2012 in spaceflight
1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
The year 2012 saw a number of significant events in spaceflight . In May and October, the first Commercial Orbital Transportation Services resupply missions took place, during which the SpaceX Dragon became the first private spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station (ISS). In June, China launched the crewed Shenzhou 9 orbital mission, and North Korea achieved its first successful orbital launch in December. 2012 also saw China's first successful asteroid exploration mission , and the landing of NASA 's Curiosity rover on Mars . The Vega and Unha-3 rockets made their maiden flights in 2012, while the Proton-K made its last.
A total of 77 orbital launches were attempted in 2012, of which 72 were successful, three were partially successful and two were failures. Five crewed orbital missions were conducted over the course of the year, all successfully, carrying a total of 15 individuals into orbit. The year also saw five EVAs by ISS astronauts. The majority of the year's orbital launches were conducted by Russia , China and the United States , with 29, 19 and 13 launches respectively. A total of 139 payloads were launched during the year, including communication and navigation satellites, logistics spacecraft and scientific probes. Additionally, a large number of suborbital sounding rockets and ballistic missiles were launched by scientific and military organisations.
Overview of orbital spaceflight
A total of 77 orbital launches were attempted in 2012, with 72 being reported as successful, and a total of 139 payloads launched.[ 1] The three most prolific spacefaring nations were Russia, with 29 launches and 27 successes; China, with 19 launches, all of which succeeded; and the United States, with 13 launches, of which 12 succeeded and one was a partial failure.[ 1] European nations conducted eight orbital launches, all successfully, while India and Japan conducted two each, also successfully. Iran and North Korea both achieved one successful orbital launch during 2012, but Iran also suffered one launch failures, while North Korea suffered one.[ 2] [ 3]
Crewed spaceflight
Five crewed orbital launches were conducted during 2012, all successfully, carrying a total of 15 astronauts into orbit. Four of these missions were flown using Russian Soyuz spacecraft , while the fifth was a Chinese Shenzhou launch.[ 4] All of the year's crewed missions rendezvoused with space stations – the four Soyuz missions docked with the International Space Station (ISS), while China's Shenzhou 9 docked with the Tiangong-1 orbital laboratory. Five spacewalks were also undertaken in 2012, all by ISS crewmembers.[ 5] [ 6] [ 7] [ 8] [ 9]
Robotic exploration
Numerous significant milestones in robotic spaceflight occurred in 2012, including the landing of NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars in August,[ 10] and the first commercial resupply missions to the ISS in May and October.[ 11] [ 12] The latter also marked the first fully operational use of SpaceX 's Dragon spacecraft . Elsewhere in the Solar System , NASA's Dawn spacecraft completed its mission to 4 Vesta in September 2012,[ 13] while China achieved its first asteroid flyby in December.
Orbital launches
Date and time (UTC )
Rocket
Flight number
Launch site
LSP
Payload (⚀ = CubeSat )
Operator
Orbit
Function
Decay (UTC)
Outcome
Remarks
January
9 January 03:17:09
Long March 4B
Taiyuan LC-9
SAST
Ziyuan 3
MLR
Low Earth (SSO )
Earth observation
In orbit
Operational[ 14]
VesselSat-2
Luxspace
Low Earth (SSO )
Communications
27 October 2016[ 15]
Successful
13 January 00:56:04
Long March 3A
Xichang LC-3
CALT
Fengyun 2-07 [ 16]
CMA
Geosynchronous
Meteorology
In orbit
Operational[ 17]
20 January 00:38:00
Delta IV -M+ (5,4)
Cape Canaveral SLC-37B
United Launch Alliance
USA-233 (WGS-4 )
U.S. Air Force
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 18]
25 January 23:06:40
Soyuz-U
Baikonur Site 1/5
Roscosmos
Progress M-14M / 46P
Roscosmos
Low Earth (ISS )
ISS logistics
28 April 13:46
Successful[ 19]
February
3 February 00:04
Safir-1B
ERS.2002
Semnan LP-1
ISA
Navid
ISA
Low Earth
Earth observation
1 April[ 20]
Successful[ 21]
13 February 10:00:00
Vega
Kourou ELV
Arianespace
LARES
ASI
Low Earth
Geodesy
In orbit
Operational[ 22]
ALMASat-1 [ 23]
Università di Bologna
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
In orbit
Operational[ 22]
⚀ Xatcobeo [ 24]
Vigo /INTA
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
31 August 2014
Successful[ 22]
⚀ UniCubeSat-GG [ 24]
Rome
Low Earth
Atmospheric science
16 February 2015[ 25]
Successful
⚀ Robusta [ 24]
Montpellier
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
28 January 2015[ 26]
Partial spacecraft failure
⚀ e-st@r [ 24]
Torino
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
16 January 2015[ 27]
Partial spacecraft failure
⚀ Goliat [ 24]
Bucharest
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
31 December 2014
Partial spacecraft failure[ 22]
⚀ PW-Sat [ 24]
Warsaw
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
28 October 2014
Successful[ 22]
⚀ MaSat-1
BME
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
9 January 2015[ 28]
Successful
Maiden flight of Vega rocket; all payloads CubeSats except LARES and ALMASat-1 . First Hungarian , Romanian and Polish satellites.
14 February 19:36:37
Proton-M / Briz-M Enhanced
Baikonur Site 200/39
International Launch Services
SES-4
SES World Skies
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 29]
24 February 16:12:04
Long March 3C
Xichang LC-2
CALT
Compass-G5
CNSA
Geosynchronous
Navigation
In orbit
Operational[ 30]
24 February 22:15:00
Atlas V 551
Cape Canaveral SLC-41
United Launch Alliance
MUOS-1
U.S. Navy
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 31]
March
23 March 04:34:05
Ariane 5 ES
Kourou ELA-3
Arianespace
Edoardo Amaldi ATV
ESA
Low Earth (ISS )
ISS logistics
3 October 01:23
Successful[ 32]
25 March 12:10:32
Proton-M / Briz-M Enhanced
Baikonur Site 200/39
International Launch Services
Intelsat 22
Intelsat
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 33]
30 March 05:49:32
Proton-K / DM-2
Baikonur Site 81/24
RVSN RF
Kosmos 2479 (US-KMO )
VKO
Geosynchronous
Missile defense
In orbit
Operational[ 34]
Final flight of Proton-K , final US-KMO satellite.
31 March 10:27:04
Long March 3B/E
Xichang LC-2
CALT
Apstar-7
APT Satellite Holdings
Geosynchronous
Communication
In orbit
Operational[ 35]
April
3 April 23:12:57
Delta IV-M+(5,2)
Vandenberg SLC-6
United Launch Alliance
USA-234 (FIA-R )
NRO
Low Earth
Reconnaissance
In orbit
Operational[ 36]
NRO Launch 25
12 April 22:38:55
Unha-3
Sohae
KCST
Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 [ 37]
KCST
Intended: Low Earth
Technology demonstration
12 April
Launch failure[ 3]
Probable first stage failure, disintegrated over the Yellow Sea .[ 3]
20 April 12:50:24
Soyuz-U
Baikonur Site 31/6
Roscosmos
Progress M-15M / 47P
Roscosmos
Low Earth (ISS )
ISS logistics
20 August 2012
Successful[ 38]
23 April 22:18:13
Proton-M / Briz-M Enhanced
Baikonur Site 200/39
International Launch Services
Yahsat 1B
Yahsat
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 39]
26 April 00:17
PSLV-XL
Satish Dhawan Space Centre FLP
ISRO
RISAT-1
ISRO
Low Earth (SSO )
Earth observation [ 40]
In orbit
Operational[ 41]
29 April 20:50:03[ 42]
Long March 3B
Xichang LC-2
CALT
Compass-M3
CNSA
Medium Earth
Navigation
In orbit
Operational[ 42]
Compass-M4
CNSA
Medium Earth
Navigation
In orbit
Operational[ 42]
May
4 May 18:42:00
Atlas V 531
Cape Canaveral SLC-41
United Launch Alliance
USA-235 (AEHF-2)
U.S. Air Force
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 43]
6 May 07:10:04[ 44]
Long March 2D
Jiuquan SLS-2
SAST
Tianhui 1B
CNSA
Low Earth (SSO )
Earth observation
In orbit
Operational[ 44]
10 May 07:06:04[ 45]
Long March 4B
Taiyuan LC-9
SAST
Yaogan 14
CNSA
Low Earth (SSO )
Reconnaissance
In orbit
Operational[ 45]
Tiantuo 1
NUDT
Low Earth (SSO )
Technology demonstration
3 November 2014
Successful
15 May 03:01:23
Soyuz-FG
Baikonur Site 1/5
Roscosmos
Soyuz TMA-04M
Roscosmos
Low Earth (ISS )
Expedition 31 /32
17 September 02:53
Successful[ 46]
Crewed flight
15 May 22:13:07
Ariane 5 ECA
Kourou ELA-3
Arianespace
JCSAT-13
SKY Perfect JSAT Group
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 47]
Vinasat-2
VNPT
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 48]
17 May 14:05
Soyuz-U
Plesetsk Site 16/2
VKO
Kosmos 2480 (Kobalt-M No.8)
VKO
Low Earth
Reconnaissance
24 September
Successful[ 49]
Final Soyuz-U launch from Plesetsk.
