Dec 7 Saturn V
Success
Apollo 17 makes the final Apollo Moon landing
Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent three days in a valley on the Moon. Schmitt was a geologist, the first professional scientist to walk there.
Rocket launches in1972
Apollo 16 lands in the lunar highlands in April; Apollo 17 follows in December as the sixth and final Apollo landing. NASA sends Pioneer 10 toward Jupiter on an Atlas-Centaur in March, the first probe aimed past the asteroid belt.
Monthly Cadence complete
MAR peak 14 launches ↓ 19% vs 1971
- launches
- 115
- success · 107/115
- 93%
- provider
- 1
1972 launch leaders
1972 highlights
Mar 3 Atlas Centaur SLV-3C
Success
Pioneer 10 becomes the first spacecraft to fly past Jupiter
Pioneer 10 was also the first spacecraft to cross the asteroid belt. It reached Jupiter in December 1973, 21 months after launch.
Mar 27 Molniya M
Success
Soviet probe Venera 8 lands on the sunlit side of Venus
Its light meter found daylight like an overcast day on Earth, bright enough to take pictures. The lander radioed from the surface for 50 minutes.
Apr 16 Saturn V
Success
Apollo 16 finds impact rock where geologists expected volcanic rock
John Young and Charlie Duke drove 27 km across the Moon's Descartes highlands. Their samples were rock broken and welded together by impacts.
Jul 23 Delta 904
Success
Landsat 1 becomes the first civilian satellite built to image Earth's land
By the end of 1973 its pictures covered nearly all of Earth's land. Farmers, foresters and geologists put them to work.
Nov 23 N1
Failure
The Soviet N1 Moon rocket fails on its fourth and last flight
The rocket broke apart 107 seconds after liftoff. Moscow halted the program in 1974, ending its plans to land cosmonauts on the Moon.
All 1972 launches
Quick filters
115 launches
| January | ||||
Jan 12, 1972 | Kosmos 471 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Jan 20, 1972 | OPS-1737 USA • Titan III(23)D | |||
Jan 23, 1972 | Intelsat 4 F4 USA • Atlas Centaur SLV-3C | |||
Jan 25, 1972 | Kosmos 472 Russia • Kosmos 2 | |||
Jan 31, 1972 | HEOS-2 USA • Delta L | |||
| February | ||||
Feb 3, 1972 | Kosmos 473 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Feb 14, 1972 | Luna 20 Russia • Proton K/D 8K82K/11S824 | |||
Feb 16, 1972 | Kosmos 474 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Feb 16, 1972Failure | OPS-1844 USA • Titan III(33)B | |||
Feb 25, 1972 | Kosmos 475 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
| March | ||||
Mar 1, 1972 | OPS-1570 USA • Titan III(23)C | |||
Mar 1, 1972 | Kosmos 476 Russia • Vostok 2M | |||
Mar 3, 1972 | Pioneer 10 USA • Atlas Centaur SLV-3C | |||
Mar 4, 1972 | Kosmos 477 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Mar 12, 1972 | TD-1A USA • Delta N | |||
Mar 15, 1972 | Kosmos 478 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Mar 17, 1972 | OPS-1678 USA • Titan III(24)B | |||
Mar 22, 1972 | Kosmos 479 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Mar 24, 1972 | DMSP-5B-F2 USA • Thor Burner 2A | |||
Mar 25, 1972 | Kosmos 480 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Mar 25, 1972 | Kosmos 481 Russia • Kosmos 2 | |||
Mar 27, 1972 | Venera 8 Russia • Molniya M | |||
Mar 30, 1972 | Meteor-1-11 Russia • Vostok 2M | |||
Mar 31, 1972Failure | Kosmos 482 Russia • Molniya M | |||
| April | ||||
Apr 3, 1972 | Kosmos 483 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Apr 4, 1972 | Molniya-1-20 Russia • Molniya M | |||
Apr 6, 1972 | Kosmos 484 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Apr 7, 1972 | Interkosmos 6 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Apr 11, 1972 | Kosmos 485 Russia • Kosmos 2 | |||
Apr 14, 1972 | Prognoz 1 Russia • Molniya M | |||
Apr 14, 1972 | Kosmos 486 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Apr 16, 1972 | Apollo 16 USA • Saturn V | |||
Apr 19, 1972 | KH-4B USA • Thor ad SLV-2H Agena-D | |||
Apr 21, 1972 | Kosmos 487 Russia • Kosmos 2 | |||
Apr 25, 1972Failure | Kosmos 488 Russia • Kosmos 2 | |||
| May | ||||
May 5, 1972 | Kosmos 488 Russia • Voskhod | |||
May 6, 1972 | Kosmos 489 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
May 17, 1972 | Kosmos 490 Russia • Voskhod | |||
May 19, 1972 | Molniya-2-2 Russia • Molniya M | |||
May 20, 1972Failure | OPS-6574 USA • Titan III(24)B | |||
May 24, 1972 | SSTTP M2-10 USA • Titan II | |||
May 25, 1972 | Kosmos 491 Russia • Voskhod | |||
