1954 in spaceflight

none August 2021 January 2014 1954 Viking-10.jpg Viking 10 was launched in May USA 1912 Aerobee RTV-N-10bUSA 1912 Nike-Nike-T40-T55USSR 1936 A-1USSR 1936 R-1DFrance Véronique-NA USA 1912 Aerobee RTV-N-10bUSSR 1936 R-1DFrance Véronique-NA Timeline of spaceflight 1953 1955 The year 1954 saw the conception of Project Orbiter, the first practicable satellite launching project, utilizing the Redstone, a newly developed Short Range Ballistic Missile. A variety of sounding rockets continued to return scientific data from beyond the 100 km boundary of space (as defined by the World Air Sports Federation), Outer space may have just gotten a bit closer Paul Voosen July 24, 2018 April 1, 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 including the Viking and Aerobee rockets, University of Iowa and Naval Research Laboratory ship-launched rockoons, and derivatives of the Soviet R-1 missile. The French also launched their first sounding rocket into space, the Véronique-NA. 1954 also marked a year of development of the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). The United States prioritized the development of its Atlas while the Soviet Union authorized the draft proposal for the R-7 Semyorka, its first ICBM. 2 Space exploration highlights US Navy After ten months of salvage, testing, and troubleshooting following the failed launch of Viking 10 on 30 June 1953, a successful static firing of the rebuilt rocket took place at the end of April 1954. Launch was scheduled for 4 May. Control issues revealed in the static firing as well as gusty, sand-laden winds caused a delay of three days. At 10:00 AM local time, Viking 10 blasted off from its pad at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, reaching an altitude of 136 mi—a tie with the highest altitude ever reached by a first-generation Viking (Viking 7 on 7 August 1951). Data was received from the rocket for all stages of the flight, and its scientific package returned the first measurement of positive ion composition at high altitudes.Milton W. Rosen The Viking Rocket Story Harper & Brothers New York 1955 221–236 317524549 Viking 11, which was ready for erection on 5 May, also had a successful static test and was ready for launch, 24 May 1954. Again, the countdown went without hold, and Viking 11, the heaviest rocket yet in the series, was launched at 10:00 AM. Forty seconds into the flight, several puffs of smoke issued from the vehicle, but these accidental excitations of the rocket's roll jets did no harm. Viking 11 ultimately reached 158 mi in altitude, a record for the series, snapping the highest altitude photographs of the Earth to date. Both Vikings 10 and 11 carried successful emulsions experiments, measuring cosmic rays at high altitudes. Three more Viking flights were scheduled, one of which would fly in 1955, the other two later incorporated into the subsequent Project Vanguard.Ordway, Frederick I.; Wakeford, Ronald C. International Missile and Spacecraft Guide https://web.archive.org/web/20220706142248/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015011128397;view=1up;seq=216 6 July 2022 , N.Y., McGraw-Hill, 1960, p. 208 American civilian efforts For the third summer in a row, members of the State University of Iowa (SUI) physics department embarked 15 July 1954 on an Atlantic expedition to launch a series of balloon-launched Deacon rockets (rockoons), this time aboard the icebreaker, Atka AGB-3 6. Once again, a Naval Research Laboratory team accompanied them to launch their own rockoons. Beginning with the fourth SUI launch on 21 July 1954 off the northern tip of Labrador, eleven rockoon launches (seven of them successful) over a five-day period probed the heart of the auroral zone at high altitude. Each rockoon carried two geiger counters with different thicknesses of shielding; two of the flights determined that aurorae produced detectable "soft" (lower energy/penetrative) radiation.Opening Space Research George Ludwig geopress Washington D.C. 2011 845256256 36–37 Scientific results By 1954, the array of Viking, Aerobee, V-2, Deacon Rockoon, and other high altitude sounding rocket flights had returned a bonanza of knowledge about the upper atmosphere. Previously, it had been believed that, at altitudes above 20 mi, Earth's atmosphere was highly stratified and peaceful, an indefinite continuation of the stratosphere. Rocket research discovered winds, turbulence, and mixing up to heights of 80 mi, and wind velocities of 180 mph were measured 125 mi above the Earth's surface. The density of the upper atmosphere was found to be thinner than expected: the estimated average distance an air atom or molecule must travel before colliding with another (mean free path) was refined to .5 mi. Ionized particles were discovered in what were previously thought to be distinct gaps between the E and F layers in the ionosphere. Sounding rockets returned the first measurements of extraterrestrial X-rays, blocked from observation from the ground by the lower layers of the atmosphere. It was determined that these X-rays were one of the major producers of atmospheric ionization. Ultraviolet radiation was extensively observed as well as its contribution to the ozone layer. Solar radiation data determined that the Sun was hotter than had been calculated from strictly earthbound