2006 in spaceflight.html



Launches

This is a list of spaceflights launched in 2006.

Date/Time (GMT)	Rocket	Site	LSP	Payload	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (GMT)	Outcome	Remarks
19 January, 19:00 GMT	Atlas V (551)	LC-41, Cape Canaveral	/ILS	New Horizons	NASA	Solar Escape	Flyby of Pluto and other KBOs	N/A	Successful so far	First probe to visit Pluto
24 January, 01:33 GMT	H-IIA	Tanegashima	JAXAcitation needed	Daichi (ALOS)	JAXA	SSO	Observation satellite	Still in Orbit	Partial failure, still in operation	Poor quality images returned due to attitude control and noise problems1 was resolved by software adjustment.2
15 February, 23:35 GMT	Zenit-3SL	Ocean Odyssey Pacific Ocean	Sea Launch	EchoStar 10	EchoStar	Geosynchronous	Comsat	Still in Orbit	Successful so far
16 February, 08:01 GMT	Minuteman III	LF-10, Vandenberg AFB	USAF	Mk. 21 re-entry vehicle	USAF	Sub-orbital	ICBM test launch	16 February 2006	Successful
18 February, 06:27 GMT	H-IIA	Tanegashima	RSC3	MTSAT-2	Japanese Government	Geosynchronous	ATC and weather satellite	Still in orbit	Successful so far
21 February, 21:28 GMT	M-V	Uchinoura	JAXA	Akari (ASTRO-F)	JAXA	SSO	Infrared astronomy	Still in orbit	Successful so far
				Cute-1.7+APD	Tokyo Institute of Technology	Amateur comsat	LEO	Still in orbit	Successful so far	Double CubeSat
28 February, 20:10 GMT	Proton-M/Briz-M	Baikonur	/ILS	ARABSAT 4A	ARABSAT	Intended: Geosynchronous Achieved: MEO	Comsat	2007	Failure	Upper stage malfunction.
11 March, 22:33 GMT	Ariane 5-ECA	ELA-3, CSG (Kourou)	Arianespace	SPAINSAT	Spanish Government	Geosynchronous	Military comsat	Still in Orbit	Successful so far
				Hot Bird 7A	Eutelsat	Geosynchronous	Comsat	Still in Orbit	Successful so far
22 March, 14:03 GMT	Pegasus-XL	L-1011, Vandenberg AFB	OSC	ST-5A	NASA	LEO	Study Earth's Magnetosphere.	Still in orbit	Successful so far
				ST-5B	NASA	LEO	Study Earth's Magnetosphere.	Still in orbit	Successful so far
				ST-5C	NASA	LEO	Study Earth's Magnetosphere.	Still in orbit	Successful so far
24 March, 22:30 GMT	Falcon 1	Omelek	SpaceX	FalconSat 2	USAF Academy	Intended: LEO	Plasma research satellite.	T+60 seconds	Failure	Rocket lost power shortly after launch due to engine fire.
30 March, 02:30 GMT	Soyuz-FG	LC-1/5, Baikonur	RKA	Soyuz TMA-8 3 Cosmonauts	RKA	LEO, docked to ISS	Manned orbital flight	29 September 2006	Successful	ISS Expedition 13 First Brazilian in Space
7 April, 13:00 GMT	Minuteman III	LF-26, Vandenberg AFB	USAF	Mk. 21 re-entry vehicle	USAF	Sub-orbital	ICBM test	7 April 2006	Successful
12 April, 23:30 GMT	Zenit-3SL	Ocean Odyssey	Sea Launch	JCSAT-9	JCSAT	Geosynchronous	Comsat	Still in orbit	Successful so far
14 April, 01:40 GMT	Minotaur	SLC-8, Vandenberg AFB	Orbital	/COSMIC-1 (FORMOSAT-3A)	NASA/NSPO	LEO	Study atmosphere	Still in orbit	Successful so far
				/COSMIC-2 (FORMOSAT-3B)	NASA/NSPO	LEO	Study atmosphere	Still in orbit	Successful so far
				/COSMIC-3 (FORMOSAT-3C)	NASA/NSPO	LEO	Study atmosphere	Still in orbit	Successful so far
				/COSMIC-4 (FORMOSAT-3D)	NASA/NSPO	LEO	Study atmosphere	Still in orbit	Successful so far
				/COSMIC-5 (FORMOSAT-3E)	NASA/NSPO	LEO	Study atmosphere	Still in orbit	Successful so far
