1956 in spaceflight

none August 2021 August 2022 1956 Jupiter c pad.jpg The Jupiter-C rocket made its maiden flight in 1956 USA 1912 Aerobee AJ10-34USA 1912 Nike-CajunUSA 1912 TerrapinUSA 1912 Jupiter-CUSSR 1955 R-1UKUSSR 1955 R-5RDUSSR 1955 R-5RJapan Kappa 1 USA 1912 Aerobee XASR-SC-1USA 1912 Aerobee RTV-A-1aUSA 1912 Deacon rockoonUSA 1912 Nike-Nike-T40-T55USSR 1955 R-1EUSSR 1955 R-1UKUSSR 1955 R-5RDUSSR 1955 R-5R Timeline of spaceflight 1955 1957 Preparation for the 18-month International Geophysical Year (IGY), scheduled to begin July 1957, became a truly international endeavor in 1956. The American IGY satellite program, Project Vanguard, saw its first test launch at the end of the year, while the Army Ballistic Missile Agency tested Redstone-derived rockets, culminating in the Jupiter-C capable of orbiting a satellite. The Soviet Union developed the engines and tested vital components for its first ICBM, the R-7 Semyorka, which would fly the USSR's first artificial satellite, "Object D: Japan developed the Kappa 1 sounding rocket with an eye toward an advanced version that would fly during the IGY, and Canada, with the assistance of the United States, established a sounding rocket range in Churchill, Manitoba. In Italy, Rome hosted the Seventh International Aeronautical Congress, which saw 400 delegates from the scientific community and representatives of (mostly American) industry gather to discuss the technical aspects of spaceflight. Both superpowers conducted a multitude of sounding rocket flights, probing the upper atmosphere with increasing sophistication and cadence. In addition, the Soviets completed a series of capsule launches, each with two dog passengers—a prelude to human missions in space. 2 Space exploration highlights Sounding Rockets American efforts The primary sounding rocket of the United States for 1956 was the Aerobee in a variety of models. Launched mostly (but not exclusively) from sites in New Mexico, missions were conducted by a myriad of agencies, both military and civilian, to probe and return information about the upper atmosphere. The University of Michigan utilized the Nike-Cajun sounding rocket, launched from the Rushmore LSD-14 6 in the Labrador Sea, to conduct aeronomy research. The Air Force launched its X-17 rocket a number of times, mostly testing reentry vehicles for ballistic missile use. Soviet efforts The year saw the completion of the second series of Soviet suborbital flights with dogs as payloads. After the completion of the nine-launch series, conducted with variations of the R-1 rocket, the results were published as "Vital Activity of Animals during Rocket Flights into the Upper Atmosphere" in December 1956 at an international conference in Paris. These flights made it clear that advanced animals could survive the rigors of space launch, reentry, and weightlessness. They also tested spacesuits, parachute recovery of space travelers, and radio telemetry.Russian Space Probes: Scientific Discoveries and Future Missions Brian Harvey Olga Zakutnyaya 2011 Springer Praxis Books Chichester, UK 131607784221 Also completed this year was the second series of Academik flights, which involved 18 sounding rocket launches between 1953 and 1956. These missions returned scientific data on cosmic rays, the atmosphere, the content and temperature of the ionosphere as well as information useful to engineers: winds, temperature, pressure and radio wave propagation at high altitudes.15,19 Seventh International Aeronautical Congress Organized by the Italian rocket society under the auspices of the International Astronautical Federation, it was held 17–22 Septemberhttps://dl.iafastro.directory/search/?q=event:IAC-1956 The International Astronautical Federation Digital Library Advanced Search (event:IAC-1956) 17 April 2025 at the Palazzo dei Congressi, 15 km from Rome. 400 delegates from astronautical societies and research institutes, as well as representatives of (mostly American) large industrial interests attended. The first day of the conference and a quarter of the 45 papers read before the conference were directly related to artificial Earth satellites.Soviet Space Science Ari Shternfeld Basic Books, Inc. New York 1959 850740451 Spacecraft development United States Project Vanguard thumb|250px|alt=Vanguard TV-0 on the launch pad|Vanguard_rocket-04 Work continued apace on Project Vanguard, the civilian satellite project initiated in fall 1955. Vanguard consisted of a tiny satellite and a rocket launcher, the latter comprising a Viking (rocket) first stage mated with two smaller rocket stages. Starting in 1956, John T. Mengel and his Naval Research Laboratory Tracking and Guiding Branch began designing the Minitrack system, a worldwide network of stations that would receive data on 108 MHz broadcast by Vanguard's tiny transmitter. In April 1946, work began on a global optical tracking network as well, whose task would be to locate the satellite in the sky so that Minitrack could maintain continuous tracking. In addition to twelve observation stations around the world, amateurs were also recruited to assist. While it would have been logistically useful to have Minitrack and optical stations at the same site, the two types of stations had different requirements—the radio stations requiring flat ground away from interference, and the visual stations needing clear skies. In the end, only Woomera in Australia had a combined tracking station.