Timeline of Solar System Exploration - 1960s

1960s

1960

  • Pioneer 5 – 11 March 1960 – Interplanetary space investigations

1961

  • Sputnik 7 – 4 February 1961 – Attempted Venus impact (failed to escape Earth orbit)
  • Venera 1 – 12 February 1961 – Venus flyby (contact lost before flyby)
  • Vostok 1 – 12 April 1961 – First manned Earth orbiter
  • Mercury-Redstone 3 – 5 May 1961 – First American in space
  • Ranger 1 – 23 August 1961 – Attempted lunar test flight
  • Ranger 2 – 18 November 1961 – Attempted lunar test flight

1962

  • Ranger 3 – 26 January 1962 – Attempted lunar impact (missed Moon)
  • Mercury-Atlas 6 – 20 February 1962 – First American manned Earth orbiter
  • Ranger 4 – 23 April 1962 – Lunar impact (but unintentionally hit lunar farside and returned no data)
  • Sputnik 19 – 25 August 1962 – Attempted Venus lander (failed to escape Earth orbit)
  • Mariner 2 – 27 August 1962 – First successful planetary encounter, First successful Venus flyby
  • Sputnik 20 – 1 September 1962 – Attempted Venus lander (failed to escape Earth orbit)
  • Sputnik 21 – 12 September 1962 – Attempted Venus flyby (exploded)
  • Ranger 5 – 18 October 1962 – Attempted lunar impact (missed Moon)
  • Sputnik 22 – 24 October 1962 – Attempted Mars flyby (exploded)
  • Mars 1 – 1 November 1962 – Mars flyby (contact lost)
  • Sputnik 24 – 4 November 1962 – Attempted Mars lander (broke up)

1963

  • Sputnik 25 – 4 January 1963 – Attempted lunar lander (failed to escape Earth orbit)
  • Luna 4 – 2 April 1963 – Attempted lunar lander (missed Moon)
  • Cosmos 21 – 11 November 1963 – Attempted Venera test flight?

1964

  • Ranger 6 – 30 January 1964 – Lunar impact (cameras failed)
  • Cosmos 27 – 27 March 1964 – Attempted Venus flyby (failed to escape Earth orbit)
  • Zond 1 – 2 April 1964 – Venus flyby (contact lost)
  • Ranger 7 – 28 July 1964 – Lunar impact
  • Mariner 3 – 5 November 1964 – Attempted Mars flyby (failed to attain correct trajectory)
  • Mariner 4 – 28 November 1964 – First Mars flyby
  • Zond 2 – 30 November 1964 – Mars flyby (contact lost)

1965

  • Ranger 8 – 17 February 1965 – Lunar impact
  • Cosmos 60 – 12 March 1965 – Attempted lunar lander (failed to escape Earth orbit)
  • Ranger 9 – 21 March 1965 – Lunar impact
  • Luna 5 – 9 May 1965 – Lunar impact (attempted soft landing)
  • Luna 6 – 8 June 1965 – Attempted lunar lander (missed Moon)
  • Zond 3 – 18 July 1965 – Lunar flyby
  • Luna 7 – 4 October 1965 – Lunar impact (attempted soft landing)
  • Venera 2 – 12 November 1965 – Venus flyby (contact lost)
  • Venera 3 – 16 November 1965 – Venus lander (contact lost) – First spacecraft to reach another planet's surface, First Venus impact
  • Cosmos 96 – 23 November 1965 – Attempted Venus lander (stayed in Earth orbit due to launch failure)
  • Luna 8 – 3 December 1965 – Lunar impact (attempted soft landing?)
  • Pioneer 6 – 16 December 1965 – "Space weather" observations

1966

  • Luna 9 – 31 January 1966 – First lunar lander
  • Cosmos 111 – 1 March 1966 – Attempted lunar orbiter? (failed to escape Earth orbit)
  • Luna 10 – 31 March 1966 – First lunar orbiter
  • Surveyor 1 – 30 May 1966 – Lunar lander
  • Explorer 33 – 1 July 1966 – Attempted lunar orbiter (failed to attain lunar orbit)
  • Lunar Orbiter 1 – 10 August 1966 – Lunar orbiter
  • Pioneer 7 – 17 August 1966 – "Space weather" observations
  • Luna 11 – 24 August 1966 – Lunar orbiter
  • Surveyor 2 – 20 September 1966 – Attempted lunar lander (crashed into Moon)
  • Luna 12 – 22 October 1966 – Lunar orbiter
  • Lunar Orbiter 2 – 6 November 1966 – Lunar orbiter
  • Luna 13 – 21 December 1966 – Lunar lander

1967

  • Lunar Orbiter 3 – 4 February 1967 – Lunar orbiter
  • Surveyor 3 – 17 April 1967 – Lunar lander
  • Lunar Orbiter 4 – 8 May 1967 – Lunar orbiter
  • Venera 4 – 12 June 1967 – First Venus atmospheric probe
  • Mariner 5 – 14 June 1967 – Venus flyby
  • Cosmos 167 – 17 June 1967 – Attempted Venus probe (failed to escape Earth orbit)
  • Surveyor 4 – 14 July 1967 – Attempted lunar lander (crashed into Moon)
  • Explorer 35 (IMP-E) – 19 July 1967 – Lunar orbiter
  • Lunar Orbiter 5 – 1 August 1967 – Lunar orbiter
  • Surveyor 5 – 8 September 1967 – Lunar lander
  • Surveyor 6 – 7 November 1967 – Lunar lander
  • Pioneer 8 – 13 December 1967 – "Space weather" observations

1968

  • Surveyor 7 – 7 January 1968 – Lunar lander
  • Zond 4 – 2 March 1968 – Lunar programme test flight
  • Luna 14 – 7 April 1968 – Lunar orbiter
  • Zond 5 – 15 September 1968 – First lunar flyby and return to Earth
  • Pioneer 9 – 8 November 1968 – "Space weather" observations
  • Zond 6 – 10 November 1968 – Lunar flyby and return to Earth
  • Apollo 8 – 21 December 1968 – First manned lunar orbiter

1969

  • Venera 5 – 5 January 1969 – Venus atmospheric probe
  • Venera 6 – 10 January 1969 – Venus atmospheric probe
  • Mariner 6 – 25 February 1969 – Mars flyby
  • Apollo 9 – 3 March 1969 – Manned lunar lander (LEM) flight test
  • Mariner 7 – 27 March 1969 – Mars flyby
  • Apollo 10 – 18 May 1969 – Manned lunar orbiter
  • Luna E-8-5 No.402 – 14 June 1969 – Attempted lunar sample return, first attempted sample return mission
  • Luna 15 – 13 July 1969 – Second attempted lunar sample return
  • Apollo 11 – 16 July 1969 – First manned lunar landing and first successful sample return mission
  • Zond 7 – 7 August 1969 – Lunar flyby and return to Earth
  • Cosmos 300 – 23 September 1969 – Attempted lunar sample return? (failed to escape Earth orbit)
  • Cosmos 305 – 22 October 1969 – Attempted lunar sample return? (failed to escape Earth orbit)
  • Apollo 12 – 14 November 1969 – Manned lunar landing

Read more about this topic:  Timeline Of Solar System Exploration