Eileen Collins commands STS-93 in July — the first woman to command a Shuttle — and the mission places the Chandra X-ray Observatory into a high elliptical orbit. The year closes with two Mars losses back to back: Climate Orbiter in September from an imperial-to-metric unit error, and Polar Lander in December, while the USA edges Russia for busiest country of the year, 31 launches to 30.
She led Columbia's crew as it released the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The Chandra payload, booster included, weighed 22.8 tonnes, the heaviest a shuttle ever carried.
Software likely mistook the jolt of the landing legs opening for touchdown and cut the engines 40 meters up. NASA then canceled its 2001 lander.
The Boeing-led venture launched a Ukrainian-Russian Zenit rocket from a converted oil rig in the Pacific, carrying a dummy satellite.
A guidance value was entered as -0.1992476, not -1.992476, and the upper stage lost control. It was Titan IV's third straight failure.
Ikonos was the first commercial satellite to sell images that sharp. Its twin was lost in April when the rocket's nose cone stayed shut.
The capsule circled Earth 14 times and landed in Inner Mongolia. Four years later, Shenzhou 5 carried Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut.
Quick filters
77 launches
| January | ||||
Jan 3, 1999 | Mars Polar Lander USA • Delta II 7425 | |||
Jan 27, 1999 | Chunghua 1 USA • Lockheed Martin • Athena 1 | |||
| February | ||||
Feb 7, 1999 | Stardust USA • Delta II 7426 | |||
Feb 9, 1999 | Globalstar 36 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Feb 15, 1999 | Telstar 6 Russia • Proton K/DM3 8K82K/11S861-01 | |||
Feb 16, 1999 | JCSAT-6 USA • Atlas IIAS | |||
Feb 20, 1999 | Soyuz TM-29 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Feb 23, 1999 | ARGOS USA • Delta II 7920-10 | |||
Feb 26, 1999 | Arabsat-3A France • Arianespace • Ariane 4 44L (# 28) | |||
Feb 28, 1999 | Globus #15 Russia • Proton K/DM-2 8K82K/11S861 | |||
| March | ||||
Mar 5, 1999 | WIRE USA • Pegasus XL | |||
Mar 15, 1999 | Globalstar 22 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Mar 21, 1999 | AsiaSat 3S Russia • Proton K/DM3 8K82K/11S861-01 | |||
Mar 28, 1999 | DemoSat Russia • Zenit 3SL | |||
| April | ||||
Apr 2, 1999 | Progress M-41 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Apr 2, 1999 | Insat-2E France • Arianespace • Ariane 4 42P | |||
Apr 9, 1999Failure | USA-142 USA • Titan IV(402)B | |||
Apr 12, 1999 | Eutelsat W3 USA • Atlas IIAS | |||
Apr 15, 1999 | Globalstar 19 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Apr 15, 1999 | Landsat 7 USA • Delta II 7920-10 | |||
Apr 21, 1999 | UoSAT-12 Russia • Kosmotras • Dnepr | |||
Apr 27, 1999Failure | Ikonos-1 USA • Lockheed Martin • Athena 2 | |||
Apr 28, 1999 | ABRIXAS Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Apr 30, 1999Failure | USA-143 USA • Titan IV(401)B | |||
| May | ||||
May 5, 1999Failure | Orion 3 USA • Delta III 8930 | |||
May 10, 1999 | Fengyun-1C China • Long March 4B | |||
May 18, 1999 | Terriers USA • Pegasus XL with HAPS | |||
May 20, 1999 | Nimiq 1 Russia • Proton K/DM3 8K82K/11S861-01 | |||