17 May 16:39
H-IIA
Tanegashima LA-Y1
MHI
GCOM-W 1
JAXA / NASA
Low Earth (SSO )
Earth observation
In orbit
Operational[ 50]
Arirang-3
KARI
Low Earth (SSO )
Earth observation
In orbit
Operational[ 50]
SDS-4
JAXA
Low Earth (SSO )
Technology demonstration
In orbit
Successful
Horyu-2
KIT
Low Earth (SSO )
Technology demonstration Amateur radio
In orbit
Successful[ 51]
17 May 19:12:14
Proton-M / Briz-M
Baikonur Site 81/24
International Launch Services
Nimiq 6
Telesat
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 52]
22 May 07:44:38[ 11]
Falcon 9 v1.0
Cape Canaveral SLC-40
SpaceX
Dragon C2+
SpaceX / NASA
Low Earth (ISS )
Flight test ISS logistics
31 May 16:42
Successful[ 56]
New Frontier
Celestis
Low Earth
Space burial
27 June
Successful
COTS Demo 2+,[ 53] orbital test manoeuvres and ISS rendezvous , berthing and cargo delivery. First commercial spacecraft to visit the ISS.[ 54] Celestis payload, containing cremated remains of 308 people including Gordon Cooper and James Doohan , remained intentionally attached to the upper stage.[ 55]
23 May[ 2]
Safir-1B
Semnan
ISA
Fajr
ISA
Planned: Low Earth [ 2]
Earth observation
23 May
Launch failure
Probable launch failure;[ 2] identity of launch attempt, rocket, satellite and launch time not confirmed.
26 May 15:56:04
Long March 3B/E
Xichang LC-2
CALT
Chinasat-2A
China Satcom
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 57]
29 May 07:31:05
Long March 4C
Taiyuan LC-9
SAST
Yaogan 15
CNSA
Low Earth (SSO )
Reconnaissance
In orbit
Operational[ 58]
June
1 June 05:22:59
Zenit-3SL
Ocean Odyssey
Sea Launch
Intelsat 19
Intelsat
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Partial spacecraft failure
Second solar panel initially failed to deploy after launch.[ 59] It eventually deployed, but was damaged.
13 June 16:00:37
Pegasus-XL
Stargazer , Kwajalein Atoll
Orbital Sciences
NuSTAR
NASA
Low Earth
X-ray astronomy
In orbit
Operational[ 60]
16 June 10:37:24[ 63]
Long March 2F
Y9
Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-1
CALT
Shenzhou 9
CMSA
Low Earth (Tiangong-1 )
Technology demonstration
29 June 02:01[ 64]
Successful[ 4]
Shenzhou-9-GC (Orbital Module) [ 65]
CMSA
Low Earth (Tiangong-1 )
Space rendezvous
2 December
Successful
Crewed flight; first Chinese woman in space,[ 61] [ 62] and first crewed mission to Tiangong-1 .
20 June 12:28
Atlas V 401
Cape Canaveral SLC-41
United Launch Alliance
USA-236 / SDS-3
NRO
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 66]
NROL-38 mission.
29 June 13:15
Delta IV Heavy
Cape Canaveral SLC-37B
United Launch Alliance
USA-237 / Orion 8
NRO
Geosynchronous
ELINT
In orbit
Operational[ 67]
NROL-15 mission. First flight of Delta IV with RS-68A engines.
July
5 July 21:36:07[ 68]
Ariane 5 ECA
Kourou ELA-3
Arianespace
Echostar XVII
Hughes Network Systems
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational
MSG 3
EUMETSAT
Geosynchronous
Meteorology
In orbit
Operational
9 July 18:38:30
Proton-M / Briz-M Enhanced
Baikonur Site 81/24
International Launch Services
SES-5
SES
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 69]
15 July 02:40:03
Soyuz-FG
Baikonur Site 1/5
Roscosmos
Soyuz TMA-05M
Roscosmos
Low Earth (ISS )
Expedition 32 /33
19 November 01:56
Successful[ 70]
Crewed flight
21 July 02:06:18[ 71]
H-IIB
Tanegashima LA-Y2
JAXA [ 72] [ 73]
Kounotori 3
JAXA
Low Earth (ISS )
ISS logistics
14 September
Successful[ 74]
⚀ Raiko
Wakayama /Tohuku
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
6 August 2013[ 75]
Successful
⚀ FITSAT-1 (Niwaka)
FIT
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
4 July 2013[ 76]
Successful
⚀ We-Wish
Meisei Electric
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
11 March 2013[ 77]
Successful
⚀ F-1
FPT
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
May 2013[ 78]
Successfully deployed, but no signal was received.[ 79]
⚀ TechEdSat
San Jose
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
5 May 2013[ 80]
Successful
All payloads CubeSats other than Kounotori 3. CubeSats carried aboard Kounotori and deployed from the ISS.
22 July 06:41:39
Soyuz-FG / Fregat
Baikonur Site 31/6
Roscosmos
Kanopus V-1
Roscosmos
Low Earth (SSO )
Earth observation
In orbit
Operational[ 81]
BelKA-2
NASRB
Low Earth (SSO )
Earth observation
In orbit
Operational[ 81]
Zond-PP
Roscosmos
Low Earth (SSO )
Technology demonstration Earth observation
In orbit
Spacecraft failure[ 82]
TET-1
DLR
Low Earth (SSO )
Technology demonstration
18 November 2022[ 83]
Successful
exactView 1
exactEarth
Low Earth (SSO )
AIS ship tracking
In orbit
Operational[ 81]
First Belarusian satellite.
25 July 15:43:04
Long March 3C
Xichang LC-2
CALT
Tianlian I-03
CNSA
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 84]
28 July 01:35:34[ 85]
Rokot / Briz-KM
Plesetsk Site 133/3
VKO
Gonets M-3
Gonets Satellite System
Low Earth
Communications
In orbit
Operational
Gonets M-4
Gonets Satellite System
Low Earth
Communications
In orbit
Operational
Kosmos 2481 (Strela-3M )
VKO
Low Earth
Communications
In orbit
Operational
MiR (Yubileiny 2)
NPO PM
Low Earth
Amateur radio Technology demonstration
In orbit
Operational
August
1 August 19:35:13
Soyuz-U
Baikonur Site 1/5
Roscosmos
Progress M-16M / 48P
Roscosmos
Low Earth (ISS )
ISS logistics
9 February 2013
Successful[ 87]
Sfera-53
Roscosmos
Low Earth
Atmospheric density
24 November[ 88]
Successful[ 89]
Fast rendezvous test;[ 86] Sfera-53 deployed from ISS at 18:29 UTC on 20 August during a spacewalk.
2 August 20:54
Ariane 5 ECA
Kourou ELA-3
Arianespace
Intelsat 20
Intelsat
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 90]
HYLAS-2
Avanti
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 90]
6 August 19:31:00 [ 92]
Proton-M / Briz-M Enhanced
Baikonur Site 81/24
Khrunichev
Telkom-3
PT Telkom
Planned: Geosynchronous Achieved: Medium Earth
Communications
5 February 2021 [ 93]
Launch failure[ 94]
Ekspress-MD2
RSCC
Planned: Geosynchronous Achieved: Medium Earth
Communications
In orbit
Briz-M stage failure 7 seconds into its third burn.[ 91] Stage exploded on 16 October, generating over 500 pieces of orbital debris .