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 3 March 2016 17 April 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213422/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4202/begin.html dead146–150 The first Vanguard test flight took place in the early morning of 8 December 1956 and involved the launch of an unmodified Viking rocket (#13). The purpose of Vanguard TV-0 was to familiarize the Vanguard team with launch operations, and to test the range safety and tracking systems at Cape Canaveral's Air Force Missile Test Center (AFMTC). TV-0 reached an altitude of 126.5 mi and a range of 97.6 mi. 120 seconds into the flight, the rocket ejected a small sphere equipped with a Minitrack transmitter. Its broadcasts were picked up without difficulty by AFMTC's tracking stations before the little device hit the Atlantic Ocean. A post-flight evaluation conducted mid-December determined that the rocket's performance had been "either satisfactory or superior", that rocket-borne instrumentation and telemetry had been "excellent", and that ground coverage of the instrumentation had been "adequate". This successful flight paved the way for Vanguard's first multi-stage launch, scheduled for the following year.170–176 Project Orbiter In 1956, the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) continued trying to gain support of Project Orbiter, 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 combined with upper stages employing 31 Loki solid-propellant rockets to put a 5 lb satellite into orbit, which could be tracked optically. Though Orbiter had been officially rejected the year before in favor of Vanguard, ABMA hoped Redstone-Orbiter could still be used as a backup orbital system. Reentry tests that year conducted with the newly developed, Redstone-based Jupiter-C, further strengthened ABMA confidence in their vehicle as an orbital launcher. Though Orbiter remained unapproved, late in the year the Army did authorize production and firing of 12 Jupiter-Cs for nosecone reentry tests. This set the stage for the Jupiter-C to be the de facto backup in the event of Vanguard's failure.74,199–200 Long-range missiles Development of an ICBM was given paramount importance by the United States government on the heels of a secret report made in February 1955 by James Rhyne Killian to the National Security Council on Soviet rocket progress. Not only was the 5500 km-range Atlas, America's first ICBM, made the highest-priority project in the nation, but Titan, a more capable ICBM, was authorized for development as well.TRW: Pioneering Technology and Innovation since 1900 Davis Dyer Harvard Business School Press Boston, MA 1998 191–193 1064465832 By late 1956, the Convair-produced Atlas was being configured for launch operations. On 10 October 1956, a non-flying Atlas arrived at Cape Canaveral in Florida, where it was checked for compatibility with the Cape's existing launch facilities. Test flights of the first "Series A" run of missiles would begin in 1957.Atlas The Story of a Missile John L. Chapman Harper & Brothers New York 1960 6,119–120 492591218 With development of the Atlas expected to take some time, the Thor Intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), with a range of 2500 km, had been authorized in 1955 to be developed and deployed in Europe in just three years. The Douglas-produced Thor, the first missile to use inertial guidance, had its basic configuration and size frozen in January 1956. Engine testing began in March 1956 with the first engine delivered by Rocketdyne in August, by which time the inertial guidance system was finished as well. The same month, warhead data was provided to General Electric, which had been contracted to produce the missile's nose cone. The size of the nose cone was fixed in September. Test launches of the completed missile would take place in 1957. The US Army's Wernher von Braun-led Guided Missile Development Division team, that had recently developed the Redstone, was working on its own IRBM, dubbed Jupiter in April 1956. United States Secretary of Defense Charles Wilson authorized this missile in September 1955, to be jointly developed by the Army and the US Navy. The PGM-19 Jupiter would have the same range as the Thor, and it was planned to be deployed by 1961.http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/jupiter1.html KING OF GODS: The Jupiter Missile Story Ed Kyle Space Launch Report 4 August 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20211229181314/http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/jupiter1.html 5 November 2022 29 December 2021 All of these missiles were ultimately adapted into orbital delivery rockets. America's Space Vehicles A pictorial review Will Eisner Oak Tree Press, Ltd. London 1962 916575496131–137 Soviet Union R-7 Semyorka ICBM thumb|alt=R-7 Semyorka ICBM|R-7 Semyorka ICBM Full-scale tests of the RD-108 rocket engines that would power the R-7 Semyorka, the Soviet Union's first ICBM, began in January 1956. That same month,https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4408pt1.pdf Challenge to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945-1974 Asif A. Siddiqi NASA Washington D.C. 1001823253 21 February 2021 16 September 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080916023444/https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4408pt1.pdf live137–138 work began in earnest on "Site 1", the launch pad at 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.Boris Chertok Rockets and People, Volume II: Creating a Rocket Industry NASA Washington D.C. June 2006 946818748308 Completed by the end of May, the platform measured 250 m by 100 m by 45 m. An exact duplicate was set up for testing and validation purposes in Leningrad, and a full-scale test version of the R-7 was subjected to wind tests thereon. On 5 October, workers finished the road connecting Site 1 and the living settlement at Site 10, nicknamed Zarya.136–137 Other Soviet missiles On 2 February 1956, an R-5M Medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) was the first