measurements. Cosmic rays were found to consist mainly of protons, alpha particles, and heavier atomic nuclei; the range of measured elements extended to iron, with greater abundance in even mass numbered elements. Vehicle development US Air Force On February 1, 1954,Atlas The Story of a Missile John L. Chapman Harper & Brothers New York 1960 73–77 492591218 the Strategic Missiles Evaluation Committee or 'Teapot Committee', comprising eleven of the top scientists and engineers in the country, issued a report recommending prioritization of the development of the Atlas, the nation's first ICBM. Trevor Gardner, special assistant for research and development to Secretary of the Air Force, Harold Talbott, selected Ramo Wooldridge (R-W) to handle the systems engineering and technical direction for the entire project, a considerable expansion of duties for the year-old company, which had hitherto been contracted by the Air Force to advise and perform research.TRW: Pioneering Technology and Innovation since 1900 Davis Dyer Harvard Business School Press Boston, MA 1998 1064465832178–9 From spring 1954 through the end of the year, R-W's work was confined to the evaluation of the project and the accumulation of personnel to handle development of the ICBM.185 Convair, which had been developing the Atlas for the prior eight years, remained the manufacturer of the missile proper. The public first became aware of the Atlas project with the publication of the 8 March 1954 issue of Aviation Weekly, in which appeared the short item: "Convair is developing a long range ballistic missile known as the Atlas. Its development was begun in the era when Floyd Odlum's Atlas Corp. was the controlling stockholder in Convair." Before the Teapot commission had determined the likely weight of a thermonuclear payload, the Atlas specification had called for a missile 90 feet long and 10 feet wide, carrying five rocket engines, and a full-scale wooden model as well as a metal test example of the tank were built in 1954. By the time the design was frozen at the end of the year, the specifications had been downscaled to 75 feet long, retaining the same width, and the number of engines was reduced to three. Project Orbiter thumb|right|At a meeting of Project Orbiter on March 16, 1954, Fred C. Durant is seen seated at the table, second from the left.|alt=At a meeting of Project Orbiter on March 16, 1954, Fred C. Durant is seen seated at the table, second from the left. By 1954, there was growing consensus in the United States that rocket technology had evolved to the point the launch of an Earth orbiting satellite was becoming feasible. A 16 March meeting in Washington D.C. involving several of the nation's leading space specialists was arranged by past president of the American Rocket Society Frederick C. Durant III. They included Fred Singer, proposer of the "MOUSE" (Minimum Orbiting Unmanned Satellite of the Earth), rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, David Young of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, Commander George Hoover and Alexander Satin of the Air Branch of the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and noted astronomer, Fred Whipple. They determined that 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.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 17–18 https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4202/begin.html 21 February 2021 3 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213422/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4202/begin.html live Whipple approached the National Science Foundation (NSF) to sponsor a conference for further study of the idea, particularly to develop instrumentation for a satellite. The NSF took no immediate action. Hoover, however, was able to secure interest from the ONR, and by November 1954, a satellite-launching plan had been developed. Dubbed Project Orbiter, the "no-cost satellite" would be built largely from existing hardware; the Army would design and construct the booster system (using Redstone and Loki) while the Navy would handle creation of the satellite, tracking facilities, and the acquisition and analysis of data. By the end of the year, ONR had let $60,000 in three contracts for feasibility studies and initial design. Soviet Union The R-5 missile, able to carry the same 1000 kg payload as the R-1 and R-2 but over a distance of 1200 kmBoris Chertok Rockets and People, Volume II: Creating a Rocket Industry NASA Washington D.C. June 2006 946818748242 underwent its third series of test launches, beginning 12 August 1954 and continuing through 7 February 1955. These tests confirmed the soundness of the design and cleared the way for nuclear and sounding rocket variants.