Home 1960 Spacecrafts
1959 Summary 1961 Summary
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Table of the 44 Spacecrafts Launched in 1960
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# Spacecraft Sponsor Launch Date Mission Type Categories
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1) Discoverer 9 / KH-1 U.S. National Re-
connaissance Office		 4 Feb 60 M Photo Surveillance USA, Fail,
2) Discoverer 10 / KH-1 U.S. National Re-
connaissance Office		 19 Feb 60 M Photo Surveillance USA, Fail,
3) Midas 1 U.S. Department 
of Defense		 26 Feb 60 M Missile Early Warning (1st) USA, Fail,
4) Pioneer 5 NASA / USAF 11 Mar 60 C Planetary Exploration
(1st Venus Attempt)		 USA,
5) Explorer S-46 / IE-B NASA 23 Mar 60 C Earth/Space Science USA, Fail,
6) Tiros 1 NASA 1 Apr 60 C Meteorology (1st) USA,
7) Transit 1B U.S. Navy 13 Apr 60 M Navigation (R&D) USA,
8) GRAB U.S. Navy 13 Apr 60 M Science & Technology
(Dummy of a GRAB Elint)		 USA,
9) Luna Soviet Union (Korolev's OKB-1) 15 Apr 60 C Planetary Exploration (Moon) USSR, Fail,
10) Discoverer 11 / KH-1 U.S. National Re-
connaissance Office		 15 Apr 60 M Photo Surveillance USA, Fail,
11) Luna Soviet Union (Korolev's OKB-1) 19 Apr 60 C Planetary Exploration (Moon) USSR, Fail,
12) Echo A-10 NASA 13 May 60 C Communications (R&D) (1st) USA, Fail,
13) Korabl Sputnik 1 Soviet Union (Korolev's OKB-1) 15 May 60 C Piloted Spaceship Test (1st) USSR, Fail,
14) Midas 2 U.S. Department
of Defense		 24 May 60 M Missile Early Warning USA, Fail,
15) Transit 2A U.S. Navy 22 Jun 60 M Navigation USA,
16) Solrad 1 / GRAB 1 U.S. Navy 22 Jun 60 M Electronic Intelligence (1st) USA,
17) Discoverer 12 / KH-1 U.S. National Re-
connaissance Office		 29 Jun 60 M Technology
(Recon Sat Prototype)		 USA, Fail,
18) Korabl Sputnik Soviet Union (Korolev's OKB-1) 28 Jul 60 C Piloted Spaceship Test USSR, Fail,
19) Mercury-Atlas 1 / MA-1 NASA 29 Jul 60 C Piloted Spaceship Test USA, Fail,
20) Discoverer 13 / KH-1 U.S. National Re-
connaissance Office		 10 Aug 60 M Technology
(Recon Sat Prototype)		 USA,
21) Echo 1 NASA 12 Aug 60 C Communications (R&D) USA,
22) Discoverer 14 / KH-1 U.S. National Re-
connaissance Office		 18 Aug 60 M Photo Surveillance USA,
23) Courier 1A U.S. DARPA 18 Aug 60 M Communications
(R&D)		 USA, Fail,
24) Korabl Sputnik 2 Soviet Union (Korolev's OKB-1) 19 Aug 60 C Piloted Spaceship Test USSR
25) Discoverer 15 / KH-1 U.S. National Re-
connaissance Office		 13 Sep 60 M Photo Surveillance USA, Fail,
26) Pioneer P-30 NASA 25 Sep 60 C Planetary Exploration (Moon) USA, Fail,
27) Courier 1B U.S. DARPA 4 Oct 60 M Communications USA,
28) Mars Soviet Union (Korolev's OKB-1) 10 Oct 60 C Planetary Exploration
(1st Mars Attempt)		 USSR, Fail,
29) Samos 1 U.S. National Re-
connaissance Office		 11 Oct 60 M Photo Surveillance USA, Fail,
30) Mars Soviet Union (Korolev's OKB-1) 14 Oct 60 C Planetary Exploration (Mars 1st) USSR, Fail,
