Portal:Spaceflight/Spaceflight news/2008 archive

14 January - MESSENGER flies past Mercury at an altitude of 200 kilometres.
15 January - The first orbital launch of 2008 is made by a Sea Launch Zenit 3SL, with the Thuraya 3 satellite, the first Zenit-3SL launch since a failure in January 2007.[1]
21 January - A PSLV launches the Israeli TecSAR spy satellite.
28 January - A Proton-M launches the Ekspress AM-33 communication satellite.
4 February - The Iranian Space Agency launches a sub-orbital rocket, Kavoshgar-1.[2]
5 February - A Soyuz-U launches a Progress spacecraft from Baikonur Cosmodrome on a mission to resupply the ISS.[3]
7 February - Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on mission STS-122 to deliver the Columbus module to the International Space Station.[4]
11 February - A Proton-M launches the Thor 5 communication satellite.
20 February - Space Shuttle Atlantis has landed at KSC, completing mission STS-122.
21 February - An SM-3 missile destroys the USA-193 satellite.
23 February - An H-IIA rocket launches the WINDS communication satellite [5]
9 March - The Ariane 5ES makes its maiden flight, launching the first ATV, Jules Verne to resupply the ISS. http://www.esa.int/esaMI/ATV/SEMDYOK26DF_0.html]
11 March - Space Shuttle Endeavour launches from Kennedy Space Center on the STS-123 mission to the International Space Station.[6]
13 March - The Atlas V makes its thirteenth launch, and its first from Vandenberg Air Force Base, launching a classified NRO payload.
14 March - A Proton-M/Briz-M fails to launch the AMC-14 communication satellite, due to a malfunction of the Briz-M stage.[7]
15 March - A Delta II launches the GPS IIR-19 satellite.
16 March - Retired astronaut G. David Low dies of colon cancer.
19 March - A Sea Launch Zenit-3SL launches the DirecTV-11 communications satellite.
27 March - Space Shuttle Endeavour lands at the Kennedy Space Center completing the STS-123 mission.
27 March - A Kosmos-3M launches the SAR-Lupe 4 satellite.
8 April - A Soyuz-FG launches the Soyuz TMA-12 mission to the ISS, with the first South Korean in space, and the first second-generation space traveller.
14 April - An Atlas V launches the ICO G1 satellite, the heaviest commercial spacecraft to be launched towards geosynchronous orbit.
16 April - A Pegasus-XL launches C/NOFS
18 April - An Ariane 5ECA launches Star One C-2, and Vinasat-1, Vietnam's first satellite.
19 April - Soyuz TMA-11 lands in Russia, following a ballistic re-entry.
25 April - The Long March 3C makes its maiden flight, launching the Tianlian 1 satellite.
26 April - A Soyuz-FG/Fregat launches GIOVE-B.
27 April - The Mobile Service Structure at Cape Canaveral LC-40 is demolished.
28 April - A PSLV launches ten satellites.
28 April - The Zenit-3SLB makes its maiden flight, and the first Land Launch flight, launching the AMOS-3 satellite.
14 May - A Soyuz-U launches Progress M-64 to resupply the ISS.
21 May - A Zenit-3SL launches the Galaxy 18 satellite.
23 May - A Rokot launches three Gonets satellites and Yubileiny.[8]
25 May - The Phoenix robotic spacecraft lands on Mars.
27 May - A Long March 4C launches the Fengyun-3A weather satellite.[9]
31 May - Space Shuttle Discovery launches on mission STS-124 to deliver the Japanese Experiment Module PM to the ISS.[10]
9 June - CGWIC uses a Long March 3B lifting off from Xichang to launch Chinasat-9.[11]
11 June - A Delta II 7920H-10C launches the GLAST space telescope.[12]
12 June - An Ariane 5ECA launches the Skynet 5C and Turksat 3A satellites.[13]
14 June - Space Shuttle Discovery lands, completing mission STS-124.[14]
19 June - A Kosmos-3M launches six Orbcomm satellites.[15]
20 June - A Delta II launches the Jason-2 satellite.[16]
26 June - A Proton-K/DM-2 launches a Prognoz satellite.[17]
7 July - An Ariane 5 launches the Badr-6 and ProtoStar-1 satellites for Arabsat and ProtoStar.[18]
10 July-11 July - Cosmonauts Sergei Volkov and Oleg Kononenko conduct an EVA to remove a pyrotechnic bolt from Soyuz TMA-12 for inspection.
