Timeline of space exploration - wikipedia Timeline of space exploration This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2017 ) This is for a timeline of space exploration including notable achievements and first accomplishments or major events in humanity 's exploration of outer space. Contents 1 1610 -- 1951 2 1957 -- 1959 3 1960 -- 1969 4 1970 -- 1980 5 1981 -- present 6 See also 7 References 8 External links 1610 -- 1951 Date Event leading to space exploration Country Researcher ( s ) 1610 First telescopic observation of the night sky : discovery of Jupiter 's moons, lunar craters and the phases of Venus. Republic of Venice Galileo Galilei 1687 Publication of the Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica England Sir Isaac Newton 1813 First exposition of the rocket equation based on Newton 's third law of motion : Treatise on the Motion of Rockets UK William Moore 1840 First clear telescopic photograph of another world : the Moon. United States John William Draper 1865 From the Earth to the Moon published. France Jules Verne 1898 The War of the Worlds published. This inspired Robert Goddard to investigate rocketry. UK H.G. Wells 1903 Inspired by the writings of Jules Verne, first serious work published that showed physical space exploration was theoretically possible : Исследование мировых пространств реактивными приборами ( The Exploration of Cosmic Space by Means of Reaction Devices ) Russia Konstantin Tsiolkovsky 1914 Goddard files for and is subsequently awarded U.S. patents on multistage and liquid - fueled rockets United States Robert H. Goddard 1919 Goddard 's widely influential paper `` A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes '' discussed solid - and liquid - fueled rocketry United States Robert H. Goddard 000000001923 - 12 - 15 - 0000 15 December 1923 Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen ( `` By Rocket into Planetary Space '' ) self - published after its rejection as a doctoral thesis. Germany Hermann Oberth 1924 Society for Studies of Interplanetary Travel founded USSR Members include Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Friedrich Zander, Yuri Kondratyuk 000000001926 - 03 - 16 - 0000 16 March 1926 Goddard launches the first liquid - fueled rocket United States Robert H. Goddard 1927 Verein für Raumschiffahrt ( Society for Space Travel ) formed ; it includes many top European rocket scientists. Germany 1927 Завоевание межпланетных пространств ( The Conquest of Interplanetary Space ) discusses rocket mechanics and orbital effects including the gravitational slingshot USSR Yuri Kondratyuk 1928 Das Problem der Befahrung des Weltraums -- der Raketen - Motor ( The Problem of Space Travel -- The Rocket Motor ) discusses space travel and its potential uses for scientific experiments. Germany Herman Potočnik 1929 Oberth, with students including Wernher von Braun, launches his first liquid - fueled rocket Germany Hermann Oberth 1931 First German military liquid - fueled rocket engines developed Germany Walter Riedel 1933 Work begins on the Aggregate series of rockets which leads to the V - 2 rocket. Germany Wernher von Braun Group for the Study of Reactive Motion ( GIRD ) launches the first Soviet liquid - fueled rocket USSR Sergey Korolev ( group leader ), Friedrich Zander ( designer ) 1935 Graduate student Frank Malina under his professor Theodore von Kármán begins work on a sounding rocket United States Frank Malina 000000001935 - 11 - 11 - 0000 11 November 1935 The Explorer II balloon takes two people to 22,066 metres ( 72,395 ft ), where they observe and photograph the curvature of the Earth. United States Albert W. Stevens and Orvil A. Anderson 000000001944 - 06 - 20 - 0000 20 June 1944 V - 2 Rocket ( MW 18014 ) : First man - made object to cross what would later be defined as the Kármán line and hence first spaceflight in history. Germany Wehrmacht 000000001946 - 05 - 10 - 0000 10 May 1946 First space research flight ( cosmic radiation experiments ) United States captured and improved V - 2 rocket 