May 22, 1999 | NROL-9 USA • Titan IV(404)B | |||
May 26, 1999 | Oceansat-1 India • PSLV G | |||
May 27, 1999 | STS-96 USA • Space Shuttle | |||
| June | ||||
Jun 10, 1999 | Globalstar 25 USA • Delta II 7420-10C | |||
Jun 11, 1999 | Iridium 92 China • Long March 2C / SD | |||
Jun 18, 1999 | Astra 1H Russia • Proton K/DM3 8K82K/11S861-01 | |||
Jun 20, 1999 | QuickSCAT USA • Titan II(23)G | |||
Jun 24, 1999 | FUSE USA • Delta II 7320-10 | |||
| July | ||||
Jul 5, 1999Failure | Gran' #45 Russia • Proton K/Briz-M 8K82K/11S43 | |||
Jul 8, 1999 | Molniya 3-50 Russia • Molniya M | |||
Jul 10, 1999 | Globalstar 30 USA • Delta II 7420-10C | |||
Jul 16, 1999 | Progress M-42 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Jul 17, 1999 | Okean-O No.1 Russia • Zenit 2 | |||
Jul 23, 1999 | STS-93 USA • Space Shuttle | |||
Jul 25, 1999 | Globalstar 26 USA • Delta II 7420-10C | |||
| August | ||||
Aug 12, 1999 | Telkom-1 France • Arianespace • Ariane 4 42P | |||
Aug 17, 1999 | Globalstar 24 USA • Delta II 7420-10C | |||
Aug 18, 1999 | Kosmos 2365 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Aug 26, 1999 | Kosmos 2366 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
| September | ||||
Sep 4, 1999 | Koreasat-3 France • Arianespace • Ariane 4 42P | |||
Sep 6, 1999 | Yamal-101 Russia • Proton K/DM-2M 8K82K/11S861-01 | |||
Sep 9, 1999 | Foton 12 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Sep 22, 1999 | Globalstar 33 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Sep 23, 1999 | Echostar 5 USA • Atlas IIAS | |||
Sep 24, 1999 | Ikonos-2 USA • Lockheed Martin • Athena 2 | |||
Sep 25, 1999 | Telstar 7 France • Arianespace • Ariane 4 44LP | |||
Sep 26, 1999 | LMI-1 Russia • Proton K/DM3 8K82K/11S861-01 | |||
Sep 28, 1999 | Resurs F-1M Russia • Soyuz U | |||
| October | ||||
Oct 7, 1999 | USA-145 USA • Delta II 7925-9.5 | |||
Oct 10, 1999 | DirecTV-1R Russia • Zenit 3SL | |||
Oct 14, 1999 | CBERS-1 China • Long March 4B | |||
Oct 18, 1999 | Globalstar 31 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Oct 19, 1999 | Orion 2 France • Arianespace • Ariane 4 44LP | |||
Oct 27, 1999Failure | Ekspress-A1 Russia • Proton K/DM-2 8K82K/11S861 | |||
| November | ||||
Nov 13, 1999 | GE-4 France • Arianespace • Ariane 4 44LP | |||
Nov 15, 1999Failure | MTSAT Japan • H2 | |||
Nov 19, 1999 | Shenzhou 1 China • Long March 2F | |||
Nov 22, 1999 | Globalstar 29 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Nov 23, 1999 | USA-146 USA • Atlas IIA | |||
| December | ||||
Dec 3, 1999 | Helios 1B France • Arianespace • Ariane 4 40 | |||
Dec 4, 1999 | Orbcomm USA • Pegasus XL with HAPS | |||
Dec 10, 1999 | XMM-Newton France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 G | |||
Dec 12, 1999 | USA-147 USA • Titan II(23)G/Star-37XFP | |||
Dec 18, 1999 | Terra USA • Atlas IIAS | |||
Dec 20, 1999 | STS-103 USA • Space Shuttle | |||
Dec 21, 1999 | KOMPSAT and ACRIMSAT USA • Minotaur C-2110 | |||
Dec 22, 1999 | Galaxy-11 France • Arianespace • Ariane 4 44L-3 | |||
Dec 26, 1999 | Kosmos 2367 Russia • Tsyklon 2 | |||
Dec 27, 1999 | Kosmos 2367 Russia • Molniya M | |||