rocket to fly carrying a live nuclear warhead.Asif Siddiqi R-5 Launches 1953-1959 http://sdfo.org/stl/R-5%20Launches%201953-1959.docx 3 November 2021 2021 2 February 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230202195251/https://sdfo.org/stl/R-5%20Launches%201953-1959.docx live In May and June 1956, three R-5R missiles—R-5Ms with their nuclear payloads replaced with radio control instrument packages—were the first Soviet missiles to be launched with radio guidance. The ground stations developed to control these missiles served as prototypes for those being built to support R-7 operations. A series of ten launches of another R5 variant, the M-5RD, tested other R-7 components including guidance, stabilization, and propellant feed. All of these launches were successful.138 Object D, the first Soviet satellite project On 30 January 1956, the Soviet government approved Resolution #149-88, authorizing "Object D". This was a satellite massing 1000 kg to 1400 kg, about a fourth of which would be devoted to scientific instruments. This proposal, created in 1955 by engineer Mikhail Tikhonravov, had been endorsed by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev upon learning that Object D would outmass the announced American satellite by nearly 1,000 times. Work on the project began in February 1956 with a planned launch date of latter 1957. The design was finalized on 24 July.25 By the 1956, it had become clear that the complicated Object D would not be finished in time for a 1957 launch. Thus, in December 1956, OKB-1 head Sergei Korolev proposed the development of two simpler satellites: PS, Prosteishy Sputnik, or Preliminary Satellite. The two PS satellites would be simple spheres massing 83.4 kg and equipped solely with a radio antenna. The project was approved by the government on 25 January 1957.27 Japan In 1955, Japan developed its first experimental rocket, the 23 cm long Pencil.https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/e/japan_s_history/brief.shtml Brief History History of Japanese Space Research Institute of Space and Astronautical Science 17 April 2025 With an eye toward developing a sounding rocket that could meet the 60 km to 100 km minimum altitude requirement for the IGY, the Japanese began development of the Kappa series of rockets, the last of which would fulfill the IGY height limit. Kappa 1, first in this series, 128 mm in diameter and with an initial acceleration of 25 gees,https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/e/japan_s_history/detail/kappa.shtml Under the Limelight ---- The Kappa Era History of Japanese Space Research Institute of Space and Astronautical Science 17 April 2025 was launched seven times in 1956.http://www.astronautix.com/k/kappa1.html Kappa 1 Mark Wade astronautix.com 17 April 2025 Canada Under the aegis of Canada's Defense Research Board, the United States Army built the Churchill Rocket Research Range 24 km east of Churchill, Manitoba. Due to its proximity to the north magnetic pole, it offered an excellent vantage from which to explore auroral activity. Sounding rocket launches began in October 1956, and the facility would become the nation's premier upper atmosphere research center.https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=115 Churchill Rocket Research Range National Historic Site of Canada 17 April 2025 2 right on 2 Launches 1956 January yes 15em January launches 11 January USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 11 January Successful 17 January USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 17 January Successful 20 January USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 132 kmWade 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 6 November 2021 ARDC Suborbital Test flight 20 January Successful 21 January USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 21 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 6 November 2021 21 January USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 21 January Successful 24 January USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 24 January Successful 24 January USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 24 January Launch failure |} February yes 15em February launches 2 February USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 First launch of a missile carrying a live nuclear warhead USSR 1955Baykal MVS Suborbital Nuclear weapon test 2 February Successful 6 February USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 6 February Successful 13 February USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 13 February Successful 14 February USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 14 February Successful 16 February USSR 1955R-5RD USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 Maiden flight of the R-5RD (or M5RD) MVS Suborbital R-7 component test 16 February Successful 17 February USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 17 February 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 6 November 2021 |} March yes 15em March launches 5 March USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 116 km ARDC Suborbital Test flight 5 March Successful 7 March USSR 1955R-5RD USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 MVS Suborbital R-7 component test 7 March Successful 9 March USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 9 March Successful 12 March 21:15 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-A-1a USAF 62 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 95 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 11 December 2022 2 February 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230202195019/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADB957191 live 166–167 AFCRC