Jul 8 Space Shuttle
Success
NASA's Space Shuttle flies its last mission after 30 years
Atlantis delivered food and spare parts to sustain the ISS for a year. Astronauts did not reach orbit from American soil again until 2020.
Rocket launches in2011
Atlantis lands on July 21, ending the Space Shuttle programme after thirty years and 135 missions. China launches Tiangong-1 in September — its first space station — while Juno departs for Jupiter in August and Curiosity for Mars in November.
Monthly Cadence complete
JUL peak 10 launches ↑ 13% vs 2010
- launches
- 85
- success · 79/85
- 93%
- providers
- 3
2011 launch leaders
2011 highlights
Jul 18 Zenit 3F
Success
Russia launches a radio telescope into an orbit stretching toward the Moon
Spektr-R's 10-meter dish worked in tandem with radio telescopes on Earth. Together they matched the sharpness of a single dish up to 350,000 kilometers wide.
Aug 24 Soyuz U
Failure
A Russian space station cargo ship is lost at launch for the first time
Progress ships had supplied space stations since 1978. A similar rocket stage flew crews, so the next crew launch slipped more than six weeks.
Sep 10 Delta II 7920H
Success
Twin NASA probes map the Moon's gravity in far finer detail
GRAIL's two spacecraft tracked tiny changes in the distance between them. The map showed the Moon's crust is thinner than thought and cracked deep down.
Sep 29 Long March 2F/G
Success
China launches Tiangong-1, its first space laboratory
Tiangong-1 was a small station for practicing docking. In November an uncrewed Shenzhou 8 capsule docked with it, China's first docking in orbit.
Oct 21 Soyuz ST-B / Fregat-MT
Success
Soyuz flies from French Guiana for the first time
It carried the first two of four satellites that proved Galileo's design. Galileo is Europe's own navigation system, meant to reduce reliance on American GPS.
Nov 8 Zenit 2M
Success
Russia's probe to the Mars moon Phobos is stranded in Earth orbit
Fobos-Grunt failed to fire its engines toward Mars. It fell back to Earth in January 2012, taking China's first Mars probe with it.
Nov 26 Atlas V 541
Success
NASA sends the car-sized Curiosity rover to Mars
Curiosity was five times heavier than the Spirit and Opportunity rovers. It landed in 2012 and found an ancient lakebed where microbes could have lived.
All 2011 launches
Quick filters
85 launches
| January | ||||
Jan 20, 2011 | Elektro-L No.1 Russia • Zenit 3F | |||
Jan 20, 2011 | USA-224 USA • Delta IV-H | |||
Jan 22, 2011 | HTV-2 Japan • H2B | |||
Jan 28, 2011 | Progress M-09M Russia • Soyuz U | |||
| February | ||||
Feb 1, 2011Failure | Geo-IK-2 No.11 Russia • Rokot Rokot / Briz-KM | |||
Feb 6, 2011 | USA-225 USA • Minotaur I | |||
Feb 16, 2011 | Johannes Kepler ATV France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ES | |||
Feb 24, 2011 | STS-133 USA • Space Shuttle | |||
Feb 26, 2011 | Glonass-K 701 Russia • Soyuz 2.1b / Fregat | |||
| March | ||||
Mar 4, 2011Failure | Glory USA • Minotaur C-XL-3110 | |||
Mar 5, 2011 | X-37B OTV-2 USA • Atlas V 501 | |||
Mar 11, 2011 | USA-227 USA • Delta IV-M+ (4,2) | |||
| April | ||||
Apr 4, 2011 | Soyuz TMA-21 Russia • Soyuz FG | |||
Apr 9, 2011 | Compass-IGSO3 China • Long March 3A | |||
Apr 15, 2011 | USA-229 USA • Atlas V 411 | |||
Apr 20, 2011 | Resourcesat-2 India • PSLV G | |||
Apr 22, 2011 | Yahsat 1A France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ECA | |||
Apr 27, 2011 | Progress M-10M Russia • Soyuz U | |||
| May | ||||
May 4, 2011 | Meridian 4 Russia • Soyuz 2.1a / Fregat | |||
May 7, 2011 | USA-230 USA • Atlas V 401 | |||
May 16, 2011 | STS-134 USA • Space Shuttle | |||
May 20, 2011 | Telstar 14R Russia • Proton M / Briz-M Enhanced | |||
May 20, 2011 | ST-2 France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ECA | |||
