Nov 15 Energia
Success
Soviet shuttle Buran flies to orbit and lands itself with no crew
Buran circled Earth twice and touched down on autopilot within 3 metres of its target line. It was the only spaceflight any Buran orbiter made.
Rocket launches in1988
On September 19, Israel joins the orbital club when Shavit carries Ofeq-1 to orbit. Ten days later, Discovery returns the Space Shuttle to flight on STS-26 — thirty-two months after Challenger — and on November 15 Energia lifts the uncrewed Buran orbiter on its only flight.
Monthly Cadence complete
MAR peak 15 launches ↑ 6% vs 1987
- launches
- 122
- success · 115/122
- 94%
- providers
- 2
1988 launch leaders
Providers
1988 highlights
Jun 15 Ariane 4 44LP
Success
Europe's Ariane 4 rocket makes its first flight
Ariane 4 flew 116 times through 2003, with 113 successes. It won about half the world's commercial satellite launches.
Jul 12 Proton K/D-2 8K82K/11S824F
Success
Phobos 2 reaches Mars and photographs its moon Phobos
The Soviet probe sent back 37 images of Phobos. Contact was lost in March 1989, just before it was to drop two landers there.
Sep 6 Long March 4A
Success
China launches its first home-built weather satellite
Until Fengyun-1A, China relied on foreign satellites for its weather images. The satellite ran into attitude control problems after 39 days.
Sep 19 Shavit
Success
Israel puts its first satellite, Ofeq 1, into orbit
Israel became the eighth country to reach orbit on its own rocket, the Shavit. It flew west over the Mediterranean to avoid crossing populated land.
Sep 29 Space Shuttle
Success
Shuttle Discovery returns US astronauts to space after Challenger
Discovery flew 32 months after Challenger broke apart. Its redesigned booster joints, the part that failed on Challenger, held without leaking.
Nov 26 Soyuz TM
Success
Jean-Loup Chrétien becomes the first spacewalker from outside the US and USSR
The French astronaut and Aleksandr Volkov spent almost six hours outside Mir, setting up a folding test structure.
All 1988 launches
Quick filters
122 launches
| January | ||||
Jan 6, 1988 | Kosmos 1908 Russia • Tsyklon 3 | |||
Jan 15, 1988 | Kosmos 1909 Russia • Tsyklon 3 | |||
Jan 18, 1988Failure | Gorizont #25L Russia • Proton K/DM-2 8K82K/11S861 | |||
Jan 20, 1988 | Progress 34 Russia • Soyuz U2 | |||
Jan 26, 1988 | Kosmos 1915 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Jan 30, 1988 | Meteor-2 17 Russia • Tsyklon 3 | |||
| February | ||||
Feb 3, 1988 | USA-29 DMSP 5D-2/F9 USA • Atlas E/F-Star-37S-ISS | |||
Feb 3, 1988 | Kosmos 1916 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Feb 8, 1988 | Thrusted Vector Experiment USA • Delta 3910 | |||
Feb 17, 1988Failure | Kosmos 1917 Russia • Proton K/DM-2 8K82K/11S861 | |||
Feb 18, 1988 | Kosmos 1920 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Feb 19, 1988 | Kosmos 1921 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Feb 19, 1988 | CS-3A Japan • Thor H-I | |||
Feb 26, 1988 | Kosmos 1922 Russia • Molniya M | |||
| March | ||||
Mar 7, 1988 | Chinasat-1 China • Long March 3 | |||
Mar 10, 1988 | Kosmos 1923 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Mar 11, 1988 | Kosmos 1924-1931 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Mar 11, 1988 | Molniya 1-71 Russia • Molniya M | |||
Mar 11, 1988 | Spacenet F3R France • Arianespace • Ariane 3 | |||
