Previous Spaceflight Launches
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Kaituozhe-1 | KT-1 satellite?
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation | ChinaTaiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
June 9, 2005, midnight
Soyuz-U-PVB | Foton-M No. 2
Progress Rocket Space Center | RussiaBaikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
May 31, 2005, noon
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
Foton-M No.2 was an unmanned Foton-M spacecraft which carried a European payload for the European Space Agency (ESA). The spacecraft carried a 600-kilogram (1,300 lb) payload, including 385 kilograms (849 lb) of experiments; consisting of 39 experiments in fluid physics, biology, material science, meteoritics, radiation dosimetry and exobiology (BIOPAN-5). Some of the experiments were designed by the ESA's student programme. One notable experiment tested the ability of lichen to survive in space. It was successful, as the lichen survived over 14 days of exposure to space.
Low Earth Orbit
Proton-M Briz-M | DirecTV-8
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center | RussiaBaikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
May 22, 2005, 5:59 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
The DirecTV 8 satellite provides selectable medium and high power Ku-band broadcast services to the U.S. on up to 32 transponders. The service is optimized to support the current and next generation higher coding rate services that DirecTV provides.
Geostationary Orbit
Delta II | NOAA 18
United Launch Alliance | United States of AmericaVandenberg SFB, CA, USA
May 20, 2005, 10:22 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
NOAA-18, known before launch as NOAA-N, is a weather forecasting satellite run by NOAA. NOAA-N (18) was launched on May 20, 2005, into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 854 km above the Earth, with an orbital period of 102 minutes. It hosts the AMSU-A, MHS, AVHRR, Space Environment Monitor SEM/2 instrument and High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) instruments, as well as the SBUV/2 ozone-monitoring instrument. It is the first NOAA POES satellite to use MHS in place of AMSU-B. NOAA-18 also hosts Cospas-Sarsat payloads.
Sun-Synchronous Orbit
PSLV | Cartosat-1
Indian Space Research Organization | IndiaSatish Dhawan Space Centre, India
May 5, 2005, 4:45 a.m.
Titan 405B | NROL-16
Lockheed Martin | United States of AmericaCape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
April 30, 2005, 12:50 a.m.
Zenit | Spaceway 1
Sea Launch | RussiaSea Launch
April 26, 2005, 7:31 a.m.
Pegasus XL | Demonstration for Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART)
Orbital Sciences Corporation | United States of AmericaAir launch to orbit
April 15, 2005, 5:26 p.m.
Soyuz-FG | Soyuz TMA-6
Progress Rocket Space Center | RussiaBaikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
April 15, 2005, 12:46 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
Soyuz TMA-6 begins Expedition 11 by carrying 3 astronauts and cosmonauts to the International Space Station. Russian Commander, cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev alongside Flight Engineers, John Phillips (NASA) & Roberto Vittori (ESA) will launch aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and then rendezvous with the station. It landed on October 11, 2005, 01:09:00 UTC
Low Earth Orbit
Long March 3B | Apstar 6
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation | ChinaXichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
April 12, 2005, noon
