Timeline of first artificial satellites by country
As of 26 February 2022, over eighty countries have operated artificial satellites.
Denotes international organisations | |
Denotes countries formerly part of another country which already had a spacecraft in orbit | |
Denotes countries with disputed sovereignty or recognition and autonomous dependent territories |
Country | Satellite | Operator | Manufacturer | Carrier rocket[1] | Launch site[1] | Date (UTC)[1] | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Soviet Union | Sputnik 1[2] | OKB-1 | OKB-1 | Sputnik 8K71PS | Baikonur | 4 October 1957 | First satellite launched |
United States | Explorer 1[3] | ABMA | JPL | Juno I RS-29 | Cape Canaveral | 1 February 1958 | |
United Kingdom | Ariel 1[4] | RAE | NASA | Thor DM-19 Delta | Cape Canaveral | 26 April 1962 | |
Canada | Alouette 1[5] | DRDC | DRDC | Thor DM-21 Agena-B | Vandenberg | 29 September 1962 | |
Italy | San Marco 1[6] | CNR | [6] | Wallops | 15 December 1964 | ||
France | Astérix[7] | CNES | CNES | Diamant A | Hammaguir | 26 November 1965 | |
Australia | WRESAT[8] | WRE | WRE | Sparta | Woomera | 29 November 1967 | |
10 European countries
|
ESRO 2B[9] | ESRO | Hawker Siddeley[9] | Scout B | Vandenberg | 17 May 1968[10] | |
West Germany | Azur[11] | DLR | DLR / NASA | Scout B | Vandenberg | 8 November 1969 | |
Japan | Ohsumi[12] | ISAS | ISAS | Lambda-4S | Kagoshima | 11 February 1970 | |
People's Republic of China | Dongfanghong I[13] | CAST | CAST | Chang Zheng 1 | Jiuquan | 24 April 1970 | |
Netherlands | ANS[14] | SRON / NASA | Philips | Scout D-1 | Vandenberg | 30 August 1974 | |
Spain | Intasat[14] | INTA | Standard Electrica | Delta 2310 | Vandenberg | 15 November 1974 | |
India | Aryabhata[14] | ISRO | ISRO | Kosmos-3M | Kapustin Yar | 19 April 1975 | |
Indonesia | Palapa A1[14] | Perumtel | Hughes | Delta 2914 | Cape Canaveral | 8 July 1976 | |
Czechoslovakia | [14] | Kosmos-3M | Plesetsk | 24 October 1978 | |||
Bulgaria | Bulgaria 1300[14] | BSA | Bulgarian Academy of Sciences | Vostok-2M | Plesetsk | 7 August 1981 | |
Saudi Arabia | Arabsat-1A | Arabsat | Aérospatiale | Ariane 3 | Kourou | 8 February 1985 | |
Brazil | Brasilsat A1[14] | Embratel | Hughes | ||||
Mexico | Morelos 1[14] | SCT | Hughes | Space Shuttle Discovery | Kennedy | 17 June 1985 | Deployed using PAM-D during STS-51-G |
Sweden | Viking | SSC | Boeing/ Saab |
Ariane 1 | Kourou | 22 February 1986 | |
Israel | Ofek-1 | IAI | Shavit | Palmachim | 19 September 1988 | ||
Luxembourg | Astra 1A | SES Astra | Ariane 44LP | Kourou | 11 December 1988 | ||
Argentina | Ariane 40 | Kourou | 22 January 1990 | ||||
Hong Kong | AsiaSat 1 | AsiaSat | Hughes | Chang Zheng 3 | Xichang | 7 April 1990 | Hong Kong, a British Overseas Territory, became part of the People's Republic of China in July 1997 |
Pakistan | Badr-1 | SUPARCO | SUPARCO | Chang Zheng 2E | Xichang | 16 July 1990 | |
Russia | Kosmos 2175 | Soyuz-U | Plesetsk | 21 January 1992 | Successor state to the Soviet Union | ||
South Korea | Kitsat-1 | KAIST | SSTL | Ariane 42P | Kourou | 10 August 1992 | |
Portugal | PoSAT-1 | SSTL | Ariane 40 | Kourou | 26 September 1993 | ||
Thailand | Shin Satellite | Hughes | Ariane 44L | Kourou | 18 December 1993 | ||
Turkey | Turksat 1B | Türksat | Aérospatiale | Ariane 44LP | Kourou | 10 August 1994 | |
