Contents

Spaceflight before 1951

Spaceflight before 1951

Launch of a V-2 from Peenemünde
National firsts
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[edit]

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[edit]

V-2, WAC Corporal, and R-1A[edit]

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[edit]

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 photographs from space of sizeable regions of the Earth as well as large scale cloud formations.^[4]: 251

Viking[edit]

Vikings 1 and 2, launched in 1949 from White Sands Missile RangeinNew 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}

Launches[edit]

1942[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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