| June | ||||
Jun 7, 2011 | Soyuz TMA-02M Russia • Soyuz FG | |||
Jun 10, 2011 | SAC-D USA • Delta II 7320 | |||
Jun 15, 2011 | Rasad 1 Iran • Safir 1A | |||
Jun 20, 2011 | ChinaSat 10 China • Long March 3B | |||
Jun 21, 2011 | Progress M-11M Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Jun 27, 2011 | Kobalt-M No.7 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Jun 30, 2011 | USA-231 USA • Minotaur I | |||
| July | ||||
Jul 6, 2011 | Shijian 11-03 China • Long March 2C | |||
Jul 8, 2011 | STS-135 USA • Space Shuttle | |||
Jul 11, 2011 | Tianlian I-02 China • Long March 3C | |||
Jul 13, 2011 | Globalstar M081 Russia • Soyuz 2.1a / Fregat | |||
Jul 15, 2011 | GSAT-12 India • PSLV XL | |||
Jul 15, 2011 | SES-3 Russia • Proton M / Briz-M Enhanced | |||
Jul 16, 2011 | USA-232 USA • Delta IV-M+ (4,2) | |||
Jul 18, 2011 | Spektr-R Russia • Zenit 3F | |||
Jul 26, 2011 | Compass-IGSO4 China • Long March 3A | |||
Jul 29, 2011 | Shijian 11-02 China • Long March 2C | |||
| August | ||||
Aug 5, 2011 | Juno USA • Atlas V 551 | |||
Aug 6, 2011 | Astra 1N France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ECA | |||
Aug 11, 2011 | HTV-2b USA • Minotaur IV Lite | |||
Aug 11, 2011 | Paksat-1R China • Long March 3B/E | |||
Aug 15, 2011 | Hai Yang 2A China • Long March 4B | |||
Aug 17, 2011 | Sich-2 Russia • Kosmotras • Dnepr | |||
Aug 17, 2011Failure | Ekspress AM-4 Russia • Proton M / Briz-M Enhanced | |||
Aug 18, 2011Failure | Shijian 11-04 China • Long March 2C | |||
Aug 24, 2011Failure | Progress M-12M Russia • Soyuz U | |||
| September | ||||
Sep 10, 2011 | GRAIL USA • Delta II 7920H | |||
Sep 18, 2011 | Chinasat-1A China • Long March 3B/E | |||
Sep 20, 2011 | Garpun #1 Russia • Proton M / Briz-M | |||
Sep 21, 2011 | Arabsat 5C France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ECA | |||
Sep 23, 2011 | IGS Optical 4 Japan • H2A 202 | |||
Sep 24, 2011 | Atlantic Bird 7 Russia • Zenit 3SL | |||
Sep 27, 2011 | TacSat-4 USA • Minotaur IV+ | |||
Sep 29, 2011 | Tiangong-1 China • Long March 2F/G | |||
Sep 29, 2011 | QuetzSat 1 Russia • Proton M / Briz-M Enhanced | |||
| October | ||||
Oct 2, 2011 | Glonass-M 742 Russia • Soyuz 2.1b / Fregat | |||
Oct 5, 2011 | Intelsat 18 Russia • Zenit 3SLB | |||
Oct 7, 2011 | Eutelsat W3C China • Long March 3B/E | |||
Oct 12, 2011 | Megha-Tropiques India • PSLV CA | |||
Oct 19, 2011 | ViaSat-1 Russia • Proton M / Briz-M Enhanced | |||
Oct 21, 2011 | Galileo L1 France • Arianespace • Soyuz ST-B / Fregat-MT | |||
Oct 28, 2011 | NPP USA • Delta II 7920-10 | |||
Oct 30, 2011 | Progress M-13M Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Oct 31, 2011 | Shenzhou 8 China • Long March 2F | |||
| November | ||||
Nov 4, 2011 | Glonass-M 743-745 Russia • Proton M / Briz-M | |||
Nov 8, 2011 | Fobos-Grunt Russia • Zenit 2M | |||
Nov 9, 2011 | Yaogan 12 China • Long March 4B | |||
Nov 14, 2011 | Soyuz TMA-22 Russia • Soyuz FG | |||
Nov 20, 2011 | Shiyan 4 China • Long March 2D | |||
Nov 25, 2011 | AsiaSat 7 Russia • Proton M / Briz-M Enhanced | |||
Nov 26, 2011 | Mars Science Laboratory USA • Atlas V 541 | |||
Nov 28, 2011 | Glonass-M 746 Russia • Soyuz 2.1b / Fregat | |||
Nov 29, 2011 | Yaogan 13 China • Long March 2C | |||
| December | ||||
Dec 1, 2011 | Compass-IGSO5 China • Long March 3A | |||
Dec 11, 2011 | Luch 5A Russia • Proton M / Briz-M Enhanced | |||
Dec 12, 2011 | IGS Radar 3 Japan • H2A 202 | |||
Dec 17, 2011 | Pléiades-HR 1A France • Arianespace • Soyuz ST-A / Fregat | |||
Dec 19, 2011 | NigComSat-1R China • Long March 3B/E | |||
Dec 21, 2011 | Soyuz TMA-03M Russia • Soyuz FG | |||
Dec 22, 2011 | Ziyuan 1-02C China • Long March 4B | |||
Dec 23, 2011Failure | Meridian 5 Russia • Soyuz 2.1b / Fregat | |||
Dec 28, 2011 | Globalstar M080 Russia • Soyuz 2.1a / Fregat | |||