM-96 Trident I C4 (LV-2)[14] Meck MDA
MDA Suborbital ABM target 15 April Successful
15 April
07:03[4]		 RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 USS O'Kane, Pacific Ocean US Navy
FTM-15 US Navy Suborbital ABM test 15 April Successful
First intercept of an IRBM by a SM-3 (FTM-15 Stellar Charon)
20 April
04:42[15][16][17]		 PSLV Satish Dhawan FLP ISRO
Resourcesat-2 ISRO Low Earth Remote sensing In orbit Operational
YouthSat ISRO/MGU Low Earth Scientific In orbit Operational
X-Sat CREST Low Earth In orbit Operational
22 April
21:37		 Ariane 5ECA[18] Kourou ELA-3 Arianespace
Yahsat 1A Yahsat Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
New Dawn[19] Intelsat Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Partial spacecraft failure
Intelsat New Dawns C-Band antenna failed to deploy
26 April[4] R-29RMU Sineva K-84 Ekaterinburg, Barents Sea VMF
VMF Suborbital Missile test 26 April Successful
27 April
08:00:00[5]		 Black Brant IX Poker Flat NASA
WFF Suborbital Test flight 27 April Successful[5]
27 April
13:05:21		 Soyuz-U Baikonur Roskosmos
Progress M-10M Roskosmos Low Earth (ISS) Logistics 29 October
13:00:31		 Successful

May
4 May
17:41:33[20]		 Soyuz-2.1a/Fregat Plesetsk Site 43/4 RVSN
Meridian 4 VKS Medium Earth Communication In orbit Operational
6 May[21]
23:02[22]		 Tianying 3C Hainan CNSA
Kunpeng-1 CSSAR Suborbital Environment monitoring 23:09 Successful
Apogee: 196.6 kilometres (122.2 mi).
7 May
18:10		 Atlas V 401 Cape Canaveral SLC-41 United Launch Alliance
USA-230 (SBIRS-GEO 1) US Air Force Geosynchronous Missile defence In orbit Operational
11 May
18:00[4]		 Improved Orion Barreira do Inferno AEB
INPE Suborbital Microgravity 11 May Successful
16 May
12:56		 Space Shuttle Endeavour Kennedy LC-39A United Space Alliance
STS-134 NASA Low Earth (ISS) Logistics 1 June
06:35		 Successful
AMS-02[9] NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS component In orbit Operational
ExPRESS-3 NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS logistics In orbit Operational
Manned flight, final flight of Endeavour.
20 May
13:21[23]		 SpaceLoft XL Spaceport America UP Aerospace
Suborbital Technology 20 May Successful
Goddard Celestis Suborbital Space burial Successful
Apogee: 118.3 kilometres (73.5 mi), successfully recovered.
20 May
14:50[4]		 R-29RMU2.1 Layner K-84 Ekaterinburg, Barents Sea VMF
VMF Suborbital Missile test 20 May Successful
Maiden flight of Layner missile
20 May
19:15[25]		 Proton-M/Briz-M Enhanced Baikonur International Launch Services
Telstar 14R Telesat Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Partial spacecraft failure
Second solar panel failed to deploy due to tangled cable[24]
20 May
20:38[26]		 Ariane 5ECA Kourou ELA-3 Arianespace
ST-2 SingTel/Chunghwa Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
INSAT-4G/GSAT-8[27] ISRO Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational

June
7 June
02:12:45		 Soyuz-FG Baikonur Site 1/5 Roskosmos
Soyuz TMA-02M Roskosmos Low Earth orbit (ISS) ISS Expedition 28/29 22 November
02:26		 Successful
10 June
11:11:16[5]		 Terrier-Orion Wallops Island NASA
SubTec IV[4] GSFC Suborbital Technology 10 June Successful[5]
10 June
14:20		 Delta II 7320 Vandenberg SLC-2W United Launch Alliance
SAC-D CONAE/NASA Low Earth Oceanography In orbit Operational
Final scheduled flight of Delta II 7300 series, spacecraft carrying NASA Aquarius instrument
15 June
09:14[28]		 Safir Semnan ISA
Rasad 1 ISA Low Earth Optical imaging 6 July 2011 Successful
20 June
16:13[29]		 Long March 3B Xichang LA-2 CNSA
Chinasat-10 China Satcom Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
21 June
14:38		 Soyuz-U Baikonur Roskosmos
Progress M-11M Roskosmos Low Earth (ISS) Logistics 1 September
10:21:41		 Successful
22 June
13:35		 LGM-30G Minuteman III Vandenberg LF-10 US Air Force
US Air Force Suborbital Test flight 22 June Successful
23 June
10:18:00[5]		 Terrier-Orion Wallops Island NASA
RockOn Colorado Suborbital Student experiments 23 June Successful[5]
27 June
16:00[30]		 Soyuz-U Plesetsk VKS
Kosmos 2472 (Kobalt-M No.7) VKS Low Earth Optical surveillance 24 October Successful
28 June
11:55[4]		 RSM-56 Bulava K-535 Yuri Dolgorukiy, White Sea VMF
VMF Suborbital Missile test 28 June Successful
28 June[4] Shahab-1 Iran IRGC
IGRC Suborbital Missile test 28 June Successful
Part of an exercise with 14 missile launches, apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi)
28 June[4] Shahab-1 Iran IGRC
IRGC Suborbital Missile test 28 June Successful
Part of an exercise with 14 missile launches, apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi)
28 June[4] Shahab-2 Iran IRGC
IRGC Suborbital Missile test 28 June Successful
Part of an exercise with 14 missile launches, apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi)
28 June[4] Shahab-2 Iran IRGC
IRGC Suborbital Missile test 28 June Successful
Part of an exercise with 14 missile launches, apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi)
28 June[4] Ghadr-1[4] Iran IRGC
IRGC Suborbital Missile test 28 June Successful
Part of an exercise with 14 missile launches, apogee: 500 kilometres (310 mi)
30 June
03:09		 Minotaur I MARS LP-0B Orbital Sciences
USA-231 (ORS-1) ORSO Low Earth Optical imaging In orbit Operational

