1971 March 5 - 14:00 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Cajun. Nike Cajun NASA 12.19GM Aeronomy mission Agency: NASA. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

1971 November 5 - 13:00 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Europa. Europa II F-11 FAILURE: Structural failure of third stage. Guidance signals were reversed. Europa F-11 / STV 4 Spacecraft: STV 4. Agency: ELDO. Apogee: 27 km (16 mi).

1979 December 24 - 17:14 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 1 L01 CAT 1 Mass: 1,602 kg (3,531 lb). Spacecraft: CAT. Agency: ESA. Perigee: 125 km (77 mi). Apogee: 14,047 km (8,728 mi). Inclination: 17.80 deg. Period: 259.10 min. Launch vehicle test. Technological Capsule (CAT). ESA registration number: ESA/79/2. Principal mission of the technological capsule (with ballast), which was equipped with batteries having a lifetime of approximately 8 orbits, was to transmit back to earth technological data on the first developmental flight L01 of the ARIANE launch vehicle. When the batteries were exhausted, the capsule ended its radio transmissions, and it is now inoperative but still in orbit.

1980 May 23 - 14:29 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 1 L02 FAILURE: Stage 1 combustion instability. Firewheel Spacecraft: Firewheel. Agency: ESA.

1981 June 19 - 12:32 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 1 L03 Meteosat 2 Mass: 697 kg (1,536 lb). Spacecraft: Meteosat. Agency: ESA. Perigee: 36,124 km (22,446 mi). Apogee: 36,329 km (22,573 mi). Inclination: 11.10 deg. Period: 1,458.60 min. Meteosat 2 is a geostationary meteorological satellite, operating within the world wide network of the World Weather Watch of WMO. Its main missions are: Imaging in the visible, IR and water vapour region of the spectrum; data reception from so-called dat a collection platforms (DCPs); data distribution to meteorological services and other interested parties (research institutes etc). Launch time 1233:03 UT. Geostationary position 0 deg E. Designator ESA/81/03. As of 3 September 2001 located at 58.52 deg W drifting at 5.577 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 10 located at 125.67W drifting at 5.583W degrees per day.

1981 December 20 - 01:29 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 1 L04 MARECS 1 Mass: 582 kg (1,283 lb). Spacecraft: ECS/OTS. Agency: ESA. Perigee: 36,782 km (22,855 mi). Apogee: 37,858 km (23,523 mi). Inclination: 10.80 deg. Period: 1,515.20 min. MARECS-A was a geostationary maritime communications satellite, which formed part of INMARSAT's world-wide maritime communications satellite network. MARECS-A moved to a new position on the geostationary orbit. Old position: 334E. New position: 22.5 E. The Marecs satellites were members of Inmarsat's first generation global maritime communications network. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 26 deg W in 1982-1986; 178 deg E in 1986-1991; 20 deg E in 1991-1992; 22 deg E in 1992-1996 As of 1 September 2001 located at 11.08 deg W drifting at 18.839 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 9 located at 168.28W drifting at 18.837W degrees per day. Additional Details: MARECS 1(2652).

1982 September 9 - 02:12 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 1 L5 FAILURE: Stage 3 turbopump. MARECS B Spacecraft: ECS/OTS. Agency: ESA. Marecs B intended for maritime communications, planned for lease to Inmarsat; launched with Sirio 2. Geosynch orbit.

1983 June 16 - 11:59 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 1 L6 Eutelsat 1 Mass: 1,050 kg (2,310 lb). Spacecraft: ECS/OTS. Agency: Eutelsat. Perigee: 36,123 km (22,445 mi). Apogee: 36,246 km (22,522 mi). Inclination: 9.20 deg. Period: 1,456.50 min. Designator ESA/83/4. Launch time 1159 GMT. Launch agency ESA. Geostationary position 10+/- 0.1 deg E. EUTELSAT 1 is a regional geostationary telecommunication Satellite for European countries. It is operated by the EUTELSAT organization. Frequency plan: 1 36-138 MHz (S-E). 148-149.9 MHz (E-S). 10.7-11.7 GHz (S-E). 14-14.5 GHz (E-S). Positions: Document Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 10 deg E in 1983; 13 deg E in 1983-1989; 16 deg E in 1989-1991; 25 deg E in 1992-1993; 48E1993-1996; 36 deg E in 1996 As of 31 August 2001 located at 12.27 deg W drifting at 5.043 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 9 located at 109.78W drifting at 5.059W degrees per day.

