# Timeline of space exploration

This is a timeline of space exploration which includes notable achievements, first accomplishments and milestones in humanity's exploration of outer space.
This timeline generally does not distinguish achievements by a specific country or private company, as it considers humanity as a whole. See otherwise the timeline of private spaceflight or look for achievements by each space agency.

## Pre-20th century

| Date | Event leading to space exploration | Country | Researcher(s) |
| 1610 | First telescopic observation of the night sky: discovery of the Galilean moons, lunar craters and the phases of Venus. | Venice | Galileo Galilei |
| 1668 | First reflecting telescope. | England | Isaac Newton |
| 1781 | First telescopic discovery of planet (Uranus). | Great Britain | William Herschel |
| 1801 | First discovery of asteroid (Ceres). | Sicily | Giuseppe Piazzi |
| 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 |
| 1845 | First proper observation of other galaxies which are termed "whirlpool nebulae". | UK | William Parsons |
| 1861 | A Journey Through Space makes first proposal of using rockets for space flight. | UK | William Leitch |
| 1895 | First proposal of space elevator. | Russia | Konstantin Tsiolkovsky |

## 1900–1956

| Date | Mission success | Country | Mission name | Ref(s). |
| 1903 | Publication of Exploration of the Universe with Rocket-Propelled Vehicles that showed physical space exploration was theoretically possible, including the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation, multi staged rockets and using liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen in liquid propellant | 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 | |
| 1917 | First observation of an extrasolar planet (exoplanet) round Van Maanen 2 although it is not recognised as such at the time. | Netherlands | Adriaan van Maanen | |
| 1919 | Goddard's widely influential paper "A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes" discussed solid- and liquid-fueled rocketry. | United States | Robert H. Goddard | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| January 1933 | British Interplanetary Society founded. | UK | Philip E. Cleator | |
| April 1933 | First detection of radio waves from an astronomical object. | United States | Karl Jansky | |
| September 1933 | Establishment of the Soviet rocket research lab Reactive Scientific Research Institute (RNII) by combining the Group for the Study of Reactive Motion (GIRD) with the Gas Dynamics Laboratory (GDL). | USSR | Key people Sergei Korolev & Valentin Glushko | |
| 20 June 1944 | First spaceflight in history. First human-made object in space (later defined as above the Kármán line). | Germany (Wehrmacht) | V-2 rocket (MW 18014) | |
| October 1945 | Article in Wireless World, "Extra-Terrestrial Relays — Can Rocket Stations Give Worldwide Radio Coverage?" makes first discussion of geostationary satellites as a means of communication. | UK | Arthur C. Clarke | |
| 10 May 1946 | First space research flight (cosmic radiation experiments). | United States | captured and improved V-2 rocket | |
| 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 | |
| 24 February 1949 | First two-stage liquid-fueled rocket, that sets a record altitude of 244 miles (393 km) (WAC Corporal missile mounted onto a V-2 rocket). | United States | Bumper-5 | |
| 14 June 1949 | First mammal in space (Albert II, a rhesus monkey). First primate in space. | United States | V-2 | |
| 22 July 1951 | First dogs in space (Dezik and Tsygan). First living organisms to fly in space and safely return. | USSR | Soviet space dogs | |
| 5 October 1954 | The composite image taken from specially modified cameras on-board an Aerobee sounding rocket produces the first color picture of Earth and the first detailed view of a tropical cyclone. | United States | Dr. Otto Berg's films | [8] [9] [10] |
| 20 September 1956 | First rocket to pass the thermopause and enter the exosphere. At 682 miles (1,098 km) altitude and 3,335 miles range, the 3-stage Jupiter-C breaks both records and achieves MACH 18 velocity. | United States | Jupiter-C | |

## 1957–1959

| Date | Mission achievements | Country/organization | Mission name |
| 4 October 1957 | First artificial satellite. First human-made signals from space. | USSR | Sputnik 1 |
| 3 November 1957 | First mammal in orbit, the dog Laika. | USSR | Sputnik 2 |
| 31 January 1958 | Confirmed existence of the Van Allen radiation belt. | USA (ABMA) | Explorer 1 |
| 17 March 1958 | First use of solar power in space. The oldest artificial object still in space. | USA (NRL) | Vanguard 1 |
| 4 January 1959 | First rocket to reach Earth escape velocity. First spacecraft to attempt to impact the Moon's surface. First artificial object in heliocentric orbit. First detection of solar wind. | USSR | Luna 1 |
| 17 February 1959 | First weather satellite. | USA (NRL) | Vanguard 2 |
| 7 August 1959 | First photograph of Earth from Earth orbit. | USA (NASA) | Explorer 6 |
| 13 September 1959 | First spacecraft to impact another celestial body (the Moon). First delivery of national pennants to a celestial body. | USSR | Luna 2 |
| 4 October 1959 | First photos of another world from space: the far side of the Moon. First gravity assist. | USSR | Luna 3 |

