Previous Spaceflight Launches
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Minotaur I | COSMIC 1-6
Orbital Sciences Corporation | United States of AmericaVandenberg SFB, CA, USA
April 15, 2006, 1:40 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
In early 2001, the National Space Program Office (NSPO) of Taiwan, Republic of China, selected Orbital for a $56 million contract for the ROCSAT-3/COSMIC (Republic of China Satellite / Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate) program. ROCSAT was renamed FORMOSAT in December 2004. The FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC program is an international collaboration between Taiwan and the United States that will use a constellation of six remote sensing microsatellites to collect atmospheric data for weather prediction and for ionosphere, climate and gravity research. Data from the satellites will be made freely available to the international scientific community in near real-time.
Low Earth Orbit
Zenit | JCSAT 5A
Sea Launch | RussiaSea Launch
April 12, 2006, 11:29 p.m.
Soyuz-FG | Soyuz TMA-8
Progress Rocket Space Center | RussiaBaikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
March 30, 2006, 2:30 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
Soyuz TMA-8 begins Expedition 13 by carrying 3 astronauts and cosmonauts to the International Space Station. Russian Commander, cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov alongside Flight Engineers, Jeffrey Williams (NASA) & spaceflight participant Marcos Pontes (Space Adventures) will launch aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and then rendezvous with the station. It landed on September 29, 2006, 01:13 UTC
Low Earth Orbit
Pegasus XL | Space Technology 5 (ST-5) (3x microsats)
Orbital Sciences Corporation | United States of AmericaAir launch to orbit
March 28, 2006, 8:10 p.m.
Falcon 1 | FalconSAT-2
SpaceX | United States of AmericaRonald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands
March 24, 2006, 10:30 p.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:
FalconSAT-2 was a satellite built by students of the United States Air Force Academy. It was intended to have been placed into low Earth orbit to study the effects of plasma on communications with spacecraft, however it failed to reach orbit due to a malfunction of its carrier rocket.It landed in a storage shed on Omelek Island, just a few feet from its own shipping container
Low Earth Orbit F1 B0001 - Maiden Flight Pacific OceanPegasus XL | ST-5 FWD
Orbital Sciences Corporation | United States of AmericaAir launch to orbit
March 22, 2006, 2:03 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
NASA's three micro-sats were launched to test and validate new technologies for future science missions. ST5's objective was to demonstrate and flight qualify several innovative technologies and concepts for application to future space missions.
Low Earth Orbit
Ariane 5 ECA | Spainsat & Hot Bird 7A
ArianeGroup | FranceGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana
March 11, 2006, 10:33 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
Spainsat is a Spanish telecommunications satellite used for military and government communications. Providing coverage ranging from the US, South America and the Middle East, including Africa and Europe. Hot Bird is a group of satellites operated by Eutelsat located at 13 degrees East, with a transmitting footprint over Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Geostationary Transfer Orbit
Proton-M Briz-M | Arabsat 4A
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center | RussiaBaikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Feb. 28, 2006, 8:10 p.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:
The Arabsat-4 spacecraft are based on the Eurostar-2000+ version of the Eurostar satellite family. Both satellites received the names Badr-1 and Badr-4 respectively in February 2006. Badr 1 did not reach its planned orbit, when the upper stage of the Proton-M Briz-M (Ph.3) launch vehicle failed. After evaluating a lunar fly-by maneuvre to rescue the satellite, Badr 1 was deorbited on 24.03.2006 over the pacific.
Geostationary OrbitM-V | Akari
IHI Corporation | JapanUchinoura Space Center, Japan
Feb. 21, 2006, 9:28 p.m.
H-IIA 2024 | Himawari-7 (MTSAT-2)
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | JapanTanegashima Space Center, Japan
Feb. 18, 2006, 6:27 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
The MTSAT-2 (Multifunctional Transport Satellite) is a multi-functional satellite with a dual purpose. On the one hand, it is an integral part of a next-generation global-scale air traffic safety system comprised of communications, navigation, tracking and air traffic control. The purpose is to improve traffic congestion and safety in the Asia Pacific region. On the other hand, the MTSAT-2 is designed to take on a meteorological mission to capture, collect and deliver meteorological images and/or data. In this capacity it inherits and expands the mission of a previous satellite.
Geostationary Transfer Orbit
