Contents |
Launches
[edit]
This is a list of spaceflights launched in 2008.
| ← Jan • Feb • Mar • Apr • May • Jun • Jul • Aug • Sep • Oct • Nov • Dec → |
| Date/Time (GMT) |
Rocket | Site | LSP | Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (GMT) |
Outcome | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 January 05:32[1] |
NASA/JHU | Sub-orbital | Ultraviolet astronomy | 11 January 05:42 |
Successful | Apogee: 315 km (196 mi) | ||||
| 15 January 11:49[2] |
Thuraya | GEO | Comsat | Still in orbit | Successful so far | |||||
| 17 January[3] | IAF | Sub-orbital | Missile test | 17 January | Successful | |||||
| 18 January 07:30[4] |
NASA/Cornell/Dartmouth | Sub-orbital | Ionospheric research | 18 January | Successful | Apogee: 1,460 km (910 mi) | ||||
| 21 January 03:45[2] |
IAI | LEO | Radar imaging | Still in orbit | Successful so far | |||||
| 25 January[5] | PAF | Sub-orbital | Missile test | 25 January | Successful | |||||
| 28 January 00:18[2] |
RSCC | GSO | Comsat | Still in orbit | Successful so far | |||||
| 31 January 19:14[6] |
University of Leeds | Sub-orbital | Ionospheric research | 31 January | Successful | Apogee: 380.6 km (236.5 mi) | ||||
| January[7] | ABM | US Navy/MDA | Sub-orbital | ABM test | Within 15 minutes of launch | Successful | ||||
| 4 February[8] | ISA | Sub-orbital | 4 February | Successful | ||||||
| 5 February 13:02:54[2] |
RKA | LEO (ISS) | Resupply ISS | 7 April 11:50[9] |
Successful | |||||
| 6 February 09:14:40[10] |
JAXA | Sub-orbital | Ionosphere research | 6 February | Successful | |||||
| 7 February 11:30[11] |
DLR/ESA | Sub-orbital | Microgravity research | 7 February | Successful | Apogee: 264 km (164 mi) | ||||
| 7 February 19:45:30[2] |
NASA | LEO (ISS) | Manned orbital flight | 20 February 14:07:10[12] |
Successful | ISS assembly 7 astronauts |
||||
| ESA | LEO (ISS) | ISS component | Still in orbit | Successful so far | ||||||
| 11 February 11:34[2] |
Telenor | GSO | Comsat | Still in orbit | Successful so far | |||||
| 21 February 03:26[13] |
ASAT | US Navy/MDA | Sub-orbital | ASAT satellite intercept | Destroyed 21 February 03:29[13] |
Successful | Destroyed USA-193 satellite[14][15] | |||
| 21 February 06:15[11] |
DLR/ESA | Sub-orbital | Microgravity research | 21 February | Successful | |||||
| 23 February 08:55[2] |
JAXA/NICT | GEO | Comsat/Technology | Still in orbit | Successful so far | |||||
| 26 February 07:28[16] |
Indian Navy | Sub-orbital | SLBM test | 26 February | Successful | |||||
| 9 March 04:03:07[2] |
ESA | LEO (ISS) | Test spacecraft Resupply ISS |
29 September 13:31 |
Successful | Maiden flight of Ariane 5ES and ATV | ||||
| 11 March 06:28:14[2] |
NASA | LEO (ISS) | Manned orbital flight | 27 March 00:39:08[17] |
Successful | ISS assembly 7 Astronauts |
||||
| ESA/NASA | LEO | Transport Dextre | Successful | Final flight of Spacelab programme[18]Attached to the ISS and Endeavour throughout the mission | ||||||
| JAXA | LEO (ISS) | ISS module | Still in orbit | Successful so far | First JEM component | |||||
| MDA | LEO (ISS) | ISS component | Still in orbit | Successful so far | ||||||
| 13 March 10:02[2] |
US NRO | Molniya[19] | ELINT[19] | Still in orbit | Successful so far | First Atlas V launch from Vandenberg | ||||
| 14 March 23:18:55[2][20] |
SES Americom | GSO | Comsat | Still in orbit | Partial failure[21] still in operation |
