Previous Spaceflight Launches
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Redstone MRLV | Mercury-Redstone 1A
Chrysler | United States of AmericaCape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Dec. 19, 1960, 4:15 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
Mercury-Redstone 1A (MR-1A) was launched on December 19, 1960 from LC-5 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission objectives of this uncrewed suborbital flight were to qualify the spacecraft for space flight and qualify the system for an upcoming primate suborbital flight.
Suborbital
Atlas-Able | P-31
Convair | United States of AmericaCape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Dec. 15, 1960, 9:10 a.m.
Thor DM-21 Agena-B | Discoverer 18
United States Air Force | United States of AmericaVandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Dec. 7, 1960, 8:20 p.m.
Scout X-1 | NASA S-56
National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of AmericaWallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA
Dec. 4, 1960, 9:14 p.m.
Vostok 8K72 | Korabl'-Sputnik-3
RKK Energiya | RussiaBaikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Dec. 1, 1960, 7:30 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
Another test of the Vostok capsule which had a successful flight into orbit but during re-entry the engine failed to cut off and burned to completion resulting in an incorrect entry trajectory. The vehicle was destroyed in order to ensure the vehicle didn't fall into enemy hands.
Low Earth Orbit
Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit 3A
United States Air Force | United States of AmericaCape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Nov. 30, 1960, 7:50 p.m.
Thor Delta | Tiros 2
McDonnell Douglas | United States of AmericaCape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Nov. 23, 1960, 11:13 a.m.
Redstone MRLV | Mercury-Redstone 1
Chrysler | United States of AmericaCape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Nov. 21, 1960, 2 p.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:
Mercury-Redstone 1 (MR-1) was the first Mercury-Redstone uncrewed flight test in Project Mercury and the first attempt to launch a Mercury spacecraft with the Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle. Intended to be an uncrewed sub-orbital spaceflight, it was launched on November 21, 1960 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The launch failed in abnormal fashion: immediately after the Mercury-Redstone rocket started to move, it shut itself down and settled back on the pad, after which the capsule jettisoned its escape rocket and deployed its recovery parachutes. The failure has been referred to as the "four-inch flight", for the approximate distance traveled by the launch vehicle.
SuborbitalThor DM-21 Agena-B | Discoverer 17
United States Air Force | United States of AmericaVandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Nov. 12, 1960, 8:42 p.m.
Little Joe | LJ-5
North American Aviation | United States of AmericaWallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA
Nov. 8, 1960, 3:18 p.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:
Suborbital test flight of the Mercury spacecraft, conducted as part of the U.S. Mercury program. The objective was to test a production Mercury capsule and the launch escape system during an ascent abort at maximum dynamic pressure. Sixteen seconds after liftoff, the escape rocket and the tower jettison rocket both fired prematurely. Furthermore, the booster, capsule, and escape tower failed to separate as intended. The entire stack was destroyed on impact with the Atlantic Ocean.
Suborbital
