# 1975 in spaceflight

In 1975, several notable events occurred in spaceflight, including the launches of Venera 9 and 10 and their Venus arrivals, the launches of the Viking Mars missions, the joint American-Soviet Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (ASTP), the failure of Soyuz 7K-T 39, and the launch of Aryabhatta, India's first satellite.
* The Venera 9 mission was launched 8 June 1975 and on 20 October 1975 became the first spacecraft to orbit Venus; two days later its lander returned the first images from the surface of any planet (other than Earth).
* Venera 10 was launched on 14 June 1975; it entered orbit of Venus on 23 October 1975 and its lander arrived on the surface of Venus on 25 October 1975. Both Venera 9 and Venera 10 returned various scientific observations of Venus and black-and-white television pictures from the planet's surface.
* Viking 1 was launched on 20 August 1975 and Viking 2 was launched 9 September 1975. This orbiter/lander mission was to photograph the surface of Mars in 1976.
* The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was a collaboration between the United States and the Soviet Union that saw an end to the space race. The mission was launched on 15 July 1975, with the Soyuz returning on 21 July and Apollo on 24 July.
* On 5 April, Soyuz 7K-T 39 aborted after the second and third stages failed to separate, with the crew pulling over 21 g on a ballistic reentry.
* On 19 April, the first Indian satellite, Aryabhatta, was launched on a Soviet Kosmos-3M.

## Launches

* ← Jan
* Feb
* Mar
* Apr
* May
* Jun
* Jul
* Aug
* Sep
* Oct
* Nov
* Dec →
| Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | Launch site | LSP | LSP |
| Date and time (UTC) | | Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome |
| Remarks ||||||
| January ||||||||
| 10 January 21:43:37 | Soyuz | Soyuz | | Baikonur Site 1/5 | Baikonur Site 1/5 | | |
| 10 January 21:43:37 | | Soyuz 17 | | Low Earth (Salyut 4) | Salyut expedition | 19 February 11:03 | Successful |
| Crewed flight with two cosmonauts, first mission to Salyut 4 ||||||
| 17 January 09:00 | Voskhod | Voskhod | | Baikonur Site 31/6 | Baikonur Site 31/6 | | |
| 17 January 09:00 | | Kosmos 702 (Zenit-2M/Gektor #54) | GRU | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 29 January | Successful |
| 21 January 11:04 | Kosmos-2 | Kosmos-2 | | Plesetsk Site 133/3 | Plesetsk Site 133/3 | | |
| 21 January 11:04 | | Kosmos 703 (DS-P1-Yu #74) | | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 20 November | Successful |
| 22 January 17:55 | Delta 2910 | Delta 2910 | Delta 107 | Vandenberg AFB SLC-2W | Vandenberg AFB SLC-2W | | |
| 22 January 17:55 | | Landsat 2 (ERTS B) | NASA | Sun-synchronous (SSO) | Earth observation | In orbit | Successful |
| 23 January 11:00 | Voskhod | Voskhod | | Plesetsk Site 41/1 | Plesetsk Site 41/1 | | |
| 23 January 11:00 | | Kosmos 704 (Zenit-4MK/Germes #35) | GRU | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 6 February | Successful |
| 28 January 12:05 | Kosmos-2 | Kosmos-2 | | Plesetsk Site 133/1 | Plesetsk Site 133/1 | | |
| 28 January 12:05 | | Kosmos 705 (DS-P1-Yu #75) | | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 18 November | Successful |
| 30 January 15:02 | Molniya-M/Blok 2BL | Molniya-M/Blok 2BL | | Plesetsk Site 41/1 | Plesetsk Site 41/1 | | |
| 30 January 15:02 | | Kosmos 706 (US-K #4) | | Molniya orbit | Missile early warning | In orbit | Successful |
| February ||||||||
| 5 February 13:15 | Kosmos-3M | Kosmos-3M | | Plesetsk Site 132/1 | Plesetsk Site 132/1 | | |
| 5 February 13:15 | | Kosmos 707 (Tselina-O #26) | | Low Earth | ELINT | 7 September 1980 | Successful |