## 1960–1969

| Date | Mission success | Country/organization | Mission name |
| March 1960 | First solar probe. | USA (NASA) | Pioneer 5 |
| 19 August 1960 | First plants and animals to return alive from Earth orbit. | USSR | Sputnik 5 |
| 25 September 1960 | First rocket engine fired in space. | USA (NASA) | Pioneer P-30 |
| 31 January 1961 | First hominidae in space (chimpanzee Ham). First tasks performed in space. | USA (NASA) | M-R 2 |
| 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 |
| 12 April 1961 | First human spaceflight (Yuri Gagarin). First human-crewed orbital flight. | USSR | Vostok 1 |
| 5 May 1961 | First human-piloted space flight (Alan Shepard). First human-crewed suborbital flight. | USA | Freedom 7 |
| 19 May 1961 | First planetary flyby (within 100,000 km of Venus – no data returned). | USSR | Venera 1 |
| 6 August 1961 | First crewed space flight lasting over twenty four hours by Gherman Titov, who is also the first to suffer from space sickness. | USSR | Vostok 2 |
| 7 March 1962 | First orbital solar observatory. | USA (NASA) | OSO-1 |
| 26 April 1962 | First spacecraft to impact the far side of the Moon. | USA (NASA) | Ranger 4 |
| 11 August 1962 | First dual crewed spaceflight. First communication between two crewed space vehicles in orbit. First person to float freely in microgravity. | USSR | Vostok 3 and Vostok 4 |
| 18 August 1962 | First auroral research rocket launched into the ionosphere. | Norway | Ferdinand 1 |
| November 1962 | First Mars flyby (11,000 km) but contact was lost. | USSR | Mars 1 |
| 14 December 1962 | First planetary flyby with data returned (Venus). First successful planetary science mission. | USA (NASA) | Mariner 2 |
| 16 June 1963 | First woman in space (Valentina Tereshkova). | USSR | Vostok 6 |
| 19 July 1963 | First reusable crewed spacecraft (suborbital). | USA (NASA) | X-15 Flight 90 |
| 25 April 1964 | First launch of a lithergol rocket, burning solid fuel and a liquid oxidizer, LEX, from the Levant Island. | France | |
| 12 October 1964 | First multi-person crew (3) in orbit. | USSR | Voskhod 1 |
| 18 March 1965 | First space walk/extra-vehicular activity (Alexei Leonov). | USSR | Voskhod 2 |
| March 1965 | First crewed spacecraft to change orbit. | USA (NASA) | Gemini 3 |
| 14 July 1965 | First flyby of Mars (returned pictures). | USA (NASA) | Mariner 4 |
| 14 July 1965 | First photographs of another planet from deep space (Mars). | USA (NASA) | Mariner 4 |
| 26 November 1965 | France launches its first satellite, Asterix, from a rocket Diamant, becoming the world's third space power. | France | Diamant |
| 15 December 1965 | First orbital rendezvous (parallel flight, no docking). | USA (NASA) | Gemini 6A/Gemini 7 |
| 3 February 1966 | First soft landing on another world (the Moon). First photos from another world. | USSR | Luna 9 |
| 1 March 1966 | First impact into another planet (Venus). | USSR | Venera 3 |
| 16 March 1966 | First orbital docking between two spacecraft. | USA (NASA) | Gemini 8/Agena target vehicle |
| 3 April 1966 | First artificial satellite around another world (the Moon). | USSR | Luna 10 |
| 23 August 1966 | First picture of Earth from another astronomical object (the Moon). First probe to map the Moon. | USA | Lunar Orbiter 1 |
| 26 January 1967 | First sounding rocket launch from Antarctica, a Dragon rocket from the Dumont-d'Urville Antarctic Base. | France | Dragon |
| 8 May 1967 | First polar orbit around the Moon. | USA | Lunar Orbiter 4 |
| July 1967 | First photos of the Lunar south pole. | USA | Lunar Orbiter 4 |
| 30 October 1967 | First automated (crewless) docking. | USSR | Cosmos 186/Cosmos 188 |
| 17 November 1967 | First liftoff from another celestial body (the Moon). | USA | Surveyor 6 |
| September 1968 | First animals and plants to leave Earth orbit and travel to and around the Moon. First lunar spacecraft to be recovered successfully. | USSR | Zond 5 |
| 7 December 1968 | First orbital ultraviolet observatory. | USA (NASA) | OAO-2 |
| 21 December 1968 | First human excursion beyond low Earth orbit. First in-person observations of Earth from a distance. First Trans-Earth injection. | USA (NASA) | Apollo 8 |
| 24 December 1968 | First human flight to another celestial body (the Moon) and to enter its gravitational influence. | USA (NASA) | Apollo 8 |
| January 1969 | First docking between two crewed spacecraft in Earth orbit. First crew exchange in space. | USSR | Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 |
| January 1969 | First spacecraft to parachute in Venus's atmosphere, lost contact before landing. | USSR | Venera 5 |
| 23 May 1969 | First docking of two crewed spacecraft around another celestial body. First lunar mission to include a lunar landing module. | USA (NASA) | Apollo 10 |
| 20 July 1969 | First human on another celestial body (the Moon). First words spoken from another world. | USA (NASA) | Apollo 11 |
| 21 July 1969 | First space launch from another celestial body. First sample return from another celestial body. | USA (NASA) | Apollo 11 |
| 19 November 1969 | First rendezvous on the surface of a celestial body. First meet up between human explorers and a robotic spacecraft in space (on the Moon). | USA (NASA) | Apollo 12/Surveyor 3 |