May 25, 1972 | KH-4B USA • Thor ad SLV-2H Agena-D | |||
| June | ||||
Jun 9, 1972 | Kosmos 492 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Jun 13, 1972 | Intelsat 4 F5 USA • Atlas Centaur SLV-3C | |||
Jun 21, 1972 | Kosmos 493 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Jun 23, 1972 | Kosmos 494 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Jun 23, 1972 | Kosmos 495 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Jun 26, 1972 | Kosmos 496 Russia • Soyuz 7K-T | |||
Jun 29, 1972 | Prognoz 2 Russia • Molniya M | |||
Jun 30, 1972 | Interkosmos 7 Russia • Kosmos 2 | |||
Jun 30, 1972 | Kosmos 497 Russia • Kosmos 2 | |||
Jun 30, 1972 | Meteor-1-12 Russia • Vostok 2M | |||
| July | ||||
Jul 5, 1972 | Kosmos 498 Russia • Kosmos 2 | |||
Jul 6, 1972 | Kosmos 499 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Jul 7, 1972 | OPS-7293 USA • Titan III(23)D | |||
Jul 10, 1972 | Kosmos 500 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Jul 12, 1972 | Kosmos 501 Russia • Kosmos 2 | |||
Jul 13, 1972 | Kosmos 502 Russia • Soyuz M | |||
Jul 19, 1972 | Kosmos 503 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Jul 20, 1972 | Kosmos 504-511 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Jul 23, 1972 | Landsat 1 USA • Delta 904 | |||
Jul 28, 1972 | Kosmos 512 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Jul 29, 1972Failure | DOS-2 Russia • Proton K 8K82K | |||
| August | ||||
Aug 2, 1972 | Kosmos 513 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Aug 13, 1972 | Explorer 46 USA • Scout D-1 | |||
Aug 16, 1972 | Kosmos 514 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Aug 18, 1972 | Kosmos 515 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Aug 19, 1972 | REXS Japan • Mu 4S | |||
Aug 21, 1972 | OAO-3 USA • Atlas Centaur SLV-3C | |||
Aug 21, 1972 | Kosmos 516 Russia • Tsyklon 2 | |||
Aug 30, 1972 | Kosmos 517 Russia • Voskhod | |||
| September | ||||
Sep 1, 1972 | OPS-8888 USA • Titan III(24)B | |||
Sep 2, 1972Failure | Zenit-4M Russia • Voskhod | |||
Sep 2, 1972 | Triad 1 USA • Scout B-1 | |||
Sep 15, 1972 | Kosmos 518 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Sep 16, 1972 | Kosmos 519 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Sep 19, 1972 | Kosmos 520 Russia • Molniya M | |||
Sep 23, 1972 | Explorer 47 USA • Delta 1604 | |||
Sep 29, 1972 | Kosmos 521 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Sep 30, 1972 | Molniya-2-3 Russia • Molniya M | |||
| October | ||||
Oct 2, 1972 | P72-1 USA • Atlas E/F-Burner-2A | |||
Oct 4, 1972 | Kosmos 522 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Oct 5, 1972 | Kosmos 523 Russia • Kosmos 2 | |||
Oct 10, 1972 | OPS-8314 USA • Titan III(23)D | |||
Oct 11, 1972 | Kosmos 524 Russia • Kosmos 2 | |||
Oct 11, 1972 | SSTTP M2-14 USA • Titan II | |||
Oct 14, 1972 | Molniya-1-21 Russia • Molniya M | |||
Oct 15, 1972 | NOAA-2 USA • Delta 300 | |||
Oct 17, 1972Failure | Kosmos 525 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Oct 18, 1972 | Kosmos 525 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Oct 25, 1972 | Kosmos 526 Russia • Kosmos 2 | |||
Oct 26, 1972 | Meteor-1-13 Russia • Vostok 2M | |||
Oct 31, 1972 | Kosmos 527 Russia • Voskhod | |||
| November | ||||
Nov 1, 1972 | Kosmos 528-535 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Nov 3, 1972 | Kosmos 536 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Nov 9, 1972 | DMSP-5B-F3 USA • Thor Burner 2A | |||
Nov 10, 1972 | Anik-A1 USA • Delta 1914 | |||
Nov 15, 1972 | Explorer 48 USA • Scout D-1 | |||
Nov 22, 1972 | ESRO 4 USA • Scout D-1 | |||
Nov 23, 1972Failure | Soyuz 7K-LOK No.1 Russia • N1 | |||
Nov 25, 1972 | Kosmos 537 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Nov 30, 1972 | Interkosmos 8 Russia • Kosmos 2 | |||
| December | ||||
Dec 2, 1972 | Molniya-1-22 Russia • Molniya M | |||
Dec 7, 1972 | Apollo 17 USA • Saturn V | |||
Dec 11, 1972 | Nimbus-5 USA • Delta 900 | |||
Dec 12, 1972 | Molniya-2-4 Russia • Molniya M | |||
Dec 14, 1972 | Kosmos 538 Russia • Voskhod | |||
Dec 16, 1972 | Aeros-A USA • Scout D-1 | |||
Dec 20, 1972 | AFP-827 USA • Atlas Agena D SLV-3A | |||
Dec 21, 1972 | Kosmos 539 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Dec 21, 1972 | OPS-3978 USA • Titan III(24)B | |||
Dec 25, 1972 | Kosmos 540 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Dec 27, 1972 | Kosmos 541 Russia • Soyuz M | |||
Dec 28, 1972 | Kosmos 542 Russia • Vostok 2M | |||