The following table lists down the major space missions along with their timelines −
| Mission |
Year |
Comment |
Country |
| WAC Corporal |
1946 |
It was the first (US designed) rocket that reached the edge of space. |
USA |
| V-2 |
1946 |
The first pictures of the Earth were taken from an altitude of 105 km. |
USA |
| R-1 |
1951 |
First time dogs were sent to space. |
USSR |
| R-7 |
1957 |
First intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) developed. |
USSR |
| Sputnik 1 |
1957 |
First artificial satellite. |
USSR |
| Sputnik 2 |
1957 |
First animal (dog named Laika) sent to the orbit. |
USSR |
| Explorer 6 |
1959 |
First photograph of Earth taken from the orbit (by NASA). |
USA |
| Vostok I |
1961 |
First manned flight carrying Yuri Gagarin |
USSR |
| OSO-1 |
1962 |
First orbital solar observatory (by NASA). |
USA |
| Vostok 6 |
1963 |
First woman in space (Valentina Tereshkova). |
USSR |
| Luna 10 |
1966 |
First artificial satellite around the Moon. |
USSR |
| Apollo 8 |
1968 |
First piloted orbital mission of Moon (by NASA). |
USA |
| Apollo 11 |
1969 |
First human on the Moon and first space launch from a celestial body (by NASA) - Commander Neil Armstrong and Pilot Buzz Aldrin. |
USA |
| Luna 16 |
1970 |
First automatic sample return from the Moon. |
USSR |
| Salyut 1 |
1971 |
First space station. |
USSR |
| Pioneer 10 |
1972 |
First human made object that had been sent on escape trajectory away from the Sun (by NASA). |
USA |
| Mariner 10 |
1974 |
First photograph of Venus from Space (by NASA). |
USA |
| Venera 13 |
1982 |
First Venus soil samples and sound recording of another world. |
USSR |
| STS-41-B |
1984 |
First untethered spacewalk, Bruce McCandless II (by NASA). |
USA |
| Voyager 1 |
1990 |
First photograph of the whole Solar System (by NASA). |
USA |
| Mir |
1995 |
First Record longest duration spaceflight (i.e. 437.7 days) set by Valeri Polyakov. |
Russia |
| HALCA |
1997 |
First orbital radio observatory. |
Japan |
| NEAR Shoemaker |
2000 |
First orbiting of an asteroid (433 Eros) – by NASA. |
USA |
| NEAR Shoemaker |
2001 |
First landing on an asteroid (433 Eros) – by NASA. |
USA |
| Genesis |
2004 |
First sample return beyond lunar orbit (solar wind)- by NASA. |
USA |
| Cassini Huygens |
2005 |
First soft landing on Titan (Moon of Saturn). |
|
| Hayabusa |
2005 |
First interplanetary escape without undercarriage cutoff. |
Japan |
| Stardust |
2006 |
First sample return from comet (81P/Wild) – by NASA. |
USA |
| Kepler Mission |
2009 |
First space telescope designated to search for Earth-like exoplanets – by NASA. |
USA |
| MESSENGER |
2011 |
First orbit of Mercury – by NASA. |
USA |
| Voyager 1 |
2012 |
First manmade probe in interstellar space – by NASA. |
USA |
| Rosetta |
2014 |
First man-made probe to make a planned and soft landing on a comet. |
European Space Agency |
|
2015 |
Lettuce was the first food eaten that was grown in space. |
USA & Japan |