1983 October 19 - 00:45 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 1 L7 Intelsat 5 F-7 Mass: 1,928 kg (4,250 lb). Spacecraft: Intelsat 5. Agency: INTELSAT. Perigee: 35,928 km (22,324 mi). Apogee: 35,972 km (22,351 mi). Inclination: 8.50 deg. Period: 1,444.50 min. Ariane third stage. Launched by European Space Agency. Launch time 0045:36 GMT. Launched spacecraft Intelsat V F7. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 60 deg E in 1984-1985; 66 deg E in 1985-1991; 57 deg E in 1991-1995; 47 deg E in 1995-1996 As of 28 August 2001 located at 140.34 deg E drifting at 2.062 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 9 located at 88.83W drifting at 2.097W degrees per day.

1984 March 5 - 00:50 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 1 L8 Intelsat 5 F-8 Mass: 1,928 kg (4,250 lb). Spacecraft: Intelsat 5. Agency: INTELSAT. Perigee: 36,531 km (22,699 mi). Apogee: 36,755 km (22,838 mi). Inclination: 8.20 deg. Period: 1,480.10 min. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 53 deg W in 1984-1985; 180 deg E in 1985-1994 As of 28 August 2001 located at 164.20 deg W drifting at 10.735 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 11 located at 110.10E drifting at 10.740W degrees per day.

1984 May 23 - 01:33 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 1 V9 Spacenet F1 Mass: 705 kg (1,554 lb). Spacecraft: AS 3000. Agency: GTE. Perigee: 35,840 km (22,260 mi). Apogee: 35,897 km (22,305 mi). Inclination: 4.90 deg. Period: 1,440.30 min. Stationed at 120 deg W. C, Ku band communications satellite. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 120 deg W in 1984-1993; 115 deg E in 1993-on. As of 2 September 2001 located at 165.12 deg E drifting at 0.985 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 10 located at 109.23W drifting at 1.077W degrees per day.

1984 August 4 - 13:32 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 3 V10 Eutelsat 2 Mass: 700 kg (1,540 lb). Spacecraft: ECS/OTS. Agency: Eutelsat. Perigee: 36,165 km (22,471 mi). Apogee: 36,248 km (22,523 mi). Inclination: 3.00 deg. Period: 1,457.60 min. Stationed at 7 deg E. Launch time 1333 UT. Geostationary orbit position 10 +/- 0.1; afterwards 7 +/- 0.1 deg E. EUTELSAT 2 is a regional geostationary satellite for European countries. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 10 deg E in 1984; 7 deg E in 1984-1990; 2 deg E in 1991; 1 deg E in 1992-1993 As of 5 September 2001 located at 62.27 deg W drifting at 5.317 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 9 located at 57.69E drifting at 5.323W degrees per day.

1984 November 10 - 01:14 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 3 V11 Spacenet F2 Mass: 705 kg (1,554 lb). Spacecraft: AS 3000. Agency: GTE. Perigee: 35,904 km (22,309 mi). Apogee: 35,962 km (22,345 mi). Inclination: 4.20 deg. Period: 1,443.60 min. Stationed at 68 deg W. C, Ku band communications satellite. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 69 deg W in 1984-1997; 115 deg E in 1997-1998 As of 5 September 2001 located at 65.20 deg E drifting at 1.887 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 9 located at 64.76W drifting at 1.866W degrees per day.

1985 February 8 - 23:22 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 3 V12 Arabsat 1A Mass: 532 kg (1,172 lb). Spacecraft: Spacebus 100. Agency: Arabsat. Perigee: 35,724 km (22,197 mi). Apogee: 35,753 km (22,215 mi). Inclination: 8.20 deg. Period: 1,433.70 min. Stationed at 19 deg E. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 19 deg E in 1985-1991 As of 27 August 2001 located at 76.76 deg E drifting at 0.635 deg E per day. As of 2007 Feb 28 located at 87.85E drifting at 0.629E degrees per day.

1985 May 8 - 01:15 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 3 V13 GStar 1 Mass: 705 kg (1,554 lb). Spacecraft: AS 3000. Agency: GTE. Perigee: 35,783 km (22,234 mi). Apogee: 35,791 km (22,239 mi). Inclination: 0.10 deg. Period: 1,436.10 min. Stationed at 103 deg W. Ku band communications satellite. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 103 deg W in 1985-1996; 105 deg W in 1997-1999 As of 5 September 2001 located at 105.33 deg W drifting at 0.011 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 9 located at 105.07W drifting at 0.006W degrees per day.