19 August 06:54:59
Zenit-3SL
Ocean Odyssey
Sea Launch
Intelsat 21
Intelsat
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 95]
30 August 08:05:27[ 98]
Atlas V 401
Cape Canaveral SLC-41
United Launch Alliance
Van Allen Probe A (RBSP-A)
NASA
Highly elliptical
Magnetospheric research
In orbit
Successful
Van Allen Probe B (RBSP-B)
NASA
Highly elliptical
Magnetospheric research
In orbit
Successful
Launch of the two Van Allen Probes , formerly known as the Radiation Belt Storm Probes . Van Allen Probe B ceased operations on 19 July 2019;[ 96] Van Allen Probe A was deactivated on 18 October 2019.[ 97]
September
9 September 04:23
PSLV-CA
Satish Dhawan FLP
ISRO
SPOT 6
CNES
Low Earth (SSO )
Earth observation
In orbit
Operational[ 99]
PROITERES
Osaka Institute of Technology
Low Earth (SSO )
Amateur radio Technology demonstration
In orbit
Operational[ 99]
13 September 21:39:00[ 100]
Atlas V 401
Vandenberg SLC-3E
United Launch Alliance
USA-238 (NOSS )
NRO
Low Earth
ELINT
In orbit
Operational
USA-238 (NOSS )
NRO
Low Earth
ELINT
In orbit
Operational
⚀ CINEMA 1
UCB
Low Earth
Magnetospheric research
In orbit
Operational
⚀ CXBN
Morehead
Low Earth
X-ray astronomy
In orbit
Operational
⚀ CP 5
CalPoly
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
In orbit
Operational
⚀ CSSWE
CU-Boulder
Low Earth
Magnetospheric research
In orbit
Operational
⚀ Aeneas
USC / NRO
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
In orbit
Operational
⚀ STARE A
Lawrence Livermore
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
In orbit
Operational
⚀ SMDC-ONE 2.1
U.S. Army
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
In orbit
Operational
⚀ SMDC-ONE 2.2
U.S. Army
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
In orbit
Operational
⚀ AeroCube 4
The Aerospace Corporation
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
In orbit
Operational
⚀ AeroCube 4.5A
The Aerospace Corporation
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
In orbit
Operational
⚀ AeroCube 4.5B
The Aerospace Corporation
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
In orbit
Operational
NRO Launch 36
17 September 16:28:40
Soyuz-2.1a / Fregat
Baikonur Site 31/6
Starsem
MetOp-B
EUMETSAT
Low Earth (SSO )
Meteorology
In orbit
Operational[ 101]
18 September 19:10:04
Long March 3B/E
Xichang LC-2
CALT
Compass-M5
CNSA
Medium Earth
Navigation
In orbit
Operational[ 102]
Compass-M6
CNSA
Medium Earth
Navigation
In orbit
Operational[ 102]
28 September 21:18:07
Ariane 5 ECA
Kourou ELA-3
Arianespace
Astra 2F
SES
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 103]
GSAT-10
ISRO
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 104]
29 September[ 105] 04:12:04
Long March 2D
Jiuquan SLS-2
SAST
VRSS-1
MPPCTII
Low Earth (SSO )
Earth observation
In orbit
Operational[ 106]
October
4 October 12:10:00
Delta IV M+(4,2)
Cape Canaveral SLC-37B
United Launch Alliance
USA-239 (GPS IIF-3 )
U.S. Air Force
Medium Earth
Navigation
In orbit
Operational[ 107]
8 October 00:35:07[ 109]
Falcon 9 v1.0
Cape Canaveral SLC-40
SpaceX
SpaceX CRS-1
NASA
Low Earth (ISS )
ISS logistics
28 October 19:22[ 12]
Successful[ 12]
Orbcomm-2 F1
Orbcomm
Low Earth
Communications
10 October
Launch failure[ 110] [ 111]
First flight of Commercial Resupply Services programme.[ 108] First stage engine failure resulted in a too-low orbit for Orbcomm payload; CRS-1 nonetheless placed into correct orbit.
12 October 18:15:01
Soyuz ST-B / Fregat-MT
Kourou ELS
Arianespace
Galileo IOV 3
ESA
Medium Earth
Navigation
In orbit
Operational[ 112]
Galileo IOV 4
ESA
Medium Earth
Navigation
In orbit
Operational[ 112]
14 October 03:25:05
Long March 2C /SMA
Taiyuan LC-9
CALT
Shijian 9A
CNSA
Low Earth (SSO )
Technology demonstration
In orbit
Operational[ 113]
Shijian 9B
CNSA
Low Earth (SSO )
Technology demonstration
In orbit
Operational[ 113]
14 October 08:37:00
Proton-M / Briz-M Enhanced
Baikonur Site 81/24
International Launch Services
Intelsat 23
Intelsat
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 114]
23 October 10:51:11[ 115]
Soyuz-FG
Baikonur Site 31/6
Roscosmos
Soyuz TMA-06M
Roscosmos
Low Earth (ISS )[ 116]
Expedition 33 /34
16 March 2013 03:06
Successful[ 117]
Crewed flight
25 October 15:33:04
Long March 3C
Xichang LC-2
CALT
Compass-G6
CNSA
Geosynchronous
Navigation
In orbit
Operational[ 119]
Compass navigation system became commercially operational in Asia-Pacific region in December 2012.[ 118]
31 October 07:41:18
Soyuz-U
Baikonur Site 1/5
Roscosmos
Progress M-17M / 49P[ 120]
Roscosmos
Low Earth (ISS )
ISS logistics
21 April 2013
Successful[ 121]
November
2 November 21:04:00
Proton-M / Briz-M Enhanced
Baikonur Site 81/24
Roscosmos
Luch 5B
Gonets Satellite System
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 122]
Yamal-300K
Gazprom
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 122]
10 November 21:05:07
Ariane 5 ECA
Kourou ELA-3
Arianespace
Eutelsat 21B
Eutelsat
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 123]
Star One C3
Star One
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 123]
14 November 11:42:46
Soyuz-2.1a / Fregat
Plesetsk Site 43/4
VKO
Meridian 6
VKO
Molniya
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 124]
18 November 22:53:04[ 125]
Long March 2C
Taiyuan LC-9
CALT
Huanjing 1C
CNSA
Low Earth (SSO )
Earth observation
1 March 2023[ 126]
Successful
Xinyan 1
CASC
Low Earth (SSO )
Technology demonstration
5 October 2019[ 127]
Successful
Fengniao 1
SAST
Low Earth (SSO )
Technology demonstration
11 January 2024[ 128]
Successful
Fengniao 1A
SAST
Low Earth (SSO )
Technology demonstration
11 January 2024[ 129]
Deployment failure
20 November 18:31:00
Proton-M / Briz-M Enhanced
Baikonur Site 200/39
International Launch Services
EchoStar XVI
EchoStar
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 130]
25 November 04:06:04
Long March 4C
Jiuquan SLS-2
SAST
Yaogan 16A
CNSA
Low Earth
ELINT
In orbit
Operational[ 131]
Yaogan 16B
CNSA
Low Earth
ELINT
In orbit
Operational[ 131]
Yaogan 16C
CNSA
Low Earth
ELINT
In orbit
Operational[ 131]
27 November 10:13:03[ 132]
Long March 3B/E
Xichang LC-2
CALT
ChinaSat 12 / SupremeSAT-I
China Satcom / SupremeSAT
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 132]
Part of satellite's communications payload was leased to SupremeSAT , a Sri Lankan satellite operator, as SupremeSAT-I .
December
2 December 02:02:51
Soyuz ST-A / Fregat
Kourou ELS
Arianespace
Pléiades-HR 1B
CNES
Low Earth (SSO )
Earth observation /Reconnaissance
In orbit
Operational[ 133]
3 December 20:43:59
Zenit-3SL
Ocean Odyssey
Sea Launch
Eutelsat 70B
Eutelsat
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 134]
8 December 13:13:43
Proton-M / Briz-M Enhanced
Baikonur Site 200/39
International Launch Services
Yamal-402
Gazprom
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational; partial launch failure[ 136]
Briz-M stage failure 4 minutes before scheduled shut down on its fourth burn.[ 135]
11 December 18:03
Atlas V 501
Cape Canaveral SLC-41
United Launch Alliance
USA-240 (X-37B OTV-3 )
U.S. Air Force
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
17 October 2014
Successful[ 137] [ 138]
270-day X-37B endurance mission ultimately extended to over 680 days.[ 137]
12 December 00:49:46[ 141] [ 142]
Unha-3
Sohae
KCST
Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2
KCST
Low Earth
Technology demonstration
In orbit
Spacecraft failure[ 140]
First successful North Korean orbital launch, first North Korean satellite;[ 139] satellite reached orbit but malfunctioned thereafter.[ 140]
18 December 16:13:04[ 143]
Long March 2D
Jiuquan SLS-2
SAST
Göktürk-2
MSB
Low Earth (SSO )
Earth observation
In orbit
Operational[ 144]
19 December 12:12:35
Soyuz-FG
Baikonur Site 1/5
Roscosmos
Soyuz TMA-07M
Roscosmos
Low Earth (ISS )
Expedition 34 /35
14 May 2013 02:31
Successful[ 145]
Crewed flight
19 December 21:49:07
Ariane 5 ECA
Kourou ELA-3
Arianespace
Skynet 5D
Astrium
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 146]
Mexsat-3
SCT
Geosynchronous
Communications
In orbit
Operational[ 146]
Skynet 5D military communications satellite operated by Astrium Services on behalf of the British Ministry of Defence .
