Jul 26 Space Shuttle
Success
Space shuttle Discovery flies the first mission since Columbia's loss
Foam broke off the fuel tank during launch, as it had on Columbia. NASA kept the shuttles grounded until July 2006.
Rocket launches in2005
The Space Shuttle returns to flight on July 26 with Discovery's STS-114, ending a two-and-a-half-year stand-down. Six months earlier, on January 14, the Huygens probe descends through Titan's atmosphere and touches down — the most distant surface landing in history to that point.
Monthly Cadence complete
AUG peak 7 launches ↑ 2% vs 2004
- launches
- 56
- success · 53/56
- 95%
- providers
- 4
2005 launch leaders
2005 highlights
Jan 12 Delta II 7925
Success
NASA's Deep Impact crashes a probe into comet Tempel 1
The July 4 crash was the first time a spacecraft dug beneath a comet's surface. The comet proved dustier and less icy than expected.
Aug 12 Atlas V 401
Success
NASA sends Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to map Mars in fine detail
Its HiRISE camera picks out boulders and rover tracks from orbit. In 2012 it photographed the Curiosity rover descending under its parachute.
Oct 12 Long March 2F
Success
China flies its first two-person crew
Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng spent nearly five days in orbit. They were the first Chinese crew to move into the spacecraft's second cabin.
Oct 19 Titan IV(404)B
Success
America's Titan rockets fly for the last time
The Titan line began as a nuclear missile in the 1950s. Its rockets later launched the Gemini astronauts and both Voyager probes.
Nov 9 Soyuz FG / Fregat
Success
Europe sends its first spacecraft to Venus
Venus Express reused the design of Europe's Mars orbiter. It studied the thick, scorching atmosphere of Venus from 2006 to 2014.
Dec 28 Soyuz FG/Fregat
Success
Europe launches the first test satellite for its Galileo navigation system
GIOVE-A claimed Galileo's radio frequencies before the June 2006 deadline ran out. Galileo opened to the public in 2016 as Europe's alternative to GPS.
All 2005 launches
Quick filters
56 launches
| January | ||||
Jan 12, 2005 | Deep Impact USA • Delta II 7925 | |||
Jan 20, 2005 | Parus Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
| February | ||||
Feb 3, 2005 | AMC-12 Russia • Proton M / Briz-M | |||
Feb 3, 2005 | USA-181 USA • Atlas IIIB | |||
Feb 12, 2005 | XTAR-EUR France • Arianespace • Ariane 5ECA | |||
Feb 26, 2005 | Himawari 6 Japan • H2A 2022 | |||
Feb 28, 2005 | Progress M-52 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
| March | ||||
Mar 1, 2005 | XM-3 "Rhythm" Russia • Zenit 3SL | |||
Mar 11, 2005 | Inmarsat-4 F1 USA • Atlas V 431 | |||
Mar 29, 2005 | Ekspress-AM2 Russia • Proton K/Block-DM-2M 8K82K/11S861-01 | |||
| April | ||||
Apr 11, 2005 | USA-165 USA • Minotaur I | |||
Apr 12, 2005 | Apstar VI China • Long March 3B | |||
Apr 15, 2005 | Soyuz TMA-6 Russia • Soyuz FG | |||
Apr 15, 2005 | DART USA • Pegasus XL | |||
Apr 26, 2005 | Spaceway 1 Russia • Zenit 3SL | |||
Apr 30, 2005 | USA-182 USA • Lockheed Martin • Titan IV(405)B | |||
| May | ||||
May 5, 2005 | CARTOSAT-1 India • PSLV G | |||
May 20, 2005 | NOAA-18 USA • Delta II 7320 | |||
May 22, 2005 | DirecTV-8 Russia • Proton M/Briz-M | |||
May 31, 2005 | Foton-M2 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
| June | ||||
Jun 16, 2005 | Progress M-53 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Jun 21, 2005Failure | Molniya-3K #12L Russia • Molniya M | |||
Jun 21, 2005Failure | Cosmos 1 Russia • Volna | |||
Jun 23, 2005 | Intelsat Americas 8 Russia • Zenit 3SL | |||
Jun 24, 2005 | Ekspress AM-3 Russia • Proton K/ DM-2 | |||
| July | ||||
Jul 5, 2005 | Shijian 7 China • Long March 2D | |||
Jul 10, 2005 | Suzaku Japan • Mu 5 | |||
Jul 26, 2005 | STS-114 USA • Space Shuttle | |||
| August | ||||
Aug 2, 2005 | FSW-21 China • Long March 2C | |||
Aug 11, 2005 | Thaicom 4 France • Arianespace • Ariane 5GS | |||
Aug 12, 2005 | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter USA • Atlas V 401 | |||
Aug 13, 2005 | Galaxy 14 Russia • Soyuz FG/ Fregat | |||
Aug 23, 2005 | Kirari Russia • Kosmotras • Dnepr | |||
Aug 26, 2005 | Monitor-E Russia • Rokot Rokot / Briz-KM | |||
Aug 29, 2005 | FSW-22 China • Long March 2D | |||
| September | ||||
Sep 2, 2005 | Yantar-1KFT Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Sep 8, 2005 | Progress M-54 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Sep 8, 2005 | Anik F1R Russia • Proton M/Briz-M | |||
Sep 23, 2005 | USA-185 USA • Minotaur I | |||
Sep 26, 2005 | USA-183 USA • Delta II 7925-9.5 | |||
| October | ||||
Oct 1, 2005 | Soyuz TMA-7 Russia • Soyuz FG | |||
Oct 6, 2005 | IRDT-2R Russia • Volna | |||
Oct 8, 2005Failure | CryoSat Russia • Rokot Rokot/Briz-KM | |||
Oct 12, 2005 | Shenzhou 6 China • Long March 2F | |||
Oct 13, 2005 | Syracuse 3A France • Arianespace • Ariane 5GS | |||
Oct 19, 2005 | USA-186 USA • Lockheed Martin • Titan IV(404)B | |||
Oct 27, 2005 | Beijing-1 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
| November | ||||
Nov 8, 2005 | Inmarsat-4 F2 Russia • Zenit 3SL | |||
Nov 9, 2005 | Venus Express Russia • Soyuz FG / Fregat | |||
Nov 16, 2005 | Spaceway-2 France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ECA | |||
| December | ||||
Dec 21, 2005 | Progress M-55 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Dec 21, 2005 | Gonets-M No.1 Russia • Kosmos 3M | |||
Dec 21, 2005 | Meteosat-9 France • Arianespace • Ariane 5GS | |||
Dec 25, 2005 | GLONASS-M Russia • Proton K/DM-2 | |||
Dec 28, 2005 | GIOVE-A Russia • Soyuz FG/Fregat | |||
Dec 29, 2005 | AMC-23 Russia • Proton M/Briz-M | |||