1974 in spaceflight

Summary

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.

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


Launches edit

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

January edit

5 January
01:45[1]
 Aerobee 200A  White Sands NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Aeronomy/Ultraviolet astronomy 5 January 1974 Successful
8 January
01:40[2]
 Aerobee 200A  White Sands NASA
NASA/NRL Sub-orbital Aeronomy/Ultraviolet astronomy 8 January 1974 Successful
12 January
19:12[3]
 Skylark  El Arenosillo NASA
  H-GR-58 DFVLR Sub-orbital Astronomy 12 Jan 1974 Successful
11 January
22:00[4]
  R-36   Baikonur (LC-162/36) RVSN
  Dkh RVSN Sub-orbital ICBM test 12 January 1974 Successful
15 January
20:00[5]
  Black Brant VC   White Sands (LC-36) NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Solar research 15 January 1974 Successful
16 January
02:00[6]
  Kappa 9M   Kagoshima (LC-36) ISAS
ISAS Sub-orbital Ionosphere & Solar research 16 January 1974 Successful
16 January
17:40[2]
  Nike Apache   Wallops Island NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Aeronomy 16 January 1974 Successful
16 January
18:13[7]
  Super Arcas   Wallops Island NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Ionosphere research 16 January 1974 Successful
16 January[2]
01:40
  Aerobee 200A   White Sands NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Solar research 16 January 1974 Successful
17 January
02:37[2]
  Nike Tomahawk   Poker Flat NASA
NASA/NRL Sub-orbital Plasma research 17 January 1974 Successful
17 January
10:07[8]
  Kosmos 3M   Plesetsk (LC-132/2) VKS
 Kosmos 628 (Tsiklon) MOM LEO Navigation In orbit Successful
19 January
01:39[9]
  Delta 2313   CCAFS (LC-17B) UK Ministry of Defence
 Skynet 2A UK MOD Intended: GEO Achieved: LEO Comms 25 January 1974 Failure
Placed in incorrect orbit due to carrier rocket malfunction
19 January
11:34
  Skua   El Arenosillo RAE
RAE Sub-orbital Ionosphere research 19 January 1974 Success
19 January   R-36M   LC-103, Baikonur RVSN
POR RVSN Sub-orbital ICBM Test 20 January 1974 Success
21 January
02:39
  Nike Tomahawk   Poker Flat NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Plasma research 21 January 1974 Success
21 January
11:30
 Skua4  El Arenosillo RAE
RAE Sub-orbital Ionosphere research 21 January 1974 Success
22 January
02:41
  Nike Tomahawk   Poker Flat NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Plasma research 22 January 1974 Success
22 January
11:00
  Lambda 3H   Area 3L, Kagoshima ISAS
ISAS Sub-orbital X-ray astronomy 22 January 1974 Success
22 January
01:40
  Aerobee 200A   White Sands NASA
NASA/NRL Sub-orbital Solar research 22 January 1974 Successful
22 January
01:40
  Minuteman I   LF-06, Vandenberg AFB USAF
USAF Sub-orbital ICBM test 22 January 1974 Successful
23 January
11:30
  Skua   El Arenosillo RAE
RAE Sub-orbital Ionosphere research 23 January 1974 Success
23 January
12:50
  Black Brant VB   Churchill NRC
NRC Sub-orbital Aeronomy/Ionosphere/Aurora research 23 January 1974 Success
24 January
15:00
  Voskhod   Plesetsk MOM
 Kosmos 629 (Zenit-2M) MOM LEO Recon 5 February 1974 Success
25 January
11:30
  Skua   El Arenosillo RAE
RAE Sub-orbital Ionosphere research 25 January 1974 Success
25 January   UR-100N   Baikonur Cosmodrome RVSN
RVSN Sub-orbital ICBM test 25 January 1974 Success
26 January   Minuteman III   LF-25, Vandenberg AFB USAF
GT-24GB-1 USAF Sub-orbital ICBM test 26 January 1974 Success
26 January   UR-100N   Baikonur Cosmodrome RVSN
GT-24GB-1 RVSN Sub-orbital ICBM test 26 January 1974 Success
27 January
19:08
  Nike Tomahawk   Andøya NASA
Ferdinand 35 (Polar 3) NDRE Sub-orbital Aurora research 27 January 1974 Success
30 January
11:00
  Voskhod   Plesetsk MOM
 Kosmos 630 (Zenit-4MK) MOM LEO Aurora research 13 February 1974 Success
30 January   SSBS   BLB, Biscarosse DMA
DMA Sub-orbital Aurora research 30 January 1974 Success