Suborbital flights
Date and time (UTC )
Rocket
Flight number
Launch site
LSP
Payload (⚀ = CubeSat )
Operator
Orbit
Function
Decay (UTC)
Outcome
Remarks
11 January 13:25
Terrier-Improved Malemute [ 147]
Wallops Island
NASA
NASA
Suborbital
Test flight
11 January
Successful[ 148]
11 January 20:51
S-520
Uchinoura
JAXA
JAXA/HU /TU /TU /TPU /KU /KUT
Suborbital
Atmospheric science
11 January
Successful[ 149]
24 January
Arrow III
Negev
IAI
IAI/IDF
Suborbital
ABM Test
24 January
Successful[ 150]
First test flight of the Arrow-III
10 February 04:40
Prithvi
ITR IC-4
DRDO
DRDO
Suborbital
Target
10 February
Successful[ 151]
Target for ABM test, successfully intercepted
10 February
Blue Sparrow
F-15 Eagle , Israel
IAF
Israeli Air Force
Suborbital
ABM target
10 February
Successful[ 152]
Arrow-3 tracking target
13 February 09:32
VSB-30
Esrange
EuroLaunch
MASER-12
SSC
Suborbital
Microgravity
13 February
Successful[ 153]
19 February 05:41
Black Brant IX
Poker Flat
NASA
UNH
Suborbital
Auroral research
19 February
Successful[ 154]
22 February
UGM-133 Trident II D5
USS Tennessee , ETR
US Navy
US Navy
Suborbital
Missile test
22 February
Successful[ 155]
Demonstration and Shakedown Operation 23 (DASO-23)
25 February 10:46
LGM-30G Minuteman III
Vandenberg LF-09
US Air Force
US Air Force
Suborbital
Test flight
25 February
Successful[ 156]
22 March 09:00
Black Brant IX
White Sands
NASA
CIBER
Caltech
Suborbital
Astronomy
22 March
Successful[ 157]
27 March 08:58
Terrier-Oriole
Wallops Island
NASA
ATREX
Clemson
Suborbital
Geospace
27 March
Successful[ 158]
27 March 08:59
Terrier-Improved Malemute
Wallops Island
NASA
ATREX
Clemson
Suborbital
Geospace
27 March
Successful[ 158]
27 March 09:00
Terrier-Orion
Wallops Island
NASA
ATREX
Clemson
Suborbital
Geospace
27 March
Successful[ 158]
27 March 09:02
Terrier-Improved Malemute
Wallops Island
NASA
ATREX
Clemson
Suborbital
Geospace
27 March
Successful[ 158]
27 March 09:03
Terrier-Orion
Wallops Island
NASA
ATREX
Clemson
Suborbital
Geospace
27 March
Successful[ 158]
5 April 14:18
SpaceLoft XL
Spaceport America
UP Aerospace
ORS
Suborbital
Technology demonstration
5 April
Successful[ 159]
Apogee: 117 kilometres (73 mi), successfully recovered
14 April
UGM-133 Trident II D5
USS Maryland , ETR
US Navy
US Navy
Suborbital
Test flight
14 April
Successful[ 160]
Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test 45
14 April
UGM-133 Trident II D5
USS Maryland , ETR
US Navy
US Navy
Suborbital
Test flight
14 April
Successful[ 160]
Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test 45
16 April
UGM-133 Trident II D5
USS Maryland , ETR
US Navy
US Navy
Suborbital
Test flight
16 April
Successful[ 160]
Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test 46
16 April
UGM-133 Trident II D5
USS Maryland , ETR
US Navy
US Navy
Suborbital
Test flight
16 April
Successful[ 160]
Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test 46
19 April 02:37
Agni-V
Integrated Test Range
DRDO
DRDO
Suborbital
Test flight
19 April
Successful[ 161]
Apogee: 800 kilometres (500 mi), maiden flight of Agni-V
23 April
VS-30 /Orion
Andøya
DSTO
HiFire-5
DSTO
Suborbital
Technology demonstration
23 April
Launch failure
Hypersonic research experiment, second stage of launch vehicle failed to ignite
25 April
Shaheen-I A
Sonmiani
ASFC
ASFC
Suborbital
Test flight
25 April
Successful[ 162]
10 May 06:18
Terrier Orion (ARAV-A)
FTM-16 E2a
Kauai
MDA
MDA
Suborbital
ABM target
10 May
Successful[ 163]
SM-3 Block 1B target
10 May 06:21
RIM-161C SM-3 Block 1B
FTM-16 E2a
USS Lake Erie , Pacific Ocean
US Navy
US Navy
Suborbital
ABM test
10 May
Successful[ 163]
ARAV-A interceptor, successful intercept
23 May 06:15
RS-26 Rubezh
Plesetsk
RVSN
RVSN
Suborbital
Missile test
23 May
Successful[ 164]
7 June 17:39
RS-12M Topol
Kapustin Yar
RVSN
RVSN
Suborbital
Missile test
7 June
Successful[ 165]
21 June 10:40
Terrier Improved Orion
Wallops Island
NASA
RockOn
Colorado
Suborbital
Student experiments
21 June
Successful[ 166]
22 June 19:18
VS-40
Andøya
Andøya
SHEFEX II
DLR
Suborbital
Technology demonstration
22 June
Successful[ 167]
23 June 19:30
Black Brant IX
White Sands
NASA
EVE
CU Boulder
Suborbital
SDO calibration
23 June
Successful[ 168]
27 June 09:15
Castor 4B
FTM-18
Kauai
MDA
MDA
Suborbital
ABM target
27 June
Successful[ 169]
SM-3 Block 1B target
27 June 09:18
RIM-161C SM-3 Block 1B
FTM-18
USS Lake Erie , Pacific Ocean
US Navy
US Navy
Suborbital
ABM test
27 June
Successful[ 169]
Castor 4B interceptor, successful intercept
3 July
Shahab-1
Iran
IRGC
IGRC
Suborbital
Missile test
3 July
Successful[ 170]
Apogee: ~100 kilometres (62 mi)
3 July
Shahab-2
Iran
IGRC
IRGC
Suborbital
Missile test
3 July
Successful[ 170]
Apogee: ~100 kilometres (62 mi)
3 July
Shahab-3
Iran
IRGC
IRGC
Suborbital
Missile test
3 July
Successful[ 170]
Apogee: ~150 kilometres (93 mi)
5 July 18:50
Black Brant IX
White Sands
NASA
SUMI
NASA/MSFC
Suborbital
Solar research
5 July
Successful[ 171]
11 July 18:50
Black Brant IX
White Sands
NASA
Hi-C
NASA/MSFC
Suborbital
Solar research
11 July
Successful[ 172]
13 July 04:36
Agni-I
Integrated Test Range
IDRDL
IDRDL
Suborbital
Missile test
13 July
Successful[ 173]
Apogee: ~200 kilometres (120 mi)
23 July 11:01
Black Brant XI
Wallops Island
NASA
IRVE-3
NASA/Langley
Suborbital
Atmospheric entry test
23 July
Successful[ 174]
Apogee: ~285 miles (459 km); part of the Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator programme
24 July 19:17
Black Brant IX
White Sands
NASA
DFS
USC
Suborbital
Solar research
24 July
Successful[ 175]
7 August 07:30:00[ 176]
S-310
Uchinoura
JAXA
[ 177]
UT /JAXA/AGU /TKD /NU /TU /KIT
Suborbital
Technology demonstration
7 August
Successful[ 178]
9 August 03:16
Agni-II
ITR IC-4
Indian Army
Indian Army
Suborbital
Missile test
9 August
Successful[ 179]
Apogee: 220 kilometres (140 mi)
12 September
Terrier -Lynx
Wallops Island
DoD
Shark
DoD
Suborbital
Radar target
12 September
Successful[ 180]
Apogee: ~300 kilometres (190 mi)
13 September 12:30
Juno
Fort Wingate LC-96
US Army
US Army
Suborbital
Target
13 September
Successful[ 181]
Target for MIM-104 Patriot PAC-3 MSE test, successfully intercepted
13 September
VS-30 /Orion
Andøya
DSTO
HiFire-3
DSTO
Suborbital
Technology demonstration
13 September
Successful[ 182]
Hypersonic research experiment, Apogee: 349 kilometres (217 mi)
19 September 11:45[ 183]
Agni-IV
ITR IC-4
Indian Army
Indian Army
Suborbital
Missile test
19 September
Successful
Apogee: 800 kilometres (500 mi)
21 September 13:15[ 184]
Agni-III
ITR IC-4
Indian Army
Indian Army
Suborbital
Missile test
21 September
Successful
Apogee: 450 kilometres (280 mi)
21 September 11:16
Terrier Improved Malemute
Wallops Island
NASA
RockSat-X
NASA
Suborbital
Student experiments
21 September
Successful[ 185]
Apogee: ~153 kilometres (95 mi)
22 September 11:00
Talos Terrier Oriole
Wallops Island
NASA
NASA
Suborbital
Rocket test
22 September
Successful[ 186]
Apogee: ~269 kilometres (167 mi)
4 October 03:37
Prithvi II
Integrated Test Range Launch Complex 3
DRDO
DRDO
Suborbital
Missile test
4 October
Successful[ 187]
Apogee: ~100 kilometres (62 mi)
5 October 05:55
Dhanush
Ship, Indian Ocean
DRDO
DRDO
Suborbital
Target
5 October
Successful[ 188]
Apogee: ~100 kilometres (62 mi)
19 October 09:12
Topol M2
Plesetsk
RVSN
RVSN
Suborbital
Missile test
19 October
Successful[ 189]
19 October
R-29R Volna
K-433 Svyatoy Georgiy Pobedonosets , Sea of Okhotsk
VMF
VMF
Suborbital
Missile test
19 October
Successful[ 189]
23 October
UGM-133 Trident II D5
HMS Vigilant
Royal Navy
Royal Navy
Suborbital
Missile test
23 October
Successful[ 190]
24 October 18:29
RS-26 Rubezh
Kapustin Yar
RVSN
RVSN
Suborbital
Missile test
24 October
Successful[ 191]
25 October
Long Range Air Launch Target
