1974 in spaceflight

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

On 29 March 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.

Orbital launches

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

January

17 January
10:07[1]
Kosmos 3M Plesetsk (LC-132/2) VKS
Kosmos 628 (Tsiklon) MOM LEO Navigation In orbit Successful
19 January
01:39[2]
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
24 January
15:00
Voskhod Plesetsk MOM
Kosmos 629 (Zenit-2M) MOM LEO Recon 5 February 1974 Success
30 January
11:00
Voskhod Plesetsk MOM
Kosmos 630 (Zenit-4MK) MOM LEO Aurora research 13 February 1974 Success

February

6 February
00:34
Kosmos-3M LC-132/2, Plesetsk VKS
Kosmos 631 (Tselina-O) VKS LEO ELINT 3 October 1980 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
16 February
05:00
M-3C Kagoshima Space Center LP-M ISAS
MS T2 (Tansei 2) ISAS Highly elliptical orbit Technology test 22 January 1983 Successful
First flight of M-3C
18 February Scout D-1 San Marco mobile range, Kenya CRS
San Marco 4 CRS / NASA Low Earth Atmospheric In orbit Successful

March

April

May

June

July

3 July Soyuz (11A511) LC-1/5, Baikonur
Soyuz 14 LEO, docked to Salyut 3 Crewed orbital flight 19 July 1974 Successful
12 July
13:55
Feng Bao 1 Jiquan Satellite Launch Center, LA-2B (Site 138)
JSSW Intended: Low Earth Unknown 12 July Failure
Carrier rocket lost attitude control.
16 July Scout Western Space and Missile Center at Vandenberg AFB NASA
Aeros 2 NASA  

August

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

October

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

December

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.

Suborbital launches

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

January-March

12 January
19:12[3]
Skylark El Arenosillo NASA
H-GR-58 DFVLR Sub-orbital Astronomy 12 Jan 1974 Successful
5 January
01:45[4]
Aerobee 200A White Sands NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Aeronomy/Ultraviolet astronomy 5 January 1974 Successful
8 January
01:40[5]
Aerobee 200A White Sands NASA
NASA/NRL Sub-orbital Aeronomy/Ultraviolet astronomy 8 January 1974 Successful
11 January
22:00[6]
R-36 Baikonur (LC-162/36) RVSN
Dkh RVSN Sub-orbital ICBM test 12 January 1974 Successful
15 January
20:00[7]
Black Brant VC White Sands (LC-36) NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Solar research 15 January 1974 Successful
16 January
02:00[8]
Kappa 9M Kagoshima (LC-36) ISAS
ISAS Sub-orbital Ionosphere & Solar research 16 January 1974 Successful
16 January
17:40[5]
Nike Apache Wallops Island NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Aeronomy 16 January 1974 Successful
16 January
18:13[9]
Super Arcas Wallops Island NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Ionosphere research 16 January 1974 Successful
16 January[5]
01:40
Aerobee 200A White Sands NASA
NASA Sub-orbital Solar research 16 January 1974 Successful
17 January
02:37[5]
Nike Tomahawk Poker Flat NASA
NASA/NRL Sub-orbital Plasma research 17 January 1974 Successful
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
Skua 4 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
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 SSBS S2 BLB, Biscarosse DMA
DMA Sub-orbital Missile test 30 January 1974 Success
1 February
06:30
JCR Area T, Tanegashima NASDA
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
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

April-June

July-September

11 July
05:01[11]
K63D Vladimirovka test range, near Kapustin Yar
BOR-3 No.302 Suborbital Re-entry test for Spiral program 11 July Partial success
Subscale model of the Spiral spaceplane.[10] After nominal flight, parachute system failed and the craft crashed. Apogee: 100 km

October-December

Deep Space Rendezvous

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

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

  • 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. "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.
  • "Хроника освоения космоса" [Chronicle of space exploration]. CosmoWorld (in Russian).
  • "Rocket Launch Manifest". Next Spaceflight.
Generic references:
Spaceflight portal

Footnotes

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "British Satellite Launched". The News-Press. Associated Press. 19 January 1974. Retrieved 4 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  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. ^ "Scientits See Comet From Plane". The Daily Mail. Baltimore. Associated Press. 5 January 1974. Retrieved 4 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Krebs, Gunter Dirk. "BOR-3". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  11. ^ Wade, Mark. "K63D". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 12 August 2024.