000000001946 - 05 - 22 - 0000 22 May 1946 First U.S. - designed rocket to reach edge of space ( 80 km ( 49 mi ) ) United States WAC Corporal 000000001946 - 10 - 24 - 0000 24 October 1946 First pictures of Earth from 105 km ( 65 mi ) United States V - 2 20 February 1947 First animals in space ( fruit flies ) United States V - 2 22 July 1951 First dogs in space ( Dezik and Tsygan ) USSR R - 1 1957 -- 1959 Date Mission achievements Country / organization Mission name 000000001957 - 08 - 21 - 0000 21 August 1957 First intercontinental ballistic missile ( ICBM ) USSR R - 7 Semyorka / SS - 6 Sapwood 000000001957 - 10 - 04 - 0000 4 October 1957 First artificial satellite First signals from space USSR Sputnik 1 000000001957 - 11 - 03 - 0000 3 November 1957 First animal in orbit, the dog Laika USSR Sputnik 2 000000001958 - 01 - 31 - 0000 31 January 1958 Confirmed the existence of the Van Allen belts USA ( ABMA ) Explorer 1 000000001959 - 01 - 02 - 0000 2 January 1959 First firing of a rocket in Earth orbit First reaching Earth escape velocity or Trans Lunar Injection First detection of solar wind USSR Luna 1 000000001959 - 01 - 04 - 0000 4 January 1959 First artificial satellite to reach the Moon vicinity and first artificial satellite in heliocentric orbit USSR Luna 1 000000001959 - 08 - 07 - 0000 7 August 1959 First photograph of Earth from orbit USA ( NASA ) Explorer 6 000000001959 - 09 - 13 - 0000 13 September 1959 First impact into another world ( the Moon ) First delivery of national ( USSR ) pennants to a celestial body USSR Luna 2 000000001959 - 10 - 04 - 0000 4 October 1959 First photos of another world from space : The far side of the Moon USSR Luna 3 1960 -- 1969 Date Mission success Country / organization Mission name 000000001960 - 03 - 01 - 0000 March 1960 First solar probe. USA ( NASA ) Pioneer 5 000000001960 - 08 - 19 - 0000 19 August 1960 First plants and animals to return alive from Earth orbit USSR Sputnik 5 000000001960 - 10 - 10 - 0000 10 October 1960 First probe launched to Mars ( failed to reach target ) USSR Mars 1M 000000001961 - 01 - 31 - 0000 31 January 1961 First Hominidae in space, first tasks performed in space ; Ham ( chimpanzee ). USA ( NASA ) M-R 2 000000001961 - 02 - 12 - 0000 12 February 1961 First launch from Earth orbit of upper stage into a heliocentric orbit First mid-course corrections First spin - stabilisation USSR Venera 1 000000001961 - 04 - 12 - 0000 12 April 1961 First human spaceflight ( Yuri Gagarin ) First human - crewed orbital flight USSR Vostok 1 000000001961 - 05 - 05 - 0000 5 May 1961 First human - piloted space flight ( Alan Shepard ) First human - crewed suborbital flight First human space mission that landed with pilot still in spacecraft, thus the first complete human spaceflight by FAI definitions. USA Freedom 7 000000001961 - 05 - 19 - 0000 19 May 1961 First planetary flyby ( within 100,000 km of Venus -- no data returned ) USSR Venera 1 000000001962 - 03 - 07 - 0000 7 March 1962 First orbital solar observatory USA ( NASA ) OSO - 1 000000001962 - 04 - 26 - 0000 26 April 1962 First spacecraft to impact the far side of the Moon USA ( NASA ) Ranger 4 000000001962 - 11 - 01 - 0000 November 1962 First Mars flyby ( 11,000 km ) but contact was lost USSR Mars 1 000000001962 - 12 - 14 - 0000 14 December 1962 First successful planetary flyby ( Venus closest approach 34,773 kilometers ) USA ( NASA ) Mariner 2 000000001963 - 06 - 16 - 0000 16 June 1963 First woman in space ( Valentina Tereshkova ) USSR Vostok 6 000000001963 - 07 - 19 - 0000 19 July 1963 First reusable crewed spacecraft ( suborbital ) USA ( NASA ) X-15 Flight 90 000000001965 - 03 - 18 - 0000 18 March 1965 First extra-vehicular activity ( Alexei Leonov ) USSR Voskhod 2 000000001965 - 03 - 01 - 0000 March 1965 First crewed spacecraft to change orbit USA ( NASA ) Gemini 3 000000001965 - 07 - 14 - 0000 14 July 1965 First Mars flyby ( closest approach 9,846 kilometers ; returned pictures ) USA ( NASA ) Mariner 4 000000001965 - 07 - 14 - 0000 14 July 1965 First close - up photographs