| 6 February 04:49 | Molniya-M/Blok ML | Molniya-M/Blok ML | | Plesetsk Site 41/1 | Plesetsk Site 41/1 | | |
| 6 February 04:49 | | Molniya-2 12 | | Molniya orbit | Communications | 4 August 1985 | Successful |
| 6 February 16:35 | Diamant BP4 | Diamant BP4 | | Guiana Space Centre ELD | Guiana Space Centre ELD | CNES | CNES |
| 6 February 16:35 | | Starlette | CNES | Low Earth | Geodesy | In orbit | Successful |
| 6 February 22:04 | Delta 2914 | Delta 2914 | Delta 108 | Cape Canaveral SLC-17B | Cape Canaveral SLC-17B | USAF | USAF |
| 6 February 22:04 | | SMS-2 | NASA | Geostationary | Weather | In orbit | Successful |
| 12 February 03:30 | Kosmos-3M | Kosmos-3M | | Plesetsk Site 132/1 | Plesetsk Site 132/1 | | |
| 12 February 03:30 | | Kosmos 708 (Sfera #13) | | Low Earth | Geodesy | In orbit | Successful |
| 12 February 14:30 | Voskhod | Voskhod | | Plesetsk Site 41/1 | Plesetsk Site 41/1 | | |
| 12 February 14:30 | | Kosmos 709 (Zenit-4MK/Germes #36) | GRU | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 25 February | Successful |
| 20 February 23:35 | Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1A | Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1A | AC-33 | | | | |
| 20 February 23:35 | | Intelsat IV F-6 | Intelsat | Intended: Geostationary | Communications | 20 February | Launch failure |
| Error during booster separation caused a reset of the guidance computer, leading to the loss of control. Range safety sent the flight termination command at T+413 seconds. ||||||
| 24 February 05:25 | M-3C | M-3C | | Kagoshima Space Center LP-M | Kagoshima Space Center LP-M | ISAS | ISAS |
| 24 February 05:25 | | SRATS (Taiyo) | ISAS | Highly elliptical orbit | Ionosphere research | 29 June 1980 | Successful |
| 26 February 09:00 | Voskhod | Voskhod | | Baikonur Site 31/6 | Baikonur Site 31/6 | | |
| 26 February 09:00 | | Kosmos 710 (Zenit-4MK/Germes #37) | GRU | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 12 March | Successful |
| 14:01 28 February | Kosmos-3M | Kosmos-3M | | Plesetsk Site 132/2 | Plesetsk Site 132/2 | | |
| 14:01 28 February | | Kosmos 711 to 718 (Strela-1M × 8) | | Low Earth | Communications | In orbit | Successful |
| March ||||||||
| 10 March 04:41 | Titan III(34)B | Titan III(34)B | | Vandenberg AFB SLC-4W | Vandenberg AFB SLC-4W | USAF | USAF |
| 10 March 04:41 | | Jumpseat 4 (OPS 2439) | NRO | Molniya orbit | SIGINT | In orbit | Successful |
| 12 March 08:55 | Voskhod | Voskhod | | Baikonur Site 31/6 | Baikonur Site 31/6 | | |
| 12 March 08:55 | | Kosmos 719 (Zenit-4MK/Germes #38) | GRU | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 25 March | Successful |
| 21 March 06:50 | Soyuz-U | Soyuz-U | | Plesetsk Site 43/3 | Plesetsk Site 43/3 | | |
| 21 March 06:50 | | Kosmos 720 (Zenit-4MT/Orion #8) | GRU | Low Earth | Reconnaissance, test spacecraft | 3 April | Successful |
| 26 March 08:50 | Voskhod | Voskhod | | Plesetsk Site 41/1 | Plesetsk Site 41/1 | | |
| 26 March 08:50 | | Kosmos 721 (Zenit-2M/Gektor #55) and Nauka-5KSA 1L | GRU, AN SSSR | Low Earth | Reconnaissance, research | 7 April | Successful |
| Successful ||||||
| 27 March 08:00 | Voskhod | Voskhod | | Baikonur Site 31/6 | Baikonur Site 31/6 | | |
| 27 March 08:00 | | Kosmos 722 (Zenit-4MK/Germes #39) | GRU | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 9 April | Successful |
| 27 March 14:30 | Kosmos-3M | Kosmos-3M | | Plesetsk Site 132/1 | Plesetsk Site 132/1 | | |
| 27 March 14:30 | | Interkosmos 13 (DS-U2-IK #6) | Interkosmos | Low Earth | Radiation belts and upper atmosphere research | 2 September 1980 | Successful |
| Cooperative project of Czechoslovakia and the USSR ||||||
| April ||||||||
