1974 in spaceflight
Soyuz-U launch vehicle
Orbital launches
First5 January
Last2 December

On March 29, 1974 Mariner 10 became the first spacecraft to fly by Mercury, that saw a spacecraft for the first and last time in the 20th century.


Launches

Date and time (UTC) Rocket Flight number Launch site LSP
Payload
(⚀ = CubeSat)
Operator Orbit Function Decay (UTC) Outcome
Remarks

January

5 January
01:45[1]
United StatesAerobee 200A United StatesWhite Sands NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Aeronomy/Ultraviolet astronomy5 January 1974Successful
8 January
01:40[2]
United StatesAerobee 200A United StatesWhite Sands NASA
NASA/NRL Sub-orbital Aeronomy/Ultraviolet astronomy8 January 1974Successful
12 January
19:12[3]
United KingdomSkylark El Arenosillo NASA
Germany H-GR-58 DFVLR Sub-orbital Astronomy12 Jan 1974Successful
11 January
22:00[4]
Soviet Union R-36 Soviet Union Baikonur (LC-162/36) RVSN
Soviet Union Dkh RVSN Sub-orbital ICBM test12 January 1974Successful
15 January
20:00[5]
United States Black Brant VC United States White Sands (LC-36) NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Solar research15 January 1974Successful
16 January
02:00[6]
Japan Kappa 9M Japan Kagoshima (LC-36) ISAS
ISAS Sub-orbital Ionosphere & Solar research16 January 1974Successful
16 January
17:40[2]
United States Nike Apache United States Wallops Island NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Aeronomy16 January 1974Successful
16 January
18:13[7]
United States Super Arcas United States Wallops Island NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Ionosphere research16 January 1974Successful
16 January[2]
01:40
United States Aerobee 200A United States White Sands NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Solar research16 January 1974Successful
17 January
02:37[2]
United States Nike Tomahawk United States Poker Flat NASA
NASA/NRL Sub-orbital Plasma research17 January 1974Successful
17 January
10:07[8]
Soviet Union Kosmos 3M Soviet Union Plesetsk (LC-132/2) VKS
Soviet UnionKosmos 628 (Tsiklon) MOM LEO NavigationIn orbitSuccessful
19 January
01:39[9]
United States Delta 2313 United States CCAFS (LC-17B) UK Ministry of Defence
United StatesSkynet 2A UK MOD Intended: GEO Achieved: LEO Comms25 January 1974Failure
Placed in incorrect orbit due to carrier rocket malfunction
19 January
11:34
United Kingdom Skua Spain El Arenosillo RAE
RAE Sub-orbital Ionosphere research19 January 1974Success
19 January Soviet Union R-36M Soviet Union LC-103, Baikonur RVSN
POR RVSN Sub-orbital ICBM Test20 January 1974Success
21 January
02:39
United States Nike Tomahawk United States Poker Flat NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Plasma research21 January 1974Success
21 January
11:30
United KingdomSkua4 SpainEl Arenosillo RAE
RAE Sub-orbital Ionosphere research21 January 1974Success
22 January
02:41
United States Nike Tomahawk United States Poker Flat NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Plasma research22 January 1974Success
22 January
11:00
Japan Lambda 3H Japan Area 3L, Kagoshima ISAS
ISAS Sub-orbital X-ray astronomy22 January 1974Success
22 January
01:40
United States Aerobee 200A United States White Sands NASA
NASA/NRL Sub-orbital Solar research22 January 1974Successful
22 January
01:40
United States Minuteman I United States LF-06, Vandenberg AFB USAF
USAF Sub-orbital ICBM test22 January 1974Successful
23 January
11:30
United Kingdom Skua Spain El Arenosillo RAE
RAE Sub-orbital Ionosphere research23 January 1974Success
23 January
12:50
Canada Black Brant VB Canada Churchill NRC
NRC Sub-orbital Aeronomy/Ionosphere/Aurora research23 January 1974Success
24 January
15:00
Soviet Union Voskhod Soviet Union Plesetsk MOM
Soviet UnionKosmos 629 (Zenit-2M) MOM LEO Recon5 February 1974Success
25 January
11:30
United Kingdom Skua Spain El Arenosillo RAE
RAE Sub-orbital Ionosphere research25 January 1974Success
25 January Soviet Union UR-100N Soviet Union Baikonur Cosmodrome RVSN
RVSN Sub-orbital ICBM test25 January 1974Success
26 January United States Minuteman III United States LF-25, Vandenberg AFB USAF
GT-24GB-1 USAF Sub-orbital ICBM test26 January 1974Success
26 January Soviet Union UR-100N Soviet Union Baikonur Cosmodrome RVSN
GT-24GB-1 RVSN Sub-orbital ICBM test26 January 1974Success
27 January
19:08
United States Nike Tomahawk Norway Andøya NASA
Ferdinand 35 (Polar 3) NDRE Sub-orbital Aurora research27 January 1974Success
30 January
11:00
Soviet Union Voskhod Soviet Union Plesetsk MOM
Soviet UnionKosmos 630 (Zenit-4MK) MOM LEO Aurora research13 February 1974Success
30 January United States SSBS France BLB, Biscarosse DMA
DMA Sub-orbital Aurora research30 January 1974Success