Czech Republic | Molniya-M | Plesetsk | 2 August 1995 | Formerly part of Czechoslovakia | |||
Ukraine | Sich-1 | Tsyklon-3 | Plesetsk | 31 August 1995 | Formerly part of the Soviet Union | ||
Chile | FASat-Alfa | SSTL | Failed to separate | ||||
Malaysia | MEASAT-1 | MEASAT | Hughes | Ariane 44L | Kourou | 13 January 1996 | |
Norway | Thor 2 | Telenor | Hughes | Delta II 7925 | Cape Canaveral | 20 May 1997 | |
Philippines | Mabuhay (Agila 1) (former Palapa B2P) |
Mabuhay | Delta-3920 | Cape Canaveral | 20 March 1987 | Originally operated and launched for Indonesian company PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara. Acquired while on orbit by Mabuhay in 1996 making it the first Philippine owned satellite. | |
Mabuhay 1 (Agila 2) | SS/Loral | Chang Zheng 3B | Xichang | 19 August 1997 | First Philippine satellite to be launched from space | ||
Egypt | Nilesat 101 | Nilesat | Astrium | Ariane 44P | Kourou | 28 April 1998 | |
Singapore Taiwan |
ST-1 | SingTel Chunghwa |
Astrium | Ariane 44P | Kourou | 25 August 1998 | |
Taiwan | Formosat-1 | NSPO | TRW | Athena I | Cape Canaveral | 27 January 1999 | |
South Africa | SUNSAT | Stellenbosch | Stellenbosch | Delta II 7920 | Vandenberg | 23 February 1999 | Launched on same rocket as first Danish satellite |
Denmark | Ørsted | Launched on same rocket as first South African satellite | |||||
Georgia[15] | Energia-GPI Space | Soyuz-U | Baikonur Site 1/5 | 17 July 1999 | Formerly part of the Soviet Union | ||
United Arab Emirates | Thuraya | Boeing | Zenit-3SL | Odyssey | 21 October 2000 | ||
Belgium | PROBA-1 | ESA | Verhaert Space | Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle | Satish Dhawan | 22 October 2001 | |
Morocco | TU Berlin | Zenit-2 | Baikonur | 10 December 2001 | |||
Tonga | (formerly Comstar D4) |
TONGASAT | SS/Loral | Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1AR | Cape Canaveral | 21 February 1981 | A private American satellite that transferred ownership to Tonga in April 2002 |
Algeria | AlSAT-1 | SSTL | Kosmos-3M | Plesetsk | 28 November 2002 | ||
Greece | Hellas-Sat | Astrium | Atlas V 401 | Cape Canaveral | 13 May 2003 | ||
Nigeria | SSTL | Kosmos-3M | Plesetsk | 27 September 2003 | |||
Iran | Sina-1 | NPO Polyot | Kosmos-3M | Plesetsk | 27 October 2005 | ||
Kazakhstan | KazSat-1 | Khrunichev | Proton-M/ | Baikonur | 17 June 2006 | Formerly part of the Soviet Union | |
Colombia | Libertad-1 | Dnepr | Baikonur | 17 April 2007 | |||
Mauritius | Rascom-QAF 1 | Alcatel | Ariane 5GS | Kourou | 21 December 2007 | ||
Vietnam | Vinasat-1 | Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group | Lockheed Martin | Ariane 5ECA | Kourou | 18 April 2008 | |
Venezuela | Venesat-1 | CAST | Chang Zheng 3B/E | Xichang | 29 October 2008 | ||
France
Afghanistan |
Eutelsat 48D / Afghansat 1 | EADS Astrium | Ariane 5ECA | Kourou | 20 December 2008 | Satellite leased to the Afghanistan Ministry of Communications and Information in January 2014 | |
Switzerland | SwissCube-1 | PSLV-CA | Satish Dhawan | 23 September 2009 | |||
Singapore | X-Sat | PSLV-C | Satish Dhawan | 20 April 2011 | |||
Isle of Man | ViaSat-1 | ViaSat-IOM, , Telesat-IOM | SS/Loral | Proton-M/Briz-M | Baikonur | 19 October 2011 | Isle of Man is a Crown Dependency of the British sovereign |
Hungary | MaSat-1[16] | BME | Vega | Kourou | 13 February 2012 | ||
Poland | PW-Sat[16] | Warsaw University of Technology, Space Research Centre | Deorbit on 28 October 2014 | ||||