FTI-01
C-17 Globemaster III , Pacific Ocean
MDA
MDA/IMDO
Suborbital
ABM target
25 October
Successful[ 192]
Target for THAAD , successful intercept
25 October
THAAD
FTI-01
Meck Island
US Army
US Army/MDA
Suborbital
ABM test
25 October
Successful[ 192]
Intercepted target missile
25 October
Terrier Oriole (ARAV-B)
FTI-01
Wake Island
MDA
MDA
Suborbital
ABM target
25 October
Successful[ 192]
SM-3 Block 1A target
25 October
SM-3 Block 1A
FTI-01
USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) , Pacific Ocean
US Navy
US Navy
Suborbital
ABM test
25 October
Spacecraft failure[ 192]
ARAV-B interceptor, intercept failed
25 October
SRBM
Kwajalein
MDA
MDA
Suborbital
ABM target
25 October
Successful[ 192]
FTI-01, Patriot PAC-3 target, successfully intercepted
2 November 17:55
Black Brant IX
White Sands
NASA
FOXSI
UC Berkeley
Suborbital
Solar research
2 November
Successful[ 193]
14 November 11:07
LGM-30G Minuteman III
Vandenberg LF-10
US Air Force
US Air Force
Suborbital
Test flight
14 November
Successful[ 194]
21 November 10:55
Black Brant IX
White Sands
NASA
IMAGER
University of Massachusetts
Suborbital
Astronomy
21 November
Successful[ 195]
23 November
Prithvi
ITR IC-4
DRDO
DRDO
Suborbital
Target
23 November
Successful[ 196]
Target for ABM test, successfully intercepted
25 November 11:20
Nike-Orion
Esrange
EuroLaunch
MAPHEUS-3
DLR
Suborbital
Technology demonstration
25 November
Successful[ 197]
Apogee: 140 kilometres (87 mi)
28 November
Ghauri
Tilla
Army of Pakistan
Haft-5
Army of Pakistan
Suborbital
Missile test
28 November
Successful[ 198]
Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi)
8 December 21:00
VS-30 /Orion
Alcântara
AEB
Iguaiba
INPE
Suborbital
Microgravity
8 December
Successful[ 199]
Apogee: 428 kilometres (266 mi)
13 December 05:20
Black Brant IX
White Sands
NASA
DXL
U of M
Suborbital
Astronomy
13 December
Successful[ 200]
17 December 07:00[ 201]
S-520
Uchinoura
JAXA
Tohoku /JAXA /Tokai
Suborbital
Microgravity
17 December
Successful[ 202]
Apogee: 312 kilometres (194 mi)
20 December 03:51
Prithvi II
ITR IC-3
DRDO
Strategic Force Command
Suborbital
Missile test
20 December
Successful[ 203]
Apogee: ~100 kilometres (62 mi)
Deep space rendezvous
Date (UTC )
Spacecraft
Event
Remarks
1 January
GRAIL-B
Lunar orbit insertion
Joined its twin, GRAIL-A, which entered lunar orbit on 31 December 2011.[ 204]
2 January
Cassini
80th flyby of Titan
Closest approach: 29,415 kilometres (18,278 mi).[ 205]
30 January
Cassini
81st flyby of Titan
Closest approach: 31,131 kilometres (19,344 mi).[ 205]
19 February
Cassini
82nd flyby of Titan
Closest approach: 3,803 kilometres (2,363 mi).[ 205]
9 March
Cassini
Flyby of Enceladus
Closest approach: 9,000 kilometres (5,600 mi).[ 205]
27 March
Cassini
17th flyby of Enceladus
Closest approach: 74 kilometres (46 mi).[ 205]
14 April
Cassini
18th flyby of Enceladus Flyby of Tethys
Closest approach to Enceladus: 74 kilometres (46 mi).[ 205] Closest approach to Tethys: 9,000 kilometres (5,600 mi).[ 205]
2 May
Cassini
20th flyby of Enceladus Flyby of Dione
Closest approach to Enceladus: 74 kilometres (46 mi).[ 205] Closest approach to Dione: 8,000 kilometres (5,000 mi).[ 205]
20 May
Cassini
Flyby of Methone Flyby of Telesto
Closest approach to Methone: 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi).[ 205] Closest approach to Telesto: 11,000 kilometres (6,800 mi).[ 205]
21 May
Cassini
83rd flyby of Titan
Closest approach: 955 kilometres (593 mi).[ 205]
6 June
Cassini
84th flyby of Titan
Closest approach: 959 kilometres (596 mi).[ 205]
24 July
Cassini
85th flyby of Titan
Closest approach: 1,012 kilometres (629 mi).[ 205]
6 August
Curiosity
Landing on Mars in Gale Crater
Used the Sky Crane soft landing system. Successful landing at 05:14 UTC at coordinates 4°35′22″S 137°26′30″E / 4.5895°S 137.4417°E / -4.5895; 137.4417 .[ 10]
5 September[ 13] [ 206]
Dawn
Leaving Vestiocentric orbit
Headed for Ceres , which it reached on 6 March 2015.[ 207]
26 September
Cassini
86th flyby of Titan
Closest approach: 956 kilometres (594 mi).[ 205]
13 November
Cassini
87th flyby of Titan
Closest approach: 973 kilometres (605 mi).[ 205]
29 November
Cassini
88th flyby of Titan
Closest approach to Titan: 1,014 kilometres (630 mi).[ 205]
13 December
Chang'e 2
Flyby of 4179 Toutatis
First Chinese asteroid flyby. Closest approach to 4179 Toutatis: less than 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) (770 metres).[ 208]
17 December
GRAIL
Lunar impact at "Sally K. Ride " site
Both GRAIL satellites concluded their mission by impacting the Moon's surface.[ 209] [ 210]
22 December
Cassini
Distant flyby of Titan Flyby of Rhea
Closest approach to Titan: 715,000 kilometres (444,000 mi).[ 205] Closest approach to Rhea: 23,000 kilometres (14,000 mi).[ 205]
EVAs
Start Date/Time
Duration
End Time
Spacecraft
Crew
Remarks
16 February 14:31[ 5]
6 hours 15 minutes
20:46
Expedition 29 /30
ISS Pirs
Oleg Kononenko
Anton Shkaplerov
Moved Strela 1 crane from ISS Pirs module to Poisk module, installed four materials experiments on the exterior of the ISS, and installed supporting struts on the EVA ladder on Pirs .
20 August 16:37[ 6]
5 hours 51 minutes
22:28
Expedition 31 /32
ISS Pirs
Gennady Padalka
Yuri Malenchenko
Relocated Strela 2 telescoping boom from Pirs docking compartment to Zarya control module, in preparation for undocking of Pirs , which will pave the way for arrival of the Russian Multipurpose Laboratory Module in 2013. Also installed micrometeoroid debris shields on Zvezda service module, retrieved two experiments from Pirs ' exterior, installed two support struts for hatch ladder and deployed two small tracking satellites.[ 89]
30 August 12:16
8 hours 17 minutes
20:33
Expedition 31/32
ISS Quest
Sunita Williams
Akihiko Hoshide
Connected two power cables between the US and Russian orbital segments; removed and replaced Main Bus Switching Unit (MBSU) 1. The crew had difficulty in removing connecting bolts of the old MBSU, and were unable to tighten up the bolts for the new unit. The new MBSU was tied down for future trouble-shooting, with all other tasks deferred to a future EVA. Third-longest EVA in history.[ 7]
5 September 11:06
6 hours 28 minutes
17:34
Expedition 31/32
ISS Quest
Sunita Williams
Akihiko Hoshide
Installed the new MBSU unit, working around difficulty with one of the bolts; replaced one of the cameras mounted on the Canadarm2 . During this spacewalk, Sunita Williams broke Peggy Whitson 's 2007 record for most total time spacewalking by a woman.[ 8] [ 211]
1 November 12:29
6 hours 38 minutes
19:07
Expedition 32 /33
ISS Quest
Sunita Williams
Akihiko Hoshide
Reconfigured and isolated a leak in the ammonia cooling system of power channel 2B on the P6 truss by bypassing a leaking cooling loop and re-connecting jumpers to an unused loop of the Early External Thermal Control System (EETCS), and by redeploying the trailing Thermal Control Radiator of the system.[ 9] [ 212]
Orbital launch statistics
By country
For the purposes of this section, the yearly tally of orbital launches by country assigns each flight to the country of origin of the rocket , not to the launch services provider or the spaceport. For example, Soyuz launches by Arianespace in Kourou are counted under Russia because Soyuz-2 is a Russian rocket.
By rocket
By family
By type
By configuration
By spaceport
China
France
India
International waters
Iran
Japan
Kazakhstan
Marshall Islands
North Korea
Russia
United States
By orbit
Transatmospheric
Low Earth
Low Earth (ISS)
Low Earth (SSO)
Low Earth (retrograde)
Medium Earth
Geosychronous (transfer)
Inclined GSO
High Earth
Heliocentric
See also
References
Bergin, Chris. "NASASpaceFlight.com" .
