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:
| Date | Site | Rocket | Payload | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-01-31 | Vandenberg | Atlas-Agena Atlas LV-3A / Agena A | Samos-E1 2 (Samos 2) / Samos-F1 2 | success |
| 1961-02-04 | Baikonur | Molniya 8K78 | Venera 1VA #1 (Sputnik 7) | pfailure |
| 1961-02-12 | Baikonur | Molniya 8K78 | Venera 1 (Venera 1VA #2, Sputnik 8) | success |
| 1961-02-16 | Wallops Island | Scout X-1 | Explorer 9 (S-56a) | success |
| 1961-02-17 | Vandenberg | Thor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-B | KH-5 1 (Discoverer 20) | success |
| 1961-02-18 | Vandenberg | Thor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-B | RM 2 (Discoverer 21) | success |
| 1961-02-22 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able-Star Thor DM-21A Ablestar | Transit 3B / LOFTI 1 | pfailure |
| 1961-02-25 | Cape Canaveral | Juno-2 | Explorer S-45 | failure |
| 1961-03-09 | Baikonur | Vostok K 8K72K | Korabl-Sputnik 4 (Sputnik 9, Vostok-3KA #1) | success |
| 1961-03-25 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Delta Thor DM-19 Delta | Explorer 10 (P 14) | success |
| 1961-03-25 | Baikonur | Vostok K 8K72K | Korabl-Sputnik 5 (Sputnik 10, Vostok-3KA #2) | success |
| 1961-03-30 | Vandenberg | Thor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-B | KH-2 4 (Discoverer 22) | failure |
| 1961-04-08 | Vandenberg | Thor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-B | KH-5 2 (Discoverer 23) | success |
| 1961-04-12 | Baikonur | Vostok K 8K72K | Vostok 1 (Vostok-3KA #3) | success |
| 1961-04-25 | Cape Canaveral | Atlas D | Mercury MA-3 | failure |
| 1961-04-27 | Cape Canaveral | Juno-2 | Explorer 11 | success |
| 1961-05-24 | Cape Canaveral | Juno-2 | Explorer S-45a | failure |
| 1961-06-08 | Vandenberg | Thor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-B | KH-5 3 (Discoverer 24) | failure |
| 1961-06-16 | Vandenberg | Thor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-B | KH-2 5 (Discoverer 25) | success |
| 1961-06-29 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able-Star Thor DM-21A Ablestar | Transit 4A / Injun 1 / Grab 2 (Solrad 3) | pfailure |
| 1961-06-30 | Wallops Island | Scout X-1 | Explorer (13) (S 55) | failure |
| 1961-07-07 | Vandenberg | Thor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-B | KH-2 6 (Discoverer 26) | success |
| 1961-07-12 | Vandenberg | Atlas-Agena Atlas LV-3A / Agena B | MIDAS 3 | success |
| 1961-07-12 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Delta Thor DM-19 Delta | TIROS 3 | success |
| 1961-07-21 | Vandenberg | Thor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-B | KH-5 4 (Discoverer 27) | failure |
| 1961-08-04 | Vandenberg | Thor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-B | KH-2 7 (Discoverer 28) | failure |
| 1961-08-06 | Baikonur | Vostok K 8K72K | Vostok 2 (Vostok-3KA #4) | success |
| 1961-08-16 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Delta Thor DM-19 Delta | Explorer 12 (EPE A) | success |
| 1961-08-23 | Cape Canaveral | Atlas-Agena Atlas LV-3A / Agena B | Ranger 1 | pfailure |
| 1961-08-25 | Wallops Island | Scout X-1 | Explorer 13 (S 55a) | pfailure |
| 1961-08-30 | Vandenberg | Thor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-B | KH-3 1 (Discoverer 29) | success |
| 1961-09-09 | Vandenberg | Atlas-Agena Atlas LV-3A / Agena B | Samos-E2 1 (Samos 3) | failure |
| 1961-09-12 | Vandenberg | Thor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-B | KH-3 2 (Discoverer 30) | success |
| 1961-09-13 | Cape Canaveral | Atlas D | Mercury MA-4 | success |
| 1961-09-17 | Vandenberg | Thor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-B | KH-3 3 (Discoverer 31) | success |
| 1961-10-13 | Vandenberg | Thor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-B | KH-3 4 (Discoverer 32) | success |
| 1961-10-21 | Vandenberg | Atlas-Agena Atlas LV-3A / Agena B | MIDAS 4 / West Ford 1 | success |
| 1961-10-23 | Vandenberg | Thor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-B | KH-2 8 (Discoverer 33) | failure |
| 1961-10-27 | Kapustin Yar | Kosmos 63S1 | DS-1 #1 | failure |
| 1961-11-01 | Cape Canaveral | Blue Scout 2 | Mercury Scout 1 (MNTV 1, MS 1) | failure |
| 1961-11-05 | Vandenberg | Thor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-B | KH-2 9 (Discoverer 34) | success |
| 1961-11-15 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able-Star Thor DM-21A Ablestar | Transit 4B / TRAAC | success |
| 1961-11-15 | Vandenberg | Thor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-B | KH-2 10 (Discoverer 35) | success |
| 1961-11-18 | Cape Canaveral | Atlas-Agena Atlas LV-3A / Agena B | Ranger 2 | pfailure |
| 1961-11-22 | Vandenberg | Atlas-Agena Atlas LV-3A / Agena B | Samos-E5 1 (Samos 4) | failure |
| 1961-11-29 | Cape Canaveral | Atlas D | Mercury MA-5 | success |
| 1961-12-11 | Baikonur | Vostok K 8K72K | Zenit-2 #1 | failure |
| 1961-12-12 | Vandenberg | Thor-Agena Thor SLV-2 Agena-B | KH-3 5 (Discoverer 36) / OSCAR 1 | success |
| 1961-12-21 | Kapustin Yar | Kosmos 63S1 | DS-1 #2 | failure |
| 1961-12-22 | Vandenberg | Atlas-Agena Atlas LV-3A / Agena B | Samos-E5 2 (Samos 5) | success |