## 1970–1979

| Date | Mission success | Country/organization | Mission name |
| 14 April 1970 | Farthest distance from Earth traveled by humans. | USA (NASA) | Apollo 13 |
| 24 September 1970 | First automatic sample return from the Moon. | USSR | Luna 16 |
| 17 November 1970 | First rover on another celestial body (the Moon). First lunar rover. | USSR | Lunokhod 1 |
| 12 December 1970 | First X-ray orbital observatory. | USA (NASA) | Uhuru |
| 15 December 1970 | First soft landing on another planet (Venus). First signals from another planet. | USSR | Venera 7 |
| 19 April 1971 | First space station. | USSR | Salyut 1 |
| June 1971 | First crewed orbital observatory. | USSR | Orion 1 |
| 30 July 1971 | First motor vehicle on another celestial body (Lunar Roving Vehicle). | USA (NASA) | Apollo 15 |
| 14 November 1971 | First spacecraft to orbit another planet (Mars). | USA (NASA) | Mariner 9 |
| 27 November 1971 | First spacecraft to impact another planet (Mars). | USSR | Mars 2 |
| 2 December 1971 | First soft landing on Mars. First signals from Martian surface. First photograph from Martian surface. | USSR | Mars 3 |
| 3 March 1972 | First spacecraft on a trajectory out of the solar system. First spacecraft to use all-nuclear electrical power (SNAP-19 RTGs). | USA (NASA) | Pioneer 10 |
| 15 July 1972 | First spacecraft to enter the asteroid belt. First spacecraft beyond the orbit of Mars. | USA (NASA) | Pioneer 10 |
| 15 November 1972 | First orbital gamma ray observatory. | USA (NASA) | SAS 2 |
| 3 November 1973 | First mission sent to study Mercury. | USA (NASA) | Mariner 10 |
| 3 December 1973 | First flyby of Jupiter. First spacecraft beyond the Inner Solar System. | USA (NASA) | Pioneer 10 |
| January 1974 | First spacecraft to return data on a long-period comet. | USA (NASA) | Mariner 10 |
| 5 February 1974 | First mission to explore two planets in a single mission (Mercury and Venus). First photograph of Venus from space. First use of solar wind for spacecraft orientation. | USA (NASA) | Mariner 10 |
| 29 March 1974 | First flyby of Mercury. | USA (NASA) | Mariner 10 |
| 21 Sept. 1974 | First spacecraft to flyby the same planet multiple times (Mercury). | USA (NASA) | Mariner 10 |
| 15 July 1975 | First multinational crewed mission. | USSR USA (NASA) | Apollo-Soyuz Test Project |
| 20 October 1975 | First spacecraft to orbit Venus. | USSR | Venera 9 |
| 22 October 1975 | First successful photos from the surface of another planet (Venus). | USSR | Venera 9 |
| 20 July 1976 | First successful photos and soil samples from the surface of Mars. | USA (NASA) | Viking Lander |
| 26 January 1978 | First real time remotely operated ultraviolet orbital observatory. | USA (NASA) ESA UK (SERC) | International Ultraviolet Explorer |
| 20 November 1978 | First spacecraft to orbit the Sun at Lagrange 1. | USA (NASA) | ISEE-3/ICE |
| 4 December 1978 | First extended (multi-year) orbital exploration of Venus (from 1978 to 1992). | USA (NASA) | Pioneer Venus Orbiter |
| 5 March 1979 | Jupiter flyby (closest approach 349,000 km) Encounters with five Jovian moons. Discovery of volcanism on Io. | USA (NASA) | Voyager 1 |
| 1 September 1979 | First flyby of Saturn. First photograph of Titan from deep space. | USA (NASA) | Pioneer 11 |