1985 July 2 - 11:23 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 1 V14 Giotto Mass: 583 kg (1,285 lb). Spacecraft: Giotto. Agency: ESA. Perigee: 201 km (124 mi). Apogee: 35,807 km (22,249 mi). Inclination: 6.90 deg. Period: 631.51 min. Encountered comet Halley March 13, 1986. The Giotto mission was designed to study Comet P/Halley, and also studied Comet P/Grigg-Skjellerup during its extended mission. The spacecraft encountered Halley on March 13, 1986, at a distance of 0.89 AU from the sun and 0.98 AU from the Earth and an angle of 107 degrees from the comet-sun line. The actual closest approach was measured at 596 km. All experiments performed well and returned a wealth of new scientific results, of which perhaps the most important was the clear identification of the cometary nucleus. Fourteen seconds before closest approach, Giotto was hit by a `large' dust particle. The impact caused the spacecraft angular momentum vector to shift 0.9 degrees. Scientific data were received intermittently for the next 32 minutes. Some experiment sensors suffered damage during this 32-minute interval. Other experiments (the camera baffle and deflecting mirror, the dust detector sensors on the front sheet of the bumper shield, and most experiment apertures) were exposed to dust particles regardless of the accident and also suffered damage. Many of the sensors survived the encounter with little or no damage. Questionable or partially damaged sensors included the camera (later proved to not be functional) and one of the plasma analyzers (RPA). Inoperable experiments included the neutral and ion mass spectrometers and one sensor each on the dust detector and the other plasma analyzer (JPA). During the Giotto extended mission, the spacecraft successfully encountered Comet P/Grigg-Skjellerup on July 10, 1992. The closest approach was approximately 200 km. The heliocentric distance of the spacecraft was 1.01 AU, and the geocentric distance, 1.43 AU at the time of the encounter. The payload was switched-on in the evening of July 9. Eight experiments were operated and provided a surprising wealth of data. The Johnstone Plasma Analyser detected the first presence of cometary ions 600,000 km from the nucleus at 12 hours before the closest approach. The Dust Impact Detectors reported the first impact of a fairly large particle at 15:30:56. Bow shocks/waves and acceleration regions were also detected. After the P/Grigg-Skjellerup encounter operation were terminated on 23 July 1992. The spacecraft will fly by the Earth on 1 July 1999.

1985 September 12 - 23:26 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 3 V15 FAILURE: Geosynchronous orbit injection failure. Third stage igniter cartridge failure was determined to be the most likely cause. Eutelsat 3 Spacecraft: ECS/OTS. Agency: Eutelsat. Launched with Spacenet F3.

1986 February 22 - 01:44 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 1 V16 SPOT 1 Mass: 1,830 kg (4,030 lb). Spacecraft: SPOT-1-2-3. Agency: CNES. Perigee: 824 km (512 mi). Apogee: 826 km (513 mi). Inclination: 98.70 deg. Period: 101.40 min. Remote sensing satellite. Registration 1986-1.B

1986 May 31 - 00:53 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 2 V18 FAILURE: Third stage ignition failure. Destroyed by range safety. Intelsat-5A 14 Spacecraft: Intelsat 5A. Agency: NOAA. Targeted for geosynch orbit.

1987 September 16 - 00:45 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 3 V19 Aussat A3 Mass: 1,195 kg (2,634 lb). Spacecraft: HS 376. Agency: Aussat. Perigee: 35,781 km (22,233 mi). Apogee: 35,794 km (22,241 mi). Inclination: 0.00 deg. Period: 1,436.20 min. Australian domestic communications; 164 deg E. Communication satellite. Launching states: Australia and France. Longitude 164 deg E +/- 0.5. (orbit given is geocentric 42164 km, which corresponds to altitude 35787 km). The satellite mass was 655 kg at beginning of life for an Ariane mission only on-station after the apogee motor had fired and station acquisition fuel was expended. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 164 deg E in 1987-1993; 156 deg E in 1993-1995; 152 deg E in 1995-1999 As of 4 September 2001 located at 163.96 deg E drifting at 0.005 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 10 located at 31.52E drifting at 0.011E degrees per day.