Suborbital Ionospheric 12 March Successful 14 March 08:45 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-A-1a USAF 63 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 106 km168–169 AFCRC Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 14 March Successful 15 March USSR 1955R-5RD USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 MVS Suborbital R-7 component test 15 March Successful 17 March USSR 1955R-5RD USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 MVS Suborbital R-7 component test 17 March Successful 23 March USSR 1955R-5RD USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 MVS Suborbital R-7 component test 23 March Successful 28 March USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 28 March Successful |} April yes 15em April launches 9 April USA 1912HJ-Nike USA 1912Wallops Island USA 1912NACA Apogee: 10 kmWade 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 6 November 2021 NACA Suborbital Test flight 9 April Successful 12 April 02:05 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-A-1a USAF 64 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 106 km170–171 USA 1912Sodium Release 3 AFCRC Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 12 April Successful 16 April USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 16 April Successful 17 April USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 100 km ARDC Suborbital REV test 17 April Successful 29 April USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 29 April Successful |} May yes 15em May launches 1 May 22:05 USA 1912Aerobee Hi NRL 39 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 4 km, Navy variant designation: RV-N-13aMcDowell Jonathan C. General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects, Launches, Aerobee https://planet4589.org/space/gcat/data/launch/AerobeeB.html Jonathan's Space Report 14 December 2022 2 February 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230202195027/https://planet4589.org/space/gcat/data/launch/AerobeeB.html live NRL Suborbital Test flight 1 May Launch failure 8 May USSR 1955R-1UK USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Project T-3 8 May SuccessfulWade Mark R-1UK http://www.astronautix.com/r/r-1uk.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161227195014/http://astronautix.com/r/r-1uk.html dead 27 December 2016 7 November 2021 8 May USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 8 May Successful 8 May 14:54 USA 1912Aerobee AJ10-34 USAF 65 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 143 km, maiden flight of the Aerobee AJ10-34;172–173 at apogee, several photographs were taken of the Sun in Lyman-alpha (1215 angstroms) wavelength using lithium fluoride optics. The low resolution pictures revealed "considerably enhanced Lyman a radiation in the active spot and plage areas on the sun at the time of the flight." A spectrogram of the Sun was also taken.https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1957AJ.....62...30R Solar Lyman α radiation The Astrophysical Journal February 1957 62 30 Rense, Win. A. 10.1086/107448 1957AJ.....62...30R 16 April 2025 AFCRC / University of Colorado Suborbital Solar UV 8 May Successful 8 May 15:15 USA 1912Aerobee Hi NRL 42 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 188 km, Navy variant designation: RV-N-13a NRL Suborbital Test flight 8 May Launch failure 10 May USSR 1955R-1UK USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Project T-3 10 May Successful 14 May USSR 1955R-1E USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 Carried dogs, all recoveredWade 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 7 November 2021 OKB-1 Suborbital Biological 14 May Successful 16 May USSR 1955R-1UK USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Project T-3 16 May Successful 16 May 15:40 USA 1912Aerobee Hi USAF 66 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 169 km174–175 AFCRC Suborbital Test flight 16 May Launch failure 31 May 02:57 USSR 1955R-1E USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 Carried dogs Malyshka and Linda,Russian Space Probes: Scientific Discoveries and Future Missions Brian Harvey Olga Zakutnyaya 2011 Springer Praxis Books Chichester, UK 131607784223 all recovered OKB-1 Suborbital Biological / Solar UV 31 May Successful 31 May USSR 1955R-5R USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 Maiden flight of the R-5R MVS Suborbital Radio guidance test 31 May Successful |} June yes 15em June launches 4 June 14:13 USA 1912Aerobee Hi NRL 46 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 58 km, Navy variant designation: RV-N-13a NRL Suborbital Solar UV 4 June Launch failure 6 June USSR 1955R-1UK USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Project T-3 6 June Successful 7 June USSR 1955R-1E USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 carried dogs Albina and Kozyavka23 on final(?) flight of the R-1E; dogs recoveredWade Mark R-1E (A-1) http://www.astronautix.com/r/r-1ea-1.