February edit

1 February
06:30
  JCR   Area T, Tanegashima NADSA
 Kosmos 547 (Zenit 2M) NASDA Sub-orbital Test flight 1 February 1974 Successful
4 February
14:40
  Skylark 6AC   LA-2SL, Woomera BAC
BAC Sub-orbital Astronomy 4 February 1974 Successful
4 February   MR-UR-100   LC-177, Baikonur RVSN
RVSN Sub-orbital ICBM test 4 February 1974 Successful
6 February
00:34
  Kosmos-3M   LC-132/2, Plesetsk VKS
  Kosmos 631 (Tselina-O) VKS LEO ELINT 3 October 1980 Successful
6 February
22:48
  Black Brant IVB   Andoya DLR
DLR Sub-orbital Aurora research (DLR A-BB4-63 Auroral mission) 6 February 1974 Successful
6 February   Polaris A3   Submarine, WTR US Navy
US Navy Sub-orbital SLBM test 6 February 1974 Successful
6 February   Polaris A3   Submarine, WTR US Navy
US Navy Sub-orbital SLBM test 6 February 1974 Successful
9 February
02:10
  Aerobee 200A   White Sands NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Astronomy 9 February 1974 Successful
9 February
06:30
  LS-C   Area T, Tanegashima NASDA
NASDA Sub-orbital Test flight 9 February 1974 Successful
11 February
13:48
  Titan IIIE/Centaur   LC-41, CCAFS NASA
Boilerplate NASA Intended: GSO Test carrier rocket 12 February 1974 Failure
  Sphinx NASA Intended: GSO Plasma research 12 February 1974 Failure
Upper stage turbopump malfunction
18 February   Scout D-1   San Marco mobile range, Kenya   CRS
   San Marco 4 CRS / NASA Low Earth Atmospheric In orbit Successful


March edit

April edit

May edit

June edit

July edit

3 July   Soyuz (11A511)  LC-1/5, Baikonur
  Soyuz 14 LEO, docked to Salyut 3 Crewed orbital flight 19 July 1974 Successful
16 July   Scout   Western Space and Missile Center at Vandenberg AFB NASA
  Aeros 2 NASA  

August edit

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

September edit

October edit

15 October
07:47
  Scout B-1   San Marco mobile range, Kenya   CRS
   Ariel 5 SERC / NASA Low Earth X-ray astronomy 14 March 1980 Successful

November edit

December edit

2 December
15:00
  Soyuz-U (11A511U)   LC-1/5, Baikonur
  Soyuz 16 LEO Crewed orbital flight 8 December 1974 Successful
First successful crewed use of Soyuz-U launch vehicle
10 December
07:11:01
 Titan IIIE/Star-37  Cape Canaveral SLC-41  NASA
  Helios-A NASA / DFVLR Heliocentric Solar probe In orbit Successful
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 edit

Date (GMT) Spacecraft Event Remarks
5 February Mariner 10 Flyby of Venus Gravity assist; Closest approach: 5,768 kilometres (3,584 mi)
10 February Mars 4 Flyby of Mars Closest approach: 2,200 kilometres (1,400 mi) (orbiter mission)
12 February Mars 5 Areocentric orbit injection
9 March Mars 7 Lander missed mars by 1,300 kilometres (810 mi)
12 March Mars 6 Lander lost a few seconds before anticipated landing
29 March Mariner 10 1st flyby of Mercury Closest approach: 703 kilometres (437 mi)
2 June Luna 22 Selenocentric orbit injection Photographic mission
21 September Mariner 10 2nd flyby of Mercury Closest approach: 48,069 kilometres (29,869 mi)
2 November Luna 23 Landed rough at Mare Crisium, the Moon Sample return mission
3 December Pioneer 11 Flyby of Jupiter Gravity assist; Closest approach: 42,960 kilometres (26,690 mi)

EVAs edit

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

References edit

  • 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).
Generic references:
  Spaceflight portal

Footnotes edit

  1. ^ "Scientits See Comet From Plane". The Daily Mail. Baltimore. Associated Press. 5 January 1974. Retrieved 4 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d 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.