20 April, 20:27 GMT	Atlas V (411)	LC-41, Cape Canaveral	/ILS	Astra 1KR	SES Astra	Geosynchronous	Comsat	Still in orbit	Successful so far	Final ILS Atlas launch
24 April, 16:03 GMT	Soyuz-U (R-7 11A511U)	LC-1/5, Baikonur	RFSA	Progress 21P	RFSA	LEO, docked to ISS	Resupply ISS	18 September 2006	Successful
25 April, 16:47 GMT	Start-1	LC-5, Svobodniy	United Start	EROS-B	ImageSat	LEO, polar	Civilian imaging satellite	Still in orbit	Successful so far
26 April, 22:48 GMT	Long March 4C (CZ-4C)	Taiyuan	CAST	Yaogan 1	CAST	LEO	Imaging Satellite	Still in orbit	Successful so far	Maiden flight of Long March 4C. Designated Long March 4B-II at time of launch, redesignated in November 2007
28 April, 10:02 GMT	Delta II	SLC-2W, Vandenberg AFB	Boeing IDS	CALIPSO	NASA	LEO (A-Train)	Study aerosols	Still in orbit	Successful so far
				CloudSat	NASA	LEO (A-Train)	Study clouds	Still in orbit	Successful so far
3 May, 17:38 GMT	Soyuz-U (R-7 11A511U)	LC-16/2, Plesetsk	RKA	Kosmos-2420	Russian Government	LEO	Spy Satellite	Still in orbit	Successful so far
24 May, 22:11 GMT	Delta IV	LC-37B, Cape Canaveral	Boeing IDS	GOES-13 (GOES-N)	NASA/NOAA	Geostationary	Weather satellite	Still in orbit	Successful so far
26 May, 18:50 GMT	Shtil (Volna)	Submarine in Barents Sea	VMF	Kompass 2	RKA	LEO	Earthquake detection	Still in orbit	Partial failure	Control and power problems made satellite unusable. Written off on 29 May 2006. Problems cleared by November, and satellite re-activated.4
27 May, 21:09 GMT	Ariane 5-ECA	ELA-3, CSG (Kourou)	Arianespace	SATMEX 6	Satellites Mexicanas	Geosynchronous	Comsat	Still in orbit	Successful so far	Record for heaviest dual-payload to geosynchronous transfer orbit, stood until May 2007
				THAICOM 5	Shin Satellite	Geosynchronous	Comsat	Still in orbit	Successful so far
14 June, 14:08:22 GMT	Minuteman III	LF-04, Vandenberg AFB	USAF	3 x Mk. 21 re-entry vehicle	USAF	Sub-orbital	ICBM test launch	14 June 2006	Successful
15 June, 08:00 GMT	Soyuz-U (R-7 11A511U)	LC-1/5, Baikonur	RKA	Resurs	RKA	LEO	Remote Sensing Spacecraft	Still in orbit	Successful so far
18 June, 07:50 GMT	Zenit 3SL	Ocean Odyssey	Sea Launch	Galaxy 16	PanAmSat	Geosynchronous	Comsat	Still in orbit	Successful so far
18 June, 22:44 GMT	Proton-K/DM-2	LC-200/39, Baikonur	Khrunichev	KazSat-1	Government of Kazakhstan	Geosynchronous	Comsat	Still in orbit	Successful so far	First Kazakh satellite
21 June, 22:15 GMT	Delta II	LC-17A, Cape Canaveral	Boeing IDS	MITEX-A (USA-187)	DARPA	Geostationary	Experimental military satellite	Still in orbit	Successful so far
				MITEX-B (USA-188)	DARPA	Geostationary	Experimental military satellite	Still in orbit	Successful so far
				MITEX Carrier (USA-189)	DARPA	Geostationary	Experimental military satellite	Still in orbit	Successful so far
24 June, 15:08 GMT	Soyuz-U (R-7 11A511U)	LC-1/5, Baikonur	RKA	Progress 22P	RKA	LEO, docked to ISS	Resupply ISS	17 January 2007	Successful
25 June, 04:00 GMT	Tsyklon-2	LC-90, Baikonur	VKS	Kosmos-2421 (US-PU)	Russian Navy	LEO	SIGINT	20 March 2008 (destroyed in orbit)	Partial failure	Final flight of Tsyklon-2 rocket. One of satellite's solar panels failed to deploy5, ceased operations in February 2008.