Romania | Goliat[16] | ||||||
Belarus | [17][18] | Soyuz-FG/Fregat | Baikonur | 22 July 2012 | |||
North Korea | Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2[19] | KCST | Unha-3 | Sohae | 12 December 2012 | Failed to operate in orbit | |
Azerbaijan | Azerspace-1/Africasat-1a[20] | Orbital Sciences | Ariane 5ECA | Kourou | 7 February 2013 | Formerly part of the Soviet Union | |
Austria | TUGSAT-1/UniBRITE[21] | UTAIS | PSLV-CA | Satish Dhawan | 25 February 2013 | Austria's first two satellites were launched together | |
Bermuda | Bermudasat 1 (former EchoStar VI) |
SS/Loral | Atlas IIAS | Cape Canaveral | 14 July 2000 | Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory; Bermudasat 1 (former private American EchoStar VI) satellite was transferred in April 2013 to Bermuda being at orbit | |
Ecuador | NEE-01 Pegaso[22] | EXA | EXA | Chang Zheng 2D | Jiuquan | 26 April 2013 | |
Estonia | ESTCube-1 | Vega | Kourou | 7 May 2013 | Estonia was formerly occupied by the Soviet Union. | ||
Jersey | O3b-1/O3b-2/O3b-3/O3b-4 | O3b Networks | Thales Alenia Space | Soyuz-STB/Fregat-MT | Kourou | 25 June 2013 | Jersey's first four satellites were launched together. Jersey is a Crown Dependency of the British sovereign |
France Qatar |
Eutelsat 25B / Es'hail 1 | Eutelsat Es'hailSat |
SS/Loral | Ariane 5ECA | Kourou | 29 August 2013 | Qatar's first satellite flew as a joint project with the French corporation Eutelsat |
Qatar | Es'hail 1 | Es'hailSat | SS/Loral | Ariane 5ECA | Kourou | 29 August 2013 | Full ownership of the joint France-Qatar satellite Eutelsat 25B / Es'hail 1 was sold to Es'hailsat in 2018 [23] |
Peru | Dnepr | Dombarovsky | 21 November 2013 | ||||
Bolivia | Túpac Katari 1 | CAST | Chang Zheng 3B/E | Xichang | 20 December 2013 | ||
Lithuania | LitSat-1/Lituanica SAT-1 | Antares 120 | MARS LP-0A | 9 January 2014 | The first two Lithuanian satellites were launched together; both carried to the International Space Station and deployed later in the year. Lithuania was formerly occupied by the Soviet Union. | ||
Iraq | Tigrisat | / La Sapienza | La Sapienza | Dnepr | Dombarovsky | 19 June 2014 | |
Uruguay | ANTEL | UdelaR | |||||
Turkmenistan | TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSAT | TNSA | Alcatel | Falcon 9 | Cape Canaveral | 27 April 2015 | Formerly part of the Soviet Union. |
Laos | Laos National Authority for Science and Technology | CAST | Chang Zheng 3B/E | Xichang | 20 November 2015 | ||
Finland | Aalto University | Aalto University | Atlas V 401 | Cape Canaveral | 18 April 2017 | ||
Bangladesh | BRAC ONNESHA | BRACU | KIT | Falcon 9 Full Thrust | Kennedy | 3 June 2017 | Launched on same rocket as first Ghanaian and Mongolian satellites |
Ghana | GhanaSat-1 | All Nations University | Launched on same rocket as first Bangladeshi and Mongolian satellites | ||||
Mongolia | Mazaalai (satellite) | National University of Mongolia | Launched on same rocket as first Ghanaian and Bangladeshi satellites | ||||
Latvia | Ventspils University College | Ventspils University College | PSLV-CA | Satish Dhawan | 23 June 2017 | Formerly occupied by the Soviet Union, Launched on same rocket as first Slovakian satellite | |
Slovakia | SOSA | SOSA | Formerly part of Czechoslovakia, Launched on same rocket as first Latvian satellite | ||||