July
6 July
04:28[31]		 Long March 2C Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-2 CNSA
Shijian XI-03 CNSA Low Earth Technology In orbit Operational
8 July
15:29		 Space Shuttle Atlantis Kennedy LC-39A United Space Alliance
STS-135 NASA Low Earth (ISS) Logistics 21 July 2011
09:57		 Successful
Raffaelo MPLM NASA Low Earth (ISS) ISS logistics Successful
PSSC-2 US Air Force Low Earth Technology 8 December Successful
Manned flight, final flight of Atlantis. Final flight of Space Shuttle and programme.
9 July
02:04[4]		 SRALT C-17, Pacific Ocean MDA
FTX-17 MDA Suborbital Radar target 9 July Successful
Tracked by STSS Demo satellites
9 July
09:00:00[5]		 Black Brant VB Wallops LA-2[4] NASA
Daytime Dynamo NASA Suborbital Geospace 9 July Successful[5]
9 July
09:00:15[5]		 Terrier-Orion Wallops LA-2[4] NASA
Daytime Dynamo NASA Suborbital Geospace 9 July Successful[5]
11 July
15:35[4]		 Gradicom II Chamical CITEFA
CITEFA Suborbital Test flight 11 July Successful
Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi)
11 July
15:41[32][33]		 Long March 3C Xichang LA-2 CNSA
Tianlian 1B CNSA Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
13 July
02:27[34][35]		 Soyuz-2.1a/Fregat Baikonur Site 31/6 Starsem
Globalstar M081 Globalstar Low Earth Communication In orbit Operational
Globalstar M083 Globalstar Low Earth Communication In orbit Operational
Globalstar M085 Globalstar Low Earth Communication In orbit Operational
Globalstar M088 Globalstar Low Earth Communication In orbit Operational
Globalstar M089 Globalstar Low Earth Communication In orbit Operational
Globalstar M091 Globalstar Low Earth Communication In orbit Operational
15 July
11:18		 PSLV-XL Satish Dhawan ISRO
GSAT-12 ISRO Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
15 July
23:16		 Proton-M/Briz-M Enhanced Baikonur International Launch Services
SES-3 SES World Skies Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
KazSat-2 Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
16 July
06:41		 Delta IV-M+ (4,2) Cape Canaveral SLC-37B United Launch Alliance
USA-232 (GPS-IIF-2) US Air Force Medium Earth Navigation In orbit Operational
18 July
02:31[36]		 Zenit-3F Baikonur Site 45/1 Roskosmos
Spektr-R (RadioAstron) Roskosmos High Earth Radio astronomy In orbit Operational
21 July
07:00[37]		 Nike-Improved Orion Esrange EuroLaunch
PHOCUS Stockholm/SSC Suborbital Atmospheric 21 July Successful
21 July
11:58:00[5]		 Terrier-Orion Wallops Island NASA
RockSat-X Wallops Flight Facility Suborbital Student experiments 21 July Successful[5]
26 July
21:44[38]		 Long March 3A Xichang LA-3 CNSA
Compass-IGSO4 CNSA Geosynchronous Navigation In orbit Operational
27 July
10:01[4]		 LGM-30G Minuteman III Vandenberg LF-04 US Air Force
US Air Force Suborbital Test flight 27 July Launch failure
An anomaly was detected five minutes after launch and the flight was terminated
27 July[4] R-29RMU Sineva K-84 Ekaterinburg, Barents Sea VMF
VMF Suborbital Missile test 27 July Successful
29 July
07:42[39]		 Long March 2C Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-2 CNSA
Shijian XI-02 CNSA Low Earth Technology In orbit Operational
July[40] Blue Sparrow F-15 Eagle, Israel IAF
Israeli Air Force Suborbital ABM target July Successful
Arrow-3 target, successfully intercepted
July[40] Arrow III Negev IAI
IAI/IDF Suborbital ABM Test July Successful
First test of the Arrow-III, successful intercept of a target over the Mediterranean

August
5 August
16:25[41]		 Atlas V 551 Cape Canaveral SLC-41 United Launch Alliance
Juno NASA Current: Heliocentric
Planned: Zenocentric		 Jupiter orbiter In orbit Operational
6 August
22:52[42]		 Ariane 5ECA Kourou ELA-3 Arianespace
Astra 1N SES Astra (August-September)
SES (September—)		 Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
BSAT-3c/JCSAT-110R BSAT/JSAT Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
11 August
14:45[4]		 Minotaur IV Lite Vandenberg SLC-8 Orbital
HTV-2b US Air Force Suborbital Technology 11 August Spacecraft failure
Second flight of the HTV-2, loss of contact approximately 20 minutes after launch at Mach 20.
11 August
16:15[43]		 Long March 3B Xichang LA-2 CNSA
Paksat-1R SUPARCO Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
15 August
22:57[44]		 Long March 4B Taiyuan LC-2 CNSA
Hai Yang 2A CAST Low Earth Oceanography In orbit Operational
17 August
07:12[45]		 Dnepr-1 Dombarovsky Site 13 ISC Kosmotras
Sich-2 NKAU Low Earth Remote sensing In orbit Operational
NigeriaSat-2 NASRDA Low Earth Remote sensing In orbit Operational
NigeriaSat-X NASRDA Low Earth Technology In orbit Operational
Rasat TÜBİTAK Low Earth Remote sensing In orbit Operational
EduSat GAUSS Low Earth Technology In orbit Operational
AprizeSat-5 exactEarth Low Earth Communication In orbit Operational
AprizeSat-6 exactEarth Low Earth Communication In orbit Operational
BPA-2 Hartron-Arkos Low Earth Technology In orbit Successful
17 August
21:25[47]		 Proton-M/Briz-M Enhanced Baikonur Khrunichev
Ekspress AM-4 RSCC Intended: Geosynchronous
Achieved: Transfer		 Communication In orbit Launch failure
Briz-M upper stage failed before the planned fourth burn. An insufficient time slot was allocated for re-setting the gyroscopes of the upper stage control system before launch, which led to loss of adequate attitude control in flight.[46]
18 August
09:28[49]		 Long March 2C Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-2 CNSA
Shijian XI-04 CNSA Intended: Low Earth Technology 18 August Launch failure
Failed to reach orbit. Second stage's vernier engine support structure failed in flight, led to loss of attitude control.[48]
24 August
13:00[51]		 Soyuz-U Baikonur Site 1/5 Roskosmos
Progress M-12M Roskosmos Intended: Low Earth (ISS) Logistics 24 August Launch failure
Third stage engine failure 325 seconds after launch due to the gas generator fuel supply pipeline being blocked by contaminants.[50]
27 August
03:20[4]		 RSM-56 Bulava K-535 Yuri Dolgorukiy, White Sea VMF
VMF Suborbital Missile test 27 August Successful