Mar 14, 1988 | Kosmos 1932 Russia • Tsyklon 2 | |||
Mar 15, 1988 | Kosmos 1933 Russia • Tsyklon 3 | |||
Mar 17, 1988 | IRS-1A Russia • Vostok 2M | |||
Mar 17, 1988 | Molniya 1-72 Russia • Molniya M | |||
Mar 22, 1988 | Kosmos 1934 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Mar 23, 1988 | Progress 35 Russia • Soyuz U2 | |||
Mar 24, 1988 | Kosmos 1935 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Mar 25, 1988 | San Marco 5 USA • Scout G-1 | |||
Mar 30, 1988 | Kosmos 1936 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Mar 31, 1988 | Gorizont #26L Russia • Proton K/DM 8K82K/11S86 | |||
| April | ||||
Apr 5, 1988 | Kosmos 1937 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Apr 11, 1988 | Kosmos 1938 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Apr 14, 1988 | Foton 1 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Apr 20, 1988 | Kosmos 1939 Russia • Vostok 2M | |||
Apr 26, 1988 | Transit-O 23 USA • Scout G-1 | |||
Apr 26, 1988 | Kosmos 1940 Russia • Proton K/DM-2 8K82K/11S861 | |||
Apr 27, 1988 | Kosmos 1941 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
| May | ||||
May 6, 1988 | Ekran #31L Russia • Proton K/DM 8K82K/11S86 | |||
May 12, 1988 | Kosmos 1942 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
May 13, 1988 | Progress 36 Russia • Soyuz U2 | |||
May 15, 1988 | Kosmos 1943 Russia • Zenit 2 | |||
May 17, 1988 | Intelsat 3AF13 France • Arianespace • Ariane 2 | |||
May 18, 1988 | Kosmos 1944 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
May 19, 1988 | Kosmos 1945 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
May 21, 1988 | Kosmos 1946 Russia • Proton K/DM-2 8K82K/11S861 | |||
May 26, 1988 | Molniya 3-49L Russia • Molniya M | |||
May 28, 1988 | Kosmos 1949 Russia • Tsyklon 2 | |||
May 30, 1988 | Kosmos 1950 Russia • Tsyklon 3 | |||
May 31, 1988 | Kosmos 1951 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
| June | ||||
Jun 7, 1988 | Soyuz TM-5 Russia • Soyuz TM | |||
Jun 11, 1988 | Kosmos 1952 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Jun 14, 1988 | Kosmos 1953 Russia • Tsyklon 3 | |||
Jun 15, 1988 | Meteosat 3 France • Arianespace • Ariane 4 44LP | |||
Jun 16, 1988 | Nova 2 USA • Scout G-1 | |||
Jun 21, 1988 | BOR-5 505 Russia • Kosmos K65M-RB5 | |||
Jun 21, 1988 | Kosmos 1954 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Jun 22, 1988 | Kosmos 1955 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Jun 23, 1988 | Kosmos 1956 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
| July | ||||
Jul 5, 1988 | Okean 1 Russia • Tsyklon 3 | |||
Jul 7, 1988 | Kosmos 1957 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Jul 7, 1988 | Fobos 1 Russia • Proton K/D-2 8K82K/11S824F | |||
Jul 9, 1988Failure | Yantar-4KS1 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Jul 12, 1988 | Fobos 2 Russia • Proton K/D-2 8K82K/11S824F | |||
Jul 13, 1988Failure | SROSS-B India • ASLV | |||
Jul 14, 1988 | Kosmos 1958 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Jul 18, 1988 | Kosmos 1959 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Jul 18, 1988 | Progress 37 Russia • Soyuz U2 | |||
Jul 21, 1988 | Insat 1C France • Arianespace • Ariane 3 | |||
Jul 26, 1988 | Meteor-3 2 Russia • Tsyklon 3 | |||
Jul 27, 1988Failure | Resurs-F1 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Jul 28, 1988 | Kosmos 1960 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