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 live120, 138 Paralleling developments in the United States, 1954 marked the authorization of the R-7 Semyorka ICBM (on 20 May). Mikhail Tikhonravov, whose team at had completed the ICBM studies that formed the conceptual framework for the R-7, on 27 May, at the urging of OKB-1 Chief Designer Sergei Korolev, submitted a memorandum entitled, "A Report on an Artificial Satellite of the Earth" to Deputy Minister of Medium Machine Building Vasiliy Rabikov and Georgiy Pashkov, Rabikov's department chief in charge of missiles. This memorandum, containing summaries of both Soviet research of recent years as well as translations of Western articles on satellites, served as the catalyst for the Soviet satellite program.139–144 Launches 1954 off February yes 15em February launches 2 February 18:35 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-N-10 NRL 20 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 101 kmMcDowell Jonathan C. General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects, Launches, Aerobee https://planet4589.org/space/gcat/data/launch/AerobeeB.html Jonathan's Space Report 5 December 2022 2 February 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230202195027/https://planet4589.org/space/gcat/data/launch/AerobeeB.html live NRL Suborbital Solar UV 2 February Successful 20 February FRAVéronique-NAhttps://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_fam/veronique.htm Veronique Family Gunter Krebs 19 October 2021 Gunter's Space Page 30 June 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220630193153/https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_fam/veronique.htm live FRAHammaguir Bechar FRALRBA Apogee: 29 km, maiden flight of the Véronique-NAhttp://www.astronautix.com/v/veronique.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161107051429/http://www.astronautix.com/v/veronique.html dead 7 November 2016 Veronique Wade Mark 19 October 2021 LRBA Suborbital Test flight 20 February Launch failure 21 February FRAVéronique-NA FRAHammaguir Bechar FRALRBA Apogee: 135 km, first French spaceflight LRBA Suborbital Test flight 21 February Successful |} March yes 15em March launches 11 March USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 11 March Successfulhttp://www.astronautix.com/r/r-18a11.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161228003429/http://astronautix.com/r/r-18a11.html dead 28 December 2016 R-1 8A11 Wade Mark 7 January 2021 16 March USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 16 March Successful 16 March USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 16 March Successful 20 March USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 20 March Successful |} April yes 15em April launches 9 April 21:12 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-N-10 NRL 18 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 143 km NRL Suborbital Spectrometry 9 April Successful 10 April 09:00 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-N-10 NRL 19 USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 5 km NRL Suborbital Spectrometry 10 April Launch Failure 23 April USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 23 April Successful 24 April USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 24 April Successful 26 April USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 26 April Successful 29 April USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 29 April Successful |} May yes 15em May launches May USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 First of ten production missile test launches, eight of which were successfulhttp://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 R-2 Wade Mark 21 October 2021 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test Same Day May USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 Second of ten production missile test launches, eight of which were successful OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test Same Day May USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 Third of ten production missile test launches, eight of which were successful OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test Same Day May USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 Fourth of ten production missile test launches, eight of which were successful OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test Same Day May USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 Fifth of ten production missile test launches, eight of which were successful OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test Same Day May USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 Sixth of ten production missile test launches, eight of which were successful OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test Same Day May USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 Seventh of ten production missile test launches, eight of which were successful OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test Same Day May USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 Eighth of ten production missile test launches, eight of which were successful OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test Same Day May USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 Ninth of ten production missile test launches, eight of which were successful OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test Same Day May USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 Tenth of ten production missile test launches, eight of which were successful OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test Same Day 3 May USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 3 May Successful 4 May USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 4 May Successful 4 May USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 4 May Successful 7 May USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 7 May Successful 7 May 17:00 USA 1912Viking (second model) USA 1912White Sands LC-33 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 219 kmhttp://www.astronautix.com/v/vikingsoundingrocket.