September
1 September
13:53[4]		 Terrier-Oriole Kauai MDA
MDA Suborbital ABM target 1 September Successful
SM-3 Block 1B target
1 September
13:54[4]		 RIM-161C Standard Missile 3 Block 1B USS Lake Erie, Pacific Ocean US Navy
US Navy Suborbital ABM test 1 September Spacecraft failure
First launch of SM-3 Block 1B, intercept failed
3 September
09:46[4]		 RS-12M Topol Plesetsk RVSN
RVSN Suborbital Missile test 3 September Successful
10 September
13:08:52[52]		 Delta II 7920H Cape Canaveral SLC-17B United Launch Alliance
GRAIL-A NASA Selenocentric Lunar Orbiter In orbit Operational
GRAIL-B NASA Selenocentric Lunar Orbiter In orbit Operational
Final launch of Delta II Heavy, final Delta II launch from Cape Canaveral, and last launch from SLC-17
15 September[53] Kavoshgar Semnan ISA
Kavoshgar-5 ISA Suborbital Biological 15 September Launch failure
Failed to reach space, first Iranian attempt to launch a monkey into space
18 September
16:33[54]		 Long March 3B/E Xichang LA-2 CNSA
Chinasat-1A China Satcom Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
20 September
22:47		 Proton-M/Briz-M Baikonur Khrunichev
Kosmos 2473 (Garpun #1) VKS Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
21 September
21:38		 Ariane 5ECA Kourou ELA-3 Arianespace
Arabsat 5C Arabsat Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
SES-2 SES World Skies Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
23 September
04:36:50		 H-IIA Tanegashima LA-Y1 Mitsubishi
IGS Optical 4 CSICE Low Earth Imaging In orbit Operational
24 September
20:18		 Zenit-3SL Ocean Odyssey Sea Launch
Atlantic Bird 7 Eutelsat Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
26 September[55]
03:20[4]		 Prithvi II Integrated Test Range IC-3[4] DRDO
DRDO Suborbital Missile test 27 September Successful
27 September
07:08[53]		 Plesetsk RVSN
RVSN Suborbital Missile test 27 September Launch failure
27 September
15:49		 Minotaur IV+ Kodiak LP-1 Orbital Sciences
TacSat-4 US Air Force Low Earth Technology In orbit Operational
29 September
13:16:03[56]		 Long March 2F/G Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-1 CNSA
Tiangong-1 CNSA Low Earth Space station In orbit Operational
Maiden flight of Long March 2F/G, first Chinese space station
29 September
18:32[57]		 Proton-M/Briz-M Enhanced Baikonur International Launch Services
QuetzSat-1 SES Satellite Leasing Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
Intended for lease to QuetzSat
29 September[58] R-29RMU2.1 Layner K-114 Tula, Barents Sea VMF
VMF Suborbital Missile test 30 September Successful
30 September
04:02[59]		 Agni-II ITR IC-4[4] Indian Army
Indian Army Suborbital Missile test 30 September Successful
Travelled 2,500 kilometres (1,600 mi) downrange

October
2 October
20:15		 Soyuz-2.1b/Fregat Plesetsk Site 43/4 RVSN
Kosmos 2474 (Glonass-M) VKS Medium Earth Navigation In orbit Operational
5 October
05:56[4]		 SRALT C-17, Pacific Ocean MDA
US Army/MDA Suborbital ABM target 5 October Successful
Intercepted by THAAD missile
5 October
05:56[4]		 R-17 Elbrus MLP, Barking Sands US Army
US Army/MDA Suborbital ABM target 5 October Successful
Intercepted by THAAD missile
5 October
06:00[4]		 THAAD Barking Sands US Army
FTT-12 US Army/MDA Suborbital ABM test 5 October Successful
Intercepted target missile
5 October
06:00[4]		 THAAD Barking Sands US Army
FTT-12 US Army/MDA Suborbital ABM test 5 October Successful
Intercepted target missile
5 October
21:00		 Zenit-3SLB Baikonur Site 45/1 Land Launch
Intelsat 18 Intelsat Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
7 October
08:21		 Long March 3B Xichang LA-2 CNSA
Eutelsat W3C Eutelsat Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
8 October
10:25:01[5]		 Black Brant IX White Sands NASA
PICTURE Boston Suborbital Astronomy 8 October Spacecraft failure[5]
11 October
21:15:00[5]		 Terrier-Orion Andøya NASA
CHAMPS Colorado Suborbital Geospace 11 October Successful[5]
12 October
05:31		 PSLV CA Satish Dhawan ISRO
Megha-Tropiques[60] ISRO/CNES Low Earth Climatology In orbit Operational
SRMSAT SRM Low Earth Climatology In orbit Operational
Jugnu IITK Low Earth Remote sensing In orbit Operational
VesselSat1 Luxspace Low Earth Communication In orbit Operational
13 October
13:50:00[5]		 Terrier-Orion Andøya NASA
CHAMPS Colorado Suborbital Geospace 13 October[5] Successful
19 October
18:48		 Proton-M/Briz-M Enhanced Baikonur International Launch Services
ViaSat-1 ViaSat Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
21 October[61][62]
10:30		 Soyuz-STB/Fregat-MT Kourou ELS Arianespace
Galileo-IOV 1 ESA Medium Earth Navigation/Technology In orbit Operational
Galileo-IOV 2 ESA Medium Earth Navigation/Technology In orbit Operational
First Soyuz launch from Kourou
28 October
03:40[4]		 RSM-56 Bulava K-535 Yuri Dolgorukiy, White Sea VMF
VMF Suborbital Missile test 28 October Successful
28 October
09:48:01		 Delta II 7920-10 Vandenberg SLC-2W United Launch Alliance
NPP NASA/NOAA Low Earth Weather
Technology		 In orbit Operational
E1P-U2 Montana Low Earth Radiation In orbit Operational
RAX-2 University of Michigan Low Earth Auroral In orbit Operational
M-Cubed University of Michigan Low Earth Technology In orbit Operational
DICE-1 Space Dynamics Laboratory Low Earth Magnetosphere research In orbit Operational
DICE-2 Space Dynamics Laboratory Low Earth Magnetosphere research In orbit Operational
AubieSat 1 Auburn University Low Earth Technology In orbit Operational
Final scheduled flight of Delta II rocket and Thor family
30 October
10:11		 Soyuz-U Baikonur Site 1/5 Roskosmos
Progress M-13M Roskosmos Low Earth (ISS) Logistics In orbit Operational
Chibis-M (RS-39) IKI Low Earth Ionospheric In orbit Operational
31 October
21:58:10		 Long March 2F Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-1 CNSA
Shenzhou 8 CNSA Low Earth (Tiangong-1) Technology 17 November
11:36		 Successful
Unmanned flight, first Chinese orbital docking