## 1980–1989

| Date | Mission success | Country/organization | Mission name |
| 12 November 1980 | Saturn flyby (closest approach 124,000 km), close encounter of Titan and encounters with a dozen other moons. | USA (NASA) | Voyager 1 |
| 12 April 1981 | First reusable crewed orbital spacecraft (Space Shuttle). | USA (NASA) | STS-1 |
| 1 March 1982 | First Venus soil samples First sound recording of another world (Venus). | USSR | Venera 13 |
| 10 June 1982 | First spacecraft to conduct a deep survey of Earth's magnetic tail. | USA (NASA) | ISEE-3/ICE |
| 19 August 1982 | First mixed gender crew aboard space station, and first woman, Svetlana Savitskaya, on space station. | USSR | Salyut 7 |
| 1982 | First plants grown in space (Arabidopsis). | USSR | Salyut 7 |
| 25 January 1983 | First Infrared orbital observatory. | USA (NASA) UK (SERC) Netherlands (NIVR) | IRAS |
| 13 June 1983 | First spacecraft beyond the orbit of Neptune. First spacecraft beyond all Solar System planets. | USA (NASA) | Pioneer 10 |
| 7 February 1984 | First untethered spacewalk (Bruce McCandless II). | USA (NASA) | STS-41-B |
| 25 July 1984 | First spacewalk by a woman (Svetlana Savitskaya). | USSR | Salyut 7 |
| 11 June 1985 | First balloon deployed on another planet (Venus). | USSR | Vega 1 |
| 11 September 1985 | First spacecraft to flyby a comet (21P/Giacobini-Zinner). | USA (NASA) | ISEE-3/ICE |
| 24 January 1986 | First spacecraft to flyby Uranus. | USA (NASA) | Voyager 2 |
| 19 February 1986 | First consistently inhabited long-term research space station. | USSR | Mir |
| 13 March 1986 | First close up observations of a comet (Halley's Comet, 596 kilometers). | ESA | Giotto |
| July 1988 | First suspected detection of an exoplanet (Gamma Cephei Ab). | Canada | Astronomers Bruce Campbell, Gordon Walker and Stephenson Yang. |
| 8 August 1989 | First astrometric satellite. | ESA | Hipparcos |
| 25 August 1989 | First spacecraft to flyby Neptune. First spacecraft to study all four of the solar system's giant planets at close range. | USA (NASA) | Voyager 2 |
| 18 November 1989 | First orbital cosmic microwave observatory. | USA (NASA) | COBE |

