Sep 28 Falcon 1 Merlin C
Success
SpaceX reaches orbit with Falcon 1 after three failures
Falcon 1 was the first privately developed liquid-fueled rocket to reach orbit. In December NASA gave SpaceX a $1.6 billion contract to fly station cargo.
Rocket launches in2008
On September 28, Falcon 1 reaches orbit on its fourth attempt from Omelek Island — the first privately funded liquid-fuelled rocket to do so. The same month, Zhai Zhigang performs the first Chinese EVA on Shenzhou 7, and in October ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 departs for the Moon on a PSLV.
Monthly Cadence complete
SEP peak 9 launches
- launches
- 70
- success · 66/70
- 94%
- providers
- 4
2008 launch leaders
2008 highlights
Mar 9 Ariane 5 ES
Success
Europe launches its first cargo ship to the space station
Jules Verne was the largest spacecraft Europe had built. It docked with the station on its own in April 2008, steered by onboard computers.
May 31 Space Shuttle
Success
Japan's Kibo laboratory becomes the space station's largest module by volume
Discovery carried up Kibo's main room, a cylinder 11 meters long and over 4 wide. It gave Japan its own laboratory in orbit.
Jun 11 Delta II 7920H-10C
Success
NASA's Fermi telescope maps the whole sky in gamma rays
In 2010 its data revealed two gamma-ray bubbles, each 25,000 light-years tall, rising above and below the Milky Way's center.
Sep 25 Long March 2F
Success
China carries out its first spacewalk
Zhai Zhigang spent under half an hour outside Shenzhou 7. China was the third country to do so, after the Soviet Union and the US.
Oct 22 PSLV XL
Success
India's first Moon mission detects water on the lunar surface
Chandrayaan-1 orbited the Moon for about ten months. Its NASA-built mapper spotted water molecules in the top millimeters of the soil, strongest toward the poles.
All 2008 launches
Quick filters
70 launches
| January | ||||
Jan 15, 2008 | Thuraya 3 Russia • Zenit 3SL | |||
Jan 21, 2008 | TecSAR India • PSLV CA | |||
Jan 28, 2008 | Ekspress AM-33 Russia • Proton M / Briz-M | |||
| February | ||||
Feb 5, 2008 | Progress M-63 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Feb 7, 2008 | STS-122 USA • Space Shuttle | |||
Feb 11, 2008 | Thor-5 Russia • Proton M / Briz-M | |||
Feb 23, 2008 | WINDS Japan • H2A 2024 | |||
| March | ||||
Mar 9, 2008 | Jules Verne ATV France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ES | |||
Mar 11, 2008 | STS-123 USA • Space Shuttle | |||
Mar 13, 2008 | USA-200 USA • Atlas V 411 | |||
Mar 14, 2008Partial failure | AMC-14 Russia • Proton M / Briz-M | |||
Mar 15, 2008 | USA-201 USA • Delta II 7925-9.5 | |||
Mar 19, 2008 | DirecTV-11 Russia • Zenit 3SL | |||
Mar 27, 2008 | SAR-Lupe 4 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
| April | ||||
Apr 8, 2008 | Soyuz TMA-12 Russia • Soyuz FG | |||
Apr 14, 2008 | ICO G1 USA • Atlas V 421 | |||
Apr 16, 2008 | C/NOFS USA • Pegasus XL | |||
Apr 18, 2008 | Vinasat-1 France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ECA | |||
Apr 25, 2008 | Tianlian I-01 China • Long March 3C | |||
Apr 26, 2008 | GIOVE-B Russia • Soyuz FG / Fregat | |||