Angola | AngoSat 1 | AngoSat | RSC Energia | Zenit-3F / Fregat-SB | Baikonur | 26 December 2017 | Launch was successful but contact was lost quickly afterwards.[24] On 28 December 2017, communication was restored and telemetry was received.[25] |
New Zealand | Humanity Star | Rocket Lab | Rocket Lab | Electron | Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 | 21 January 2018 | First satellite launched by New Zealand launcher. |
Costa Rica | Proyecto Irazú | Costa Rica Institute of Technology | Costa Rica Institute of Technology | Falcon 9 | Cape Canaveral | 2 April 2018 | First satellite of Central America. Manufactured in Costa Rica.[26] |
Kenya | 1KUNS-PF | University of Nairobi | University of Nairobi | Launched on same rocket as first Costa Rican satellite. | |||
Bhutan | Bhutan 1 | Bhutanese students under Kyutech-led second Joint Global Multination Birds Project (Birds-2) | Kyushu Institute of Technology | Falcon 9 Full Thrust | Cape Canaveral | 29 June 2018 | |
Jordan | JY1-SAT | Jordanian students under the Crown Prince Foundation | Falcon 9 Full Thrust | Vandenberg | 3 December 2018 | ||
Nepal | NepaliSat-1 | NASA for Nepal Academy of Science and Technology | Kyushu Institute of Technology | Antares 230 | MARS LP0A | 17 April 2019 | |
Sri Lanka | Raavana 1 | Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies | Kyushu Institute of Technology | ||||
Rwanda | Rwandan engineers with support from the University of Tokyo | H-IIB | Tanegashima Space Center Yoshinobu Launch Complex | 24 September 2019 | |||
Sudan | Sudan Remote Sensing Satellite 1 () | Sudan | ISRA | Long March 4B | Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre LC-9 | 3 November 2019 | |
Ethiopia | Ethiopian Remote Sensing Satellite 1 (ETRSS-1) | Ethiopia | Ethiopia Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute | Long March 4B | Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre | 20 December 2019 | |
Guatemala | Universidad del Valle de Guatemala | Guatemala Students from the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala | Falcon 9 | Cape Canaveral SLC-40 | 7 March 2020 | ||
Slovenia | University of Maribor | University of Maribor | Vega | Kourou | 3 September 2020 | Launched on same rocket as first Monégasque satellite. | |
/ | |||||||
Monaco | Orbital Solutions Monaco | Launched on same rocket as first two Slovenian satellites. | |||||
Paraguay | GuaraniSat-1 | and Kyutech-led fourth Joint Global Multination Birds Project | Kyushu Institute of Technology | Antares 230 | MARS LP0A | 20 February 2021 | Launched on same rocket as first Myanmarese satellite. |
Myanmar | Myanmar Aerospace Engineering University | Hokkaido University / Myanmar Aerospace Engineering University | Launched on same rocket as first Paraguayan satellite. | ||||
Tunisia | Challenge-1 | Telnet Tunisie | Soyuz-2.1a / Fregat | Baikonur Site 31/6 | 22 March 2021 | ||
Kuwait | QMR-KWT | Orbital Space Kuwait | Orbital Space Kuwait | Falcon 9 | CCSFS SLC-40 | 30 June 2021 | |
Bahrain United Arab Emirates |
Light-1 | New York University Abu Dhabi | Engineers from Bahrain's space agency, NSSA, in collaboration with Khalifa University | SpaceX CRS-24 | CCSFS | 21 December 2021 | Bahrain's first satellite flew as a joint project with the UAE Space Agency |
Related[]
In addition, some countries have only attained a suborbital launch, and have yet to launch a satellite.
