1959 in spaceflight
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Luna 1 was the first spacecraft to leave the gravitational influence of Earth. Also in 1959, Luna 2 was the first spacecraft to reach the surface of another celestial body, impacting the Moon, and Luna 3 returned the first images of the far side of the Moon.[1]
First2 January
Last26 November
Total23
Successes10
| Orbital launches | |
|---|---|
| First | 2 January |
| Last | 26 November |
| Total | 23 |
| Successes | 10 |
| Failures | 11 |
| Partial failures | 2 |
| Catalogued | 14 |
| Rockets | |
| Maiden flights | Thor-Agena Atlas-Able Atlas D (suborbital test) |
| Retirements | Vanguard |
Overview
Orbital and suborbital launches
Deep Space Rendezvous
| Date (GMT) | Spacecraft | Event | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 January | Luna 1 | First Lunar flyby | Failed impactor, closest approach: 6,000 kilometres (3,700 mi) |
| 4 March | Pioneer 4 | Lunar flyby | Closest approach: 60,200 kilometres (37,400 mi) |
| 14 September | Luna 2 | First Lunar impact | Landed in Mare Imbrium, first spacecraft to reach the surface of a celestial body |
| 6 October | Luna 3 | Lunar flyby | First Circumlunar flight, returned 29 pictures including first images of the far side of the Moon; closest approach 6,200 kilometres (3,900 mi) |
Orbital launch statistics
By country
| Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Soviet Union |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
 United States |
19 | 9 | 9 | 1 | |
| World | 23 | 11 | 10 | 2 | |
By rocket
| Rocket | Country | Tipe | Family | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlas D-Able | United States | Atlas-Able | Atlas | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Maiden flight |
| Juno II | United States | Juno | Jupiter | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| Luna 8K72 | Soviet Union | Vostok | R-7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| Thor DM-18 Agena-A | United States | Thor-Agena | Thor | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | Maiden flight |
| Thor DM-18 Able-II | United States | Thor-Able | Thor | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Thor DM-18 Able-III | United States | Thor-Able | Thor | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Vanguard | United States | Vanguard | Viking | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Retired |
By family
| Family | Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlas | United States | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Jupiter | United States | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| R-7 | Soviet Union | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| Thor | United States | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | |
| Viking | United States | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Retired |
By orbit
| Orbital regime | Launches | Successes | Failures | Accidentally Achieved |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Earth | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | |
| Medium Earth | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| High Earth | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Including Highly elliptical orbits |
| Heliocentric | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