Apr 28, 2008 | Cartosat-2A India • PSLV C | |||
Apr 28, 2008Partial failure | AMOS-3 Russia • Zenit 3SLB | |||
| May | ||||
May 14, 2008 | Progress M-64 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
May 21, 2008 | Galaxy 18 Russia • Zenit 3SL | |||
May 23, 2008 | Rodnik Russia • Rokot Rokot / Briz-KM | |||
May 27, 2008 | Fengyun 3A China • Long March 4C | |||
May 31, 2008 | STS-124 USA • Space Shuttle | |||
| June | ||||
Jun 9, 2008 | Chinasat 9 China • Long March 3B | |||
Jun 11, 2008 | FGST USA • Delta II 7920H-10C | |||
Jun 12, 2008 | Skynet 5C France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ECA | |||
Jun 19, 2008 | Orbcomm CDS-3 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Jun 20, 2008 | Jason-2 USA • Delta II 7320 | |||
Jun 26, 2008 | Prognoz Russia • Proton K / DM-2 (?? DM-3 ) | |||
| July | ||||
Jul 7, 2008 | Badr-6 France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ECA | |||
Jul 16, 2008 | Echostar 11 Russia • Zenit 3SL | |||
Jul 22, 2008 | SAR-Lupe 5 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Jul 26, 2008 | Persona Russia • Soyuz 2.1b | |||
| August | ||||
Aug 3, 2008Failure | Trailblazer USA • SpaceX • Falcon 1 Merlin C | |||
Aug 14, 2008 | Superbird-7 France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ECA | |||
Aug 16, 2008Failure | DemoSat Iran • Safir 1 | |||
Aug 18, 2008 | Inmarsat-4 F3 Russia • Proton M / Briz-M Enhanced | |||
Aug 29, 2008 | Tachys Russia • Kosmotras • Dnepr | |||
| September | ||||
Sep 6, 2008 | Huan Jing 1A China • Long March 2C | |||
Sep 6, 2008 | GeoEye 1 USA • Delta II 7420 | |||
Sep 10, 2008 | Progress M-65 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Sep 19, 2008 | Nimiq-4 Russia • Proton M / Briz-M | |||
Sep 24, 2008 | TLV-8 USA • Minotaur II+ | |||
Sep 24, 2008 | Galaxy 19 Russia • Zenit 3SL | |||
Sep 25, 2008 | GLONASS Russia • Proton M / DM-2 | |||
Sep 25, 2008 | Shenzhou 7 China • Long March 2F | |||
Sep 28, 2008 | RatSat USA • SpaceX • Falcon 1 Merlin C | |||
| October | ||||
Oct 1, 2008 | THEOS Russia • Kosmotras • Dnepr | |||
Oct 12, 2008 | Soyuz TMA-13 Russia • Soyuz FG | |||
Oct 19, 2008 | IBEX USA • Pegasus XL/ Star 27 | |||
Oct 22, 2008 | Chandrayaan-1 India • PSLV XL | |||
Oct 25, 2008 | Shijian 6-03A China • Long March 4B | |||
Oct 25, 2008 | COSMO-3 USA • Delta II 7420-10 | |||
Oct 29, 2008 | VeneSat-1 China • Long March 3B/E | |||
| November | ||||
Nov 5, 2008 | Chuang Xin 1B China • Long March 2D | |||
Nov 5, 2008 | Astra 1M Russia • Proton M / Briz-M | |||
Nov 14, 2008 | Kobalt-M Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Nov 15, 2008 | STS-126 USA • Space Shuttle | |||
Nov 26, 2008 | Progress M-01M Russia • Soyuz U | |||
| December | ||||
Dec 1, 2008 | Yaogan-4 China • Long March 2D | |||
Dec 2, 2008 | Oko Russia • Molniya M | |||
Dec 10, 2008 | Ciel-2 Russia • Proton M / Briz-M Enhanced | |||
Dec 15, 2008 | Yaogan-5 China • Long March 4B | |||
Dec 20, 2008 | Hot Bird 9 France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ECA | |||
Dec 23, 2008 | Fengyun 2E China • Long March 3A | |||
Dec 25, 2008 | GLONASS Russia • Proton M / DM-2 Enhanced | |||