of another planet : Mars USA ( NASA ) Mariner 4 000000001965 - 12 - 15 - 0000 15 December 1965 First orbital rendezvous ( parallel flight, no docking ) USA ( NASA ) Gemini 6A / Gemini 7 000000001966 - 02 - 03 - 0000 3 February 1966 First soft landing on another world ( the Moon ) First photos from another world USSR Luna 9 000000001966 - 03 - 01 - 0000 1 March 1966 First impact into another planet ( Venus ) USSR Venera 3 000000001966 - 03 - 16 - 0000 16 March 1966 First orbital docking between two spacecraft USA ( NASA ) Gemini 8 / Agena target vehicle 000000001966 - 04 - 03 - 0000 3 April 1966 First artificial satellite around another world ( the Moon ) USSR Luna 10 000000001966 - 08 - 01 - 0000 August 1966 First probe to map the Moon USA Lunar Orbiter 1 000000001967 - 10 - 30 - 0000 30 October 1967 First automated ( crewless ) docking USSR Cosmos 186 / Cosmos 188 000000001968 - 09 - 01 - 0000 September 1968 First animals and plants to orbit moon, and the first to return safely to Earth USSR Zond 5 000000001968 - 12 - 07 - 0000 7 December 1968 First orbital ultraviolet observatory USA ( NASA ) OAO - 2 000000001968 - 12 - 21 - 0000 21 December 1968 First piloted orbital mission of another celestial body ( Moon ), First - ever Trans - Earth injection First human space mission to escape Earth 's influence ( 25 December ) USA ( NASA ) Apollo 8 000000001969 - 01 - 01 - 0000 January 1969 First docking between two crewed spacecraft in Earth orbit, also the first crew exchange in space USSR Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 000000001969 - 01 - 01 - 0000 January 1969 First to parachute in Venus 's atmosphere, lost contact before landing. USSR Venera 5 000000001969 - 07 - 20 - 0000 20 July 1969 First human on the Moon, and first space launch from a celestial body other than the Earth First sample return from the Moon USA ( NASA ) Apollo 11 000000001969 - 08 - 04 - 0000 August 4, 1969 First photograph of Phobos from Space USA ( NASA ) Mariner 7 000000001969 - 11 - 19 - 0000 19 November 1969 First rendezvous on the surface of a celestial body USA ( NASA ) Apollo 12 / Surveyor 3 1970 -- 1980 Date Mission success Country / organization Mission name 000000001970 - 09 - 24 - 0000 24 September 1970 First automatic sample return from the Moon USSR Luna 16 000000001970 - 11 - 17 - 0000 17 November 1970 First lunar rover USSR Lunokhod 1 000000001970 - 12 - 12 - 0000 12 December 1970 First X-ray orbital observatory USA ( NASA ) Uhuru ( satellite ) 000000001970 - 12 - 15 - 0000 15 December 1970 First soft landing on another planet ( Venus ) First signals from another planet USSR Venera 7 000000001971 - 04 - 19 - 0000 19 April 1971 First space station USSR Salyut 1 000000001971 - 06 - 01 - 0000 June 1971 First Manned orbital observatory USSR Orion 1 000000001971 - 11 - 14 - 0000 14 November 1971 First to maintain orbit around another planet ( Mars ) USA ( NASA ) Mariner 9 000000001971 - 11 - 27 - 0000 27 November 1971 First impact into Mars USSR Mars 2 000000001971 - 12 - 02 - 0000 2 December 1971 First soft Mars landing First signals from Mars surface USSR Mars 3 000000001972 - 03 - 03 - 0000 3 March 1972 First human made object sent on escape trajectory away from the Sun USA ( NASA ) Pioneer 10 000000001972 - 07 - 15 - 0000 15 July 1972 First mission to enter the asteroid belt and leave inner Solar System USA ( NASA ) Pioneer 10 000000001972 - 11 - 15 - 0000 15 November 1972 First orbital gamma ray observatory USA ( NASA ) SAS 2 000000001973 - 12 - 03 - 0000 3 December 1973 First Jupiter flyby ( at 130,000 km ) USA ( NASA ) Pioneer 10 000000001974 - 02 - 05 - 0000 5 February 1974 Venus flyby at 5768 kilometers, first gravitational assist manoeuvre First photograph of Venus from Space USA ( NASA ) Mariner 10 000000001974 - 03 - 29 - 0000 29 March 1974 First Mercury flyby at 703 kilometers USA ( NASA ) Mariner 10 000000001975 - 07 - 15 - 0000 15 July 1975 First multinational manned mission USSR USA ( NASA ) Apollo - Soyuz Test Project 000000001975 - 10 - 20 - 0000 20 October 1975 