| 1 April 12:30 | Vostok-2M | Vostok-2M | | Plesetsk Site 41/1 | Plesetsk Site 41/1 | | |
| 1 April 12:30 | | Meteor-1 21 | | Low Earth | Weather | In orbit | Successful |
| 2 April 11:00 | Tsyklon-2 | Tsyklon-2 | | Baikonur Site 90/20 | Baikonur Site 90/20 | | |
| 2 April 11:00 | | Kosmos 723 (US-A #9) | | Low Earth | Radar ocean surveillance | In orbit | Successful |
| 5 April 11:04:54 | Soyuz | Soyuz | | Baikonur Site 1/5 | Baikonur Site 1/5 | | |
| 5 April 11:04:54 | | Soyuz 7K-T #39 | | Intended: Low Earth (Salyut 4) | Salyut expedition | 11:26 | Launch failure |
| Crewed flight with two cosmonauts, first and second core stages failed to separate, flight aborted and crew returned on suborbital trajectory ||||||
| 7 April 11:00 | Tsyklon-2 | Tsyklon-2 | | Baikonur Site 90/20 | Baikonur Site 90/20 | | |
| 7 April 11:00 | | Kosmos 724 (US-A #10) | | Low Earth | Radar ocean surveillance | In orbit | Successful |
| 8 April 18:29 | Kosmos-2 | Kosmos-2 | | Plesetsk Site 133/1 | Plesetsk Site 133/1 | | |
| 8 April 18:29 | | Kosmos 725 (DS-P1-Yu #76) | | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 6 January 1976 | Successful |
| 9 April 23:58:02 | Delta 1410 | Delta 1410 | | Vandenberg SLC-2W | Vandenberg SLC-2W | NASA | NASA |
| 9 April 23:58:02 | | GEOS-3 | NASA | Low Earth | Geodesy | In orbit | Successful |
| 19 April | Kosmos-3M | Kosmos-3M | | Kapustin Yar | Kapustin Yar | Interkosmos | Interkosmos |
| 19 April | | Aryabhatta | ISRO | Low Earth | X-ray astronomy, aeronomics, and solar physics studies | 11 February 1992 | Launch success, payload partial failure |
| First Indian satellite; payload failed 4–5 days after launch ||||||
| May ||||||||
| 7 May 22:45:01 | Scout F-1 | Scout F-1 | | San Marco mobile range, Kenya | San Marco mobile range, Kenya | CRS | CRS |
| 7 May 22:45:01 | | SAS 3 | NASA | Low Earth | X-ray astronomy | 9 April 1979 | Successful |
| 24 May 14:58:10 | Soyuz | Soyuz | | Baikonur Site 1/5 | Baikonur Site 1/5 | | |
| 24 May 14:58:10 | | Soyuz 18 | | Low Earth (Salyut 4) | Salyut expedition | 26 July 14:18 | Successful |
| Crewed flight with two cosmonauts, final mission to Salyut 4 ||||||
| June ||||||||
| 3 June 09:00 | Kosmos-3M | Kosmos-3M | | Kapustin Yar, Site 107/1 | Kapustin Yar, Site 107/1 | | |
| 3 June 09:00 | | DS-U3-IK #5 | Interkosmos | Intended: Low Earth | Solar radiation research | 3 June | Failure |
| 3 June 13:20 | Voskhod | Voskhod | | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 43/3 | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 43/3 | | |
| 3 June 13:20 | | Kosmos 742 (Zenit-4MK/Germes #43) | GRU | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 15 June | Successful |
| 5 June 01:37 | Molniya-M/Blok ML | Molniya-M/Blok ML | | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 41/1 | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 41/1 | | |
| 5 June 01:37 | | Molniya-1K 30 (Molniya-1K 37L) | | Molniya orbit | Communications | 25 September 1987 | Successful |
| 5 June 01:37 | | SRET [fr] 2 | CNES | Molniya orbit | Technology test | 10 July 1988 | Successful |
| 8 June 02:37 | Proton-K/Blok D | Proton-K/Blok D | | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 81/24 | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 81/24 | | |
| 8 June 02:37 | | Venera 9 (4V1 #1) orbiter | | Cytherocentric | Venus orbiter | In orbit | Successful |
| 8 June 02:37 | | Venera 9 (4V1 #1) lander | | Cytherocentric | Venus lander | 22 October 05:13 (on Venus) | Successful |
| First spacecraft to orbit Venus, first spacecraft to return images from the surface of another planet ||||||