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161228051243/http://astronautix.com/v/vikingsoundingrocket.html dead 28 December 2016 Viking Sounding Rocket Wade Mark 21 October 2021 USA 1912Viking 10 NRL Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 7 May Successful 11 May 15:00 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-A-1a USAF 46 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 98 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 5 December 2022 2 February 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230202195019/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADB957191 live 135–136 AFCRC Suborbital Beacon test 11 May Successful 21 May USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 21 May Successful 24 May 17:00 USA 1912Viking (second model) USA 1912White Sands LC-33 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 254 km USA 1912Viking 11 NRL Suborbital REV test / Photography 24 May Successful 26 May 14:24 USSR 1936A-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 Apogee: 106 km, maiden flight of the A-1Mark Wade 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 astronautix.com 21 October 2021 MVS Suborbital Ionospheric 26 May Successful |} June yes 15em June launches 2 June 16:10 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-A-1a USAF 47 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 93 km137–138 AFCRC / University of Colorado Suborbital Solar UV 2 June Successful 8 June USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 8 June Successful 9 June USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 9 June Successful 11 June USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 11 June Successful 12 June USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 12 June Successful 14 June USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 14 June Successful 26 June 13:24 USSR 1936R-1D USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 Apogee: 106 km, maiden flight of R-1DMark Wade http://www.astronautix.com/r/r-1d.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161227201532/http://astronautix.com/r/r-1d.html dead 27 December 2016 R1-D astronautix.com 21 October 2021 OKB-1 Suborbital Biology / Ionosphere / Aeronomy 26 June Successful |} July yes 15em July launches 2 July USSR 1936R-1D USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 Payload, instruments, left and right animal containers all recovered. Smoke container failed. Carried dogs Lyza and Ryjik. OKB-1 Suborbital Biology / Ionosphere / Aeronomy 2 July Successful 7 July USSR 1936R-1D USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 Final flight of the R-1D OKB-1 Suborbital Biology / Ionosphere / Aeronomy 7 July Successful 14 July 13:55 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-A-1a USAF 48 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 92 km139–140 AFCRC / University of Michigan Suborbital Aeronomy 14 July Successful 16 July 12:13 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 24 USA 1912Atka AGB-3 6,Atka (AGB-3) https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/atka.html Naval History and Heritage Command US Navy 21 October 2021 9 May 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170509191106/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/atka.html live Atlantic Ocean, 360 km east of Boston USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 11 km University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 16 July Launch failurehttp://www.astronautix.com/d/deaconrockoon.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161228054352/http://astronautix.com/d/deaconrockoon.html dead 28 December 2016 Deacon Rockoon Wade Mark 21 October 2021 16 July 21:58 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 25 USA 1912USS Atka, Atlantic Ocean, 360 km east of Boston USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 11 km University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 16 July Launch failure 19 July 16:00 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NRL Rockoon 7 USA 1912USS Atka, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 88 km NRL Suborbital Aeronomy 19 July Successful 19 July 20:30 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 26 USA 1912USS Atka, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 43 km University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 19 July Spacecraft failure 20 July 02:55 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NRL Rockoon 8 USA 1912USS Atka, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 90 km NRL Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 20 July Successful 21 July 09:03 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 27 USA 1912USS Atka, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 60 km; first in series of 11 SUI flights, 7 of which were successful University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 21 July Successful 21 July 12:45 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 28 USA 1912USS Atka, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 