Clark, Stephen. "Spaceflight Now" .
Kelso, T.S. "Satellite Catalog (SATCAT)" . CelesTrak. [dead link ]
Krebs, Gunter. "Chronology of Space Launches" .
Kyle, Ed. "Space Launch Report" . Archived from the original on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2022 .
McDowell, Jonathan. "GCAT Orbital Launch Log" .
Pietrobon, Steven. "Steven Pietrobon's Space Archive" .
Wade, Mark. "Encyclopedia Astronautica" .
Webb, Brian. "Southwest Space Archive" .
Zak, Anatoly. "Russian Space Web" .
"ISS Calendar" . Spaceflight 101 .
"NSSDCA Master Catalog" . NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive . NASA Goddard Space Flight Center .
"Space Calendar" . NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory .[dead link ]
"Space Information Center" . JAXA .[dead link ]
"Хроника освоения космоса" [Chronicle of space exploration]. CosmoWorld (in Russian).
^ a b "Space Year Review 2012: Launch vehicles – Falcon 9, Delta IV and Soyuz show robustness in mishaps but not so for Safir or Proton" . Flightglobal . 3 January 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2013 .
^ a b c d Hansen, Nick (1 October 2012). "Rocket science - Iran's rocket programme" . Jane's Intelligence Review . 24 (10). Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2013 .
^ a b c "North Korea's rocket launch fails as world condemns action" . The Guardian . 13 April 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2013 .
^ a b "China's Shenzhou 9 spacecraft returns to earth" . The Guardian . 29 June 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013 .
^ a b Pete Harding (16 February 2012). "Cosmonaut duo complete Russian spacewalk outside ISS" . NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 19 February 2012 .
^ a b "Russian cosmonauts perform six-hour spacewalk outside International Space Station" . The Daily Telegraph . 21 August 2012. Archived from the original on 23 August 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2012 .
^ a b Pete Harding (30 August 2012). "Astronaut duo complete challenging first post-Shuttle US spacewalk on ISS" . NASASpaceflight. Retrieved 4 September 2012 .
^ a b "Williams sets record in spacewalk" . The Peninsula Qatar . 20 November 2012. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2012 .
^ a b "Astronauts take spacewalk to find ammonia leak" . AP via USA TODAY. 1 November 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2013 .
^ a b "Nasa's Curiosity rover successfully lands on Mars" . BBC. 6 August 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2013 .
^ a b "SpaceX Launches Private Capsule on Historic Trip to Space Station" . Space.com . 22 May 2012. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2013 .
^ a b c "SpaceX's Dragon returns to Earth with precious cargo from ISS" . NASASpaceflight.com. 28 October 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2012 .
^ a b "NASA's Dawn Spacecraft Hits Snag on Trip to 2 Asteroids" . Space.com . 15 August 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2012 .
^ "China opens 2012 with ZiYuan-3 launch via Long March 4B" . NASASpaceflight.com. 8 January 2012. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012 .
^ "VESSELSAT 2" . N2YO.com . Retrieved 21 November 2019 .
^ "长三甲遥二十二火箭将发射风云二号卫星 ('Long March 3A rocket will launch the Fengyun satellite')" (in Chinese). China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. 15 December 2011. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2012 .
^ "China launch again – Long March 3A launches FengYun-2F" . NASASpaceflight.com. 12 January 2012. Archived from the original on 16 January 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2012 .
^ "Photos: Air Force Satellite Launch Lights Up the Night" . Space.com . 20 January 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2012 .
^ Chris Bergin (20 April 2012). "Progress M-14M bids farewell to ISS as M-15M launches" . NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 21 April 2012 .
^ "Navis [sic ] Satellite" . Recent Reentries . Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012 .
^ "Iran launches another satellite" . Discovery News. 3 February 2012. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2012 .
^ a b c d e "Europe launches new Vega rocket on maiden voyage" . Space.com . 13 February 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2012 .
^ "Lares e Vega verso il lancio (in Italian)" . ASI. 22 December 2010. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2012 .
^ a b c d e f "ESA Announces Vega CubeSat Selection" . Education Office . European Space Agency . 7 June 2008. Archived from the original on 18 July 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008 .
^ "UNICUBESAT" . N2YO.com . Retrieved 21 November 2019 .
^ "ROBUSTA" . N2YO.com . Retrieved 21 November 2019 .
^ "E-STAR" . N2YO.com . Retrieved 21 November 2019 .
^ "MASAT-1" . N2YO.com . Retrieved 21 November 2019 .
^ "50th SES spacecraft in orbit after successful ILS Proton launch" . SES. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2012 .
^ "China launches 11th satellite for navigation system" . Xinhua via China.org.cn. 25 February 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2012 .
^ "Amazing Launch Photos: Blastoff for Navy's Next-Gen MUOS-1 Satellite" . Space.com . 24 February 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2012 .
^ "Mission accomplished! Arianespace launches ATV Edoardo Amaldi cargo vessel to the International Space Station" . Arianespace. 23 March 2012. Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2012 .
^ "Intelsat's Global Broadband Maritime and Aeronautical Infrastructure Continues to Advance with ILS Proton Launch Success of Intelsat 22" . International Launch Services. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2012 .
^ a b "Russian Proton-K completes 45 years of service with US-KMO satellite launch" . NASASpaceflight.com. 29 March 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2013 .
^ Bergin, Chris (31 March 2012). "Chinese Long March 3B/E launches Apstar-7" . NASASpaceflight.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2012 .
^ "USA 234" . N2YO.com. Retrieved 19 November 2019 .
^ "North Korea moves rocket into position for launch" . The Guardian . 8 April 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2013 .
^ "Russia Buries Space Freighter in Pacific" . RIA Novosti. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012 .
^ "Yahsat 1B launch success" . SatBeams.com. 24 April 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2012 .
^ "Earth Observation System" . Indian Space Research Organisation. Archived from the original on 2 May 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2008 .
^ "PSLV-C19 puts RISAT-1 in orbit" . The Hindu . 26 April 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2012 .
^ a b c "China launches Compass duo via Long March 3B" . NASASpaceflight.com. 29 April 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2013 .
^ "2012 - Launches to Orbit and Beyond" . Zarya.info. Retrieved 19 December 2012 .
^ a b "China launches Tianhui-1B via Long March 2D" . NASASpaceflight.com. 6 May 2012. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2012 .
^ a b "China increases the pace with Long March 4B spy satellite launch" . NASASpaceflight.com. 10 May 2012. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013 .
^ "Photos: Space Station's Expedition 32 Crew Lands on Earth" . Space.com . 16 September 2012. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012 .
^ "Ariane 5 ECA launches JCSAT-13 and VINASAT-2 into orbit" . NASASpaceflight.com. 15 May 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012 .
^ "Lockheed Martin-Built VINASAT-2 Satellite Begins Service for Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group" . Lockheed Martin . 5 July 2012. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2012 .
^ "Kobalt-M satellite" . RussianSpaceWeb.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2013 .
^ a b "Launch Success for H-IIA delivering 4 Payloads to Orbit" . Spaceflight101.com. 17 May 2012. Archived from the original on 12 February 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2013 .
^ HORYU-II project members (24 February 2017). "Announcement about the end of HORYU-II operation" . Kyushu Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017 .
^ "Nimiq 6" . Telesat. Retrieved 7 January 2013 .
^ "NASA managers announce February 7 launch date for Dragon ISS mission" . NASASpaceFlight.com. 9 December 2011. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2011 .
^ "Space station captures SpaceX Dragon capsule" . USA Today . 25 May 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2013 .
^ Moskowitz, Clara (22 May 2012). "Ashes of Star Trek's 'Scotty' Ride Private Rocket Into Space" . Space.com . New York. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2012 .
^ Bergin, Chris (31 May 2012). "SpaceX's Dragon returns to Earth following successful ISS mission" . NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 31 May 2012 .
^ "Long March 3B launches military satellite Chinasat-2A" . NASASpaceflight.com. 26 May 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013 .
^ Christy, Robert. "List of Yaogan Launches" . Zarya.info. Retrieved 29 May 2012 .
^ "Space: SeaLaunch puts Intelsat 19 in orbit, problem ahead" . Electronics Weekly . 6 June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012 .
^ "NuSTAR Launch" . NASA. 13 June 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2013 .
^ "Why is China sending a woman into space?" . SpaceDaily.com. 1 June 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012 .
^ "China to send first woman astronaut Liu Yang into space" . BBC. 15 June 2012.
^ "China Launches 1st Female Astronaut and 2 Men to Space Lab" . Space.com . 16 June 2012.
^ "China's Shenzhou 9 spacecraft returns to earth" . The Guardian . 29 June 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013 .
^ "2012 - Launches to Orbit and Beyond: 2012-032 | Shenzhou 9 Orbital Module" . Zarya.info . Retrieved 19 November 2019 .
^ "USA 236" . N2YO.com. 20 June 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2013 .