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161227201122/http://astronautix.com/r/r-1ea-1.html dead 27 December 2016 7 November 2021 OKB-1 Suborbital Biological 7 June Successful 7 June USSR 1955R-5R USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 MVS Suborbital Radio guidance test 7 June Successful 7 June USA 1912Nike-Nike-T40-T55 USA 1912Wallops Island USA 1912NACA Apogee: 100 km, final flight of the Nike-Nike-T40-T55Wade 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 7 November 2021 NACA Suborbital REV test 7 June Successful 8 June USSR 1955R-1UK USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Project T-3 8 June Successful 12 June USSR 1955R-1UK USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Project T-3 12 June Successful 12 June USSR 1955R-1UK USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Project T-3 12 June Successful 13 June 20:51 USA 1912Aerobee AJ10-34 USAF 67 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 137.8 km176–177 AFCRC / University of Utah Suborbital Ionospheric 13 June Successful 14 June USSR 1955R-1E USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 carried dogs Albina and Kozyavka23 on final(?) flight of the R-1E (flight not listed on Mark Wade's site—see reference) OKB-1 Suborbital Biological 14 June Unknown 15 June USSR 1955R-5R USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 Final flight of the R-5R MVS Suborbital Radio guidance test 15 June Successful 18 June USSR 1955R-1UK USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Project T-3 18 June Successful 18 June 20:42 USA 1912Aerobee AJ10-34 USAF 68 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 137 km178–179 AFCRC / University of Utah Suborbital Ionospheric 18 June Successful 20 June USSR 1955R-1UK USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Project T-3 20 June Successful 21 June USSR 1955R-1UK USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 Final flight of the R-1UK OKB-1 Suborbital Project T-3 21 June Successful 21 June 18:48 USA 1912Aerobee AJ10-34 USAF 69 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 146 km180–181 AFCRC / University of Utah Suborbital Ionospheric 21 June Successful 22 June 19:42 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-N-10 NRL 22 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 5 km NRL Suborbital Ionospheric 22 June Launch failure 26 June USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 140 km ARDC Suborbital Test flight 26 June Successful 26 June 18:26 USA 1912Aerobee AJ10-34 USAF 70 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 111 km182–183 AFCRC / University of Utah Suborbital Ionospheric 26 June Successful 29 June 19:09 USA 1912Aerobee Hi NRL 50 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 263.7 km, Navy variant designation: RV-N-13b (Rocket #50); measured electron densities in the ionosphere by sending radio signals on two frequencies (7.75 and 46.5 Mhz) and determining how their Doppler shift was affected by the refractive index of the material near the rocket.https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/JZ061i004p00749 Ionosphere electron-density measurements with the Navy Aerobee-Hi rocket Jackson, J. E. Kane, J. A. Seddon, J. C. Journal of Geophysical Research December 1956 61 4 749–751 10.1029/JZ061i004p00749 1956JGR....61..749J 16 April 2025 subscription The results confirmed "the general structure of the daytime ionosphere above White Sands as deduced from previous NRL flights": that "the ionosphere remains dense between the E and F2 regions, with only minor valleys in the electron-density profiles."https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/JZ063i001p00197 Ionosphere Electron-Density Measurements with the Navy Aerobee-Hi Rocket Jackson, J. E. Seddon, J. C. Journal of Geophysical Research March 1958 63 1 197–208 10.1029/JZ063i001p00197 1958JGR....63..197J 17 April 2025 subscription NRL Suborbital Ionospheric 29 June Successful 30 June USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 30 June Successful |} July yes 15em July launches 5 July 07:52 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-N-10c NRL 33 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 162 km NRL Suborbital Airglow / Aeronomy 5 July Successful 6 July 18:00 USA 1912Nike-Cajun AM6.01 USA 1912Wallops Island USA 1912NACA Apogee: 129 km, maiden flight of the Nike-CajunWade Mark Nike Cajun http://www.astronautix.com/n/nikecajun.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161227213545/http://astronautix.com/n/nikecajun.html dead 27 December 2016 8 November 2021 NACA / University of Michigan Suborbital Aeronomy 6 July Successful 12 July USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 12 July Successful 17 July USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 142 km ARDC Suborbital REV test 17 July Successful 17 July 15:40 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NN5.27 USA 1912Colonial LSD-18 6, Pacific Ocean, southwest of San Diego USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 120 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 9 November 2021 NRL Suborbital Solar UV / X-ray 17 July Successful 18 July 15:46 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NN5.28 USA 1912USS Colonial, Pacific Ocean, southwest of San Diego USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 120 km NRL Suborbital Solar UV / X-ray 18 July Successful 19 July 15:21 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NN5.29 USA 1912USS Colonial, Pacific Ocean, southwest of San Diego USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 120 km NRL Suborbital Solar UV / X-ray 19 July Successful 20 July USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 20 July Launch failure 20 July USSR 1955R-5RD USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 MVS Suborbital R-7 component test 20 July Successful 20 July 19:15 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NN5.30 USA 1912USS Colonial, Pacific Ocean, southwest of San Diego USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 120 km NRL Suborbital Solar UV / X-ray 20 July Successful 21 July 17:18 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NN5.31 USA 1912USS Colonial, Pacific Ocean, southwest of San Diego USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 11 km NRL Suborbital Aeronomy 21 July Launch failure 22 July 17:57 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NN5.32 USA 1912USS Colonial, Pacific Ocean, southwest of San Diego USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 120 km NRL Suborbital Solar UV / X-ray 22 July Successful 24 July USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 24 July Successful 24 July USA 1912Nike-Cajun USA 1912Wallops Island USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 112 km USA 1912HUGO US Navy Suborbital Hurricane Photography / Aeronomy 24 July Successful 24 July 14:07 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NN5.33 USA 1912USS Colonial, Pacific Ocean, southwest of San Diego USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 11 km NRL Suborbital Solar UV / X-ray 24 July Launch failure 25 July 15:15 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NN5.34 USA 1912USS Colonial, Pacific Ocean, southwest of San Diego USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 120 km NRL Suborbital Solar UV / X-ray 25 July Successful 26 July USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 26 July Successful 26 July 15:28 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NN5.35 USA 1912USS Colonial, Pacific Ocean, southwest of San Diego USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 120 km NRL Suborbital Solar UV / X-ray 26 July Successful 27 July USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 0 km ARDC Suborbital REV test 27 July Launch failure 27 July 15:30 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NN5.36 USA 1912USS Colonial, Pacific Ocean, southwest of San Diego USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 120 km, final flight of the Deacon rockoon NRL Suborbital Solar UV / X-ray 27 July Successful 28 July USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 28 July Successful 28 July USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 28 July Successful 28 July USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 28 July Successful 31 July 00:56 USA 1912Aerobee AJ10-34 USAF 71 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 129 km184–185 AFCRC Suborbital Airglow 31 July Successful |} August yes 15em August launches 3 August 12:56 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-A-1a USAF 72 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 2.4 km, fail safe cutoff at 4.6 seconds186–187 AFCRC Suborbital Solar UV 3 August Launch failure 7 August USSR 1955R-5RD USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 MVS Suborbital R-7 component test 7 August Successful 8 August 22:00 USA 1912Nike-Cajun AM6.30 USA 1912White Sands USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 100 km University of Michigan Suborbital Aeronomy 8 August Successful 9 August 15:53 USA 1912Aerobee XASR-SC-1 SC 34 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Army Apogee: 85.5 km; carried three bottles for sampling air at apogee: two leaked, one recovered and analyzed.255–256 SCEL / University of Michigan Suborbital Aeronomy 9 August Successful 9 August 22:47 USA 1912Nike-Cajun OB6.00 USA 1912White Sands USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 164 km BRL Suborbital Aeronomy 9 August Successful 10 August USSR 1955R-5RD USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 MVS Suborbital R-7 component test 10 August Successful 10 August 15:22 USA 1912Aerobee XASR-SC-1 SC 35 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Army Apogee: 85.9 km, final flight of the Aerobee XASR-SC-1257–258 SCEL / University of Michigan Suborbital Aeronomy 10 August Successful 18 August USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 0 km ARDC Suborbital REV test 18 August Launch failure 23 August USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 142 km ARDC / NACA Suborbital REV test 23 August Successful 25 August USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 25 August Successful 28 August USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 100 km ARDC Suborbital REV test 28 August Successful |} September yes 15em September launches 8 September USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 394 km ARDC Suborbital REV test 8 September Launch failure 16 September USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 16 September Successful 19 September USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 19 September Successful 20 September 06:45 USA 1912Jupiter-C USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-5 USA 1912ABMA Apogee: 1094 km, maiden flight of the Jupiter-C, carried a 39.2 kg payload in a three-stage configurationExplorer-I and Jupiter-C https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/sputnik/expinfo.html nasa.gov Department of Astronautics, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution 10 November 2021 23 June 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210623212528/https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/sputnik/expinfo.html live ABMA Suborbital REV test 20 September Successful 21 September USA 1912Terrapin USA 1912Wallops Island USA 1912NACA / NSA Apogee: 16 km, maiden flight of the TerrapinWade Mark Terrapin http://www.astronautix.com/t/terrapin.