# 1986 in spaceflight

The year 1986 saw the destruction of Space Shuttle Challenger shortly after lift-off, killing all seven aboard, the first in-flight deaths of American astronauts. This accident followed the successful flight of Columbia just weeks earlier, and dealt a major setback to the U.S. crewed space program, suspending the Shuttle program for 32 months.
The year also saw numerous fly-bys of Halley's Comet as well as other successes.

## 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 (⚀ = CubeSat) | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome |
| Remarks ||||||
| January ||||||||
| 12 January 11:55 | Space Shuttle Columbia | Space Shuttle Columbia | | Kennedy LC-39A | Kennedy LC-39A | United Space Alliance | United Space Alliance |
| 12 January 11:55 | | STS-61-C | NASA | Low Earth | Satellite deployment | 18 January 13:58 | Successful |
| 12 January 11:55 | | Satcom K1 | RCA Americom | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful |
| 12 January 11:55 | | MSL-2 | NASA | Low Earth (Columbia) | Microgravity experiments | 18 January 13:58 | Successful |
| 12 January 11:55 | | Getaway Special Bridge | NASA | Low Earth (Columbia) | Getaway Special carrier | 18 January 13:58 | Successful |
| Crewed orbital flight with seven astronauts; Maiden flight of the Getaway Special Bridge ||||||
| 28 January 16:38 | Space Shuttle Challenger | Space Shuttle Challenger | | Kennedy LC-39B | Kennedy LC-39B | United Space Alliance | United Space Alliance |
| 28 January 16:38 | | STS-51-L | NASA | Intended: Low Earth | Satellite deployment | + 73 seconds | Launch failure |
| 28 January 16:38 | | TDRS-B | NASA | Intended: Geosynchronous | Communications | + 73 seconds | Launch failure |
| 28 January 16:38 | | SPARTAN 203 | NASA | Intended: Low Earth | Examine Halley's Comet | + 73 seconds | Launch failure |
| Space Shuttle Challenger disaster; Vehicle disintegrated at + 73 seconds from an O-ring failure in the right SRB. All seven astronauts were killed, including Christa McAuliffe, the intended first Teacher in Space. First Shuttle launch from LC-39B. ||||||
| February ||||||||
| 9 February 10:06 | Atlas H | Atlas H | | Vandenberg SLC-3E | Vandenberg SLC-3E | | |
| 9 February 10:06 | | USA-15 (NOSS-8) | US Navy | Low Earth | SIGINT | In orbit | Successful |
| 9 February 10:06 | | USA-16 (NOSS) | US Navy | Low Earth | SIGINT | In orbit | Successful |
| 9 February 10:06 | | USA-17 (NOSS) | US Navy | Low Earth | SIGINT | In orbit | Successful |
| 9 February 10:06 | | USA-18 (NOSS) | US Navy | Low Earth | SIGINT | In orbit | Successful |
| 19 February 21:28 | Proton-K | Proton-K | | Baikonur Site 200/39 | Baikonur Site 200/39 | | |
| 19 February 21:28 | | DOS-7 (Mir Core) | | Low Earth (Mir) | Space station | 23 March 2001 05:07 | Successful |
| Core module of the Mir space station ||||||
| 22 February 01:44 | Ariane 1 | Ariane 1 | | Kourou ELA | Kourou ELA | Arianespace | Arianespace |
| 22 February 01:44 | | SPOT 1 | CNES | Sun-synchronous | Earth observation | In orbit | Successful |
| 22 February 01:44 | | Viking | SSC | Sun-synchronous | Plasma research | In orbit | Successful |
| Final flight of Ariane 1 SPOT 1 retired on 31 December 1990 and orbit was lowered to a disposal orbit in 2003 Viking is the first Swedish satellite, and operations concluded on 12 May 1987 ||||||
| March ||||||||
| 13 March 12:33 | Soyuz-U2 | Soyuz-U2 | | Baikonur Site 1/5 | Baikonur Site 1/5 | | |
| 13 March 12:33 | | Soyuz T-15 | | Low Earth (Salyut 7 and Mir) | Salyut 7 EO-5 Mir EO-1 | 16 July 12:34 | Successful |
| Crewed orbital flight with two cosmonauts; Final crewed spaceflight to Salyut 7 and the first to Mir. Final flight of the Soyuz-T spacecraft. Only spacecraft to dock with two space stations during one flight. ||||||
| 19 March 10:08 | Soyuz-U2 | Soyuz-U2 | | Baikonur Site 1/5 | Baikonur Site 1/5 | | |
| 19 March 10:08 | | Progress 25 | | Low Earth (Mir) | Logistics | 21 April 00:48 | Successful |
| 28 March 23:30 | Ariane 3 | Ariane 3 | | Kourou ELA | Kourou ELA | Arianespace | Arianespace |
| 28 March 23:30 | | GStar 2 | GTE Spacenet | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful |
| 28 March 23:30 | | Brasilsat-A2 | Embratel | Current: Graveyard Operational: Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful |
| Brasilsat-A2 was retired on 6 March 2004 and moved 200 kilometres (120 mi) higher to a graveyard orbit ||||||
| April ||||||||
| 18 April 17:45 | Titan 34D | Titan 34D | | Vandenberg SLC-4E | Vandenberg SLC-4E | | |
| 18 April 17:45 | | KH-9-20 | NRO | Intended: Sun-synchronous | Reconnaissance | + 8.5 seconds | Launch Failure |
| 18 April 17:45 | | SSF-D-6 | NRO | Intended: Sun-synchronous | ELINT | + 8.5 seconds | Launch Failure |
| SRM burnthrough, exploded 8.5 seconds after launch Final flight of the KH-9 spacecraft ||||||
| 23 April 19:40 | Soyuz-U2 | Soyuz-U2 | | Baikonur Site 1/5 | Baikonur Site 1/5 | | |
| 23 April 19:40 | | Progress 26 | | Low Earth (Mir) | Logistics | 23 June 18:41 | Successful |
| May ||||||||
| 3 May 22:18 | Delta 3914 | Delta 3914 | | Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 17A | Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 17A | McDonnell Douglas | McDonnell Douglas |
| 3 May 22:18 | | GOES-G | NOAA, NASA | Geostationary | Weather satellite | 3 May | Launch Failure |
| Rocket destroyed 71 sec. after liftoff due to engine shutdown; First launch from CCAFS after Space Shuttle Challenger disaster ||||||
| 21 May 08:21 | Soyuz-U2 | Soyuz-U2 | | Baikonur Site 1/5 | Baikonur Site 1/5 | | |
| 21 May 08:21 | | Soyuz TM-1 | | Low Earth (Mir) | Test flight | 30 May 04:26 | Successful |
| Maiden flight of Soyuz-TM spacecraft; Uncrewed test flight ||||||
| 31 May 00:53 | Ariane 2 | Ariane 2 | | Kourou ELA | Kourou ELA | Arianespace | Arianespace |
| 31 May 00:53 | | Intelsat 514 | Intelsat | Intended: Geosynchronous | Communications | 31 May | Launch Failure |
| Maiden flight of Ariane 2; Third stage failed to ignite ||||||
| August ||||||||
| 28 August 08:02 | Molniya-M/2BL | Molniya-M/2BL | | Plesetsk Site 16/2 | Plesetsk Site 16/2 | | |
| 28 August 08:02 | | Kosmos 1774 (Oko) | | Molniya | Missile defence | 2 November 2010 15:14 | Successful |
| September ||||||||
| 5 September 15:08 | Delta 3920 | Delta 3920 | | Cape Canaveral LC-17B | Cape Canaveral LC-17B | NASA | NASA |
| 5 September 15:08 | | USA-19 (Delta 180) | SDIO | LEO | Sensor development | 28 October 1986 | Successful |
| Satellite impactor test for the Strategic Defense Initiative. ||||||
| 17 September 15:52 | Atlas E/Star-37S-ISS | Atlas E/Star-37S-ISS | | Vandenberg SLC-3W | Vandenberg SLC-3W | | |
| 17 September 15:52 | | NOAA-10 (NOAA-G) | NOAA | Sun-synchronous | Meteorology | In orbit | Successful |
| November ||||||||
| 14 November 00:23 | Scout G-1 | Scout G-1 | | Vandenberg SLC-5 | Vandenberg SLC-5 | US Air Force | US Air Force |
| 14 November 00:23 | | Polar BEAR P87-1 | US Air Force/STP | Low Earth (Polar) | | In orbit | Successful |
| December ||||||||
| 5 December 02:30 | Atlas G | Atlas G | | Cape Canaveral LC-36B | Cape Canaveral LC-36B | | |
| 5 December 02:30 | | USA-20 (FLTSATCOM 7) | US Navy | Geosynchronous | Communications | In orbit | Successful |
* ← Jan
* Feb
* Mar
* Apr
* May
* Jun
* Jul
* Aug
* Sep
* Oct
* Nov
* Dec →