November
2 November
07:50[4]		 Jericho III Palmachim Israeli Air Force
Israeli Air Force Suborbital Missile test 2 November Successful
3 November
06:45[4]		 RS-12M Topol Plesetsk RVSN
RVSN Suborbital Missile test 3 November Successful
4 November
12:51:41[63]		 Proton-M/Briz-M Baikonur Site 81/24 Khrunichev
Kosmos 2475 (Glonass-M) VKS Medium Earth Navigation In orbit Operational
Kosmos 2476 (Glonass-M) VKS Medium Earth Navigation In orbit Operational
Kosmos 2477 (Glonass-M) VKS Medium Earth Navigation In orbit Operational
6 November
07:00[5]		 Black Brant IX White Sands NASA
XQC F5 Wisconsin Suborbital Astronomy 6 November Successful[5]
8 November
20:16		 Zenit-2M Baikonur Site 45/1 Roskosmos
Fobos-Grunt Roskosmos Intended: Areocentric
Achieved: Low Earth		 Phobos sample return In orbit Spacecraft failure
Yinghuo-1 CNSA Intended: Areocentric
Achieved: Low Earth		 Mars orbiter  
First Russian attempt at an interplanetary mission since 1996[64]
First Chinese Mars probe
Spacecraft stranded in low Earth orbit, as telemetry was lost soon after launch and the two trans-Martian injection burns by the payload did not take place[65]
9 November
03:21[66]		 Long March 4B Taiyuan LC-2 CNSA
Yaogan 12 CNSA Low Earth Reconnaissance In orbit Operational
Tian Xun 1 Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Low Earth Technology In orbit Operational
14 November
04:14[67]		 Soyuz-FG Baikonur Site 1/5 Roskosmos
Soyuz TMA-22 Roskosmos Low Earth (ISS) ISS Expedition 29/30 In orbit Operational
15 November
03:30[68]		 Agni IV Integrated Test Range IC-4 DRDO
Indian Army Suborbital Missile test 15 November Successful
17 November
11:30		 UGM-27 Polaris (STARS) Barking Sands LC-42 US Air Force
AHW Flight 1A US Army Suborbital Technology 17 November Successful
20 November
00:15[69]		 Long March 2D Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-2 CNSA
Shiyan Weixing 4 CNSA Low Earth Technology In orbit Operational
Chuang Xin 1C CNSA Low Earth Technology In orbit Operational
25 November
19:10:34		 Proton-M/Briz-M Enhanced Baikonur Site 200/39 International Launch Services
AsiaSat 7 AsiaSat Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
25 November
23:00[4]		 Improved Orion Barreira do Inferno AEB
INPE Suborbital Microgravity 25 November Successful
26 November
15:02		 Atlas V 541 Cape Canaveral SLC-41 United Launch Alliance
MSL (Curiosity) NASA Heliocentric Mars Rover In orbit Operational
Maiden flight of Atlas V 541
27 November
09:10[70]		 VSB-30 Esrange EuroLaunch
TEXUS-48 DLR/ESA Suborbital Microgravity 27 November Successful
28 November
08:25:57		 Soyuz-2.1b/Fregat Plesetsk Site 43/4 RVSN
Kosmos 2478 (Glonass-M) VKS Medium Earth Navigation In orbit Operational
29 November
18:50[71]		 Long March 2C Taiyuan LC-2 CNSA
Yaogan 13 CNSA Low Earth Reconnaissance In orbit Operational