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161228043221/http://astronautix.com/t/terrapin.html dead 28 December 2016 10 November 2021 University of Maryland Suborbital Test flight 21 September Launch failure 21 September USA 1912Terrapin USA 1912Wallops Island USA 1912NACA / NSA Apogee: 120 km University of Maryland Suborbital Test flight 21 September Successful 25 September USSR 1955R-5RD USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 MVS Suborbital R-7 component test 25 September Successful 26 September USSR 1955R-5RD USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 Final flight of the R-5RD MVS Suborbital R-7 component test 26 September Successful 29 September USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 29 September Successful |} October yes 15em October launches 1 October USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 145 km ARDC Suborbital REV test 1 October Successful 5 October USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 117 km ARDC Suborbital REV test 5 October Successful 11 October USA 1912HJ-Nike USA 1912Wallops Island USA 1912NACA Apogee: 70 km NACA Suborbital REV test 11 October Successful 13 October USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 102 km ARDC Suborbital REV test 13 October Successful 18 October USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 155 km ARDC Suborbital REV test 18 October Successful 20 October 22:01 AM6.31 USA 1912Nike-Cajun CAN 1921Churchill USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 113 km, first spaceflight launched from Canadian soil University of Michigan Suborbital Aeronomy 20 October Successful 23 October 08:40 USA 1912Aerobee AJ10-34 AM2.21 CAN 1921Churchill USA 1912US Army Apogee: 145 km SCEL / University of Michigan Suborbital Aeronomy 23 October Successful 24 October USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 24 October Successful 25 October USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 25 October Successful 25 October USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 25 October Successful 25 October USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 25 October Successful 26 October USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 26 October Successful 25 October USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 124 km ARDC Suborbital REV test 25 October Successful 27 October 21:24 USA 1912Nike-Cajun AM6.08 USA 1912Rushmore LSD-14 6, Atlantic Ocean, near New York City USA 1912US Air Force / US Navy Apogee: 161 km University of Michigan Suborbital Aeronomy 27 October Successful |} November yes 15em November launches 1 November 12:57 USA 1912Aerobee AJ10-34 USAF 73 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 66 km AFCRC Suborbital Aeronomy 1 November Successful 2 November 05:39 USA 1912Aerobee AJ10-34 USAF 74 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 146 km; Three minutes into flight, starting at 60 km and ending at 140 km altitude, 2 kg of sodium metal were ejected in vapor form. At 60 km, a yellow glow was easily visible, and a dim persistent trail was photographed. Photometric measurements and simultaneous two-site photograph with Super-Schmidt cameras measured the intensity of the emission all along the 80 km of emission.https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/JZ062i001p00170 Emission from sodium vapor ejected into the Earth's atmosphere at night John F. Bedinger Edward Manring 62 1 Journal of Geophysical Research March 1957 170–171 10.1029/JZ062i001p00170 1957JGR....62..170B 16 April 2025 subscription USA 1912Sodium Release 4 AFCRC Suborbital Aeronomy 2 November Successful 2 November 18:40 USA 1912Nike-Cajun AM6.09 USA 1912Rushmore LSD-14 6, Atlantic Ocean, east of Newfoundland USA 1912US Air Force / US Navy Apogee: 131 km University of Michigan Suborbital Aeronomy 2 November Successful 3 November USSR 1955R-2 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 3 November Successful 3 November USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 3 November Successful 4 November 18:54 USA 1912Nike-Cajun AM6.10 USA 1912USS Rushmore, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Air Force / US Navy Apogee: 162 km University of Michigan Suborbital Aeronomy 4 November Successful 5 November USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 118 km ARDC Suborbital REV test 5 November Successful 5 November 07:50 USA 1912Aerobee Hi NRL 45 CAN 1921Churchill USA 1912US Navy Navy variant designation: RV-N-13b; Altitude not reported, possible failure NRL Suborbital Auroral 5 November Unknown 7 November 15:02 USA 1912Nike-Cajun AM6.11 USA 1912USS Rushmore, Davis Strait USA 1912US Air Force / US Navy Apogee: 169 km University of Michigan Suborbital Aeronomy 7 November Successful 10 November 15:17 USA 1912Nike-Cajun AM6.12 USA 1912USS Rushmore, Davis Strait USA 1912US Air Force / US Navy Apogee: 161 km University of Michigan Suborbital Aeronomy 10 November Successful 12 November USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 12 November Successful 12 November 11:47 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-A-1a SM1.01 CAN 1921Churchill USA 1912US Army Apogee: 67 km USA 1912Grenades SCEL / University of Michigan Suborbital Aeronomy 12 November Successful 13 November USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 13 November Successful 15 November 19:32 USA 1912Aerobee Hi NRL 47 CAN 1921Churchill USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 129 km, Navy variant designation: RV-N-13b NRL Suborbital Ionospheric 15 November Successful 16 November USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 16 November Successful 16 November USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 107 km ARDC Suborbital REV test 16 November Successful 17 November 16:48 USA 1912Aerobee Hi NRL 43 CAN 1921Churchill USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 209 km, Navy variant designation: RV-N-13b NRL Suborbital Aeronomy / Solar UV / Solar X-Ray 17 November Successful 21 November 05:21 USA 1912Aerobee Hi NRL 48 CAN 1921Churchill USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 251 km, Navy variant designation: RV-N-13c; equipped with a Bennett radio-frequency ion-mass spectrometer, launched "at night, into an overcast which prevented observations of the overhead sky", succeeded by flights carrying identical instruments in February and March 1958.https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/JZ063i002p00443 