1988 March 11 - 23:28 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 3 V21 Spacenet F3R Mass: 1,212 kg (2,672 lb). Spacecraft: AS 3000. Agency: France T. Perigee: 35,935 km (22,328 mi). Apogee: 35,980 km (22,350 mi). Inclination: 2.40 deg. Period: 1,444.90 min. US domestic communications; 87 deg W. C, Ku band communications satellite. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 87 deg W in 1988-1997; 83 deg W in 1997-1999 As of 2 September 2001 located at 107.85 deg W drifting at 2.220 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 9 located at 153.60E drifting at 2.179W degrees per day.

1988 May 17 - 23:58 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 2 V23 Intelsat 5A F-13 Mass: 2,013 kg (4,437 lb). Spacecraft: Intelsat 5A. Agency: Intelsat. Perigee: 35,776 km (22,230 mi). Apogee: 35,800 km (22,200 mi). Inclination: 0.10 deg. Period: 1,436.20 min. Replaced Intelsat 5 F-3; 53 deg W. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 53 deg W in 1988-1995; 177 deg W in 1995-1999 As of 5 September 2001 located at 177.08 deg W drifting at 0.009 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 8 located at 44.56W drifting at 6.109W degrees per day.

1988 July 21 - 23:12 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 3 V24 Insat-1C; Insat 1C Mass: 1,190 kg (2,620 lb). Spacecraft: Insat 1. Agency: ISRO. Perigee: 35,755 km (22,217 mi). Apogee: 35,814 km (22,253 mi). Inclination: 9.00 deg. Period: 1,436.00 min. Stationed at 93.5 deg E; also performed communications tasks. Operational multipurpose satellite for telecommunications, meteorological imaging and data relay, radio and television programme distribution and direct television broadcasting for community reception. Geosynchronous orbit longitude 93.5 +/- 0.1 deg east. Launch vehicle Ariane 3 launch vehicle of Arianespace, 24th flight of Ariane and 9th flight of the Ariane 3 version. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 93 deg E in 1988-1989 As of 4 September 2001 located at 58.51 deg E drifting at 0.073 deg E per day. As of 2007 Mar 11 located at 80.89E drifting at 0.154W degrees per day.

1988 October 28 - 02:17 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 2 V26 TDF-1 Mass: 2,136 kg (4,709 lb). Spacecraft: Spacebus 300. Agency: France T. Perigee: 36,051 km (22,401 mi). Apogee: 36,129 km (22,449 mi). Inclination: 4.80 deg. Period: 1,451.60 min. French DBS; 19 deg W. Direct broadcasting satellite. French registration: TDF-1, 1988-5-B. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 19 deg W in 1988-1996 As of 1 September 2001 located at 139.53 deg W drifting at 3.885 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 5 located at 16.35W drifting at 3.870W degrees per day.

1989 January 27 - 01:21 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 2 V28 Intelsat 5A F-15 Mass: 1,977 kg (4,358 lb). Spacecraft: Intelsat 5A. Agency: Intelsat. Perigee: 35,773 km (22,228 mi). Apogee: 35,801 km (22,245 mi). Inclination: 0.00 deg. Period: 1,436.20 min. International communications; 18 deg W. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 60 deg E in 1989-1992; 18 deg W in 1992-1996; 22 deg W in 1996-1997; 38 deg W in 1998-1999 As of 5 September 2001 located at 37.72 deg W drifting at 0.020 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 9 located at 153.76E drifting at 4.192W degrees per day.

1989 April 2 - 02:28 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Ariane. Ariane 2 V30 TELE-X Mass: 2,142 kg (4,722 lb). Spacecraft: Spacebus 300. Agency: NSAB. Perigee: 36,061 km (22,407 mi). Apogee: 36,128 km (22,448 mi). Inclination: 4.30 deg. Period: 1,451.80 min. TV, business communications for Nordic countries; 5 deg E. High power telecommunications satellite with a dual mission; direct TV broadcasting and data communications. Four active transponders with two redundant; power output 200 W per transponder. Coverage area - East Nordic coverage zone as defined by ITU (WARC -77). Mission period estimated to be 6 to 8 years. Position 5 deg E. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 5 deg E in 1989-1998 As of 28 August 2001 located at 138.62 deg W drifting at 3.929 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 10 located at 132.37W drifting at 3.933W degrees per day.