February

1 February
06:30
Japan JCR Japan Area T, Tanegashima NADSA
JapanKosmos 547 (Zenit 2M) NASDA Sub-orbital Test flight1 February 1974Successful
4 February
14:40
United Kingdom Skylark 6AC Australia LA-2SL, Woomera BAC
BAC Sub-orbital Astronomy4 February 1974Successful
4 February Soviet Union MR-UR-100 Soviet Union LC-177, Baikonur RVSN
RVSN Sub-orbital ICBM test4 February 1974Successful
6 February
00:34
Soviet Union Kosmos-3M Soviet Union LC-132/2, Plesetsk VKS
Soviet Union Kosmos 631 (Tselina-O) VKS LEO ELINT3 October 1980Successful
6 February
22:48
Canada Black Brant IVB Norway Andoya DLR
DLR Sub-orbital Aurora research (DLR A-BB4-63 Auroral mission)6 February 1974Successful
6 February United States Polaris A3 United States Submarine, WTR US Navy
US Navy Sub-orbital SLBM test6 February 1974Successful
6 February United States Polaris A3 United States Submarine, WTR US Navy
US Navy Sub-orbital SLBM test6 February 1974Successful
9 February
02:10
United States Aerobee 200A United States White Sands NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Astronomy9 February 1974Successful
9 February
06:30
Japan LS-C Japan Area T, Tanegashima NASDA
NASDA Sub-orbital Test flight9 February 1974Successful
11 February
13:48
United States Titan IIIE/Centaur United States LC-41, CCAFS NASA
Boilerplate NASA Intended: GSO Test carrier rocket12 February 1974Failure
United States Viking NASA Intended: GSO Plasma research12 February 1974Failure
Upper stage turbopump malfunction
18 February United States Scout D-1 Italy San Marco mobile range, Kenya Italy CRS
ItalyUnited States San Marco 4 CRS / NASA Low Earth AtmosphericIn orbitSuccessful


March

April

May

June

July

3 July Soviet Union Soyuz (11A511) Soviet UnionLC-1/5, Baikonur
Soviet Union Soyuz 14 LEO, docked to Salyut 3 Crewed orbital flight19 July 1974Successful
16 July United States Scout United States Western Space and Missile Center at Vandenberg AFB NASA
United States Aeros 2 NASA  

August

28 August
10:08
Soviet Union Soyuz (11A511) Soviet Union LC-1/5, Baikonur
Soviet Union Soyuz 15 LEO Plan: Dock to Salyut 3 Crewed orbital flight28 August 1974Failure
Failed to dock with Salyut 3

September

October

15 October
07:47
United States Scout B-1 Italy San Marco mobile range, Kenya Italy CRS
United KingdomUnited States Ariel 5 SERC / NASA Low Earth X-ray astronomy14 March 1980Successful

November

December

2 December
15:00
Soviet Union Soyuz-U (11A511U) Soviet Union LC-1/5, Baikonur
Soviet Union Soyuz 16 LEO Crewed orbital flight8 December 1974Successful
First successful crewed use of Soyuz-U launch vehicle
10 December
07:11:01
United StatesTitan IIIE/Star-37 United StatesCape Canaveral SLC-41 United StatesNASA
United StatesGermanyHelios-A NASA / DFVLR Heliocentric Solar probeIn orbitSuccessful
Achieved a closest approach to the Sun of 46.5 million km (0.31 AU) in February 1975, the closest approach achieved by an artificial satellite at that point; it was succeeded later by Helios-B.

Deep Space Rendezvous

Date (GMT) Spacecraft Event Remarks
5 FebruaryMariner 10Flyby of VenusGravity assist; Closest approach: 5,768 kilometres (3,584 mi)
10 FebruaryMars 4Flyby of MarsClosest approach: 2,200 kilometres (1,400 mi) (orbiter mission)
12 FebruaryMars 5Areocentric orbit injection
9 MarchMars 7Lander missed mars by 1,300 kilometres (810 mi)
12 MarchMars 6Lander lost a few seconds before anticipated landing
29 MarchMariner 101st flyby of MercuryClosest approach: 703 kilometres (437 mi)
2 JuneLuna 22Selenocentric orbit injectionPhotographic mission
21 SeptemberMariner 102nd flyby of MercuryClosest approach: 48,069 kilometres (29,869 mi)
2 NovemberLuna 23Landed rough at Mare Crisium, the MoonSample return mission
3 DecemberPioneer 11Flyby of JupiterGravity assist; Closest approach: 42,960 kilometres (26,690 mi)

EVAs

Start Date/Time Duration End Time Spacecraft Crew Remarks
3 February
15:19
5 hours
19 minutes
20:38 Skylab
SLM-3
United StatesGerald P. Carr
United StatesEdward Gibson
Retrieved the final film from the solar observatory and photographed Kohoutek using an electronographic camera.

References

  • Bergin, Chris. "NASASpaceFlight.com".
  • Clark, Stephen. "Spaceflight Now".
  • Kelso, T.S. "Satellite Catalog (SATCAT)". CelesTrak.
  • 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. "Jonathan's Space Report".
  • 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.
  • "Space Information Center". JAXA.
  • "Хроника освоения космоса" [Chronicle of space exploration]. CosmoWorld (in Russian).
Generic references:
 Spaceflight portal

Footnotes

  1. "Scientits See Comet From Plane". The Daily Mail. Baltimore. Associated Press. 5 January 1974. Retrieved 4 April 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 McDowell, Jonathan C. "Launch list by family: Nike". GCAT: General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  3. McDowell, Jonathan C. "Launch list by family: Raven". GCAT: General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  4. McDowell, Jonathan C. "Launch list by family: R-36". GCAT: General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  5. McDowell, Jonathan C. "Launch list by family: BB5". GCAT: General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  6. McDowell, Jonathan C. "Launch list by family: K420". GCAT: General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  7. McDowell, Jonathan C. "Launch list by family: Arcas". GCAT: General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  8. McDowell, Jonathan C. "Launch list by family: R-14". GCAT: General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  9. "British Satellite Launched". The News-Press. Associated Press. 19 January 1974. Retrieved 4 April 2023 via Newspapers.com.
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