## 1990–1999

| Date | Mission success | Country/organization | Mission name |
| 14 February 1990 | First photograph of the whole Solar System (Family Portrait). | USA (NASA) | Voyager 1 |
| 24 April 1990 | First telescope designed to be repaired in space. | USA (NASA) ESA | Hubble Space Telescope |
| 2 July 1990 | First time a spacecraft coming from deep space uses the Earth for a gravity-assist manoeuvre. | ESA | Giotto |
| 21 October 1991 | First asteroid flyby (951 Gaspra closest approach 1,600 km). | USA (NASA) | Galileo |
| 1992 | First confirmed observation of an exoplanet. | Canada Poland | Aleksander Wolszczan & Dale Frail |
| 8 February 1992 | First polar orbit around the Sun. First mission to survey the space environment above and below the poles of the Sun. | USA (NASA) ESA | Ulysses |
| 13 September 1992 | First spacecraft to map Venus in its entirety. | USA (NASA) | Magellan |
| 22 March 1995 | Record longest duration spaceflight to date (437.7 day by Valeri Polyakov). | Russia (FKA) | Mir |
| July 1995 | Identification and confirmation of the first exoplanet orbiting a main-sequence star. | Switzerland | Michel Mayor, Didier Queloz |
| 7 December 1995 | First orbit of Jupiter. | USA (NASA) | Galileo |
| 7 December 1995 | First spacecraft to enter the atmosphere of a gas giant (Jupiter). | USA (NASA) | Galileo's atmospheric entry probe |
| 1995 | First laser communication from space. | Japan (JAXA, NICT) | ETS-VI |
| 12 February 1997 | First orbital radio observatory. | Japan (ISAS) | HALCA |
| 4 July 1997 | First operational rover on another planet (Mars). | USA (NASA) | Mars Pathfinder / Sojourner |
| 17 September 1997 | First spacecraft to use aerobraking to enter orbit (Martian orbit). | USA (NASA) | Mars Global Surveyor |
| 20 November 1998 | First multinational space station. Largest artificial object built in space to date. | Russia (FKA) USA (NASA) Europe (ESA) Japan (JAXA) Canada (CSA) | International Space Station |

## 2000–2009

| Date | Mission success | Country/organization | Mission name |
| 14 February 2000 | First orbit of an asteroid (433 Eros). | USA (NASA) ESA | NEAR Shoemaker |
| 12 February 2001 | First landing on an asteroid (433 Eros). | USA (NASA) | NEAR Shoemaker |
| November 2001 | First laser communication in space between two objects. | ESA France (CNES) | Artemis, SPOT 4 |
| 17 May 2004 | First amateur spaceflight. | USA (CSXT) | CSXT GoFast |
| 1 July 2004 | First orbit of Saturn. | USA (NASA) ESA Italy (ASI) | Cassini–Huygens |
| 8 September 2004 | First sample return beyond lunar orbit (solar wind). | USA (NASA) | Genesis |
| 14 January 2005 | First landing in the outer Solar System (Titan). First landing on a moon other than Earth's Moon. | ESA USA (NASA) Italy (ASI) | Cassini–Huygens |
| January–February 2005 | First confirmed cryovolcano (Enceladus). | ESA USA (NASA) Italy (ASI) | Cassini–Huygens |
| 4 July 2005 | First spacecraft to impact a comet (Tempel 1). | USA (NASA) | Deep Impact |
| 19 November 2005 | First asteroid ascent (25143 Itokawa). First interplanetary escape without separating and discarding the landing gear. | Japan (JAXA) | Hayabusa |
| 15 January 2006 | First sample return from a comet (81P/Wild). | USA (NASA) | Stardust |
| 3 January 2007 | First confirmed lakes on the surface of another celestial body (lakes of Titan). | USA (NASA) ESA Italy (ASI) | Cassini–Huygens |
| 25 May 2008 | First spacecraft to photograph another spacecraft landing on another celestial body (Phoenix, on Mars). | USA (NASA) | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter |
| 8 November 2008 | First discovery of lunar water in the form of ice. | India (ISRO) | Chandrayaan-1 |
| 6 March 2009 | First space telescope designated to search for Earth-like exoplanets. | USA (NASA) | Kepler Mission |
| August 2009 | First images of the structures in the rings of a planet (rings of Saturn). | USA (NASA) ESA Italy (ASI) | Cassini–Huygens |