| 8 June 18:30 | Titan IIID | Titan IIID | 3D-10 | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-4E | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-4E | US Air Force | US Air Force |
| 8 June 18:30 | | KH-9 10 (Hexagon, OPS 6381) | NRO | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 5 November | Successful |
| 8 June 18:30 | | P-226 1 (SSU 1, OPS 6381) | | Low Earth | ELINT | In orbit | Successful |
| 12 June 08:12 | Delta 2910 | Delta 2910 | Delta 111 | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-2W | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-2W | | |
| 12 June 08:12 | | Nimbus 6 | NASA, NOAA | Low Earth | Weather | In orbit | Successful |
| 12 June 12:30 | Soyuz-U | Soyuz-U | | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 43/3 | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 43/3 | | |
| 12 June 12:30 | | Kosmos 743 (Zenit-4MK/Germes #44) | GRU | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 25 June | Successful |
| 14 June 03:00 | Proton-K/Blok D | Proton-K/Blok D | | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 81/24 | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 81/24 | | |
| 14 June 03:00 | | Venera 10 (4V1 #2) orbiter | | Cytherocentric | Venus orbiter | In orbit | Successful |
| 14 June 03:00 | | Venera 10 (4V1 #2) lander | | Cytherocentric | Venus lander | 25 October 02:17 (on Venus) | Successful |
| 18 June 09:00 | Atlas SLV-3A Agena-D | Atlas SLV-3A Agena-D | 5506A | Cape Canaveral AFS, LC-13 | Cape Canaveral AFS, LC-13 | US Air Force | US Air Force |
| 18 June 09:00 | | Canyon 6 (AFP-827, OPS 4966) | NRO | High Earth orbit | SIGINT | In orbit | Successful |
| 20 June 06:54 | Vostok-2M | Vostok-2M | | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 41/1 | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 41/1 | | |
| 20 June 06:54 | | Kosmos 744 (Tselina-D #7) | | Low Earth | ELINT | 11 October 1991 | Successful |
| 11:43 21 June | Delta 1910 | Delta 1910 | Delta 112 | Cape Canaveral AFS, LC-17B | Cape Canaveral AFS, LC-17B | | |
| 11:43 21 June | | OSO 8 | NASA | Low Earth | Solar research, UV and X-ray astronomy | 9 July 1986 | Successful |
| 24 June 12:04 | Kosmos-2 | Kosmos-2 | | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 133/1 | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 133/1 | | |
| 24 June 12:04 | | Kosmos 745 (DS-P1-Yu #77) | | Low Earth | Radar calibration | 12 March 1976 | Successful |
| 25 June 12:59 | Voskhod | Voskhod | | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 43/3 | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 43/3 | | |
| 25 June 12:59 | | Kosmos 746 (Zenit-4MK/Germes #45) | GRU | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 9 July | Successful |
| 27 June 13:00 | Voskhod | Voskhod | | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 41/1 | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 41/1 | | |
| 27 June 13:00 | | Kosmos 747 (Zenit-2M/Gektor #58) | GRU | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 9 July | Successful |
| 27 June 13:00 | | Nauka-22KS 1L | | Low Earth | Hosted research payload | 9 July | Successful |
| July ||||||||
| 15 July 14:58:10 | Soyuz-U | Soyuz-U | | Baikonur Site 1/5 | Baikonur Site 1/5 | | |
| 15 July 14:58:10 | | Soyuz 19 | | Low Earth (Apollo) | International docking | 21 July 10:50 | Successful |
| Crewed flight with two cosmonauts, Soviet contribution to the Apollo Soyuz Test Project ||||||
| 15 July 19:50:01 | Saturn IB | Saturn IB | | Kennedy LC-39B | Kennedy LC-39B | NASA | NASA |
| 15 July 19:50:01 | | Apollo | NASA | Low Earth (Soyuz 19) | International docking | 24 July 21:18 | Successful |
| 15 July 19:50:01 | | DM-2 | NASA | Low Earth (Apollo) | Docking adaptor | 2 August | Successful |