December
1 December
21:07[72]		 Long March 3A Xichang LA-3 CNSA
Compass-IGSO5 CNSA Geosynchronous Navigation In orbit Operational
2 December
22:00[4]		 VSB-30 Barreira do Inferno AEB
INPE Suborbital Microgravity 2 December Successful
3 December
07:21:31[4]		 VS-30/Improved Orion Ny-Aalesund Andøya
ICI-3 (CanoRock 4) Oslo/Andøya Suborbital Atmospheric 3 December Successful[73]
10 December Black Brant IX White Sands NASA
Colorado Suborbital Astronomy 10 December Successful
11 December
11:17		 Proton-M/Briz-M Enhanced Baikonur Site 81/24 Khrunichev
Luch 5A Roskosmos Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
Amos-5 SCL Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
12 December
01:21		 H-IIA Tanegashima LA-Y1 Mitsubishi
IGS Radar 3 CSICE Low Earth Reconnaissance (radar) In orbit Operational
17 December
02:03:08		 Soyuz-STA/Fregat Kourou ELS Arianespace
Pléiades-HR 1 CNES Low Earth Optical imaging In orbit Operational
SSOT MDN Low Earth Optical imaging In orbit Operational
ELISA-1 CNES/DGA Low Earth ELINT In orbit Operational
ELISA-2 CNES/DGA Low Earth ELINT In orbit Operational
ELISA-3 CNES/DGA Low Earth ELINT In orbit Operational
ELISA-4 CNES/DGA Low Earth ELINT In orbit Operational
19 December
14:48[74]		 S-310 Uchinoura JAXA
JAXA/TPU/TU Suborbital Ionospheric 19 December Successful
19 December MR-30 Kapustin Yar Rosgidromet
Rosgidromet Suborbital Meteorology
Test flight		 19 December Successful
Maiden flight of MR-30
19 December
16:41[75]		 Long March 3B/E Xichang LA-2 CNSA
NigComSat-1R NIGCOMSAT/NSRDA Geosynchronous Communication In orbit Operational
21 December
13:16		 Soyuz-FG Baikonur Site 1/5 Roskosmos
Soyuz TMA-03M Roskosmos Low Earth orbit (ISS) ISS Expedition 30/31 In orbit Operational
22 December
03:26		 Long March 4B Taiyuan LC-2 CNSA
Zi Yuan 1-02C CNSA Low Earth Earth observation In orbit Operational
23 December
12:08		 Soyuz-2.1b/Fregat Plesetsk Site 43/4 VKO
Meridian 5 VKO Intended: Molniya Communication 23 December Launch failure
Third stage engine malfunctioned 421 seconds after launch, failed to reach orbit; first launch conducted by the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces
23 December RSM-56 Bulava K-535 Yuri Dolgorukiy, White Sea VMF
VMF Suborbital Missile test 23 December Successful
23 December RSM-56 Bulava K-535 Yuri Dolgorukiy, White Sea VMF
VMF Suborbital Missile test 23 December Successful
27 December
12:00		 RS-18 UR-100N Baikonur RVSN
RVSN Suborbital Missile test 27 December Successful
28 December
17:09		 Soyuz-2.1a/Fregat Baikonur Site 31/6 Starsem
Globalstar-2 Globalstar Low Earth Communication In orbit Operational
Globalstar-2 Globalstar Low Earth Communication In orbit Operational
Globalstar-2 Globalstar Low Earth Communication In orbit Operational
Globalstar-2 Globalstar Low Earth Communication In orbit Operational
Globalstar-2 Globalstar Low Earth Communication In orbit Operational
Globalstar-2 Globalstar Low Earth Communication In orbit Operational
← Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec →

Deep space rendezvous

Date (UTC) Spacecraft Event Remarks
9 January Mars Express Flyby of Phobos Closest approach: 100 kilometres (62 mi). Mars Express made a total of 8 flybys of Phobos at a distance of less than 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) between December 20 and January 16.
9 January Artemis P1 Spacecraft left LL2 orbit and joined Artemis P2 in LL1 orbit
11 January Cassini 3rd flyby of Rhea Closest approach: 76 kilometres (47 mi)[76]
15 February Stardust (NExT) Flyby of Tempel 1 Closest approach: 181 kilometres (112 mi). Observed changes since Deep Impact flyby and imaged crater created by Deep Impact impactor, as well as new terrain.
18 February Cassini 74th flyby of Titan Closest approach: 3,651 kilometres (2,269 mi)
18 March MESSENGER Mercurocentric orbit injection First artificial satellite of Mercury
19 April Cassini 75th flyby of Titan Closest approach: 10,053 kilometres (6,247 mi)
8 May Cassini 76th flyby of Titan Closest approach: 1,873 kilometres (1,164 mi)
20 June Cassini 77th flyby of Titan Closest approach: 1,359 kilometres (844 mi)
27 June Artemis P1 Lunar orbit insertion Initial orbital parameters were: apogee 3,543 kilometres (2,202 mi), perigee 27,000 kilometres (17,000 mi). Over the following three months, the orbit was lowered to an apogee of 97 kilometres (60 mi) and a perigee of 18,000 kilometres (11,000 mi), with an inclination of 20 degrees; retrograde orbit.
16 July Dawn Vestiocentric orbit injection First artificial satellite of 4 Vesta. Initial orbit was 16,000 kilometres (9,900 mi) high and was reduced to 2,700 kilometres (1,700 mi) until 11 August.
17 July Artemis P2 Lunar orbit insertion Initial orbital parameters were similar to Artemis P1. Over the following three months the orbit was lowered to an apogee of 97 kilometres (60 mi) and a perigee of 18,000 kilometres (11,000 mi), with an inclination of 20 degrees; prograde orbit.
25 August Cassini Second-closest flyby of Hyperion[77] Closest approach: 25,000 kilometres (16,000 mi)
12 September Cassini 78th flyby of Titan Closest approach: 5,821 kilometres (3,617 mi)
16 September Cassini Flyby of Hyperion Closest approach: 58,000 kilometres (36,000 mi)
1 October Cassini 14th flyby of Enceladus Closest approach: 99 kilometres (62 mi)
19 October Cassini 15th flyby of Enceladus Closest approach: 1,231 kilometres (765 mi)
6 November Cassini 16th flyby of Enceladus Closest approach: 496 kilometres (308 mi)
12 December Cassini 3rd flyby of Dione Closest approach: 99 kilometres (62 mi)
13 December Cassini 79th flyby of Titan Closest approach: 3,586 kilometres (2,228 mi)
31 December GRAIL-A Lunar orbit insertion Grail-B's insertion occurred a day later, on 1 January 2012.

