Manned orbital launches in 1981
Launches:
| Date | Site | Rocket | Mission | Crew | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-03-12 | Baikonur | Soyuz-U 11A511U | Soyuz T-4 | 2 | success |
| 1981-03-22 | Baikonur | Soyuz-U 11A511U | Soyuz 39 | 2 | success |
| 1981-04-12 | Cape Canaveral | Space Shuttle | STS-1 - Columbia F1 | 2 | success |
First Space Shuttle flight. First flight of a reusable crewed spacecraft | |||||
| 1981-05-14 | Baikonur | Soyuz-U 11A511U | Soyuz 40 | 2 | success |
| 1981-11-12 | Cape Canaveral | Space Shuttle | STS-2 - Columbia F2 | 2 | success |
Fuel cell failure. 5-day flight cut to 2 days and 6 hours. | |||||