## Deep space rendezvous

| Date (GMT) | Spacecraft | Event | Remarks |
| 24 January | Voyager 2 | Flyby of Uranus | Closest approach: 71,000 kilometres (44,000 mi) |
| 6 March | Vega 1 | Flyby of Halley's Comet | Closest approach: 8,890 kilometres (5,520 mi) |
| 8 March | Suisei | Flyby of Halley's Comet | Closest approach: 151,000 kilometres (94,000 mi) |
| 9 March | Vega 2 | Flyby of Halley's Comet | Closest approach: 8,030 kilometres (4,990 mi) |
| 11 March | Sakigake | Distant flyby of Halley's Comet | Closest approach: 6,990,000 kilometres (4,340,000 mi) |
| 14 March | Giotto | Flyby of Halley's Comet | Closest approach: 595 kilometres (370 mi) |

## EVAs

| Start date/time | Duration | End time | Spacecraft | Crew | Remarks |
| 28 May 05:43 | 3 hours 50 minutes | 09:33 | Salyut 7 EO-5 | Leonid Kizim Vladimir Solovyov | Retrieved test panels from the outside of Salyut 7 and assembled a test "girder-constructor" apparatus in preparation for work on Mir. |
| 31 May 04:57 | 5 hours | 09:57 | Salyut 7 EO-5 | Leonid Kizim Vladimir Solovyov | Conducted additional tests on the experimental construction equipment, including the welding of several girders joints. |