1955 in spaceflight

none August 2021 January 2022 1955 Viking 10-12.jpg The Viking made its final flight in 1955 USA 1912 Aerobee RTV-N-10cUSA 1912 Aerobee RTV-N-10aUSA 1912 Aerobee HiUSA 1912 Aerobee AJ10-27USA 1912 Loki rockoonUSA 1912 Deacon-Loki rockoonUSA 1912 Nike-DeaconUSA 1912 Nike-Nike-Tri-Deacon-T40USA 1912 X-17USA 1912 HJ-NikeUSSR 1955 R-1EUSSR 1955 R-5M USA 1912 Aerobee RTV-N-10aUSA 1912 Aerobee AJ10-27USA 1912 Deacon-Loki rockoonUSA 1912 Nike-Nike-Tri-Deacon-T40 Timeline of spaceflight 1954 1956 In 1955, both the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR) announced plans for launching the world's first satellites during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957–58. Project Vanguard, proposed by the US Navy, won out over the US Army's Project Orbiter as the satellite and rocket design to be flown in the IGY. Development of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, the Atlas by the US and the R-7 by the USSR, accelerated, entering the design and construction phase. Both the US and USSR continued to launch a myriad of sounding rockets to probe the outer reaches of Earth's atmosphere and to take quick glimpses of the sun beyond the obscuring layers of air. The Aerobee Hi, first launched in April, promised a comparatively low cost alternative to other high altitude sounding rockets. The State University of Iowa meanwhile experimented with balloon-launched rockoons on its fourth expedition into the Atlantic Ocean. 2 Space exploration highlights Sounding Rockets thumb|First Aerobee Hi launch, 21 April 1955 The Aerobee family of rockets expanded considerably this year, both in variety and capability. Most significant was the introduction of the Aerobee-Hi, doubling the altitude range of the Aerobee sounding rocket from 125 km to 220 km and increasing the payload carried from 68 kg to 91 kg. Able to probe the upper atmosphere, its $30,000 per flight price tag compared favorably to that of its high altitude contemporaries, the Viking and the Bumper;9 May 1955 New Rocket Boosts Space Research http://archive.aviationweek.com/issue/19550509#!&pid=14 15 Aviation Week and Space Technology McGraw Hill Publishing Company 29 December 2021 subscription 29 December 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211229053225/https://archive.aviationweek.com/issue/19550509#!&pid=14 live at least one 1955 Aerobee-Hi flight returned scientific data.22 August 1955 Industry Observer http://archive.aviationweek.com/issue/19550822#!&pid=8 9 Aviation Week and Space Technology McGraw Hill Publishing Company 29 December 2021 subscription 29 December 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211229180127/https://archive.aviationweek.com/issue/19550822#!&pid=8 livetable a a Other, less capable, Aerobee rockets still lofted instruments beyond the us 100 km on boundary of space (as defined by the World Air Sports Federation)Outer space may have just gotten a bit closer Paul Voosen 24 July 2018 1 April 2019 https://www.science.org/content/article/outer-space-may-have-just-gotten-bit-closer Science 10.1126/science.aau8822 126154837 11 November 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201111231817/https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/07/outer-space-may-have-just-gotten-bit-closer live subscription returning spectra of the Sun in ultraviolet and investigating atmospheric airglow.https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/link_gateway/1955AJ.....60R.165J/ADS_PDF Emission lines in the solar ultraviolet spectrum. Johnson, F. S. Malitson, H. H. Purcell, J. D. Tousey, R. 60 165 June 1955 The Astronomical Journal 10.1086/107152 1955AJ.....60R.165J 29 December 2021 2 February 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230202195842/https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1955AJ.....60R.165J livehttps://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/link_gateway/1956AJ.....61R.182K/ADS_PDF Measurements of the night airglow from a rocket. Koomen, M. J. Scolnik, R. Tousey, R. 61 182 The Astronomical Journal 1956 10.1086/107412 1956AJ.....61R.182K 29 December 2021 2 February 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230202195842/https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1956AJ.....61R.182K livehttps://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/link_gateway/1956ApJ...124..580M/ADS_PDF November 1956 124 586 Athay, R. G. Thomas, R. N. LYMAN-α and the Structure of the Solar Chromosphere. The Astrophysical Journal 10.1086/146264 1956ApJ...124..586A 29 December 2021 2 February 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230202195842/https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1956ApJ...124..580M live free The Viking series of rockets wrapped up with the flight of Viking 12, launched 4 February 1955. Reaching an altitude of 143.5 mi, the rocket's K-25 camera snapped an infrared picture of the Southwestern United States, from the Pacific coast to Phoenix, just after reaching its apogee. 