Timeline of Artificial Satellites and Space Probes - 1970s

1970s

• 1970 - Japan - Earth - Success - Osumi the first Japanese satellite
• 1970 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 7, the first successful landing of a spacecraft on another planet
• 1970 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 16 lander is the first automated return of samples from the Moon
• 1970 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Zond 8 flyby
• 1970 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 17/Lunokhod 1 lander/rover is the first automated surface exploration of the Moon
• 1970 - UK - Failure - Orba (satellite), second stage of rocket shutdown 13 seconds early
• 1970 - USA - Success - Launch of Uhuru, the first dedicated X-ray satellite
• 1970 - China - Success - Launch of Dong Fang Hong I, the first Chinese satellite
• 1971 - Soviet Union - Moon - Failure - Luna 18 lander
• 1971 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 19 orbiter
• 1971 - USA - Mars - Failure - Mariner 8 flyby
• 1971 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Cosmos 419 probe
• 1971 - Soviet Union - Mars - Partial Failure - Mars 2 orbiter and lander, created the first human artifact on Mars
• 1971 - Soviet Union - Mars - Partial Success - Mars 3 orbiter and lander, first successful landing on Mars
• 1971 - USA - Mars - Success - Mariner 9 orbiter, first pictures of Mars' moons (Phobos and Deimos) taken
• 1971 - UK - Earth - Success - Prospero X-3 satellite, first satellite launched by Britain using a British rocket
• 1971 - UK - Earth - Success - Ariel 4,
• 1972 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 8 lander
• 1972 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 20 lander
• 1972 - USA/ UK - Earth - Success - Launch of the Copernicus ultraviolet satellite
• 1972 - USA - Jupiter - Success - Pioneer 10 launched, first spacecraft to encounter Jupiter
• 1972 - USA - Sun - Success - Explorer 49 solar probe
• 1973 - USA - Venus/Mercury - Success - Mariner 10 launched, it passed by and photographed Mercury, also was the first dual planet probe
• 1973 - USA - Jupiter/Saturn - Success - Pioneer 11 launched, first spacecraft to encounter Saturn
• 1973 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 21/Lunokhod 2 lander/rover
• 1973 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Mars 4 orbiter
• 1973 - Soviet Union - Mars - Success - Mars 5 orbiter
• 1973 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Mars 6 orbiter and lander
• 1973 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Mars 7 orbiter and lander
• 1974 - West Germany - Sun - Success - Helios 1 solar probe
• 1974 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 22 orbiter
• 1974 - Soviet Union - Moon - Failure - Luna 23 probe
• 1974 - UK - Earth - Success - Launch of the Ariel 5 X-ray satellite
• 1975 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 9 returns the first pictures of the surface of Venus
• 1975 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 10 orbiter and lander
• 1975 - USA - Mars - Partial Success - Viking 1 orbiter and lander; lands on Mars 1976
• 1975 - USA - Mars - Success - Viking 2 orbiter and lander; lands on Mars 1976
• 1975 - India - Earth - Success - Aryabhata India, launched by USSR
• 1975 - India - India's first rocket SLV launched
• 1976 - West Germany - Sun - Success - Helios 2 solar probe
• 1976 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 24 lander
• 1976 - USA/ Canada - Earth - Success - Hermes Communications Technology Satellite prototype for testing direct broadcast TV
• 1976 - USA/ Netherlands - Earth - Success - The Vela and ANS X-ray satellites discover X-ray bursts (first Dutch satellite)
• 1976 - USA - Sun - Success - The Orbiting_Solar_Observatory X-ray satellite shows that X-ray bursts have blackbody spectra
• 1977 - USA - Earth - Success - Launch of the HEAO-1 X-ray satellite
• 1978 - USA - Venus - Success - Pioneer Venus 1 orbiter
• 1978 - USA - Venus - Success - Pioneer Venus 2 atmospheric probe
• 1978 - Soviet Union - Venus - Partial Success - Venera 11 flyby and lander
• 1978 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 12 flyby and lander
• 1978 - USA/ UK/ Europe - Earth - Success - Launch of the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite
• 1978 - USA - Earth - Success - Launch of the Einstein X-ray satellite (HEAO-2) is the first X-ray photographs of astronomical objects
• 1979 - Japan - earth - Success - Launch of the Hakucho X-ray satellite
• 1979 - UK - Earth - Success - Launch of the Ariel 6 cosmic-ray and X-ray satellite
• 1979 - USA - Jupiter - Success - Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 send back images of Jupiter and its system
• 1979 - India - Earth - Success - Bhaskara-1 India, launched by ISRO (First Indian low orbit Earth Observation Satellite)