| August | ||||
Aug 1, 1988 | Kosmos 1961 Russia • Proton K/DM-2 8K82K/11S861 | |||
Aug 5, 1988 | FSW-1 No.2 China • Long March 2C | |||
Aug 8, 1988 | Kosmos 1962 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Aug 12, 1988 | Molniya 1-73 Russia • Molniya M | |||
Aug 16, 1988 | Kosmos 1963 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Aug 18, 1988 | Gorizont #28L Russia • Proton K/DM-2 8K82K/11S861 | |||
Aug 23, 1988 | Kosmos 1964 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Aug 23, 1988 | Kosmos 1965 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Aug 25, 1988 | Transit-O 25 USA • Scout G-1 | |||
Aug 29, 1988 | Soyuz TM-6 Russia • Soyuz TM | |||
Aug 30, 1988 | Kosmos 1966 Russia • Molniya M | |||
| September | ||||
Sep 2, 1988Failure | USA-31 USA • Titan 34D/Transtage | |||
Sep 5, 1988 | USA-32 USA • Titan II(23)G | |||
Sep 6, 1988 | Kosmos 1967 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Sep 6, 1988 | Fengyun-1A China • Long March 4A | |||
Sep 8, 1988 | GStar-5 France • Arianespace • Ariane 3 | |||
Sep 9, 1988 | Kosmos 1968 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Sep 9, 1988 | Progress 38 Russia • Soyuz U2 | |||
Sep 15, 1988 | Kosmos 1969 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Sep 16, 1988 | Kosmos 1970 Russia • Proton K/DM-2 8K82K/11S861 | |||
Sep 16, 1988 | CS-3B Japan • Thor H-I | |||
Sep 19, 1988 | Ofek-1 Israel • Shavit | |||
Sep 22, 1988 | Kosmos 1973 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Sep 24, 1988 | NOAA-11 USA • Atlas E/F-Star-37S-ISS | |||
Sep 29, 1988 | Molniya 3-51L Russia • Molniya M | |||
Sep 29, 1988 | STS-26 USA • Space Shuttle | |||
| October | ||||
Oct 3, 1988 | Kosmos 1974 Russia • Molniya M | |||
Oct 11, 1988 | Kosmos 1975 Russia • Tsyklon 3 | |||
Oct 13, 1988 | Kosmos 1976 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Oct 20, 1988 | Gran' #34L Russia • Proton K/DM-2 8K82K/11S861 | |||
Oct 25, 1988 | Kosmos 1977 Russia • Molniya M | |||
Oct 27, 1988 | Kosmos 1978 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Oct 28, 1988 | TDF-1 France • Arianespace • Ariane 2 | |||
| November | ||||
Nov 6, 1988 | USA-33 USA • Titan 34D | |||
Nov 11, 1988Failure | Yantar-4KS1 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Nov 15, 1988 | Buran Russia • Energia | |||
Nov 18, 1988 | Kosmos 1979 Russia • Tsyklon 2 | |||
Nov 23, 1988 | Kosmos 1980 Russia • Zenit 2 | |||
Nov 24, 1988 | Kosmos 1981 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Nov 26, 1988 | Soyuz TM-7 Russia • Soyuz TM | |||
Nov 30, 1988 | Kosmos 1982 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
| December | ||||
Dec 2, 1988 | STS-27 USA • Space Shuttle | |||
Dec 8, 1988 | Kosmos 1983 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Dec 10, 1988 | Ekran-M #12L Russia • Proton K/DM-2 8K82K/11S861 | |||
Dec 11, 1988 | Skynet 4B France • Arianespace • Ariane 4 44LP | |||
Dec 16, 1988 | Kosmos 1984 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Dec 22, 1988 | Chinasat-2 China • Long March 3 | |||
Dec 22, 1988 | Molniya 3-52L Russia • Molniya M | |||
Dec 23, 1988 | Kosmos 1985 Russia • Tsyklon 3 | |||
Dec 25, 1988 | Progress 39 Russia • Soyuz U2 | |||
Dec 28, 1988 | Molniya 1-74 Russia • Molniya M | |||
Dec 29, 1988 | Kosmos 1986 Russia • Soyuz U | |||