Updated once to twice a month.
Last update:  2024-12-03
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Orbital launches in 1961


Launches by month:
Launches by launch sites

* for airborne launches the take off site of the carrier aircraft is considered



Launches:

DateSiteRocketPayloadOutcome
1961-01-31VandenbergAtlas-Agena Atlas LV-3A / Agena ASamos-E1 2 (Samos 2) / Samos-F1 2success
1961-02-04BaikonurMolniya 8K78 Venera 1VA #1 (Sputnik 7)pfailure
1961-02-12BaikonurMolniya 8K78 Venera 1 (Venera 1VA #2, Sputnik 8)success
1961-02-16Wallops IslandScout X-1 Explorer 9 (S-56a)success
1961-02-17VandenbergThor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-BKH-5 1 (Discoverer 20)success
1961-02-18VandenbergThor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-BRM 2 (Discoverer 21)success
1961-02-22Cape CanaveralThor-Able-Star Thor DM-21A AblestarTransit 3B / LOFTI 1pfailure
1961-02-25Cape CanaveralJuno-2 Explorer S-45 failure
1961-03-09BaikonurVostok K 8K72KKorabl-Sputnik 4 (Sputnik 9, Vostok-3KA #1)success
1961-03-25Cape CanaveralThor-Delta Thor DM-19 DeltaExplorer 10 (P 14)success
1961-03-25BaikonurVostok K 8K72KKorabl-Sputnik 5 (Sputnik 10, Vostok-3KA #2)success
1961-03-30VandenbergThor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-BKH-2 4 (Discoverer 22)failure
1961-04-08VandenbergThor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-BKH-5 2 (Discoverer 23)success
1961-04-12BaikonurVostok K 8K72KVostok 1 (Vostok-3KA #3)success
1961-04-25Cape CanaveralAtlas D Mercury MA-3failure
1961-04-27Cape CanaveralJuno-2 Explorer 11success
1961-05-24Cape CanaveralJuno-2 Explorer S-45afailure
1961-06-08VandenbergThor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-BKH-5 3 (Discoverer 24)failure
1961-06-16VandenbergThor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-BKH-2 5 (Discoverer 25)success
1961-06-29Cape CanaveralThor-Able-Star Thor DM-21A AblestarTransit 4A / Injun 1 / Grab 2 (Solrad 3)pfailure
1961-06-30Wallops IslandScout X-1 Explorer (13) (S 55)failure
1961-07-07VandenbergThor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-BKH-2 6 (Discoverer 26)success
1961-07-12VandenbergAtlas-Agena Atlas LV-3A / Agena BMIDAS 3success
1961-07-12Cape CanaveralThor-Delta Thor DM-19 DeltaTIROS 3success
1961-07-21VandenbergThor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-BKH-5 4 (Discoverer 27)failure
1961-08-04VandenbergThor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-BKH-2 7 (Discoverer 28)failure
1961-08-06BaikonurVostok K 8K72KVostok 2 (Vostok-3KA #4)success
1961-08-16Cape CanaveralThor-Delta Thor DM-19 DeltaExplorer 12 (EPE A)success
1961-08-23Cape CanaveralAtlas-Agena Atlas LV-3A / Agena BRanger 1pfailure
1961-08-25Wallops IslandScout X-1 Explorer 13 (S 55a)pfailure
1961-08-30VandenbergThor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-BKH-3 1 (Discoverer 29)success
1961-09-09VandenbergAtlas-Agena Atlas LV-3A / Agena BSamos-E2 1 (Samos 3)failure
1961-09-12VandenbergThor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-BKH-3 2 (Discoverer 30)success
1961-09-13Cape CanaveralAtlas D Mercury MA-4success
1961-09-17VandenbergThor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-BKH-3 3 (Discoverer 31)success
1961-10-13VandenbergThor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-BKH-3 4 (Discoverer 32)success
1961-10-21VandenbergAtlas-Agena Atlas LV-3A / Agena BMIDAS 4 / West Ford 1success
1961-10-23VandenbergThor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-BKH-2 8 (Discoverer 33)failure
1961-10-27Kapustin YarKosmos 63S1DS-1 #1failure
1961-11-01Cape CanaveralBlue Scout 2 Mercury Scout 1 (MNTV 1, MS 1)failure
1961-11-05VandenbergThor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-BKH-2 9 (Discoverer 34)success
1961-11-15Cape CanaveralThor-Able-Star Thor DM-21A AblestarTransit 4B / TRAACsuccess
1961-11-15VandenbergThor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-BKH-2 10 (Discoverer 35)success
1961-11-18Cape CanaveralAtlas-Agena Atlas LV-3A / Agena BRanger 2pfailure
1961-11-22VandenbergAtlas-Agena Atlas LV-3A / Agena BSamos-E5 1 (Samos 4)failure
1961-11-29Cape CanaveralAtlas D Mercury MA-5success
1961-12-11BaikonurVostok K 8K72KZenit-2 #1failure
1961-12-12VandenbergThor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-BKH-3 5 (Discoverer 36) / OSCAR 1success
1961-12-21Kapustin YarKosmos 63S1DS-1 #2failure
1961-12-22VandenbergAtlas-Agena Atlas LV-3A / Agena BSamos-E5 2 (Samos 5)success