29 August 1955 Viking Camera and the Far West https://archive.aviationweek.com/image/spread/19550829/27/0 Aviation Week and Space Technology New York McGraw Hill Publishing Company 5 April 2021 subscription A number of sounding rockets based on the Nike booster (used as the first stage in various anti-aircraft missiles),https://www.britannica.com/technology/Nike-missile Nike missile Encyclopaedia Britannica ((The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica)) 15 July 2013 28 December 2021 29 December 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211229021854/https://www.britannica.com/technology/Nike-missile live were developed and launched. Just one, the 5 April Nike-Deacon flight, breached the limits of space. The Soviet Union launched three R-1E sounding rocket variants of its R-1 missile (a copy of the German V-2), all carrying dogs as biological payloads.table b b table a a (the mission date has not yet been determined) table b b (see table below for details and citations) Fourth Atlantic Rockoon expedition Members of the State University of Iowa (SUI) physics department embarked September 1955 on their fourth naval expedition into the Atlantic Ocean to survey the distribution of cosmic rays and auroral radiation by latitude using balloon-launched rockets (rockoons). The team leader was Frank B. McDonald, formerly of the University of Minnesota. Their vessel was the USS Ashland, a World War 2 era Dock landing ship originally used to transport and launch landing craft and amphibious vehicles. Two research teams with the Naval Research Laboratory also sailed on the Ashland. In addition to the Deacon-equipped rockoons that had been used on the prior expeditions, the SUI team experimented with Loki I rockets launched from balloons. The new vehicle worked perfectly, the first being launched 23 September. This set the stage for the most ambitious missions of the cruise: the launchings of two two-stage Loki I/Deacon rockoons. The first was a failure, the smaller Loki second stage failing to separate from the Deacon. On the second attempt, both stages fired properly. However, two and a half seconds after second stage ignition, telemetry from the rocket abruptly stopped. Professor James Van Allen, head of the SUI physics department, determined that the thin aluminum nosecone on the rocket had melted due to the incredible friction encountered at its speed of more than 8000 km per hour. Had it reached its target altitude, Van Allen later stated, it might well have discovered the Van Allen Belts two and a half years before the missions of Explorer 1 and Explorer 3. As it turned out, no more Loki/Deacon missions were attempted.Opening Space Research George Ludwig geopress Washington D.C. 2011 84525625634, 37–51 Spacecraft development Preparation for the International Geophysical Year (IGY) The origin of the International Geophysical Year can be traced to the International Polar Years held in 1882–1883, then in 1932–1933 and most recently from March 2007 to March 2009. On 5 April 1950, several top scientists (including Lloyd Berkner, Sydney Chapman, S. Fred Singer, and Harry Vestine), met in James Van Allen's living room and suggested that the time was ripe to have a worldwide Geophysical Year instead of a Polar Year, especially considering recent advances in rocketry, radar, and computing.Korsmo Fae L. The Genesis of the International Geophysical Year 1 July 2007 Physics Today 60 7 38 10.1063/1.2761801 2007PhT....60g..38K free Berkner and Chapman proposed to the International Council of Scientific Unions that an International Geophysical Year (IGY) be planned for 1957–58, coinciding with an approaching period of maximum solar activity.The International Geophysical Year http://www.nas.edu/history/igy 2005 National Academy of Sciences 14 August 2015 http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160521184740/http://www.nas.edu/history/igy/ 21 May 2016 deadMatthew Kohut Shaping the Space Age: The International Geophysical Year ASK Magazine 32 NASA Fall 2008 http://askmagazine.nasa.gov/issues/32/32i_shaping_the_space_age.html 5 July 2012 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20130219014616/http://askmagazine.nasa.gov/issues/32/32i_shaping_the_space_age.html 19 February 2013 In 1952, the IGY was announced.This Month in Physics History https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/200710/physicshistory.cfm October 2007 APS News 16 9 1 September 2018 1 January 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200101105408/https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/200710/physicshistory.cfm live In January 1955, Radio Moscow announced that the Soviet Union might be expected to launch a satellite in the near future. This announcement galvanized American space efforts; in the same month, the National Academy of Sciences' IGY committee established a Technical Panel on Rocketry to evaluate plans to orbit an American satellite. Already under consideration was Project Orbiter,Vanguard – a History Constance Green and Milton Lomask National Aeronautics and Space Administration Washington D.C. 1970 SP-4202 978-1-97353-209-5 747307569 https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4202/begin.html 29 December 2021 3 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213422/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4202/begin.html live25–26 an Army plan to use a slightly modified Redstone (a 200 miles) range surface-to-surface missile developed the prior year)https://history.redstone.army.mil/ihist-1953.html Installation History 1953 – 1955 U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command 2017 1 February 2021 2 February 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230202195242/https://history.redstone.army.mil/ihist-1953.html live combined with upper stages employing 31 Loki solid-propellant rockets could put a 5 lb satellite into orbit, which could be tracked optically. On 26 May 1955, the U.S. National Security Council also endorsed a satellite program. On 8 June, United States Secretary of Defense Charles Wilson directed Assistant Secretary Donald A. Quarles to coordinate the implementation of a satellite program, with the United States Department of Defense providing the rocket and launch facilities, and the civilian IGY National Committee producing the satellite and its experimental package, the National Science Foundation mediating between the two agencies. A committee, under the chairmanship of Homer J. Stewart of Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was developed to manage the project to evaluate and choose between the available satellite orbiting options. Project