16 July - Sea Launch uses a Zenit-3SL to launch a satellite for Echostar.[19]
22 July - A Kosmos-3M launches the SAR-Lupe 5 satellite.[20]
26 July - A Soyuz-2.1b launches the first Persona satellite for the Russian Ministry of Defence.[21]
3 August - A Falcon 1 fails to launch the Trailblazer, PREsat and NanoSail-D satellites.[22]
14 August - An Ariane 5 ECA carries to GTO Superbird 7 for Space Communications Corporation and AMC-21 for SES Americom.[23]
19 August - A Proton-M launches the Inmarsat 4 F3 satellite.[24]
22 August - NASA destroys for range safety reasons the ALV X-1 sub-orbital launch vehicle 27 seconds after liftoff.[25]
29 August - A Dnepr launches five RapidEye satellites.[26]
6 September - A Long March 2C lifts off from Taiyuan, launching two Huan Jing satellites.[27]
6 September - A Delta II launched from Vandenberg AFB carries GeoEye 1 into a sun-synchronous orbit.[28]
10 September - A Soyuz-U launches the Progress M-65 spacecraft towards a docking with the International Space Station.[29]
19 September - ILS uses a Proton-M with a Briz-M upper stage to deliver Nimiq 4 to GTO for Telesat Canada.[30]
24 September - Sea Launch uses a Zenit-3SL lifting off from its floating Ocean Odyssey platform to carry Galaxy 19 to GTO for Intelsat.[31]
25 September - A Proton-M/DM-2 launches three GLONASS satellites.
25 September - Shenzhou 7 lifts off on a Long March 2F rocket to begin the third manned Chinese space mission.[32]
27 September - Zhai Zhigang completes the first Chinese spacewalk, from the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft.[33]
28 September - Shenzhou 7 lands in the Inner Mongolia region of China following a successful mission.[34]
28 September - SpaceX conducts the first successful launch of a Falcon 1 rocket, at the fourth attempt, making it the first privately funded liquid-fuelled rocket to reach orbit.[35]
1 October - Kosmotras launches the THEOS satellite for GISTDA on a Dnepr rocket lifting off from Dombarovskiy.[36]
12 October - A Soyuz-FG launches the Soyuz TMA-13 mission to the ISS, with a spaceflight participant and the Expedition 18 crew.
19 October - A Pegasus-XL launches the IBEX satellite.
22 October - A PSLV-XL launches the Chandrayaan-1 lunar orbiter.
25 October - A Long March 4B launches the Shi Jian 6E and Shi Jian 6F satellites.
25 October - A Delta II launches the COSMO-3 satellite.
29 October - A Long March 3B launches the Venesat-1 communications satellite.
5 November - A Long March 2D launches the Chuang Xin 1B and Shiyan Weixing 3 satellites.
5 November - A Proton-M/Briz-M launches the Astra 1M satellite.
14 November - A Soyuz-U launches the Kosmos 2445 reconnaissance satellite.
15 November - Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on STS-126, a logistics and repair mission to the International Space Station.
26 November - A Soyuz-U launches the Progress M-1M spacecraft to resupply the ISS.
30 November - Space Shuttle Endeavour lands at Edwards Air Force Base, ending mission STS-126.
1 December - A Long March 2D launches the Yaogan-4 remote sensing satellite.
2 December - A Molniya-M/2BL launches an Oko missile detection satellite.
10 December - A Proton-M/Briz-M launches the Ciel-2 satellite.
15 December - A Long March 4B launches the Yaogan-5 remote sensing satellite.
20 December - An Ariane 5 launches the Hot Bird 9 and Eutelsat W2M communications satellites.
23 December - A Long March 3A launches the Feng Yun 2E weather satellite.
25 December - A Proton-M/DM-2 launches three GLONASS satellites.