Previous Spaceflight Launches
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Ariane 44LP | Skynet 4B & Astra 1A
Aérospatiale | FranceGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Dec. 11, 1988, 12:33 a.m.
Proton | Ekran-M 2
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center | RussiaBaikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Dec. 10, 1988, 11:54 a.m.
Soyuz-U-PVB | Zenit-8 74
Progress Rocket Space Center | RussiaPlesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation
Dec. 8, 1988, 2:50 p.m.
Space Shuttle Atlantis / OV-104 | STS-27
National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of AmericaKennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Dec. 2, 1988, 2:30 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
STS-27 was the twenty-seventh and the third for Atlantis. It carried a classified payload for the Department of Defence. The heat shielding was substantially damaged during lift-off, impacting the right wing. The crew narrowly survived re-entry with a steal bar taking the brunt of the heat before beginning to burn through the aluminum structure.
Low Earth Orbit
Soyuz U | Zenit-8 73
Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) | RussiaBaikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Nov. 30, 1988, 9 a.m.
Soyuz-U2 | Soyuz TM-7
Soviet Space Program | RussiaBaikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Nov. 26, 1988, 3:49 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
Soyuz TM-7 was the seventh mission to Mir space station. The mission began on November 26, 1988, 15:49:34 UTC, launching Commander Alexander Volkov, Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalyov and Research Cosmonaut Jean-Loup Chrétien. They docked with Mir two days later, meeting with the resident crew. While Jean-Loup Chrétien returned 3 weeks later, two other cosmonauts were a part of the fourth long-duration expedition on Mir. During their stay there, cosmonauts performed an EVA and various experiments in biology, medicine, X-ray astronomy, technology etc. They also carried out sky surveys, spectrographic and topographic Earth observation experiments. Crew were visited by three Progress resupply spacecrafts. Jean-Loup Chrétien returned to Earth on December 21, 1988 in a Soyuz TM-6 spacecraft. The long-duration expedition crew returned on a Soyuz TM-7 spacecraft, landing safely back on Earth on April 27, 1989, 02:57:58 UTC.
Low Earth OrbitSoyuz U | Zenit-8 72
Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) | RussiaPlesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation
Nov. 24, 1988, 2:50 p.m.
Zenit-2 | Tselina-2 6
Yuzhnoye Design Bureau | UkraineBaikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Nov. 23, 1988, 2:50 p.m.
Tsiklon-2 | US-P 29
Yuzhnoye Design Bureau | UkraineBaikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Nov. 18, 1988, 12:12 a.m.
Energiya/Buran | Buran OK-1K
Energia | RussiaBaikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Nov. 15, 1988, 3 a.m.