EVAs

Start Date/Time Duration End Time Spacecraft Crew Remarks
21 January
10:05		 5 hours
23 minutes		 15:49 Expedition 26
ISS Pirs		 Dmitri Kondratyev
Oleg Skripochka		 Prepared the Poisk module for future dockings.[78]
16 February
13:15		 6 hours
23 minutes		 18:15 Expedition 26
ISS Pirs		 Dmitri Kondratyev
Oleg Skripochka		 Installed a radio antenna, deployed a nanosatellite, installed two experiments and retrieved two exposure panels on a third experiment.
28 February
15:46		 6 hours
34 minutes		 22:20 STS-133
ISS Quest		 Stephen Bowen
Alvin Drew		 Removed a failed coolant pump and routed a power extension cable
2 March
15:41		 6 hours
14 minutes		 21:55 STS-133
ISS Quest		 Stephen Bowen
Alvin Drew		 Removed or repaired thermal insulation, swapped out an attachment bracket on Columbus, installed a camera assembly on Dextre and installed a light on a cargo cart.
20 May
07:10		 6 hours
19 minutes		 13:29 STS-134
ISS Quest		 Andrew Feustel
Gregory Chamitoff		 Completed installation of a new set of MISSE experiments, started installing a new wireless video system, installed an ammonia jumper, a new light on the CETA cart on the S3 truss segment, and a cover on the starboard SARJ.
22 May
06:05		 8 hours
07 minutes		 14:12 STS-134
ISS Quest		 Andrew Feustel
Michael Fincke		 Hooked up a jumper to transfer ammonia to the Port 6 PVTCS, lubricated the SARJ and one of the "hands" on Dextre, and installed a stowage beam on the S1 truss.
25 May
05:43		 6 hours
54 minutes		 12:37 STS-134
ISS Quest		 Andrew Feustel
Michael Fincke		 Installed PDGF (except for data cable), routed power cables from Unity to Zarya, finished installation of wireless video system, took pictures of Zarya's thrusters and captured infrared video of an experiment in ELC 3.
27 May
04:15		 7 hours
24 minutes		 11:39 STS-134
ISS Quest		 Gregory Chamitoff
Mike Fincke		 Installed OBSS on S1 truss, removed the EFGF and replaced it with a spare PDGF, and released some torque on the bolts that were holding the spare arm for Dextre down against ELC 3.
12 July
13:22		 6 hours
31 minutes		 19:53 Expedition 28
ISS Quest		 Ronald Garan
Michael Fossum
3 August
14:51		 6 hours
22 minutes		 21:22 Expedition 28
ISS Pirs		 Sergei Volkov
Aleksandr Samokutyayev		 Launched Kedr satellite, installed BIORISK experiment outside Pirs, and installed laser communication equipment to transmit scientific data from the Russian Orbital Segment.

Orbital launch summary

By country

  China (PRC)
  Europe
  India
  Iran
  Japan
  Russia
  United States
Orbital launch attempts by country in 2011
Country Launches Successes Failures Partial
failures		 Remarks
 Europe 5 5 0 0
 India 3 3 0 0
 Iran 1 1 0 0
 Japan 3 3 0 0
 People's Republic of China 19 18 1 0
 Russia/ CIS 35 31 4 0 Includes Sea Launch, Land Launch and Soyuz from Kourou. Fobos-Grunt launched successfully, but failed post-launch[79]
 United States 18 17 1 0


By rocket

By family

Family Country Launches Successes Failures Partial failures Remarks
Ariane  Europe 5 5 0 0
Atlas  United States 5 5 0 0
Delta  United States 6 6 0 0
Energia  Ukraine/ Russia 5 5 0 0
H-II  Japan 3 3 0 0
Long March  People's Republic of China 19 18 1 0
Minotaur  United States 3 3 0 0
R-7  Russia 19 17 2 0
R-36  Ukraine 1 1 0 0
Safir  Iran 1 1 0 0
SLV  India 3 3 0 0
Space Shuttle  United States 3 3 0 0 Retired
Pegasus  United States 1 0 1 0
Universal Rocket  Russia 10 8 2 0

By type

Rocket Country Family Launches Successes Failures Partial failures Remarks
Ariane 5  Europe Ariane 5 5 0 0
Atlas V  United States Atlas 5 5 0 0
Delta II  United States Delta 3 3 0 0
Delta IV  United States Delta 3 3 0 0
Dnepr  Ukraine R-36 1 1 0 0
H-IIA  Japan H-II 2 2 0 0
H-IIB  Japan H-II 1 1 0 0
Long March 2  People's Republic of China Long March 7 6 1 0
Long March 3  People's Republic of China Long March 9 9 0 0
Long March 4  People's Republic of China Long March 3 3 0 0
Minotaur I  United States Minotaur 2 2 0 0
Minotaur IV  United States Minotaur 1 1 0 0
PSLV  India SLV 3 3 0 0
Proton  Russia Universal Rocket 9 8 1 0
Safir  Iran Safir 1 1 0 0
Soyuz  Russia R-7 19 17 2 0
Space Shuttle  United States Space Shuttle 3 3 0 0 Retired
UR-100  Russia Universal Rocket 1 0 1 0
Taurus  United States Pegasus 1 0 1 0
Zenit  Ukraine Energia 5 5 0 0

