1958 in spaceflight

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This is a list of spaceflights launched in 1958.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Launch Date/Time Rocket Launch
Site		 Launch Contractor Payload Operator Orbit Mission/
Function		 Re-Entry/
Destruction		 Outcome Remarks
January 28 Thor DM-18 LC-17A, Cape Canaveral US Air Force (none) N/A N/A IRBM Research & Development N/A Failure
February 1
03:47 GMT		 Juno I LC-26A, Cape Canaveral US Army / ARPA Explorer 1 US Army LEO Magnetosphere research March 31, 1970 Successful First American spacecraft in orbit
Discovered Van Allen belts
February 5
07:33 GMT		 Vanguard LC-18A, Cape Canaveral US Navy Vanguard 1B US Navy Intended: LEO Demonstrate orbital launch capability T+57 seconds Failure Loss of control
February 28 Thor DM-18 LC-17B, Cape Canaveral US Air Force (none) N/A N/A IRBM Research & Development N/A Failure
March 5
18:27 GMT		 Juno I LC-26A, Cape Canaveral US Army / ARPA Explorer 2 US Army Intended:LEO Magnetosphere research March 5, 1958 Failure Fourth stage failed to ignite
March 17
12:15 GMT		 Vanguard LC-18A, Cape Canaveral US Navy Vanguard 1 US Navy LEO Demonstrate orbital launch capability Still in orbit Successful Oldest spacecraft remaining in orbit
March 26
17:38 GMT		 Juno I LC-5, Cape Canaveral US Army / ARPA Explorer 3 US Army LEO Magnetosphere research June 27, 1958 Successful
April 19 Thor DM-18 LC-17B, Cape Canaveral US Air Force (none) N/A N/A IRBM Research & Development N/A Failure
April 23 Thor Able LC-17A, Cape Canaveral US Air Force 1 mouse US Air Force Sub-orbital Demonstrate re-entry capability T+150 seconds Failure Pump gearbox failure
Maiden flight of Thor-Able rocket.
April 27
09:01 GMT		 R-7 8A91 LC-1, Baikonur RVSN ISZ RVSN Intended: Low Earth Orbit Physical research T+88 seconds Failure LV disintegrated
April 29
02:53 GMT		 Vanguard LC-18A, Cape Canaveral US Navy Vanguard 2A US Navy Intended: LEO X-ray and environmental research 29 April 1958 Failure Third stage failed to ignite
May 15
03:46 GMT		 R-7 8A91 LC-1, Baikonur RVSN Sputnik 3 RVSN Low Earth Orbit Physical research April 6, 1960 Partially successful Launched with faulty recorder; only data transmitted directly was received
May 28
03:46 GMT		 Vanguard LC-18A, Cape Canaveral US Navy Vanguard 2B US Navy Intended: LEO X-ray and environmental research 28 May 1958 Failure Guidance malfunction
June 4 Thor DM-18 LC-18B, Cape Canaveral US Air Force (none) N/A N/A IRBM Research & Development N/A Successful
June 13 Thor DM-18 LC-17B, Cape Canaveral US Air Force (none) N/A N/A IRBM Research & Development N/A Successful
June 26
05:00 GMT		 Vanguard LC-18A, Cape Canaveral US Navy Vanguard 2C US Navy Intended: LEO X-ray and environmental research 26 June 1958 Failure Premature cutoff of second stage
July 10
02:30 GMT		 Thor Able LC-17A, Cape Canaveral US Air Force 1 mouse US Air Force Sub-orbital Demonstrate re-entry capability July 10, 1957 Successful
July 13 Thor DM-18 LC-17B, Cape Canaveral US Air Force (none) N/A N/A IRBM Research & Development N/A Successful
July 23 Thor Able LC-17A, Cape Canaveral US Air Force 1 mouse US Air Force Sub-orbital Demonstrate re-entry capability July 23, 1957 Successful
July 26
15:07 GMT		 Juno I LC-5, Cape Canaveral US Army / ARPA Explorer 4 US Army LEO Magnetosphere research October 23, 1959 Successful
July 26 Thor DM-18 LC-17B, Cape Canaveral US Air Force (none) N/A N/A IRBM Research & Development N/A Failure
August 6 Thor DM-18 LC-18B, Cape Canaveral US Air Force (none) N/A N/A IRBM Research & Development N/A Successful
August 17
12:18 GMT		 Thor Able LC-17A, Cape Canaveral US Air Force Pioneer 0 NASA Intended: Lunar flyby Lunar probe T+77 seconds Failure LV exploded
August 24
06:17 GMT		 Juno I LC-5, Cape Canaveral US Army / ARPA Explorer 5 US Army Intended: LEO Magnetosphere research August 24, 1958 Failure Collision between booster and second stage disrupted upper stage firing angle
September 23 Vostok 8K72 LC-1, Baikonur RVSN Luna 1958A RVSN Intended: Lunar impact Lunar probe T+93 seconds Failure LV breakup
September 26
15:38 GMT		 Vanguard LC-18A, Cape Canaveral US Navy Vanguard 2D US Navy Intended: LEO X-ray and environmental research 26 September 1958 Failure Insufficient thrust to reach orbit
October 11
08:45 GMT		 Thor Able LC-17A, Cape Canaveral US Air Force Pioneer 1 NASA Intended: Lunar flyby
Actual: LEO		 Lunar probe October 12, 1958 Failure Insufficient thrust to reach moon
October 11 Vostok 8K72 LC-1, Baikonur RVSN Luna 1958B RVSN Intended: Lunar impact Lunar probe T+104 seconds Failure LV exploded
November 5 Thor DM-18 LC-17B, Cape Canaveral US Air Force (none) N/A N/A IRBM Research & Development N/A Successful
November 8
07:30 GMT		 Thor Able LC-17A, Cape Canaveral US Air Force Pioneer 2 NASA Intended: Lunar flyby Lunar probe November 8, 1958 Failure Third stage failed to ignite
November 26 Thor DM-18 LC-17B, Cape Canaveral US Air Force (none) N/A N/A IRBM Research & Development N/A Successful
December 4 Vostok 8K72 LC-1, Baikonur RVSN Luna 1958C RVSN Intended: Lunar impact Lunar probe T+245 seconds Failure LV exploded
December 5 Thor DM-18 LC-18B, Cape Canaveral US Air Force (none) N/A N/A IRBM Research & Development N/A Successful
December 6
05:45 GMT		 Juno II LC-17A, Cape Canaveral US Air Force Pioneer 3 NASA Intended: Lunar flyby Lunar probe December 7, 1958 Failure First stage depleted propellant early; erroneous orbit injection angle
December 16 Thor DM-18 LC-17B, Cape Canaveral US Air Force (none) N/A N/A IRBM Research & Development N/A Successful
December 16
23:44 GMT		 Thor DM-18 LC-75-1-1, Vandenberg AFB US Air Force (none) N/A N/A IRBM Operational Test N/A Successful
December 18
23:02 GMT		 Atlas B LC-11, Cape Canaveral US Air Force Project SCORE ARPA LEO Comsat January 21, 1959 Successful First communications satellite
December 30 Thor DM-18 LC-18B, Cape Canaveral US Air Force (none) N/A N/A IRBM Research & Development N/A Successful


Preceded by
1957		 Timeline of spaceflight
1958		 Succeeded by
1959
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../1/9/5/1958_in_spaceflight.html"
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