^ "Launch Updates" . AGI.com. 29 June 2012. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2013 .
^ "Meteosat launches to maintain Europe's weather services" . BBC. 6 July 2012.
^ "Successful launch for SES-5" . Broadband TV News. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2013 .
^ "Soyuz TMA-05M lands, returns three space station crewmates to Earth" . CollectSpace.com. 18 November 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2013 .
^ "Launch Result of H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 3 with H-II Transfer Vehicle "KOUNOTORI3" (HTV3) Onboard" . JAXA. 21 July 2012. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012 .
^ "H-2B sends craft toward ISS/Japanese rocket's 3rd launch seen to boost international prestige" . Yomiuri Shimbun . 22 July 2012. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013 . Future launches of the domestically produced rockets will be handled by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., the rockets' manufacturer, as opposed to previous launches managed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
^ H2B打ち上げ、三菱重工に移管へ 大型通信衛星も対応可能に [Launch Service of H2B To Be Transferred To MHI, Capable of Large Com Satellites]. Nihon Keizai Shimbun (in Japanese). Tokyo. 21 July 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2014 .
^ "Successful re-entry of H-II Transfer Vehicle "KOUNOTORI3" (HTV3)" . JAXA. 14 September 2012. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2013 .
^ RAIKO_CUBESAT [@RAIKO_CUBESAT] (6 August 2013). "最新の予報では、12:46に軌道離脱です。http://Space-Track.Org のDecay予報を参照しています。" (Tweet ). Retrieved 17 September 2013 – via Twitter .
^ "FITSAT-1 (Niwaka)" . FIT. 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013 .
^ "CubeSat "WE WISH" Re-entered Earth's Atmosphere" . Meisei Electric. 12 March 2013. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2013 .
^ "HTV4 (KOUNOTORI 4) Mission Press Kit" (PDF) . JAXA. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013 .
^ Jacklin, Stephen A. (March 2019). "Small-Satellite Mission Failure Rates" (PDF) . NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server . Ames Research Center : NASA . p. 32. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021 . Successfully deployed from the ISS, but no signal were received.
^ "JSpOC estimates that the time of our reentry was 2013-05-05 0:00:00" . Twitter . 6 May 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013 .
^ a b c "Belarus' first satellite enters orbit" . Xinhua. 23 July 2012. Archived from the original on 27 July 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2013 .
^ Krebs, Gunter (21 July 2019). "Zond-PP (MKA-PN 1)" . Gunter's Space Page . Retrieved 19 November 2019 .
^ "Abschied vom Technologie-Erprobungsträger (TET-1)" [Farewell to the Technology Experiment vehicle (TET-1)]. DLR (in German). 21 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022 .
^ "Chinese data relay satellite TianLian-1C is launched successfully on a Long March 3C" . Flightglobal . 26 July 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2012 .
^ "Russia Launches Cluster of Four Satellites" . RIA Novosti . 28 July 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012 .
^ "Progress M-16M successfully tests new fast rendezvous with ISS" . NASASpaceflight.com. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2013 .
^ "Progress M-16M departs the Space Station, headed for Re-Entry" . Spaceflight101.com. 9 February 2013. Archived from the original on 12 February 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2013 .
^ "SFERA" . N2YO.com . Retrieved 19 November 2019 .
^ a b "Sfera-53" . Gunter's Space Page. 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2013 .
^ a b "Ariane 5 ECA successfully launches Intelsat 20 and Hylas 2" . NASASpaceflight.com. 2 August 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2013 .
^ "The launch of "Proton-M" with the upper stage "Briz-M" and the spacecraft "Express-MD2" and "Telkom-3" " . Roscosmos . Archived from the original on 12 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012 .
^ Zak, Anatoly (6 February 2021). "Telkom-3 / Ekspress-MD2 launch failure" . RussianSpaceWeb.com . Retrieved 7 February 2021 .
^ "TELKOM-3" . N2YO.com . 6 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021 .
^ "Russia Investigates Failed Rocket Launch" . Space.com . 8 August 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2013 .
^ "Intelsat 21 Launch Success Refreshes Capacity for Leading Latin America Video Neighborhood; Furthers Mobility Coverage Across South Atlantic Ocean" . Intelsat. 19 August 2012. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2013 .
^ "Van Allen Probes Spacecraft B Completes Mission Operations" . Applied Physics Laboratory . 23 July 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019 .
^ "Ten Highlights From NASA's Van Allen Probes Mission" . NASA . 17 October 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2019 .
^ "NASA Launches Radiation Belt Storm Probes Mission" . NASA.gov. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2013 .
^ a b "India's 100th Space Mission Launches Satellites Into Orbit" . Space.com . 10 September 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2013 .
^ "Atlas 5 launch success confirmed" . Lompoc Record . 13 September 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2012 .
^ "European weather satellite Metop-B launched into orbit" . The Guardian . 17 September 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2012 .
^ a b "China back in action with dual Compass launch" . NASASpaceflight.com. 18 September 2012.
^ "Astra 2F ready for disputed orbital slot" . Broadband TV News. 21 November 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2013 .
^ "India launches GSAT-10 successfully" . Hindustan Times . 29 September 2012. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2013 .
^ "State File:China launches 2nd satellite for Venezuela" . CNN. 29 September 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2013 .
^ "China Launches Earth-Observing Satellite for Venezuela" . Space.com . 1 October 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "GPS IIF-3 Satellite Now Transmitting L1, L2 Signals" . GPS World. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2013 .
^ "Falcon 9 undergoes pad rehearsal for October launch" . Spaceflight Now. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2012 .
^ "Private Spacecraft to Launch Space Station Cargo On Oct. 7" . LiveScience. 25 September 2012.
^ a b "Falcon 9 Drops Orbcomm Satellite in Wrong Orbit" . Aviation Week . 8 October 2012. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2012 .
^ Clark, Stephen (11 October 2012). "Orbcomm craft falls to Earth, company claims total loss" . Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 11 October 2012 .
^ a b "Galileo: Europe's version of GPS reaches key phase" . BBC. 12 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2012 .
^ a b "Long March 2C launches Shijian-9 tech demonstrator satellite duo" . NASASpaceflight. 13 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2012 .
^ "Intelsat 23 Launch Success to Provide Enhanced Capacity for the Americas, Europe and Africa" . Intelsat. 14 October 2012. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013 .
^ "Three-man Soyuz crew blasts off for space station" . CNET . 23 October 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2012 .
^ "Soyuz and crew arrive at ISS" . Florida Today . 25 October 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2012 .
^ "U.S., Russian Space Station Crew Descends to Earth, Leaving First Canadian in Command" . Aviation Week . 15 March 2013. Archived from the original on 24 April 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2013 .
^ "China's Beidou GPS-substitute opens to public in Asia" . BBC. 27 December 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2012 .
^ Barbosa, Rui C. (25 October 2012). "China's Long March 3C lofts another Compass-G into orbit" . NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 25 October 2012 .
^ "Progress M-17-M (ISS 49P)" . Space Newsfeed. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013 .
^ "Progress M-17M completes its Mission with Destructive Re-Entry April 21, 2013" . Spaceflight101.com. 21 April 2013. Archived from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2013 .
^ a b "Russian rocket puts 2 satellites into orbit" . Kyiv Post . 3 November 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012 .
^ a b "Eutelsat launches satellite to boost capacity in EMEA" . ZDNet.com. 10 November 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012 .
^ "Russia Launches Dual-Purpose Telecoms Satellite" . RIA Novosti. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012 .
^ Rui C. Barbosa (18 November 2012). "Chinese Long March 2C lofts Huanjing-1C into orbit" . NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 18 November 2012 .
^ "HJ-1C" . N2YO.com . 1 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023 .
^ "XINYAN 1" . In-The-Sky.org . 5 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019 .
^ "FENGNIAO-1 (FN-1)" . N2YO.com . 11 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024 .
^ "FENGNIAO-1 (FN-1)" . N2YO.com . 11 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024 .
^ "EchoStar Telecom Satellite Launched from Baikonur" . RIA Novosti. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012 .
^ a b c "Long March 4C launches Yaogan Weixing-16 spy satellite for China" . NASASpaceflight.com. 25 November 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2012 .
^ a b "China's 18th launch of 2012 sees Long March 3B loft ChinaSat-12" . NASASpaceflight.com. 27 November 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2012 .
^ "Russian-made rocket blasts French satellite into orbit" . MSNBC. 2 December 2012. Archived from the original on 5 December 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012 .
^ "SeaLaunch successfully puts Eutelsat 70B into orbit" . Flightglobal . 3 December 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012 .
^ "ILS Declares a Proton Launch Anomaly" . International Launch Services. 8 December 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2012 .
^ "Yamal-300K and Yamal-402 satellites start commercial operation" . Gazprom. 25 January 2013. Archived from the original on 28 May 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2013 .
^ a b Bergin, Chris (17 October 2014). "Third X-37B returns home after nearly two years in space" . NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 18 October 2014 .