Orbiter now had competition in the form of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) plan to develop an orbital capability for its Viking rocket (Project Vanguard), even though the Loki upper stage rockets had been replaced with higher powered Sergeants. On 28 July, confident that a satellite could be lofted during the IGY, President Dwight D. Eisenhower's press secretary, James Hagerty, announced that a satellite would officially be among the United States' contributions to the IGY. The Soviets responded four days later with their own announcement of a planned IGY satellite launch.25–43 By 9 September, the Stewart Committee had chosen the NRL proposal over the Army's citing the Navy's impressive planned Minitrack communications technology and network as well as both the civilian nature and the greater growth potential of the Viking/Vanguard rocket. The contract authorizing the construction of two more Viking rockets (13 and 14) was expanded to include development of the Vanguard rockets.51–58 NRL received the assignment to develop the Vanguard satellite in early October.77 United States In January 1955, Convair was awarded a long-term government contract for the development of the Atlas, America's first ICBM, beginning Phase Three: detail design and development. With the increasing availability of smaller, lighter thermonuclear weapons, the Atlas design could reach a desired range of 5500 km while using just three engines (original plans had contemplated five). Work on the Atlas accelerated in response to a secret report made in February 1955TRW: Pioneering Technology and Innovation since 1900 Davis Dyer Harvard Business School Press Boston, MA 1998 1064465832191 by James Rhyne Killian to the National Security Council on Soviet rocket progress; in December 1955, Atlas was made the highest-priority project in the nation. In addition, after the issuance of the Killian report, a second ICBM, the Titan, was authorized, along with the Thor Intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), this latter rocket using many of the systems already being developed for Atlas.Atlas The Story of a Missile John L. Chapman Harper & Brothers New York 1960 73–85 492591218 All three of these missiles were adapted into workhorse orbital delivery rockets, America's Space Vehicles A pictorial review Will Eisner Oak Tree Press, Ltd. London 1962 916575496131–137 the Atlas offered as a backup alternative to both the Redstone and the Vanguard as an IGY launching vehicle.41 Also authorized in the wake of the Killian report was the U.S. Army's Jupiter IRBM proposal, which was to be jointly developed by the U.S. Navy for use on vessels (the Navy dropped out of the project late the following year). The Jupiter also ultimately became a space launcher under the designation Juno II.http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/jupiter.html KING OF GODS: The Jupiter Missile Story Ed Kyle Space Launch Report 4 August 2011 29 December 2021 21 March 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220321061504/https://www.spacelaunchreport.com/jupiter.html live Soviet Union thumb|R-7 rocket|alt=R-7 rocket|100px The single-stage R-5 missile completed its test launch series and entered operational service in 1955; it was able to carry the same 1000 kg payload as its shorter ranged predecessors, the R-1 and R-2 but over a distance of 1200 km. Work then proceeded on an upgrade designated R-5M, with similar launch mass and range, but designed to carry a nuclear warhead.Boris Chertok Rockets and People, Volume II: Creating a Rocket Industry NASA Washington D.C. June 2006 946818748242–243 This rocket, which would be the world's first nuclear missile, was a stopgap weapon pending the development of an ICBM, the development of both of which had been decreed by the USSR Council of Ministers in late 1953.275 This ICBM was the R-7, whose design began in 1954. Initially contemplated as a two-stage design, the R-7 ultimately employed a cluster of four strapon boosters around a central rocket (or "sustainer"). For the first time, Soviet engineers were developing a rocket with more than a single combustion chamber (in the case of the R-7, there were 32). This ambitious project was the joint effort of three design entities: OKB-1, responsible for the general hydraulic system, NII-885, managing the general electrical system, and OKB-456, developing the engines' layout and thrust sequence.290–1 In 1955, after the traditional launch pad proved to be unusable for the R-7, a plan was advanced to suspend the sustainer at the launch site, attaching the strapon cluster there; the entire assembly would be suspended by the launch facility rather than resting on the ground.295 The first test launches were planned for 1957. The site for these launches, decided 12 February 1955, was Ministry of Defense Scientific-Research and Test Firing Range No.5 (NIIP-5), located in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (now Kazakhstan) near the Syr-Darya river. The town of Baikonur grew to support the facility.308 Though the R-7 was developed explicitly as a nuclear missile, OKB-1's head Sergei Korolev already had plans to utilize the rocket for delivering satellites into orbit. At a private meeting on 30 August 1955, Korolev proposed this possibility Vasily Ryabikov, chairman of the Military Industrial Meeting. This suggestion culminated in the governmental resolution of January 1956 calling for the production of the Soviet Union's first satellite.380 Launches 1955 January yes 15em January launches 4 January USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 4 January SuccessfulWade Mark R-2 http://www.astronautix.com/r/r-2.html https://web.archive.org/web/20160820191943/http://www.astronautix.com/r/r-2.html dead 20 August 2016 28 October 2021 6 January USSR 1936R-5 