Country | Payload | Carrier rocket | Launch site | Date (UTC) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lebanon[27] | ARZ-3 | Ceadar-3 | Dbayeh | 21 November 1962 |
Yemen[28] | Warhead | Burkan-2 | Sa'dah | 4 November 2017 |
Croatia[29] | Postcard | New Shepard | Corn Ranch, Launch Site One | 11 December 2019 |
Sealand[30] | Postcard | New Shepard | Corn Ranch, Launch Site One | 13 October 2020 13:36 |
British Antarctic Territory[31] | Postcard | New Shepard | Corn Ranch, Launch Site One | 14 January 2021 16:57 |
See also[]
- First satellites of countries
- Timeline of first orbital launches by country
- Timeline of spaceflight
References[]
- ^ a b c McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^ Zak, Anatoly. "Sputnik's Mission". RussianSpaceWeb. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
- ^ "Explorer 1". Milestones of Flight. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
- ^ "Timeline: 1960s". Space Research: 50 Years and Beyond. University of Leicester. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
- ^ "Alouette I and II". Canadian Space Agency. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
- ^ a b Russo, Arturo (2002). The Century of Space Science. Vol. 1. Springer. p. 52. ISBN 0-7923-7196-8.
- ^ Kramer, Herbert J. (2002). Observation of the Earth and Its Environment: Survey of Missions and Sensors. Springer. p. 160. ISBN 3-5404-2388-5.
- ^ Williamson, Mark (2006). Spacecraft Technology: The Early Years. Institution of Engineering and Technology. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-86341-553-1.
- ^ a b "ESA Achievements" (PDF). European Space Agency. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
- ^ "ELDO/ESRO/ESA: Key Dates 1960-2013". European Space Agency. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
- ^ "When did the first German satellite go into space?". DLR. 23 November 2009. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^ "Ohsumi". Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^ Long, Wei (25 April 2000). "China Celebrates 30th Anniversary Of First Satellite Launch". Space Daily. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "First Time in History". The Satellite Encyclopedia. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^ "Reflektor".
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c "Central and Eastern Europe Make History with Small Satellites". European Space Agency. 13 February 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "BKA (BelKa 2)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^ "Belarus' first satellite enters orbit". Xinhua. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^ Fisher, Max (12 December 2012). "Real-time satellite tracker shows precise location of North Korea's new satellite". Washington Post. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^ Agayev, Zulfugar (8 February 2013). "First Azeri Satellite Launched, Two More Planned in 2015-2016". Bloomberg. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^ "AUSTRIAN SATELLITES: BRITE-AUSTRIA & UniBRITE". BRITE-Constellation. Universität Wien. Archived from the original on 24 March 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^ Barbosa, Rui C. (26 April 2013). "China back in action with Long March 2D launch of Gaofen-1". NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^ "Es'hailSat Makes Deal with Eutelsat to Fully Own Satellite - Via Satellite -". Via Satellite. 10 August 2018.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "AngoSat 1". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
- ^ "Источник: со спутником "Ангосат" восстановлена связь". ТАСС.
- ^ "Costa Rica Launches Its First Satellite Into Space with SpaceX". The Costa Rica Star. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
- ^ "Cedre 3". astronautix. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Burkan 2H". astronautix. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "SPACE-FLOWN POSTCARDS".
Zagreb, HR
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Sealand stamps blasted into space". 13 November 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "NEW SHEPARD MISSION NS-14 CARRIES MORE THAN 50,000 POSTCARDS TO SPACE FROM 13 COUNTRIES". 14 January 2021.
British research station in Antarctica
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Categories:
- First artificial satellite of a country
- Spaceflight timelines