By configuration

Rocket Country Type Launches Successes Failures Partial failures Remarks
Ariane 5ECA  Europe Ariane 5 4 4 0 0
Ariane 5ES  Europe Ariane 5 1 1 0 0
Atlas V 401  United States Atlas V 1 1 0 0
Atlas V 411  United States Atlas V 1 1 0 0
Atlas V 501  United States Atlas V 1 1 0 0
Atlas V 541  United States Atlas V 1 1 0 0
Atlas V 551  United States Atlas V 1 1 0 0
Delta II 7920  United States Delta II 1 1 0 0
Delta II 7920H  United States Delta II 1 1 0 0 Retired
Delta II 7320  United States Delta II 1 1 0 0
Delta IV Medium+ (4,2)  United States Delta IV 2 2 0 0
Delta IV-H  United States Delta IV 1 1 0 0
Dnepr-1  Ukraine Dnepr 1 1 0 0
H-IIA 202  Japan H-IIA 2 2 0 0
H-IIB  Japan H-IIB 1 1 0 0
Long March 2C  People's Republic of China Long March 2 4 3 1 0
Long March 2D  People's Republic of China Long March 2 1 1 0 0
Long March 2F/G  People's Republic of China Long March 2 2 2 0 0 Maiden flight
Long March 3A  People's Republic of China Long March 3 3 3 0 0
Long March 3B  People's Republic of China Long March 3 5 5 0 0
Long March 3C  People's Republic of China Long March 3 1 1 0 0
Long March 4B  People's Republic of China Long March 4 3 3 0 0
Minotaur I  United States Minotaur I 2 2 0 0
Minotaur IV+  United States Minotaur IV 1 1 0 0
PSLV  India PSLV 1 1 0 0
PSLV-CA  India PSLV 1 1 0 0
PSLV-XL  India PSLV 1 1 0 0
Proton-M/Briz-M  Russia Proton 9 8 1 0
Rokot/Briz-KM  Russia UR-100 1 0 1 0
Safir-B  Iran Safir 1 1 0 0
Soyuz-2.1a/Fregat  Russia Soyuz 4 4 0 0
Soyuz-2.1b/Fregat  Russia Soyuz 5 4 1 0
Soyuz-FG  Russia Soyuz 4 4 0 0
Soyuz-U  Russia Soyuz 6 5 1 0
Space Shuttle  United States Space Shuttle 3 3 0 0 Retired
Taurus-XL  United States Taurus 1 0 1 0
Zenit-2M  Ukraine/ Russia Zenit 1 1 0 0
Zenit-3F  Ukraine/ Russia Zenit 2 2 0 0 Maiden flight
Zenit-3SL  Ukraine/ Russia Zenit 1 1 0 0
Zenit-3SLB  Ukraine/ Russia Zenit 1 1 0 0

By launch site

Site Country Launches Successes Failures Partial failures Remarks
Baikonur  Kazakhstan 25 23 2 0
Cape Canaveral  United States 7 7 0 0
Dombarovsky  Russia 1 1 0 0
Kourou  France 7 7 0 0
Jiuquan  People's Republic of China 6 5 1 0
Kennedy Space Center  United States 3 3 0 0
Kodiak Launch Complex  United States 1 1 0 0
MARS  United States 1 1 0 0
Ocean Odyssey International 1 1 0 0
Plesetsk  Russia 6 4 2 0
Satish Dhawan  India 3 3 0 0
Semnan  Iran 1 1 0 0
Tanegashima  Japan 3 3 0 0
Taiyuan  People's Republic of China 4 4 0 0
Vandenberg  United States 6 5 1 0
Xichang  People's Republic of China 9 9 0 0

By orbit

Orbital regime Launches Successes Failures Accidentally
achieved		 Remarks
Low Earth 43 39 4 0 14 to ISS
Medium Earth 7 7 0 0
Geosynchronous/transfer 29 28 1 0
High Earth 2 1 1 0
Heliocentric orbit 3 3 0 0 Including planetary transfer orbits

See also

References
Generic references:

