1981 in spaceflight Launches Launches

| Date_and_time_UTC_ | Rocket | Site | Orbit | Function_ | Decay_UTC_ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 January, 14:18 UTC | Soyuz-U (R-7 11A511U) | LC-1/5 , Baikonur | LEO , docked to Salyut 6 | Resupply Salyut 6 | 20 March 1981, 16:58:58 UTC |
| 26 January, 07:20 UTC | Black Brant IVB | Fort Churchill | Sub-orbital | l Aurora research | 26 January 1981 |
| 27 January, 14:58 UTC | Vostok-2M (R-7 8A92M) | Plesetsk | LEO | SIGINT satellite | Still in orbit |
| 29 January, 04:12 UTC | Astrobee-F | Fort Churchill | Sub-orbital | Plasma research | 29 January 1981 |
| 29 January, 17:00 UTC | S-520 | LA-K, Kagoshima | Sub-orbital | Ionospheric /tether research | 29 January 1981 |
| 30 January, 16:27 UTC | Molniya-M / ML (R-7 8K78M/ML) | Plesetsk | Molniya | Comsat | Still in orbit |
| 2 February, 02:19 UTC | Tsyklon-2 (R-36 11K69) | LC-90, Baikonur | LEO | ASAT test | 2 February 1981 |