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 6 January SuccessfulAsif Siddiqi R-5 Launches 1953–1959 http://sdfo.org/stl/R-5%20Launches%201953-1959.docx 28 October 2021 2021 2 February 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230202195251/https://sdfo.org/stl/R-5%20Launches%201953-1959.docx live 8 January USSR 1936R-5 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 8 January Successful 15 January USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 15 January Successful 17 January USSR 1936R-5 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 17 January Successful 20 January USSR 1936R-5M USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 Maiden flight of the R-5M OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 20 January Successful 21 January USSR 1936R-5 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 21 January Successful 22 January 00:54 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-A-1a USAF 51 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 94.8 kmCharles P. Smith Jr. April 1958 Naval Research Laboratory Report No. 4276: Upper Atmosphere Research Report No. XXI, Summary of Upper Atmosphere Rocket Research Firings https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADB957191 pdf Washington D.C. Naval Research Laboratory 7 December 2022 2 February 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230202195019/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADB957191 live 145–146 USA 1912Sodium Release 1 AFCRC Suborbital Aeronomy 22 January Successful 22 January USSR 1936R-5 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 22 January Successful 25 January USSR 1936R-1E USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 Maiden flight of the R-1E, carried dogsWade Mark R-1E http://www.astronautix.com/r/r-1e.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161228020148/http://astronautix.com/r/r-1e.html dead 28 December 2016 29 October 2021 OKB-1 Suborbital Biological 25 January Successful 25 January USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 25 January Successful 28 January USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 28 January SuccessfulWade Mark R-1 8A11 http://www.astronautix.com/r/r-18a11.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161228003429/http://astronautix.com/r/r-18a11.html dead 28 December 2016 29 October 2021 29 January USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 29 January Successful 29 January USSR 1936R-5 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 29 January Successful 31 January USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 31 January Successful |} February yes 15em February launches 1 February USSR 1936R-5 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 1 February Successful 3 February USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 3 February Successful 4 February 21:55 USA 1912Viking (second model) USA 1912White Sands LC-33 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 232 kmWade Mark Viking Sounding Rocket http://www.astronautix.com/v/vikingsoundingrocket.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161228051243/http://astronautix.com/v/vikingsoundingrocket.html dead 28 December 2016 29 October 2021 USA 1912Viking 12 NRL Suborbital REV test / Photography / Aeronomy 4 February Successful 5 February USSR 1936R-1E USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 Carried dogs, not recovered OKB-1 Suborbital Biological 5 February Partial Failure 7 February USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 7 February Successful 7 February USSR 1936R-5 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 7 February Successful 7 February 18:51 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-A-1a USAF 52 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 120.4 km147–148 AFCRC / University of Utah Suborbital Ionospheric 7 February Successful 8 February USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 8 February Successful 8 February USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 8 February Successful 9 February USSR 1936R-5M USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 9 February Successful 10 February 22:38 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-A-1a USAF 53 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 76.1 km149–150 AFCRC / University of Utah Suborbital Ionospheric 10 February Successful 14 February USSR 1936R-5M USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 14 February Successful 21 February 18:25 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-N-10c NRL 29 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 115 km, maiden flight of the RTV-N-10c;McDowell Jonathan C. General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects, Launches, Aerobee https://planet4589.org/space/gcat/data/launch/AerobeeB.html Jonathan's Space Report 8 December 2022 2 February 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230202195027/https://planet4589.org/space/gcat/data/launch/AerobeeB.html live obtained UV spectrum in 30 second exposure over range 977 to 1817 A. Used University of Colorado biaxial pointer to keep camera trained on the Sun. NRL Suborbital Solar UV 21 February Successful 25 February USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 25 February Successful 28 February USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 28 February Successful |} March yes 15em March launches 1 March USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 1 March Successful 2 March USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 2 March Successful 19 March 06:00 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-N-10 NRL 26 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 115 km NRL Suborbital Airglow 19 March Successful 21 March USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 21 March Successful 29 March 16:47 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-A-1a USAF 54 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 113 km151–152 AFCRC / University of Colorado Suborbital Solar UV 29 March Successful |} April yes 15em April launches 4 April USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 4 April Successful 8 April USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 8 April Successful 8 April USA 1912Nike-Nike-Tri-Deacon-T40 USA 1912Wallops Island USA 1912NACA Apogee: 18 km, maiden (and only) flight of the Nike-Nike-Tri-Deacon-T40Wade Mark Nike Nike Tri-Deacon T40 http://www.astronautix.com/n/nikeniketri-deacont40.