The Vostok 1-6 Crewed Missions (1961-63)
The Vostok program pioneered the first crewed missions in orbit. Each mission pushed the boundaries of endurance and capability.
The Vostok 3KA Missions (1961)
The Vostok 3KA series represented the final steps toward the first human spaceflight, with two critical uncrewed missions testing the design.
The Vostok 1K Missions (1960)
The Vostok 1K series from 1960 tested life-support systems and spacecraft recovery capabilities. Learn more about its different missions.
The Korabl-Sputnik 1 (Vostok 1KP) Mission (May 1960)
Korabl-Sputnik 1, also known as Vostok 1KP (or 1P), was the first prototype of the Vostok spacecraft, not intended to be recovered.
The Vostok 1 Mission (April 1961)
The first human spaceflight, carrying Yuri Gagarin into orbit on April 12, 1961, making him the first human in space.
The OSIRIS-REx Mission
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission collected samples from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. The material was returned in 2023.
The Mars Sample Return Mission
NASA and the European Space Agency are collaborating on an ambitious project to bring samples from Mars to Earth in the 2030s.
The Stardust Mission (1999–2006)
Stardust collected particles from the coma of comet Wild 2 and interstellar dust. Its return marked the first capture of cometary material.
The Genesis Mission (2001–2004)
NASA’s Genesis mission collected solar wind particles to study the composition of the Sun. It crashed but some samples were salvaged.
The Gaia Mission (2013-present)
The Gaia Mission, launched in 2013, is a space observatory with the ambitious goal of creating the most precise 3D map of the Milky Way.
The Rosetta Mission (2004-2016)
The Rosetta Mission was an ambitious and groundbreaking space mission led by the European Space Agency (ESA).
The Tianwen-1 Mission
The Tianwen-1 mission, led by the China National Space Administration (CNSA), is China’s first interplanetary mission to Mars.
All The Luna Missions In Order
The Luna Program was a series of robotic space missions conducted by the Soviet Union between 1959 and 1976 for exploring the Moon.
The Apollo 7 Mission
Apollo 7, the first crew mission of the Apollo program, launched on October 11, 1968, marked the successful return to crewed spaceflights.
The Apollo 1 Mission
Apollo 1 was intended to be the first crewed mission of NASA’s Apollo program, aimed at landing humans on the Moon.
The Soyuz TMA-6 Mission
One of the missions that supported ISS operations and included international astronauts from the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA.
The Soyuz T-10-1 Mission
The Soyuz T-10-1 mission, launched in 1983, is remembered not for its success in space, but for the dramatic rescue of its crew.
The Soyuz 19 Mission
Soyuz 19 is best known for its participation in the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) in 1975, which was a historic moment in the Cold War era.
The Soyuz 11 Mission
The Soyuz 11 mission is one of the most tragic yet historically significant in the history of human spaceflight.
The Soyuz 4 and 5 Missions
Soyuz 4 and 5 were the first successful docking of two crewed spacecraft in orbit. They were launched in 1969 and docked in orbit.
The Soyuz 1 Mission
The first crewed mission ended in tragedy with the death of cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov due to parachute failure.
All The Soyuz Missions In Order
Explore all the Soyuz missions, their goals, spacecraft, and how they fared in launching crewed missions into Earth’s orbit.
All The Apollo Missions In Order
Explore all the Apollo missions, their goals, spacecraft, and how they fared. The complete list including Apollo 11, 13, and 17.
The Apollo 17 Mission
Explore the final Apollo mission, Apollo 17, which conducted groundbreaking scientific research on the Moon’s surface.
The Apollo 11 Mission
Explore the historic Apollo 11 mission, humanity’s first crewed lunar landing, marking a monumental achievement in space exploration.
The Apollo 13 Mission
Learn about the Apollo 13 mission, intended to be the third crewed lunar landing mission in the Apollo program.