31) Discoverer 16 / KH-1 U.S. National Re-
connaissance Office		 26 Oct 60 M Photo Surveillance USA, Fail,
32) Explorer 8 NASA 3 Nov 60 C Earth/Space Science USA,
33) Discoverer 17 / KH-1 U.S. National Re-
connaissance Office		 12 Nov 60 M Photo Surveillance USA,
34) Mercury-Redstone 1 / MR-1 NASA 21 Nov 60 C Piloted Spaceship Test USA, Fail,
35) Tiros 2 NASA 23 Nov 60 C Meteorology USA,
36) Transit 3A U.S. Navy 30 Nov 60 M Navigation USA, Fail,
37) Solrad 2 / GRAB 2 U.S. Navy 30 Nov 60 M Electronic Intelligence USA, Fail,
38) Korabl Sputnik 3 Soviet Union (Korolev's OKB-1) 1 Dec 60 C Piloted Spaceship Test USSR, Fail,
39) Explorer S-56 NASA 4 Dec 60 C Earth/Space Science USA, Fail,
40) Discoverer 18 / KH-2 U.S. National Re-
connaissance Office		 7 Dec 60 M Photo Surveillance USA,
41) Pioneer P-31 NASA/USAF 15 Dec 60 C Planetary Exploration (Moon) USA, Fail,
42) Mercury-Redstone 1A / MR-1A NASA 19 Dec 60 C Piloted Spaceship Test USA,
43) Discoverer 19 / RM 1 U.S. Department
of Defense		 20 Dec 60 M Science & Technology USA,
44) Korabl Sputnik Soviet Union (Korolev's OKB-1) 22 Dec 60 C Piloted Spaceship Test USSR, Fail,
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Table – Summary of 1960 Launches
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No. .. Soviet
Success		 Soviet 
failures*		 No.  .. American 
success		  T  American 
failures
1) . Luna Ye-3 #1 1) . M Discoverer 9
2) . Luna Ye-3 #2 2) . M Discoverer 10
3) Korabl Sputnik 1 . 3) . M Midas 1
4) . Korabl Sputnik 4) Pioneer 5 C .
5) Korabl Sputnik 2 . 5) . C Explorer S-46
6) . Mars / 1M #1 6) TIROS 1 C .
7) . Mars / 1M #2 7) Transit I-B M .
8) Korabl Sputnik 3 . 8) GREB/Grab Dummy M .
9) .. Korabl Sputnik 9) Discoverer 11 M .
10) . C Echo A-10
11) Midas 2 M .
12) Transit II-A M .
13) GREB/Grab #1 M .
14) . M Discoverer 12
15) . C Mercury-Atlas 1
16) Discoverer 13 M .
17) Echo 1 C .
18) Discoverer 14 M .
19) . M Courier 1A
20) . M Discoverer 15
21) . C Pioneer P-30
22) Courier 1B M .
23) . M Samos 1
24) . M Discoverer 16
25) Explorer 8 C .
26) Discoverer 17 M .
27) .. C Mercury-Redstone 1
28) TIROS 2 C .
29) . M Transit IIIA
30) . M GREB/Grab #2
31) . C Explorer S-56
32) Discoverer 18 M .
33) . C Pioneer P-31
34) Mercury-Redstone 1A C .
35) Discoverer 19 M .
Total 3 Soviet 
launch success		 6 Soviet 
launch failures*		 18 American 
launch success		 17 American launch 
failures
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33.3 % launch success (3 in 9)
(All civilian spacecraft)		 51.4 % launch success (18 in 35)
(13 Civilian, 22 Military)
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* . All Soviet failures were unknown at the time (except the two Mars failures); they were revealed only in the 1980s and 1990s.
T Civilian or Military spacecraft.
1959 Summary All Summaries 1961 Summary
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© Claude Lafleur, 2004-10, 2015 Mes sites web: claudelafleur.qc.ca