First orbit around Venus USSR Venera 9 000000001975 - 10 - 22 - 0000 22 October 1975 First photos from the surface of another planet ( Venus ) USSR Venera 9 000000001976 - 04 - 17 - 0000 17 April 1976 Closest flyby of the Sun ( 43.432 million kilometers ) Maximum speed record among spacecraft ( 252,792 km / h ) USA ( NASA ) West Germany ( DFVLR ) Helios 2 000000001976 - 07 - 20 - 0000 20 July 1976 First photos and soil samples from the surface of Mars USA ( NASA ) Viking Lander 000000001978 - 01 - 26 - 0000 26 January 1978 First real time remotely operated ultraviolet orbital observatory USA ( NASA ) ESA UK ( SERC ) International Ultraviolet Explorer 000000001978 - 12 - 04 - 0000 4 December 1978 First extended ( multi-year ) orbital exploration of Venus from 1978 to 1992 USA ( NASA ) Pioneer Venus Orbiter 000000001979 - 03 - 05 - 0000 5 March 1979 Jupiter flyby ( closest approach 349,000 km ) encounters with Five Jovian moons, discovery of volcanism on Io USA ( NASA ) Voyager 1 000000001979 - 09 - 01 - 0000 1 September 1979 First Saturn flyby at 21,000 km, first photographs of Titan from Space USA ( NASA ) Pioneer 11 000000001980 - 11 - 12 - 0000 12 November 1980 Saturn flyby ( closest approach 124,000 kilometers ), close encounter of Titan and encounters with a dozen others. USA ( NASA ) Voyager 1 1981 -- present Date Mission success Country / organization Mission name 000000001981 - 04 - 12 - 0000 12 April 1981 First Reusable manned spacecraft ( orbital ) USA ( NASA ) STS - 1 000000001982 - 03 - 01 - 0000 1 March 1982 First Venus soil samples and sound recording of another world USSR Venera 13 000000001983 - 01 - 25 - 0000 25 January 1983 First Infrared orbital observatory USA ( NASA ) UK ( SERC ) Netherlands ( NIVR ) IRAS 000000001983 - 06 - 13 - 0000 13 June 1983 First spacecraft beyond the orbit of Neptune ( first spacecraft to pass beyond all Solar System planets ) USA ( NASA ) Pioneer 10 000000001984 - 02 - 07 - 0000 7 February 1984 First untethered spacewalk, Bruce McCandless II USA ( NASA ) STS - 41 - B 000000001986 - 01 - 24 - 0000 24 January 1986 First Uranus flyby ( closest approach 81,500 kilometers ( 44,000 nmi ) USA ( NASA ) Voyager 2 000000001986 - 01 - 28 - 0000 28 January 1986 First major American space loss, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, an explosion soon after liftoff which killed, among others, Christa McAuliffe, a high school teacher USA ( NASA ) STS - 51 - L 000000001986 - 02 - 19 - 0000 19 February 1986 First consistently inhabited long - term research space station USSR Mir 000000001989 - 08 - 08 - 0000 8 August 1989 First astrometric satellite ESA Hipparcos 000000001989 - 08 - 25 - 0000 25 August 1989 First Neptune flyby ( closest approach at 29,240 km ) USA ( NASA ) Voyager 2 000000001989 - 11 - 18 - 0000 18 November 1989 First orbital cosmic microwave observatory USA ( NASA ) COBE 000000001990 - 02 - 14 - 0000 14 February 1990 First photograph of the whole Solar System USA ( NASA ) Voyager 1 000000001990 - 04 - 24 - 0000 24 April 1990 Optical orbital observatory USA ( NASA ) ESA Hubble Space Telescope 000000001990 - 09 - 15 - 0000 15 September 1990 Extended ( multi-year ) orbital exploration of Venus USA ( NASA ) Magellan 000000001991 - 10 - 21 - 0000 21 October 1991 First asteroid flyby ( 951 Gaspra closest approach 1,600 kilometers ) USA ( NASA ) Galileo 000000001992 - 02 - 08 - 0000 8 February 1992 First polar orbit around the Sun USA ( NASA ) ESA Ulysses 000000001995 - 03 - 22 - 0000 22 March 1995 Record longest duration spaceflight ( 437.7 days ) set by Valeri Polyakov Russia ( FKA ) Mir 000000001995 - 12 - 07 - 0000 7 December 1995 First orbit of Jupiter USA ( NASA ) Galileo 000000001995 - 12 - 07 - 0000 7 December 1995 First mission into the atmosphere of a gas giant ( Jupiter ) USA ( NASA ) Galileo 's atmospheric entry probe 000000001997 - 02 - 12 - 0000 12 February 1997 First orbital radio observatory Japan ( ISAS ) HALCA 000000001997 - 07 - 04 - 0000 4 July 1997 First operational rover on another planet ( Mars ) USA ( NASA ) Mars Pathfinder 000000001998 - 11 - 20 - 0000 20 November 1998 First multinational space station, Largest man - made object built in space to date Russia ( FKA ) USA ( NASA ) Europe ( ESA ) Japan ( JAXA ) Canada ( CSA ) International Space Station 000000002000 - 02 - 14 - 0000 14 February 2000 First orbiting of an asteroid ( 433 Eros ) USA ( NASA ) ESA NEAR Shoemaker 000000002001 - 02 - 12 - 0000 12 February 2001 First landing on an asteroid ( 433 Eros ) USA ( NASA ) NEAR Shoemaker 000000002004 - 07 - 01 - 0000 1 July 2004 First orbit of Saturn USA ( NASA ) ESA Italy ( ASI ) Cassini -- Huygens 000000002004 - 09 - 08 - 0000 8 September 2004 First sample return beyond lunar orbit ( solar wind ) USA ( NASA ) Genesis 000000002005 - 01 - 14 - 0000 14 January 2005 First soft landing on Titan ESA USA ( NASA ) Italy ( ASI ) Cassini -- Huygens 000000002005 - 11 - 19 - 0000 19 November 2005 First asteroid ascent ( 25143 Itokawa ) First interplanetary escape without undercarriage cutoff Japan ( JAXA ) Hayabusa 000000002006 - 01 - 15 - 0000 15 January 2006 First sample return from comet ( 81P / Wild ) USA ( NASA ) Stardust 000000002009 - 03 - 06 - 0000 6 March 2009 Kepler Mission is launched, first space telescope designated to search for Earth - like exoplanets USA ( NASA ) Kepler Mission 000000002010 - 06 - 13 - 0000 13 June 2010 First sample return from asteroid ( 25143 Itokawa ) Japan ( JAXA ) Hayabusa 000000002011 - 03 - 18 - 0000 18 March 2011 First orbit of Mercury USA ( NASA ) MESSENGER 000000002011 - 07 - 16 - 0000 16 July 2011 First orbit of giant asteroid Vesta USA ( NASA ) Dawn 000000002012 - 08 - 25 - 0000 25 August 2012 First manmade probe in interstellar space. USA ( NASA ) Voyager 1 000000002014 - 11 - 12 - 0000 12 November 2014 First man - made probe to make a planned and soft landing on a comet ( 67P / Churyumov -- Gerasimenko ). ESA Rosetta 000000002015 - 03 - 06 - 0000 6 March 2015 First orbit of dwarf planet ( Ceres ). First spacecraft to orbit two separate celestial bodies. USA ( NASA ) Dawn 000000002015 - 07 - 01 - 0000 July 2015 First flyby of dwarf planet ( Pluto ). Last original encounter with one of the nine major planets recognized in 1981. USA ( NASA ) New Horizons 000000002015 - 08 - 10 - 0000 10 August 2015 Lettuce was the first food eaten that was grown in space. USA ( NASA ) Japan ( JAXA ) International Space Station 000000002015 - 12 - 21 - 0000 21 December 2015 The first propulsive landing for an orbital rocket. USA ( SpaceX ) Falcon 9 first - stage landing tests Project Vanguard was transferred from the NRL to NASA in late 1958. See also Discovery and exploration of the Solar System Timeline of Solar System exploration Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes Timeline of space travel by nationality References ^ Jump up to : `` Chronology : Cowboys to V - 2s to the Space Shuttle to lasers ''. Wsmr.army.mil. Retrieved 4 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2014 - 02 - 21. Retrieved 2013 - 01 - 17. Jump up ^ `` Part 1 ''. History.nasa.gov. Retrieved 4 August 2017. Jump up ^ Asif Siddiqi, Sputnik and the Soviet Space Challenge, University Press of Florida, 2003, ISBN 081302627X, p. 96 Jump up ^ `` Geek Trivia : A leap of fakes ''. Techrepublic.com. Retrieved 18 August 2016. Jump up ^ `` Discussion ''. Space Policy. 14 ( 1 ) : 6. 1998 - 02 - 01. doi : 10.1016 / S0265 - 9646 ( 97 ) 00038 - 6. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2009 - 03 - 31. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 21. Jump up ^ `` NASA launches Kepler Mission : Search for Earth - like worlds ''. Spacechornology.com. Archived from the original on 22 January 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2017. Jump up ^ Chang, Kenneth ( November 12, 2014 ). `` European Space Agency 's Spacecraft Lands on Comet 's Surface ''. The New York Times. Retrieved November 12, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Meals Ready to Eat : Expedition 44 Crew Members Sample Leafy Greens Grown on Space Station ''. Nasa. 7 July 2015. External links Chronology of Space Exploration archive of important space exploration missions and events, including future planned and proposed endeavors Manned spaceflight 1961 - 1980 Manned spaceflight chronology History of manned space missions Timeline of the Space Race / Moon Race Chronology : Moon Race at russianspaceweb.com Exploration of the Solar System Timeline of Solar System exploration Exploration of Mercury Venus Moon Mars Ceres Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto Artificial objects On extra-terrestrial surfaces Moon Venus Mars In space Heliocentric orbit Leaving the Solar System Lists Solar System probes Landings on extraterrestrial bodies Objects at Lagrangian points Space exploration outline timeline Spaceflight lists and timelines Timeline of spaceflight General Space exploration outline timeline Spaceflight records Space Race Asian Space Race Rocket and missile technology Human spaceflight General Manned spacecraft timeline Spaceflights 1961 -- 70 1971 -- 80 1981 -- 90 1991 -- 2000 2001 -- 10 2011 -- present by program Soviet Russian Vostok Soyuz Mercury Gemini Apollo Skylab Shenzhou Spacelab Salyut Expeditions Spaceflights manned unmanned Spacewalks Visitors Mir Expeditions Spaceflights manned unmanned Spacewalks Visitors ISS Expeditions Spaceflights manned unmanned Spacewalks Visitors Shuttle Crews Missions timeline Rollbacks People Astronauts by name by year of selection by first flight Apollo Gemini Chinese European Cosmonauts female Jewish Muslim Arab African - American Space travelers by name Space travelers by nationality timeline EVA 1965 -- 1999 2000 -- 2014 2015 -- present Cumulative spacewalk records Spacewalkers Solar System exploration Timeline Interplanetary voyages Landings on other planets artificial objects Objects at Lagrangian points Probes active leaving the Solar System lunar probes Missions to the Moon Timeline of satellites Sample - return mission Mars Earth - orbiting satellites Climate research Communications satellite firsts CubeSats PocketQube Earth observation satellites timeline Geosynchronous orbit GOES Kosmos Magnetospheric NRO TDRS USA Vehicles Orbital launch systems Comparison Sounding rockets Spacecraft unmanned manned Upper stages Launches by rocket type Ariane Atlas Black Brant Falcon 9 and Heavy H-I and H - II Long March Proton PSLV R - 7 ( including Semyorka, Molniya, Vostok, Voskhod and Soyuz ) Scout Thor and Delta Titan V - 2 tests Zenit Launches by spaceport Satish Dhawan Agencies, companies and facilities Communications satellite companies comparison Private spaceflight companies Rocket launch sites Space agencies Spacecraft manufacturers Other mission lists and timelines First orbital launches by country NASA missions Constellation missions Timeline of private spaceflight Timeline of longest spaceflights Exploration and explorers by nation or region Explorers by country Chinese French Italian Portuguese Spanish Romanian Russian Explorers by type Circumnavigators Climbers Desert Polar explorers Ocean Deep - sea Undersea explorers Seafarers Space travelers Exploration by region Asia Europeans in Tibet Central Asia Africa Australia Interior Americas Prehistoric North America Europeans in the Americas Pacific Polynesians Polar Arctic Antarctica Exploration timelines Chinese exploration European exploration Age of Discovery Europeans in Asia Space exploration Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Timeline_of_space_exploration&oldid=835554438 '' Categories : Spaceflight timelines Space exploration Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from April 2017 All articles needing additional references Articles containing Russian - language text Articles containing German - language text Talk Contents About Wikipedia বাংলা Deutsch Ελληνικά Français Italiano 日本 語 Português Română Suomi Svenska தமிழ் 5 more Edit links This page was last edited on 9 April 2018, at 11 : 55. 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Question: when did space exploration began in the us
Answer: 1840