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161228145256/http://astronautix.com/n/nikeniketri-deacont40.html dead 28 December 2016 29 October 2021 NACA Suborbital REV test 8 April Launch failure 8 April 15:19 USA 1912Nike-Deacon DAN-1 USA 1912Wallops Island USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 108 km, maiden flight of the Nike-DeaconWade Mark Nike Deacon http://www.astronautix.com/n/nikedeacon.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161228053051/http://astronautix.com/n/nikedeacon.html dead 28 December 2016 29 October 2021 US Air Force Suborbital Test flight 8 April Successful 9 April USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 9 April Successful 12 April USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 12 April Successful 15 April USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 15 April Successful 21 April 15:58 USA 1912Aerobee Hi USAF 55 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 192 km, maiden flight of the AJ11-6 Aerobee Hi (USAF variant)153–154 AFCRC Suborbital Test flight 21 April Successful 29 April USSR 1936R-5M USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 29 April Partial Failure |} May yes 15em May launches 18 May USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 18 May Successful 20 May USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 20 May Successful 20 May USSR 1936R-5M USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 20 May Successful 26 May USSR 1936R-5M USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 26 May Successful 28 May USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 28 May Successful 31 May USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 31 May Successful |} June yes 15em June launches 1 June USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 1 June Successful 6 June USSR 1936R-5M USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 6 June Successful 15 June USSR 1936R-5M USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 15 June Successful 16 June 01:11 USA 1912Aerobee AJ10-27 USAF 56 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 203 km, maiden flight of the Aerobee AJ10-27157 Holloman Air Development Center Suborbital Classified 16 June Successful 18 June USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 18 June Successful 20 June USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 20 June Successful 22 June USSR 1936R-5M USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 22 June Successful 23 June USSR 1936R-5M USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 23 June Successful 23 June USA 1912Nike-Nike-T40-T55 USA 1912Wallops Island USA 1912NACA Apogee: 30 kmWade Mark Nike Nike T40 T55 http://www.astronautix.com/n/nikeniket40t55.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161228053029/http://astronautix.com/n/nikeniket40t55.html dead 28 December 2016 31 October 2021 NACA Suborbital Heat transfer REV test 23 June Launch failure 23 June 12:47 USA 1912Aerobee Hi USAF 57 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 61 km, premature burnout at 23 seconds155–156 AFCRC Suborbital Test flight 23 June Launch failure 24 June USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 24 June Successful 24 June 18:04 USA 1912Nike-Deacon DAN-2 USA 1912Wallops Island USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 105 km NACA Suborbital Aeronomy 24 June Successful 28 June USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 28 June Successful 28 June USSR 1936R-5M USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 28 June Successful 30 June USSR 1936R-5M USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 30 June Successful |} July yes 15em July launches 1 July USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 1 July Successful 7 July USSR 1936R-5M USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 7 July Successful 8 July 08:39 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-N-10 NRL 23 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 113 km NRL Suborbital Ionospheric 8 July Successful 9 July USSR 1936R-5M USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 9 July Successful 13 July 06:59 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-N-10a NRL 23 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 69 km, maiden flight of the Aerobee RTV-N-10a NRL Suborbital Aeronomy 13 July Successful 15 July USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 15 July Successful 25 July USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 25 July Successful 26 July USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 26 July Successful 26 July USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 26 July Successful 29 July USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 29 July Successful |} August yes 15em August launches 1 August USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 1 August Successful 1 August USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 1 August Successful 3 August USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 3 August Successful 6 August USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 6 August Successful 8 August USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 8 August Successful 9 August USSR 1936R-5M USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 9 August Successful 12 August USSR 1936R-5M USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 12 August Successful 16 August USSR 1936R-5M USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 16 August Partial Failure 24 August USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 24 August Successful 24 August USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 24 August Successful 25 August USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 25 August Successful 25 August 13:00 USA 1912Aerobee Hi NRL 37 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 4 km, maiden flight of the Aerobee Hi (NRL variant), Navy designation: RTV-N-13 NRL Suborbital Test flight 25 August Launch failure 26 August USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 3 km, maiden flight of the X-17Wade Mark X-17 http://www.astronautix.com/x/x-17.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161228020233/http://astronautix.com/x/x-17.html dead 28 December 2016 31 October 2021 ARDC Suborbital Test flight 26 August Launch failure 27 August USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 27 August Successful 30 August USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 30 August Successful 31 August USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 31 August Successful |} September yes 15em September launches 14 September 13:30 USA 1912Aerobee AJ10-27 USAF 58 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 95 km158–159 AFCRC / University of Michigan Suborbital Aeronomy 14 September Successful 15 September USA 1912HJ-Nike USA 1912Wallops Island USA 1912NACA Apogee: 10 km, maiden flight of the HJ-NikeWade Mark HJ Nike http://www.astronautix.com/h/hjnike.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161227230027/http://astronautix.com/h/hjnike.html dead 27 December 2016 1 November 2021 NACA Suborbital Test flight 15 September Launch failure 19 September USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 19 September Successful 23 September USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 23 September Successful 23 September USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 5 km ARDC Suborbital Test flight 23 September Launch failure 23 September 20:34 USA 1912Loki Rockoon SUI 38 USA 1912Staten Island AGB-5 6, Atlantic Ocean, near Nova Scotia USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 100 kmWade Mark Loki Rockoon http://www.astronautix.com/l/lokirockoon.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161227211429/http://astronautix.com/l/lokirockoon.html dead 27 December 2016 1 November 2021 University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 23 September Successful 24 September 16:35 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 39 USA 1912USS Staten Island, Atlantic Ocean, near Nova Scotia USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 100 kmWade Mark Deacon Rockoon http://www.astronautix.com/d/deaconrockoon.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161228054352/http://astronautix.com/d/deaconrockoon.html dead 28 December 2016 1 November 2021 University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 24 September Successful 24 September 21:09 USA 1912Loki Rockoon SUI 40 USA 1912USS Staten Island, Atlantic Ocean, near Nova Scotia USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 100 km University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 24 September Successful 25 September 20:39 USA 1912Loki Rockoon SUI 41 USA 1912USS Staten Island, Atlantic Ocean, near Newfoundland USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 11 km University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 25 September Launch failure 27 September USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 27 September Successful 27 September USA 1912Nike-Deacon USA 1912Wallops Island USA 1912NACA Apogee: 30 km NACA Suborbital REV test flight 27 September Successful 27 September 19:12 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NRL Rockoon 14 USA 1912USS Staten Island, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 11 km NRL Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 27 September Launch failure 27 September 19:43 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NRL Rockoon 13 USA 1912USS Staten Island, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 90 km NRL Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 27 September Successful 27 September 20:54 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 42 USA 1912USS Staten Island, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 100 km University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 27 September Successful 28 September 01:13 USA 1912Loki Rockoon SUI 43 USA 1912USS Staten Island, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 100 km University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 28 September Launch failure 28 September 12:45 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NRL Rockoon 15 USA 1912USS Staten Island, southern Davis Strait USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 90 km NRL Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 28 September Successful 28 September 14:54 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 44 USA 1912USS Staten Island, southern Davis Strait USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 100 km University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 28 September Successful 28 September 17:40 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NRL Rockoon 16 USA 1912USS Staten Island, southern Davis Strait USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 11 km NRL Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 28 September Launch failure 28 September 19:22 USA 1912Deacon-Loki Rockoon SUI 45 USA 1912USS Staten Island, southern Davis Strait USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 102 km, maiden flight of the Deacon-Loki rockoonWade Mark Deacon-Loki Rockoon http://www.astronautix.com/d/deacon-lokirockoon.