## 2010–2019

| Date | Mission success | Country/organization | Mission name |
| 20 May 2010 | First solar sail. | Japan (JAXA) | IKAROS |
| 13 June 2010 | First sample return from an asteroid (25143 Itokawa). | Japan (JAXA) | Hayabusa |
| 25 August 2010 | First spacecraft to orbit one of the Moon's Lagrange point (L2). | USA (NASA) | ARTEMIS-P1 |
| 22 October 2010 | First spacecraft to orbit the Moon's Lagrange 1 point. | USA (NASA) | ARTEMIS-P2 |
| 18 March 2011 | First orbit of Mercury. | USA (NASA) | MESSENGER |
| 16 July 2011 | First orbit of an object in the asteroid belt (4 Vesta). | USA (NASA) | Dawn |
| 6 August 2012 | First use of a sky crane to land on another celestial body (Mars). | USA (NASA) | Mars Science Laboratory |
| 25 August 2012 | First spacecraft to leave the heliosphere. First spacecraft in interstellar space. | USA (NASA) | Voyager 1 |
| January 2013 | First laser communication with a lunar satellite. | USA (NASA) | Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter |
| 10 September 2014 | First spacecraft to orbit a comet nucleus (67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko). | ESA | Rosetta |
| 12 November 2014 | First soft landing on a comet (67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko). | ESA | Philae |
| 6 March 2015 | First flyby and orbit of a dwarf planet (Ceres). First spacecraft to orbit two separate celestial bodies. | USA (NASA) | Dawn |
| July 2015 | First flyby of an object beyond Neptune (Pluto and its moons). First flyby in the Kuiper belt. First flyby of a trans-neptunian object. Last original encounter with one of the nine major planets recognized before 2006. | USA (NASA) | New Horizons |
| 10 August 2015 | First food grown in space eaten (lettuce). | USA (NASA) Japan (JAXA) | International Space Station |
| 14 September 2015 | First observation of gravitational waves. | LSC – EGO | LIGO – Virgo |
| 23 November 2015 | First propulsive landing of a rocket after sending something into space (suborbital). | USA (Blue Origin) | New Shepard 2 |
| 21 December 2015 | First propulsive landing of an orbital rocket. | USA (SpaceX) | Falcon 9 first-stage landing tests |
| 16 April 2016 | First inflatable space habitat. | USA (Bigelow Aerospace) | BEAM |
| 15 September 2017 | First spacecraft to enter the atmosphere of Saturn. | USA (NASA) ESA Italy (ASI) | Cassini–Huygens |
| 19 October 2017 | First known interstellar object detected passing through the Solar System. | USA (Haleakalā Observatory) | Oumuamua |
| 21 September 2018 | First operational rover on an asteroid (162173 Ryugu). | Japan (JAXA) | Hayabusa2 |
| 1 December 2018 | First recorded sounds from Mars. | USA (NASA) | InSight |
| 1 January 2019 | First flyby of a classical Kuiper belt object (486958 Arrokoth). First flyby of a contact binary. First spacecraft to make two different flybys in the Kuiper belt. | USA (NASA) | New Horizons |
| 3 January 2019 | First soft landing on the far side of the Moon. First germination of seeds on another celestial body. | China (CNSA) | Chang'e 4 |
| 3 January 2019 | First lunar rover (Yutu-2) traversing the far side of the Moon. | China (CNSA) | Chang'e 4 |
| 10 April 2019 | First direct photograph of a black hole and its vicinity. | USA (NASA) | Event Horizon Telescope |

## Since 2020

| Date | Mission success | Country/organization | Mission name |
| 6 April 2021 | First confirmed quake on another planet (marsquake). | USA (NASA) | InSight |
| 19 April 2021 | First aerodynamically powered flight on another celestial body (Mars). | USA (NASA) | Ingenuity |
| 20 April 2021 | First in situ resource utilization. First production of oxygen on another celestial body (Mars). | USA (NASA) | MOXIE |
| 14 December 2021 | First spacecraft to fly through the atmosphere of a star (the Sun's corona). | USA (NASA) | Parker Solar Probe |
| 25 December 2021 | Launch of the largest space telescope to date. | USA (NASA) ESA Canada (CSA) | James Webb Space Telescope |
| 26 September 2022 | First asteroid measurably deflected by a spacecraft. First spacecraft to make contact with an asteroid moon (impact on Dimorphos). | USA (NASA) | DART |
| 23 August 2023 | First landing at the lunar south polar region. | India (ISRO) | Chandrayaan-3 |
| 14 March 2024 | First successful demonstration of in space propellant transfer | USA (SpaceX) | Starship flight test 3 |
| 06 June 2024 | First successful instance of both stages of a launch vehicle returned for a controlled landing | USA (SpaceX) | Starship flight test 4 |
| 25 June 2024 | First samples returned from the far side of the Moon. | China (CNSA) | Chang'e 6 |