Ion composition of the arctic ionosphere Charles Y. Johnson Edith B. Meadows Julian C. Holmes Journal of Geophysical Research June 1958 17 April 2025 63 2 443–444 10.1029/JZ063i002p00443 1958JGR....63..443J subscription NRL Suborbital Ionospheric / Auroral 21 November Successful 23 November USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 143 km ARDC Suborbital REV test 23 November Successful 24 November USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 First R-5 to launch as an anti-ballistic missile target for the V-1000 systemWade Mark R-5 http://www.astronautix.com/r/r-5.html https://web.archive.org/web/20160820192143/http://www.astronautix.com/r/r-5.html dead 20 August 2016 16 November 2021 OKB-1 Suborbital ABM target 24 November Successful |} December yes 15em December launches 3 December USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 125 km ARDC Suborbital REV test 3 December Successful 6 December USSR 1955R-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 6 December Successful 6 December USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 6 December Successful 7 December USA 1912Nike-Cajun USA 1912Wallops Island USA 1912NACA Apogee: 30 km NACA Suborbital REV test 7 December Successful 8 December 06:03 USA 1912Viking (second model) USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-18A USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 203.6 km, first Project Vanguard test flight using a single-stage Viking (No. 13)Vanguard, A History – Early Test Firings https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/sputnik/chap10.html nasa.gov NASA History Division 17 November 2021 24 December 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161224011445/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/sputnik/chap10.html live USA 1912Vanguard TV-0 NRL Suborbital Test flight 8 December Successful 11 December USA 1912X-17 USA 1912Cape Canaveral LC-3 USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 144 km ARDC Suborbital REV test 11 December Successful 12 December USSR 1955R-5M USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital ABM target 12 December Successful 13 December 21:44 USA 1912Aerobee Hi USAF 75 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 193 km AFCRC Suborbital Test flight 13 December Successful 20 December USSR 1955A-1 USSR 1955Kapustin Yar USSR 1955OKB-1 MVS Suborbital Ionospheric 20 December SuccessfulWade Mark A-1 (R-1) http://www.astronautix.com/a/a-1r-1.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161227211956/http://astronautix.com/a/a-1r-1.html dead 27 December 2016 17 November 2021 |} 1956 Suborbital launch statistics By country 120 false left United States: 76 #484785 Soviet Union: 69 #A52A2A + Launches by country Country Launches Successes Failures Partialfailures Unknown USSR 1955 69 67 2 0 1 USA 1912 76 63 12 0 1 World 69 76 67 63 2 12 0 0 1 1 By rocket bar chart center 850 400 1 1:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:1:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:1:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:8:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:2:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:5:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:2:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:9:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:0:10:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:0:0:1:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:0:0:11:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:0:0:2:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:0:0:0:20:0:0:0:0:0 0:0:0:0:0:2:0:0:0:0 0:0:0:0:0:0:1:0:0:0 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:17:0:0 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1:0:0 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:4:0:0 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:10:0:0 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:11:0 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:14 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:10 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:3 blue #363663 : #5b59a6 : #cecde4 #646e2b #1e85ae : #25a7da : #7ccae9 #00cccc #00bfff : #007399 : #0099cc #828b74 #971e02 #859339 #7a1f1f : #cb3434 : #e08585 : #efc2c2 #ff7700 #997800 : #cca000 : #ffc800 Viking (second model) Aerobee RTV-N-10 Aerobee RTV-N-10c Aerobee Hi (NRL) Aerobee XASR-SC-1 Aerobee RTV-A-1a Aerobee Hi (USAF) Aerobee AJ10-34 Deacon rockoon (NRL) Nike-Nike-T40-T55 Nike-Cajun Terrapin X-17 HJ-Nike Jupiter-C R-1 A-1 R-1E R-1UK R-2 R-5M R-5RD R-5R Viking : Aerobee : Rockoon : Nike/Deacon : X-17 : Honest John : Jupiter-C : R-1 : R-2 : R-5 _launches 5 + Launches by rocket Rocket Country Launches Successes Failures Partialfailures Unknown Remarks Viking (second model) USA 1912 1 1 0 0 0 Aerobee RTV-N-10 USA 1912 1 0 1 0 0 Aerobee RTV-N-10c USA 1912 1 1 0 0 0 Aerobee Hi (NRL) USA 1912 8 4 3 0 1 Aerobee XASR-SC-1 USA 1912 2 2 0 0 0 Retired Aerobee RTV-A-1a USA 1912 5 4 1 0 0 Aerobee Hi (USAF) USA 1912 2 1 1 0 0 Aerobee AJ10-34 USA 1912 9 9 0 0 0 Maiden flight Deacon rockoon (NRL) USA 1912 10 8 2 0 0 Retired Nike-Nike-T40-T55 USA 1912 1 1 0 0 0 Retired Nike-Cajun USA 1912 11 11 0 0 0 Maiden flight Terrapin USA 1912 2 1 1 0 0 Maiden flight X-17 USA 1912 20 17 3 0 0 HJ-Nike USA 1912 2 2 0 0 0 Jupiter-C USA 1912 1 1 0 0 0 Maiden flight R-1 USSR 1955 17 15 2 0 0 A-1 USSR 1955 1 1 0 0 0 R-1E USSR 1955 4 3 0 0 1 Retired R-1UK USSR 1955 10 10 0 0 0 Maiden flight, retired R-2 USSR 1955 11 11 0 0 0 R-5M USSR 1955 14 14 0 0 0 R-5RD USSR 1955 10 10 0 0 0 Maiden flight, retired R-5R USSR 1955 3 3 0 0 0 Maiden flight, retired See also Timeline of spaceflight Footnotes 1956 on Category:Spaceflight by year