90 km; second in series of 11 SUI flights, 7 of which were successful University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 21 July 21 July 20:49 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 29 USA 1912USS Atka, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 40 km; third in series of 11 SUI flights, 7 of which were successful University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 21 July Launch failure 22 July USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 22 July Successful 23 July 14:46 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 30 USA 1912USS Atka, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 90 km; fourth in series of 11 SUI flights, 7 of which were successful University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 23 July 23 July 17:09 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NRL Rockoon 9 USA 1912USS Atka, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 90 km Naval Research Laboratory Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 23 July Successful 23 July 17:54 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 31 USA 1912USS Atka, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 90 km; fifth in series of 11 SUI flights, 7 of which were successful University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 23 July 23 July 19:37 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 32 USA 1912USS Atka, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 23 km; sixth in series of 11 SUI flights, 7 of which were successful University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 23 July Launch failure 24 July 08:57 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 33 USA 1912USS Atka, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 90 km; seventh in series of 11 SUI flights, 7 of which were successful University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 24 July 24 July 13:16 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 34 USA 1912USS Atka, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 90 km; eighth in series of 11 SUI flights, 7 of which were successful University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 24 July 25 July 06:51 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 35 USA 1912USS Atka, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 90 km; ninth in series of 11 SUI flights, 7 of which were successful University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 25 July 25 July 12:36 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 36 USA 1912USS Atka, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 90 km; tenth in series of 11 SUI flights, 7 of which were successful University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 25 July Successful 25 July 15:30 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon SUI 37 USA 1912USS Atka, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 90 km; eleventh in series of 11 SUI flights, 7 of which were successful University of Iowa Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 25 July 25 July 18:45 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NRL Rockoon 10 USA 1912USS Atka, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 85 km Naval Research Laboratory Suborbital Aeronomy 25 July Successful 26 July 00:29 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NRL Rockoon 11 USA 1912USS Atka, Labrador Sea USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 10 km NRL Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 26 July Launch failure 26 July 11:02 USA 1912Deacon Rockoon NRL Rockoon 12 USA 1912USS Atka, southern Davis Strait USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 90 km NRL Suborbital Ionospheric / Aeronomy 26 July Successful |} August yes 15em August launches 2 August USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 2 August Successful 11 August 17:25 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-A-1a USAF 49 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 92 km141–142 AFCRC / University of Utah Suborbital Ionospheric 11 August Successful 12 August USSR 1936R-5 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 First flight of range test serieshttps://sdfo.org/stl/R-5%20Launches%201953-1959.docx R-5 Launches 1953-1959 Asif Siddiqi 22 October 2021 2021 2 February 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230202195251/https://sdfo.org/stl/R-5%20Launches%201953-1959.docx live OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 12 August Partial failure 17 August USSR 1936R-5 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 17 August Successful 19 August USSR 1936R-5 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 19 August Successful 24 August USSR 1936R-5 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 24 August Successful 25 August USSR 1936R-5 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 25 August Successful 27 August USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 27 August Successful 27 August USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 27 August Successful |} September yes 15em September launches 5 September USSR 1936R-5 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 5 September Successful 8 September USSR 1936R-5 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 8 September