| Crewed flight with three astronauts, American contribution to the Apollo Soyuz Test Project, final flight of the Apollo programme and the Saturn rocket ||||||
| 26 July 13:28 | Feng Bao 1 | Feng Bao 1 | | Jiquan Satellite Launch Center, LA-2B (Site 138) | Jiquan Satellite Launch Center, LA-2B (Site 138) | | |
| 26 July 13:28 | | JSSW 1 (CK 1) | | Low Earth | Unknown | 14 September | Successful |
| First successful orbital launch of Feng Bao 1. ||||||
| August ||||||||
| 20 August 21:22:00 | Titan IIIE | Titan IIIE | | Cape Canaveral LC-41 | Cape Canaveral LC-41 | | |
| 20 August 21:22:00 | | Viking 1 Orbiter | NASA | Areocentric | Mars orbiter | In orbit | Successful |
| 20 August 21:22:00 | | Viking 1 Lander | NASA | Areocentric | Mars lander | 20 July 1976 11:53:06 | Successful |
| Lander landed in Chryse Planitia, becoming the first US spacecraft to land on Mars. It operated until 11 November 1982 when communications were lost due to an erroneous command being sent to the spacecraft. Orbiter was deactivated on 17 August 1980. ||||||
| September ||||||||
| 9 September 05:30 | N-I | N-I | N1F | Tanegashima Space Center LP-N (LA-Y1) | Tanegashima Space Center LP-N (LA-Y1) | NASDA | NASDA |
| 9 September 05:30 | | ETS 1 (Kiku 1) | NASDA | Low Earth | Technology test | In orbit | Successful |
| First flight of N-I, first satellite launched by NASDA ||||||
| 9 September 18:39:00 | Titan IIIE | Titan IIIE | | Cape Canaveral LC-41 | Cape Canaveral LC-41 | | |
| 9 September 18:39:00 | | Viking 2 Orbiter | NASA | Areocentric | Mars orbiter | In orbit | Successful |
| 9 September 18:39:00 | | Viking 2 Lander | NASA | Areocentric | Mars lander | 3 September 1976 22:58:20 | Successful |
| Lander landed in Utopia Planitia and operated until its batteries failed on 11 April 1980. Orbiter was deactivated on 25 July 1978. ||||||
| 27 September 08:37 | Diamant BP4 | Diamant BP4 | | Guiana Space Centre ELD | Guiana Space Centre ELD | CNES | CNES |
| 27 September 08:37 | | Aura [fr] (D-2B) | CNES | Low Earth | Ultraviolet astronomy | 30 September 1982 | Successful |
| Last flight of Diamant ||||||
| October ||||||||
| 16 October 22:40:00 | Delta 2914 | Delta 2914 | | Cape Canaveral SLC-17B | Cape Canaveral SLC-17B | NASA | NASA |
| 16 October 22:40:00 | | GOES 1 | NOAA | Geostationary | Meteorology | In orbit | Successful |
| First operational geostationary weather satellite. Deactivated on 7 March 1985 ||||||
| November ||||||||
| 4 November 10:12 | Kosmos-3M | Kosmos-3M | | Plesetsk Comodrome, Site 132/1 | Plesetsk Comodrome, Site 132/1 | | |
| 4 November 10:12 | | Kosmos 778 (Parus #4) | | Low Earth | Navigation, data relay | In orbit | Successful |
| 4 November 15:19 | Voskhod | Voskhod | | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 43/3 | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 43/3 | | |
| 4 November 15:19 | | Kosmos 779 (Zenit-4MK/Germes #52) | GRU | Low Earth | Reconnaisance | 18 November | Successful |
| 14 November 19:13 | Molniya-M/Blok ML | Molniya-M/Blok ML | | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 43/3 | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 43/3 | | |
| 14 November 19:13 | | Molniya-3 3 (Molniya-3 13L) | | Molniya orbit | Communications | 19 November 2017 | Successful |
| 17 November 14:36:37 | Soyuz-U | Soyuz-U | | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 1/5 | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 1/5 | | |
| 17 November 14:36:37 | | Soyuz 20 | | Low Earth (Salyut 4) | Uncrewed test flight, biology | 16 February 1976 02:24 | Successful |
| Last Soyuz flight to the Salyut 4 station ||||||