27 June, 03:30 GMT	Delta IV	SLC-6, Vandenberg AFB	Boeing IDS	NRO L-22 (USA-184, Trumpet)	National Reconnaissance Office	Molniya	Classified	Still in orbit	Successful so far	First EELV launch from Vandenberg AFB
4 July, 18:38 GMT	Space Shuttle Discovery	LC-39B, Kennedy	USA	STS-121, 7 astronauts	NASA	LEO, docked to ISS	Manned Orbital Flight	17 July 2006, 13:14 GMT	Successful	Return to flight test, visit ISS
				Leonardo MPLM	NASA/ESA	LEO, docked to ISS	Resupply ISS		Successful
10 July, 12:38 GMT	GSLV	Satish Dhawan	ISRO	INSAT 4C	ISRO	Intended: GSO	Comsat	T+60 seconds	Failure	Loss of control due to LRB engine failure. Self-destructed 60 seconds into flight
12 July, 15:53 GMT	Dnepr	Dombarovskiy	ISC Kosmotras	Genesis I	Bigelow Aerospace	LEO	Experimental inflatable Space Station	Still in orbit	Successful so far	First commercial space station (uninhabitable prototype)
20 July, 10:14 GMT	Minuteman III	LF-09, Vandenberg AFB	USAF	3 Mk. 21 re-entry vehicles	USAF	Sub-orbital	ICBM test launch	20 July 2006	Successful
21 July, 04:20 GMT	Molniya-M	LC-16/2, Plesetsk	VKS	Kosmos-2422 (Oko)	VKS	Molniya	Early warning missile defence	Still in orbit	Successful so far
26 July, 19:43 GMT	Dnepr	LC-109, Baikonur	ISC Kosmotras	BelKA	National Academy of Sciences of Republic of Belarus	LEO	Earth Observation Satellite	T+74 seconds	Failure	First-stage engine hydraulic pump failure caused emergency shutdown
				Unisat-4	University of Rome La Sapienza	Intended:LEO	Technology demonstration satellite
				Baumanets	MGTU/RKA	Intended:LEO	Earth observation and amateur radio satellite
				PICPOT	Politecnico di Torino	Intended:LEO	Earth observation satellite
				SACRED	University of Arizona	Intended:LEO	Cubesat
				ION	University of Illinois	Intended:LEO	Double Cubesat
				Rincon 1	University of Arizona	Intended:LEO	Cubesat
				ICECube1	Cornell	Intended:LEO	Cubesat
				KUTESat Pathfinder	University of Kansas	Intended:LEO	Cubesat
				SEEDS	Nihon University	Intended:LEO	Cubesat
				nCube 1	Government of Norway	Intended:LEO	Cubesat
				HAUSAT-1	Government of South Korea	Intended:LEO	Cubesat
				MEROPE	University of Montana	Intended:LEO	Cubesat
				CP2	CalPoly	Intended:LEO	Cubesat
				AeroCube-1	AerospaceCorp	Intended:LEO	Cubesat
				CP1	CalPoly	Intended:LEO	Cubesat
				Voyager	University of Hawaii	Intended:LEO	Cubesat
				ICECube2	Cornell	Intended:LEO	Cubesat
28 July, 07:05 GMT	Rockot	LC-133, Plesetsk	/Eurockot	KOMPSAT 2	KARI	LEO	Earth Observation satellite	Still in orbit	Successful so far
4 August, 21:48 GMT	Proton	Baikonur	/ILS	Hot Bird 8	Eutelsat	Geosynchronous	Comsat	Still in orbit	Successful so far
11 August, 22:15 GMT	Ariane 5-ECA	ELA-3, CSG (Kourou)	Arianespace	JCSat 10		Geosynchronous	Comsat	Still in orbit	Successful so far
				Syracuse 3B		Geosynchronous	Comsat	Still in orbit	Successful so far
22 August, 03:27 GMT	Zenit 3SL	Ocean Odyssey	Sea Launch	Koreasat 5	KT Corporation/Agency for Defence Development	Geosynchronous	Comsat	Still in orbit	Successful so far
9 September, 07:00 GMT	Lonc March 2C	Jiquan