Footnotes

  1. ^ "Largest-Ever Rocket, With Secret Payload, Launched On West Coast". CBS Radio. http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2011/01/20/rocket-with-secret-payload-largest-ever-launched-on-west-coast/. Retrieved 21 February 2011. 
  2. ^ "United Launch Alliance Launches First West Coast Delta IV Heavy Mission". United Launch Alliance. http://ulalaunch.com/site/pages/News.shtml#/63. Retrieved 21 January 2011. 
  3. ^ "Launch Result of H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 2 with KOUNOTORI2 (HTV2) Onboard". JAXA. 22 January 2011. http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2011/01/20110122_h2bf2_e.html. Retrieved 23 January 2011. 
  4. ^ 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 McDowell, Jonathan. "S: Suborbital launches (apogee 80+ km)". Jonathan's Space Page. http://planet4589.org/space/lvdb/lis/S.lis. Retrieved 2 January 2012. 
  5. ^ 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 "Blue Book". NASA Sounding Rockets Program Office. Archived from the original on 2 January 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/64O6fQx4s. Retrieved 2 January 2012. 
  6. ^ "Военный спутник, запущенный на "Рокоте", скорее всего, утрачен" (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 1 February 2011. Archived from the original on 1 February 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5wBGVmKCW. Retrieved 1 February 2011. 
  7. ^ "Vandenberg launches Minotaur I". 30th Space Wing Public Affairs. http://www.vandenberg.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123241482. Retrieved 7 February 2011. 
  8. ^ "Mission Update - Ariane 5 opens a busy year of Arianespace missions with the milestone launch of another Automated Transfer Vehicle for Europe". Arianespace. http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2011/763.asp. Retrieved 20 February 2011. 
  9. ^ a b Bergin, Chris (2009-02-11). "Downstream shuttle planning: CLFs, AMS noted, MAF working on extra ETs". NASASpaceflight.com. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2009/02/shuttle-planning-clfs-ams-noted-maf-extra-ets/. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
  10. ^ "TEXUS 49 successfully launched". Swedish Space Corporation. 29 March 2011. http://www.ssc.se/news-activities/all-news-archives/2011/texus-49-successfully-launched. Retrieved 2 January 2012. 
  11. ^ "Launch Of New ISS mission Slated For April 5". Space-travel.com. http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Launch_Of_New_ISS_mission_Slated_For_April_5_999.html. Retrieved 2011-10-05. 
  12. ^ "Plan of Russian space launches". Forum.nasaspaceflight.com. http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=0a08c854ce74e81ae441a64af079363a&topic=1133.1380. Retrieved 2011-10-05. 
  13. ^ ":::: United Launch Alliance, LLC ::::". Ulalaunch.com. http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/pages/News.shtml#/69/. Retrieved 2011-10-05. 
  14. ^ [1]
  15. ^ "Calendar of Events: Indian PSLV-C16 Launch of Resourcesat-2, X-Sat, Youthsat | SpaceRef - Your Space Reference". SpaceRef. http://www.spaceref.com/calendar/calendar.html?pid=6270. Retrieved 2011-10-05. 
  16. ^ "PSLV to be launched around April 10". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 6 March 2011. http://www.hindu.com/2011/03/06/stories/2011030653081200.htm. 
  17. ^ http://netindian.in/news/2011/04/09/00012411/isro-launch-pslv-c16-resourcesat-2-two-other-satellites-apr-20
  18. ^ Arianespace to launch Yahsat 1A satellite for United Arab Emirates
  19. ^ "Mission Update - Maintaining the pace: a second Ariane 5 arrives in French Guiana for launch in 2011". Arianespace. http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2011/753.asp. Retrieved 21 February 2011. 
  20. ^ "Russia launches fourth Meridian spacecraft". www.russianspaceweb.com. http://www.russianspaceweb.com/meridian.html#4. Retrieved 4 May 2011. 
  21. ^ "China launches rocket to monitor space environment". News.xinhuanet.com. 2011-05-07. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-05/07/c_13863911.htm. Retrieved 2011-10-05. 
  22. ^ "科技网 -《科技日报》- "子午工程":天鹰送鲲鹏展翅太空". Stdaily.com. 2011-05-08. http://www.stdaily.com/kjrb/content/2011-05/08/content_302799.htm. Retrieved 2011-10-05. 
  23. ^ "UP Aerospace Inc. - Home". Upaerospace.us.com. http://www.upaerospace.us.com/. Retrieved 2011-10-05. 
  24. ^ "Inquiry Finds Cable Clip to Blame For Telstar 14R Deployment Failure". SpaceNews.com. 2011-08-19. http://www.spacenews.com/satellite_telecom/110819-cable-clip-telstar-failure.html. Retrieved 2011-10-05. 
  25. ^ "Commercial Launch | Telstar 14R | Proton Rocket | Mission Control | International Launch Services". Ilslaunch.com. 2011-05-21. http://www.ilslaunch.com/mission-control/mission-telstar-14r. Retrieved 2011-10-05. 
  26. ^ "Mission Update - The upcoming Ariane 5 mission with GSAT-8 and ST-2 is given its "go" for launch". Arianespace. http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2011/797.asp. Retrieved 2011-10-05. 
  27. ^ "Two Ariane 5 And One Soyuz Flights Are Now Being Prepared". Space-travel.com. http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Two_Ariane_5_And_One_Soyuz_Flights_Are_Now_Being_Prepared_999.html. Retrieved 2011-10-05. 
  28. ^ "Iran puts second satellite into orbit". Press TV. http://www.presstv.ir/detail/184847.html. Retrieved 17 June 2011. 
  29. ^ "Long March 3B launches with ChinaSat-10". NASASpaceflight.com. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/06/china-launch-domestic-satellite-zhongxing-10/. Retrieved 20 June 2011. 
  30. ^ "Russia launches Cosmos-series military satellite". http://en.rian.ru/russia/20110627/164874748.html. Retrieved 27 June 2011. 
  31. ^ "Long March 2C launches Shi Jian-11 for China". NASASpaceflight.com. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/07/long-march-2c-launches-shi-jian-11-for-china/. Retrieved 8 July 2011. 
  32. ^ "中国成功发射第二颗中继卫星"天链一号02星"——中新网". Chinanews.com. http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2011/07-12/3173952.shtml. Retrieved 2011-10-05. 
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2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010s 2010 2011 2012 2013
Preceded by
2010		 Timeline of spaceflight
2011		 Succeeded by
2012
← 2010  ·  Orbital launches in 2011
Elektro-L No.1 | USA-224 | Kounotori 2 | Progress M-09M (Kedr) | Kosmos 2470 | USA-225 | Johannes Kepler | STS-133 (Leonardo) | Kosmos 2471 | Glory · Explorer-1 [Prime] · KySat-1 · Hermes | USA-226 | USA-227 | Soyuz TMA-21 | Compass-IGSO3 | USA-229 | Resourcesat-2 · YouthSat · X-Sat | Yahsat 1A · New Dawn | Progress M-10M | Meridian 4 | USA-230 | STS-134 (AMS-2 · ELC-3) | Telstar 14R | ST-2 · GSAT-8 | Soyuz TMA-02M | SAC-D | Rasad 1 | Zhongxing-10 | Progress M-11M | Kosmos 2472 | USA-231 | Shijian XI-03 | STS-135 (Raffaello · PSSC-2) | Tianlian I-02 | Globalstar M085 · Globalstar M088 · Globalstar M091 · Globalstar M085 · Globalstar M081 · Globalstar M089 | GSAT-12 | SES-3 · KazSat-2 | USA-232 | Spektr-R | Compass-IGSO4 | Shijian XI-02 | Juno | Astra 1N · BSAT-3c/JCSAT-110R | Paksat-1R | Hai Yang 2A | Sich 2 · NigeriaSat-2 · NigeriaSat-X · RASAT · EDUSAT · AprizeSat-5 · AprizeSat-6 · BPA-2 | Ekspress-AM4 | Shijian XI-04 | Progress M-12M | GRAIL-A · GRAIL-B | Zhongxing-1A | Kosmos 2473 | Arabsat 5C · SES-2 | IGS Optical 4 | Atlantic Bird 7 | TacSat-4 | Tiangong 1 | QuetzSat-1 | Kosmos 2474 | Intelsat 18 | Eutelsat W3C | Megha-Tropiques · SRMSAT · VesselSat-1 · Jugnu | ViaSat-1 | Thijs  · Natalia | NPP  · E1P-U2  · RAX-2  · M-Cubed  · DICE-1 · DICE-2  · AubieSat 1 | Progress M-13M (Chibis-M) | Shenzhou 8 | Kosmos 2475  · Kosmos 2476  · Kosmos 2477 | Fobos-Grunt  · Yinghuo-1 | Yaogan 12  · Tian Xun-1| Soyuz TMA-22 | Shiyan Weixing 4  · Chuang Xin 1C | AsiaSat 7 | Curiosity | Kosmos 2478 | Yaogan 13 | Compass-IGSO5 | Amos 5 · Luch 5A | IGS Radar 3 | Pléiades-HR 1 · SSOT · ELISA 1 · ELISA 2 · ELISA 3 · ELISA 4 | NigComSat-1R | Soyuz TMA-03M | Ziyuan-1C | Meridian 5
Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Manned flights are indicated in bold text. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in (brackets).