| 20 November 02:06:48 | Delta 2910 | Delta 2910 | Delta 117 | Cape Canaveral AFS, LC-17B | Cape Canaveral AFS, LC-17B | US Air Force | US Air Force |
| 20 November 02:06:48 | | Explorer 55 (AE E) | NASA | Elliptical low Earth | Atmosphere research | 10 June 1981 | Successful |
| 21 November 09:20 | Voskhod | Voskhod | | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 31/6 | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 31/6 | | |
| 21 November 09:20 | | Kosmos 780 (Zenit-2M #62/Gektor #62) | GRU | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 3 December | Successful |
| 21 November 09:20 | | Nauka-20KS 2L | | Low Earth | Research | 3 December | Successful |
| 21 November 17:11 | Kosmos-3M | Kosmos-3M | | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 132/1 | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 132/1 | | |
| 21 November 17:11 | | Kosmos 781 (Tselina-O #28) | | Low Earth | ELINT | 26 November 1980 | Successful |
| 25 November 17:00 | Soyuz-U | Soyuz-U | | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 43/3 | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 43/3 | | |
| 25 November 17:00 | | Kosmos 782 (Bion #3) | Institute of Biomedical Problems | Low Earth | Biology | 15 December 04:48 | Successful |
| 26 November 03:27 | Long March 2A | Long March 2A | | Jiquan Satellite Launch Center, LA-2B (Site 138) | Jiquan Satellite Launch Center, LA-2B (Site 138) | MASI | MASI |
| 26 November 03:27 | | FSW-0 1 | | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 29 December | Successful |
| First successful launch of Long March 2. ||||||
| 28 November 00:10 | Kosmos-3M | Kosmos-3M | | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 132/1 | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 132/1 | | |
| 28 November 00:10 | | Kosmos 783 (Strela-2M #11) | | Low Earth | Communications | In orbit | Successful |
| December ||||||||
| 3 December 10:00 | Voskhod | Voskhod | | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 43/3 | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 43/3 | | |
| 3 December 10:00 | | Kosmos 784 (Zenit-2M/Gektor #63) | GRU | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 15 December | Successful |
| 3 December 10:00 | | Nauka-22KS 2L | | Low Earth | Hosted research payload | 15 December | Successful |
| 4 December 20:38 | Titan IIID | Titan IIID | 3D-10 | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-4E | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-4E | US Air Force | US Air Force |
| 4 December 20:38 | | KH-9 11 (Hexagon, OPS 4428) | NRO | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 1 April 1976 | Successful |
| 4 December 20:38 | | S3 2 (S73-6, OPS 5547) | STP | Elliptical low Earth | Research | 1 May 1978 | Successful |
| 6 December 03:35 | Scout-F1 | Scout-F1 | 196C | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-5 | Vandenberg AFB, SLC-5 | US Air Force | US Air Force |
| 6 December 03:35 | | DADE-A | | Intended: Low polar Earth | Atmosphere density research | 6 December | Failure |
| 6 December 03:35 | | DADE-B | | Intended: Low polar Earth | Atmosphere density research | 6 December | Failure |
| 11 December 17:00 | Kosmos-3M | Kosmos-3M | | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 132/1 | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 132/1 | | |
| 11 December 17:00 | | Interkosmos 14 (DS-U2-IK #7) | Interkosmos | | Magnetosphere, ionosphere, micrometeorites research | 27 February 1983 | Successful |
| Cooperative project of the Hungarian People's Republic, People's Republic of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and the USSR ||||||