Successful 17 September 14:31 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-A-1a USAF 50 USA 1912Holloman LC-A USA 1912US Air Force Apogee: 94.6 km143–144 AFCRC / University of Rhode Island Suborbital Solar UV 17 September Successful 30 September USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 30 September Successful |} October yes 15em October launches 1 October USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 1 October Successful 5 October USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 5 October Successful 5 October 18:15 USA 1912Aerobee RTV-N-10b USA 1912White Sands LC-35 USA 1912US Navy Apogee: 158 km; maiden (and only) flight of the RTV-N-10b; returned first images of a complete hurricanehttp://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/Timeline/1950-54.html NASA History Office - Aeronautics and Astronautics Chronology, 1950-1954 19 November 2007 14 July 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190714112807/https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/Timeline/1950-54.html live https://photolib.noaa.gov/Collections/NOAA-In-Space/Other/emodule/890/eitem/45014 View of tropical cyclone centered near del Rio, Texas. This picture showed thepromise of satellite monitoring of weather. The picture was made from moviecameras mounted in a Navy Aerobee rocket fired from White Sands Proving Ground.Operational Use NRL Suborbital Remote sensing 5 October Successful 9 October USSR 1936R-5 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 Airborne destruction of warhead OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 9 October Successful 14 October 21:20 USA 1912Nike-Nike-T40-T55 USA 1912Wallops Island USA 1912NACA Apogee: 352 km, maiden 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 31 October 2021 NACA Suborbital Hypersonic research 14 October Successful 16 October USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 16 October Successful 17 October FRAVéronique-NA FRAHammaguir Bechar FRALRBA Apogee: 39 km LRBA Suborbital Ionospheric 17 October Launch failure 19 October USSR 1936R-5 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 End of range test series OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 19 October Successful 29 October FRAVéronique-NA FRAHammaguir Bechar FRALRBA Apogee: 90 km; final flight of the Véronique-NA LRBA Suborbital Test flight 29 October Successful 30 October USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 30 October Successful |} November yes 15em November launches 27 November USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 27 November Successful 30 November USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 30 November Successful |} December yes 15em December launches 1 December USSR 1936R-1 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 1 December Successful 1 December USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 1 December Successful 6 December USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 6 December Successful 9 December USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 9 December Successful 23 December USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 23 December Successful 25 December USSR 1936R-2 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 25 December Successful 30 December USSR 1936R-5 USSR 1936Kapustin Yar USSR 1936OKB-1 Start of validity test series OKB-1 Suborbital Missile test 30 December Successful |} 1954 off Suborbital launch statistics By country 120 false left [ {"value":610, "color":"#A52A2A", "label": "Soviet Union: 59 (62.11%)"}, {"value":320, "color":"#484785", "label": "United States: 32 (33.68%) "}, {"value":40, "color":"#318CE7", "label": "France: 4 (4.21%) "}, ] + Launches by country Country Launches Successes Failures Partialfailures FRA 4 2 2 0 USSR 1936 59 56 2 1 USA 1912 32 23 9 0 World 4 32 59 2 23 56 2 9 2 0 0 1 By rocket bar chart center 850 400 1 2:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:3:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:1:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:5:0:0:0:0:0:0 0:0:14:0:0:0:0:0 0:0:6:0:0:0:0:0 0:0:0:1:0:0:0:0 0:0:0:0:22:0:0:0 0:0:0:0:1:0:0:0 0:0:0:0:3:0:0:0 0:0:0:0:0:23:0:0 0:0:0:0:0:0:10:0 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:4 blue #363663 : #5b59a6 #1e85ae #80daeb : #00cccc #00bfff #7a1f1f : #cb3434 : #e08585 #ff7700 #665000 #318ce7 Viking (second model) Aerobee RTV-N-10 Aerobee RTV-N-10b Aerobee RTV-A-1a Deacon rockoon (SUI) Deacon rockoon (NRL) Nike-Nike-T40-T55 R-1 A-1 R-1D R-2 R-5 Véronique-NA Viking : Aerobee : Deacon rockoon : Nike : R-1 : R-2 : R-5 : Véronique _launches 5 + Launches by rocket Rocket Country Launches Successes Failures Partialfailures Remarks Viking (second model) USA 1912 2 2 0 0 Aerobee RTV-N-10 USA 1912 3 2 1 0 Aerobee RTV-N-10b USA 1912 1 1 0 0 Maiden flight, retired Aerobee RTV-A-1a USA 1912 5 5 0 0 Deacon rockoon (SUI) USA 1912 14 7 7 0 Deacon rockoon (NRL) USA 1912 6 5 1 0 Nike-Nike-T40-T55 USA 1912 1 1 0 0 Maiden flight R-1 USSR 1936 22 22 0 0 A-1 USSR 1936 1 1 0 0 Maiden flight R-1D USSR 1936 3 3 0 0 Maiden flight, retired R-2 USSR 1936 23 21 2 0 R-5 USSR 1936 10 9 0 1 Véronique-NA 4 2 2 0 Maiden flight, first French Spaceflight, retired See also Timeline of spaceflight References Footnotes 30em 1954 on Category:Spaceflight by year