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161228055751/http://astronautix.com/d/deacon-lokirockoon.html dead 28 December 2016 1 November 2021 University of Iowa Suborbital Test flight 28 September Launch failure 29 September USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 29 September Successful 29 September 13:42 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 46 USA 1912USS Staten Island, Davis Strait USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 100 km University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 29 September Successful 29 September 19:13 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 47 USA 1912USS Staten Island, northern Davis Strait USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 100 km University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 29 September Successful 29 September 21:52 USA 1912Deacon-Loki Rockoon SUI 48 USA 1912USS Staten Island, Davis Strait USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 100 km, final flight of the Deacon-Loki rockoon University of Iowa Suborbital Test flight 29 September Launch failure 30 September 15:50 USA 1912Aerobee AJ10-27 USAF 59 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 74 km160–161 AFCRC / University of Utah / University of Colorado Suborbital Solar UV 30 September Successful 30 September 20:10 USA 1912Loki Rockoon SUI 49 USA 1912USS Staten Island, Baffin Bay USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 100 km University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 30 September Successful |} October yes 15em October launches 1 October USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 1 October Successful 1 October USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 1 October Successful 4 October 21:18 USA 1912Loki Rockoon SUI 50 USA 1912Staten Island AGB-5 6, Baffin Bay USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 100 km University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 4 October Successful 5 October USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 5 October Successful 6 October 10:45 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NRL Rockoon 17 USA 1912USS Staten Island, Davis Strait USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 11 km NRL Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 6 October Launch failure 6 October 19:10 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 51 USA 1912USS Staten Island, Davis Strait USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 100 km University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 6 October Successful 7 October USA 1912Nike-Nike-T40-T55 USA 1912Wallops Island USA 1912NACA Apogee: 30 km NACA Suborbital Heat transfer REV test 7 October Successful 8 October USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 8 October Successful 11 October 14:33 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 52 USA 1912USS Staten Island, southern Davis Strait USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 20 km University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 11 October Launch failure 11 October 14:37 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NRL Rockoon 18 USA 1912USS Staten Island, southern Davis Strait USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 90 km NRL Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 11 October Successful 13 October 01:00 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-A-1a USAF 60 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 101 km162–163 USA 1912Sodium Release 2 AFCRC Suborbital Aeronomy 13 October Successful 13 October 06:37 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NRL Rockoon 19 USA 1912USS Staten Island, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 60 km NRL Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 13 October Successful 13 October 12:44 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 53 USA 1912USS Staten Island, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 100 km University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 13 October Successful 13 October 13:42 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NRL Rockoon 20 USA 1912USS Staten Island, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 50 km NRL Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 13 October Launch failure 13 October 15:24 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 54 USA 1912USS Staten Island, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 20 km University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 13 October Launch failure 13 October 20:13 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 55 USA 1912USS Staten Island, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 100 km University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 13 October Successful 18 October 22:49 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-N-10c NRL 34 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 101 km NRL Suborbital Solar UV / Solar X-Ray 18 October Successful 22 October 00:20 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-N-10c NRL 35 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 185 km NRL Suborbital Solar UV 22 October Successful 31 October USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 31 October Successful |} November yes 15em November launches 1 November USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 1 November Successful 4 November USSR 1955R-1E USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 Carried dogs, all recovered OKB-1 Suborbital Biological 4 November Successful 4 November USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 4 November Successful 4 November 15:30 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-N-10c NRL 36 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 135 km NRL Suborbital Solar UV 4 November Successful 17 November 09:15 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-N-10 NRL 25 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 105 km NRL Suborbital Meteorites / UV Astronomy 17 November Successful 19 November USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 19 November Successful 19 November USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 19 November Successful 23 November USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 23 November Successful 23 November USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 23 November Successful 29 November 17:16 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-N-10 NRL 24 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 132 km NRL Suborbital Ionospheric 29 November Successful |} December yes 15em December launches 1 December USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 100 km ARDC Suborbital Test flight 1 December Successful 9 December 14:50 USA 1912Aerobee Hi NRL 38 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy NRL Suborbital Test flight 9 December Launch failure 13 December 05:00 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-N-10a NRL 28 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 142 km, final flight of the Aerobee RTV-N-10a; carried photometers to measure altitude and intensity of airglow at 5577 and 5890-6 A. Also took three ultraviolet spectrograms of the Sun, investigating Ly-α emissions. NRL Suborbital Airglow / Aeronomy 13 December Successful 13 December 17:58 USA 1912Aerobee AJ10-27 USAF 61 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 138 km, final flight of the Aerobee AJ10-27164–165 AFCRC / University of Utah / University of Colorado Suborbital Solar UV 13 December Successful 16 December USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 16 December Successful 17 December USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 17 December Successful 21 December USA 1912HJ-Nike USA 1912Wallops Island USA 1912NACA Apogee: 10 km NACA Suborbital Test flight 21 December Launch failure 24 December USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 24 December Successful 27 December USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 27 December Successful 28 December USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 28 December Successful 30 December USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 30 December Successful |} 1955 Suborbital launch statistics By country 120 false left Soviet Union: 95 #a52a2a United States: 61 #484785 + Launches by country Country Launches Successes Failures Partialfailures USSR 1955 95 92 0 3 USA 1912 61 42 19 0 World 95 61 92 42 0 19 3 0 By rocket bar chart center 850 400 1 1:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:4:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:4:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:2:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:2:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:5:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:2:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:4:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:0:10:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:0:8:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:0:6:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:0:2:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:0:0:2:0:0:0:0:0 0:0:0:3:0:0:0:0:0 0:0:0:1:0:0:0:0:0 0:0:0:0:3:0:0:0:0 0:0:0:0:0:2:0:0:0 0:0:0:0:0:0:18:0:0 0:0:0:0:0:0:3:0:0 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:42:0 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:8 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:24 blue #363663 : #5b59a6 : #9c9cc9 : #cecde4 #1e85ae : #25a7da : #7ccae9 #80DAEB : #00CCCC : #33FFFF : #B3FFFF #00bfff : #66d9ff : #b3ecff #828b74 #971e02 #7a1f1f : #e08585 #ff7700 #665000 : #997800 Viking (second model) Aerobee RTV-N-10 Aerobee RTV-N-10c Aerobee RTV-N-10a Aerobee Hi (NRL) Aerobee RTV-A-1a Aerobee Hi (USAF) Aerobee AJ10-27 Deacon rockoon (SUI) Deacon rockoon (NRL) Loki rockoon Deacon-Loki rockoon Nike-Nike-T40-T55 Nike-Deacon Nike-Nike-Tri-Deacon-T40 X-17 HJ-Nike R-1 R-1E R-2 R-5 R-5M Viking : Aerobee : Rockoon : Nike : X-17 : Honest John : R-1 : R-2 : R-5 _launches 5 + Launches by rocket Rocket Country Launches Successes Failures Partialfailures Remarks Viking (second model) USA 1912 1 1 0 0 Aerobee RTV-N-10 USA 1912 4 4 0 0 Aerobee RTV-N-10c USA 1912 4 4 0 0 Maiden flight Aerobee RTV-N-10a USA 1912 2 2 0 0 Maiden flight, retired Aerobee Hi (NRL) USA 1912 2 0 2 0 Maiden flight Aerobee RTV-A-1a USA 1912 5 5 0 0 Aerobee Hi (USAF) USA 1912 2 1 1 0 Maiden flight Aerobee AJ10-27 USA 1912 4 4 0 0 Maiden flight, retired Deacon rockoon (SUI) USA 1912 10 8 2 0 Deacon rockoon (NRL) USA 1912 8 4 4 0 Loki rockoon USA 1912 6 4 2 0 Maiden flight Deacon-Loki rockoon USA 1912 2 0 2 0 Maiden flight, retired Nike-Nike-T40-T55 USA 1912 2 1 1 0 Nike-Deacon USA 1912 3 3 0 0 Maiden flight Nike-Nike-Tri-Deacon-T40 USA 1912 1 0 1 0 Maiden flight, retired X-17 USA 1912 3 1 2 0 Maiden flight HJ-Nike USA 1912 2 0 2 0 Maiden flight R-1 USSR 1955 18 18 0 0 R-1E USSR 1955 3 2 0 1 Maiden flight R-2 USSR 1955 42 42 0 0 R-5 USSR 1955 8 8 0 0 R-5M USSR 1955 24 22 0 2 Maiden flight See also Timeline of spaceflight References Footnotes 1955 on Category:Spaceflight by year