 Launch of aDelta D rocket carrying the first commercial geosynchronous communications satellite,Intelsat I F1 | |
| Orbital launches | |
|---|---|
| First | 11 January |
| Last | 28 December |
| Total | 124 |
| Successes | 108 |
| Failures | 15 |
| Partial failures | 1 |
| Catalogued | 112 |
| National firsts | |
| Satellite |  France |
| Orbital launch | France |
| Rockets | |
| Maiden flights | Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D Delta E Diamant-A Kosmos-2M Scout A Scout B Soyuz/Vostok 11A510 Thor LV-2D Burner-1 Thor LV-2D MG-18 Titan IIIC UR-500 (Proton) |
| Retirements | Atlas LV-3A Agena-B Atlas LV-3C Centaur-C Delta D Kosmos-1 Molniya 8K78 Molniya-L 8K78L Saturn I Scout X-4 Thor DSV-2A Ablestar Thor LV-2D MG-18 Thor SLV-2 Agena-B Titan IIIA |
| Crewed flights | |
| Orbital | 6 |
| Total travellers | 13 |
| Date (UTC) | Spacecraft | Event | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 February | Ranger 8 | Lunar impact | ImpactedMare Tranquillitatis at 09:57:37, returned 7,137 images |
| 24 March | Ranger 9 | Lunar impact | ImpactedAlphonsus Crater at 14:08:20, returned 5,814 images |
| 12 May | Luna 5 | Lunar impact | Failed lander, impacted at 19:10 |
| 11 June | Luna 6 | Lunar flyby | Failed lander, closest approach: 160,000 kilometres (99,000 mi) |
| 15 July | Mariner 4 | Flyby ofMars | Returned 21 images |
| 20 July | Zond 2 | Flyby of Mars | Communications system failed before flyby |
| 6 August | Zond 3 | Lunar Flyby | Returned 25 images |
| 7 October | Luna 7 | Lunar impact | Failed lander, impacted at 22:08 |
| 6 December | Luna 8 | Lunar impact | Failed lander, impacted at 21:51:30 |
| Start date/time | Duration | End time | Spacecraft | Crew | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 March 08:34 | 12 minutes | 08:47 | Voskhod 2 |  Alexei Leonov | FirstEVA in history.[1] Leonov had difficulty fitting back into the spacecraft due to spacesuit stiffness in vacuum. He vented air from his spacesuit to bend back into the capsule.[2] |
| 3 June 19:46 | 20 minutes | 20:06 | Gemini IV |  Ed White | First US EVA.[3] White also had difficulty returning to the Gemini spacecraft. Although very fit, the effort left White exhausted.[4] |
| Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Soviet Union | 53 | 46 | 7 | 0 | |
 United States | 70 | 61 | 8 | 1 | |
| World | 124 | 108 | 15 | 1 | |
| Orbital regime | Launches | Achieved | Not Achieved | Accidentally Achieved | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Earth | 96 | 85 | 9 | 2 | |
| Medium Earth | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | |
| High Earth | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0 | IncludingHighly elliptical andMolniya orbits |
| Geosynchronous/transfer | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1* | * - One launch to geosynchronous orbit reached geosynchronous transfer orbit |
| Heliocentric | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