^ "Air Force's Secret X-37B Space Plane Launches on Third Mission" . Universe Today . 11 December 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2012 .
^
"North Korea launches rocket, raising nuclear arms stakes" . Reuters . 12 December 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012 .
^ a b Talmadge, Eric (18 December 2012). "Crippled NKorean probe could orbit for years" . Associated Press. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2012 .
^ "North Korea defies warnings to launch rocket" . BBC. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012 .
^ "North Korea Launches Rocket" . Wall Street Journal . 11 December 2012. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012 .
^ Barbosa, Rui C. (18 December 2012). "China end 2012 with Long March 2D launch of Göktürk-2" . NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 18 December 2012 .
^ "China launches Turkish satellite: state media" . AFP via Google. 18 December 2012. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2012 .
^ Chris Bergin (13 May 2013). "Soyuz TMA-07M returns ISS crew to Earth" . NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 15 May 2013 .
^ a b "UK's Skynet military satellite launched" . BBC. 19 December 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012 .
^ "Sounding Rocket Launch Scheduled January 11" . NASA. 4 January 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2012 .
^ "Wallops Flight Facility" . NASA. Retrieved 30 January 2013 .
^ "S-520-26 launch result" . JAXA. 13 January 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2013 .
^ "Israel tests Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile system" . Army-Technology.com. 25 January 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2013 .
^ "India Successfully Test Interceptor Missile" . DefenceNow.com. 11 February 2012. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2013 .
^ "US-Israel Arrow completes successful test" . Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2013 .
^ "MASER 12 - successfully launched" . SSC. 13 February 2012. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2013 .
^ "36.273 UE POWELL/CORNELL UNIVERSITY" . NASA. 21 February 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2013 .
^ "Lockheed Martin-Built Trident II D5 Missile Achieves 137th Successful Test Flight" . Lockheed Martin. 14 March 2012. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2013 .
^ "Minuteman III test missile launches from Vandenberg" . Vandenberg Air Force Base. 25 February 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2013 .
^ "CIBER Mission Launched" . NASA. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2013 .
^ a b c d e "ATREX Mission: NASA's Five-Rocket Barrage to Study Winds at Edge of Space" . Space.com . 27 March 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2013 .
^ "April 5, 2012: UP Aerospace Launches Payloads Into Space for the DoD and NASA Flight Opportunities Program" . UP Aerospace. 5 April 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2013 .
^ a b c d "Lockheed Martin-Built Trident II D5 Missile's Reliability Record Reaches 142 Successful Test Flights" . Lockheed Martin. 31 May 2012. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2013 .
^ "India test launches Agni-V long-range missile" . BBC. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013 .
^ "Pakistan Test-fires Improved Shaheen-1 Missile" . DefenseNews.com. 25 April 2012. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013 .
^ a b "Advanced version of Aegis interceptor missile to be built in Huntsville destroys target in test (video)" . Huntsville Times . 10 May 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013 .
^ "Russia tests secret missile after Nato shield launched" . BBC. 23 May 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013 .
^ Podvig, Pavel (7 June 2012). "Test of Topol from Kapustin Yar" . Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces . Retrieved 4 February 2013 .
^ "NASA Sounding Rocket Launch Launched June 21" . NASA. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013 .
^ "Experiments on SHEFEX II successful" . DLR.de. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013 .
^ "36.286 UE WOODS/UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO" . NASA. 23 June 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013 .
^ a b "Second-Generation Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System Completes Second Successful Intercept Flight Test" . United States Missile Defense Agency. 27 June 2012. Archived from the original on 20 February 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013 .
^ a b c "Iran tests long-range ballistic missiles" . The Guardian . 3 July 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013 .
^ "SUMI Sounding Rocket Mission Launches Successfully" . NASA. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013 .
^ "The Hi-C Suborbital Spacecraft Snaps the Sun's Hottest Spots" . Gizmodo UK. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "Agni-I a success" . The Hindu . 13 July 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "39.011 NR CHEATWOOD/NASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER" . NASA. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "36.263 US JUDGE/UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA" . NASA. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "観測ロケットS-310-41号機 打上げ終了('Exit launch rocket S-310-41 observation')" (in Japanese). JAXA. 7 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012 .
^ "2012年度第1次観測ロケット実験の実施について ('Sounding rocket experiment on the implementation of the first fiscal year following 2012')" (in Japanese). JAXA. 1 June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012 .
^ "S-310-41 launch completed" . JAXA. 7 August 2012. Archived from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "Agni-II launch, a flawless mission" . The Hindu . 9 August 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "Rocket Launch at Wallops Flight Facility" . Delmarva Public Radio. 12 September 2012. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "Dazzling Army Missile Test Triggers UFO Reports in Western US" . Space.com . 14 September 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "HIFiRE 3 Launched from Andøya" . Andøya Rocket Range. 19 September 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "Long range strategic missile Agni-IV test-fired" . The Hindu . 19 September 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012 .
^ "India test fires nuclear-capable Agni-III ballistic missile" . IBN Live. 21 September 2012. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012 .
^ "RockSat-X launches; next launch Sept. 22" . NASA. 21 September 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "NASA successfully tests new launch vehicle from WFF" . NASA. 22 September 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "Prithvi-II successfully test-fired from Odisha" . The Hindu . 4 October 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "Nuclear-capable Dhanush successfully test-fired" . The Hindu . 5 October 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ a b "В России завершены небывалые по масштабу учения стратегических ядерных сил ('Russia has completed an unprecedented scale test of strategic nuclear forces')" (in Russian). 1TV.ru. 20 October 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2013 .
^ "UK Trident Missile Test Launch 23 October 2012: Caroline Lucas Asks About Cost & Informing Other Govts In Advance" . Acronym.org.uk. 19 November 2012. Archived from the original on 28 November 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "Russia to create new missiles to compete with U.S." Missile Threat. 9 January 2013. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ a b c d e "Ballistic Missile Defense System Engages Five Targets Simultaneously During Largest Missile Defense Flight Test in History" . United States Missile Defense Agency. 25 October 2012. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "A Next-Generation X-Ray Telescope Launches" . NASA. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "Minuteman III test missile launches from Vandenberg" . Vandenberg Air Force Base. 14 November 2012. Archived from the original on 20 February 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "IMAGER Launch Successful" . NASA. 21 November 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "India successfully tests ballistic missile shield" . NDTV. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2013 .
^ "MAPHEUS 3, successfully launched!" . SSC. 25 November 2012. Archived from the original on 24 July 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "Pak test fires N-capable Hatf V Ghauri missile" . Zeenews.india.com. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "Site G1 - Globo.com Foguete de sondagem VS-30/Orion é lançado com sucesso em Alcântara" . IAE. 9 December 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "36.283 UH GALEAZZI/UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI" . NASA. 13 December 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "観測ロケットS-520-28号機 打上げ終了('Observation of S-520-28 rocket launch')" (in Japanese). JAXA. 17 December 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2012 .
^ "S-520-28 launch result" . JAXA. 17 December 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "India Successfully Test-Fires Prithvi-2 Missile" . Turkish Weekly . 20 December 2012. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "NASA's Twin Grail Spacecraft Reunite in Lunar Orbit" . NASA.gov. 1 January 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2012 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Cassini Saturn Tour Dates: 2012" . NASA. 2012. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2013 .
^ "Dawn departs Vesta to become first asteroid hopper" . New Scientist . 6 September 2012. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2013 .
^ "Spacecraft Dawn has arrived at Ceres, one of solar system's last unexplored planets" . Washington Post . 6 March 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015 .
^ "Chinese space probe flies by asteroid Toutatis" . Xinhua . 15 December 2012. Archived from the original on 17 December 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2013 .
^ "NASA's Grail Lunar Impact Site Named for Astronaut Sally Ride" . NASA. 17 December 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
^ "GRAIL orbiters make DEATH DIVE into lunar mountain" . The Register . 18 December 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2012 .
^ "Spacewalk Success as second EVA installs troublesome MBSU-1" . NASASpaceflight. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2012 .
^ "ISS Managers Mull Spacewalks To Address Power, Cooling Issues" . Aviation Week . 10 October 2012. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2013 .
^ "First Delta IV Medium in 5/2 configuration launches from Vandenberg" . US Air Force Space Command. 4 April 2012. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2013 .
External links
1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
January February March April May June July
EchoStar XVII , MSG-3
SES-5
Soyuz TMA-05M
Kounotori 3 (Raiko , We-Wish , Niwaka , TechEdSat , F-1 )
Kanopus-V1 , BelKA-2 , Zond-PP , TET-1 , exactView-1
Tianlian I-03
Gonets-M No.3, Gonets-M No.4, Kosmos 2481 , MiR
August September
SPOT 6 , PROITERES , mRESINS
USA-238 , SMDC-ONE 1.1 , SMDC-ONE 1.2 , AeroCube 4 , AeroCube 4A , AeroCube 4B , Aeneas , Re , CSSWE , CP5 , CXBN , CINEMA 1
MetOp-B
Compass-M5 , Compass-M6
Astra 2F , GSAT-10
VRSS-1
October November December Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ).Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).