Mar 2 Ariane 5G+
Success
Europe sends Rosetta on a ten-year journey to a comet
Rosetta became the first spacecraft to orbit a comet in 2014. Its Philae lander made the first soft landing on a comet.
Rocket launches in2004
Spirit and Opportunity land on Mars in January, rolling out onto plains they will drive for years. Cassini arrives at Saturn on July 1 after a seven-year cruise, entering orbit and beginning a thirteen-year survey of the planet and its moons.
Monthly Cadence complete
SEP peak 6 launches ↓ 14% vs 2003
- launches
- 55
- success · 51/55
- 93%
- providers
- 4
2004 launch leaders
2004 highlights
Apr 20 Delta II 7920
Success
Gravity Probe B tests Einstein's theory of gravity around Earth
Four spinning quartz balls measured how Earth's mass and spin warp and twist the space around it. The 2011 results matched Einstein's predictions.
Aug 3 Delta II 7925H
Success
NASA's MESSENGER leaves to become the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury
Mariner 10 had flown past Mercury in 1974 and 1975. MESSENGER entered orbit in 2011 and found water ice in craters at the north pole.
Nov 20 Delta II 7320
Success
NASA launches Swift to catch gamma-ray bursts as they happen
Gamma-ray bursts are flashes from distant collapsing and colliding stars. In 2008 Swift caught one bright enough to see with the naked eye.
Dec 21 Delta IV Heavy 9250H
partial failure
America's new Delta IV Heavy rocket reaches too low an orbit on its debut
Bubbles forming in its oxygen lines shut down all three cores early. The rocket was built to launch the US military's heaviest satellites.
All 2004 launches
Quick filters
55 launches
| January | ||||
Jan 11, 2004 | Telstar 14 Russia • Zenit 3SL | |||
Jan 29, 2004 | Progress M1-11 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
| February | ||||
Feb 5, 2004 | AMC-10 USA • Atlas IIAS | |||
Feb 14, 2004 | DSP-22 USA • Lockheed Martin • Titan IVB (402)/ IUS | |||
Feb 18, 2004 | Kosmos 2405 Russia • Molniya M | |||
| March | ||||
Mar 2, 2004 | Rosetta France • Arianespace • Ariane 5G+ | |||
Mar 13, 2004 | MBSat USA • Atlas IIIA | |||
Mar 15, 2004 | Eutelsat W3A Russia • Proton M / Briz-M | |||
Mar 20, 2004 | GPS IIR-11 USA • Delta II 7925 | |||
Mar 27, 2004 | Raduga-1 Russia • Proton K / DM-2 | |||
| April | ||||
Apr 16, 2004 | Superbird-6 USA • Atlas IIAS | |||
Apr 18, 2004 | Tansuo 1 China • Long March 2C | |||
Apr 19, 2004 | Soyuz TMA-4 Russia • Soyuz FG | |||
Apr 20, 2004 | Gravity Probe B USA • Delta II 7920 | |||
Apr 26, 2004 | Ekspress AM11 Russia • Proton K/ DM-2M | |||
| May | ||||
May 4, 2004 | DirecTV-7S Russia • Zenit 3SL | |||
May 19, 2004 | AMC-11 USA • Atlas IIAS | |||
May 20, 2004 | FORMOSAT-2 USA • Minotaur C-XL-3210 | |||
May 25, 2004 | Progress M-49 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
May 28, 2004 | Kosmos 2405 Russia • Tsyklon 2 | |||
| June | ||||
Jun 10, 2004 | Kosmos 2406 Russia • Zenit 2 | |||
Jun 16, 2004 | Intelsat 10-02 Russia • Proton M/Briz-M | |||
Jun 23, 2004 | GPS IIR-12 USA • Delta II 7925 | |||
Jun 29, 2004Partial failure | Telstar 18 Russia • Zenit 3SL | |||
Jun 29, 2004 | LatinSat D Russia • Kosmotras • Dnepr | |||
| July | ||||
Jul 15, 2004 | Aura USA • Delta II 7920-10L | |||
Jul 18, 2004 | Anik F2 France • Arianespace • Ariane 5G+ | |||
Jul 22, 2004 | Kosmos 2407 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Jul 25, 2004 | Tan Ce 2 China • Long March 2C | |||
| August | ||||
Aug 3, 2004 | MESSENGER USA • Delta II 7925H | |||
Aug 4, 2004 | Amazonas Russia • Proton M/Briz-M | |||
Aug 11, 2004 | Progress M-50 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Aug 29, 2004 | FSW-19 China • Long March 2C | |||
Aug 31, 2004 | SDS-3-4 USA • Atlas IIAS | |||
| September | ||||
Sep 6, 2004Failure | Ofeq-6 Israel • Shavit 1 | |||
Sep 8, 2004 | Shijian 6-01A China • Long March 4B | |||
Sep 20, 2004 | EDUSAT India • GSLV Mk I | |||
Sep 23, 2004 | Kosmos 2408 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Sep 24, 2004 | Kosmos 2410 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Sep 27, 2004 | FSW-20 China • Long March 2D | |||
| October | ||||
Oct 14, 2004 | Soyuz TMA-5 Russia • Soyuz FG | |||
Oct 14, 2004 | AMC-15 Russia • Proton M/Briz-M | |||
Oct 19, 2004 | Feng Yun 2C China • Long March 3A | |||
Oct 29, 2004 | Ekspress AM-1 Russia • Proton K/DM-2M | |||
| November | ||||
Nov 6, 2004 | Zi Yuan 2C China • Long March 4B | |||
Nov 6, 2004 | GPS IIR-13 USA • Delta II 7925 | |||
Nov 8, 2004 | Zenit-8 Russia • Soyuz 2.1a | |||
Nov 18, 2004 | Shiyan 2 China • Long March 2C | |||
Nov 20, 2004 | Swift USA • Delta II 7320 | |||
| December | ||||
Dec 17, 2004 | AMC-16 USA • Atlas V 521 | |||
Dec 18, 2004 | Helios 2A France • Arianespace • Ariane 5G+ | |||
Dec 21, 2004Partial failure | DemoSat USA • Delta IV Heavy 9250H | |||
Dec 23, 2004 | Progress M-51 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Dec 24, 2004Partial failure | Sich-1M Russia • Tsyklon 3 | |||
Dec 26, 2004 | GLONASS Russia • Proton K/DM-2 | |||