| 12 December 12:45 | Tsyklon-2 | Tsyklon-2 | | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 90/19 | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 90/19 | | |
| 12 December 12:45 | | Kosmos 785 (US-A #11) | | Low Earth | Radar ocean surveillance | In orbit | Successful |
| 13 December 01:56 | Delta 3914 | Delta 3914 | Delta 118 | Cape Canaveral AFS, LC-17A | Cape Canaveral AFS, LC-17A | US Air Force | US Air Force |
| 13 December 01:56 | | Satcom 1 | RCA Americom | Geostationary | Communications | In orbit | Successful |
| Maiden flight of Delta 3914 ||||||
| 14 December 05:15 | Titan III(23)C | Titan III(23)C | 3C-29 | Cape Canaveral AFS, SLC-40 | Cape Canaveral AFS, SLC-40 | US Air Force | US Air Force |
| 14 December 05:15 | | DSP 5 (OPS 3165) | USAF | Geostationary | Missile early warning | In orbit | Successful |
| 16 December 09:19 | Feng Bao 1 | Feng Bao 1 | | Jiquan Satellite Launch Center, LA-2B (Site 138) | Jiquan Satellite Launch Center, LA-2B (Site 138) | | |
| 16 December 09:19 | | JSSW 2 (CK 2) | | Low Earth | Unknown | 27 January 1976 | Successful |
| 16 December 09:50 | Voskhod | Voskhod | | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 31/6 | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 31/6 | | |
| 16 December 09:50 | | Kosmos 786 (Zenit-4MK/Germes #53) | GRU | Low Earth | Reconnaissance | 29 December | Successful |
| 17 December 11:06 | Molniya-M/Blok ML | Molniya-M/Blok ML | | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 43/3 | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 43/3 | | |
| 17 December 11:06 | | Molniya-2 15 | | Molniya orbit | Communications | 28 June 1990 | Successful |
| 19 December 14:00 | Kosmos-3M | Kosmos-3M | | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 132/1 | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 132/1 | | |
| 19 December 14:00 | | DS-P1-M #7 | | Intended: Low Earth | ASAT target | 19 December | Failure |
| 22 December 02:08 | Molniya-M/Blok SO-L | Molniya-M/Blok SO-L | | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 31/6 | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 31/6 | | |
| 22 December 02:08 | | Prognoz 4 | | Highly elliptical orbit | Solar and magnetosphere research | 18 December 1977 | Successful |
| 22 December 13:00 | Proton-K/Blok DM | Proton-K/Blok DM | | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 81/24 | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 81/24 | | |
| 22 December 13:00 | | Raduga 1 (Gran 11L) | | Geostationary | Communications | In orbit | Successful |
| 25 December 19:00 | Vostok-2M | Vostok-2M | | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 41/1 | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 41/1 | | |
| 25 December 19:00 | | Meteor-1 23 | | Low Earth | Weather | In orbit | Successful |
| 27 December 10:22 | Molniya-M/Blok ML | Molniya-M/Blok ML | | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 43/3 | Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 43/3 | | |
| 27 December 10:22 | | Molniya-3 4 (Molniya-3 15L) | | Molniya orbit | Communications | 17 October 1986 | Successful |
* ← Jan
* Feb
* Mar
* Apr
* May
* Jun
* Jul
* Aug
* Sep
* Oct
* Nov
* Dec →

## Deep space rendezvous

| Date | Spacecraft | Event | Remarks |
| 16 March | Mariner 10 | 3rd flyby of Mercury | Closest approach: 327 kilometres (203 mi) |
| 20 October | Venera 9 | Cytherocentric orbit insertion | First orbiter of Venus |
| 22 October | Venera 9 lander | Venerian landing | Landed at 05:13 UTC; first images from Venus surface |
| 23 October | Venera 10 | Cytherocentric orbit insertion | |
| 25 October | Venera 10 lander | Venerian landing | Landed at 05:17 UTC |

## EVAs

| Start Date/Time | Duration | End Time | Spacecraft | Crew | Remarks |