Upper stage malfunction during second burn left spacecraft in wrong orbit[22][23] Initial recovery attempted but abandoned due to legal issues.[24][25] Later sold and recovery efforts restarted.[26] |
||||
| 15 March 06:10[27] |
US Air Force | MEO | Navigation | Still in orbit | Successful so far | 80th consecutive successful Delta II launch.[27] | ||||
| 19 March 22:47:59[29] |
DirecTV | GEO | Comsat | Still in orbit | Successful so far | |||||
| 23 March 04:45[30] |
SFC/DRDO | Sub-orbital | Missile test | 23 March | Successful[30] | |||||
| 27 March 17:15[31] |
KSA, Bundeswehr | Polar LEO | Military reconnaissance | Still in orbit | Successful so far | |||||
| 28 March | ARR | Sub-orbital | Ionospheric research | 28 March | Successful | |||||
| 2 April 08:01[32] |
US Air Force | Sub-orbital | ICBM test | 2 April | Successful | Range: 6,759 km (4,200 mi)[32] | ||||
| 8 April 11:16:39[9][33] |
RKA | LEO (ISS) | Manned orbital flight | 24 October 03:37[34] |
Successful | ISS Expedition 17[33] 3 cosmonauts First South Korean in space[9] First second-generation cosmonaut[35] Docked on 10 April at 12:57 GMT[33] |
||||
| 14 April 16:58[36] |
NASA/UoC LASP | Sub-orbital | Ultraviolet astronomy[37] | 14 April 17:08[36] |
Successful | |||||
| 14 April 20:12:00[38] |
ICO | GSO | Mobile communications | Still in orbit | Successful so far | Heaviest single commercial satellite to be placed in GSO. Heaviest satellite to be launched by an Atlas rocket.[38] |
||||
| 15 April | IAF | Sub-orbital | Test flight | 15 April | Successful | Maiden flight of Blue Sparrow | ||||
| 16 April 17:01[39] |
STP/NASA | LEO | Electrodynamics | Still in orbit | Successful so far | |||||
| 18 April 22:17[40] |
VNPT | GSO | Comsat | Still in orbit | Successful so far | First Vietnamese satellite | ||||
| Star One | GSO | Comsat | Still in orbit | Successful so far | ||||||
| 19 April[41][42] | Army of Pakistan[43] | Sub-orbital | IRBM test | 19 April | Successful | |||||
| 21 April[44] | Army of Pakistan | Sub-orbital | IRBM test | 21 April | Successful | |||||
| 25 April 15:35[45] |
CASC | GEO | Comsat | Still in orbit | Successful so far | Maiden flight of Long March 3C | ||||
| 26 April 22:16:02[46] |
ESA | MEO | Experimental navigation satellite | Still in orbit | Successful so far | |||||
| 28 April 03:53:51 [47][48] |
ISRO | LEO | Remote Sensing | Still in orbit | Successful so far | |||||
| ISRO | LEO | Remote sensing | Still in orbit | Successful so far | ||||||
| UTIAS | LEO | Technology[50] | Still in orbit | Successful so far | NSL-4[51] | |||||
| Tokyo Institute of Technology | LEO | Technology | Still in orbit | Successful so far | NSL-4[51] | |||||
| Delft University | LEO | Technology | Still in orbit | Successful so far | NSL-4[51] | |||||
| Aalborg University | LEO | Radiation research[54] | Still in orbit | Successful so far | NSL-4[51] | |||||
| Aachen University | LEO | Remote sensing Technology |
Still in orbit | Successful so far | NSL-4[51] | |||||
| Nihon University | LEO | Technology | Still in orbit | Successful so far | NSL-4[51] | |||||
| UTIAS/COM DEV | LEO | Technology | Still in orbit | Successful so far | NSL-5[51] | |||||
| OHB System | LEO | Technology demonstration | Still in orbit | Successful so far | Attached to upper stage | |||||
| 28 April 05:00[59] |
SCL | GSO | Comsat | Still in orbit | Successful so far | First Land Launch flight Maiden flight of Zenit-3SLB. Placed in incorrect orbit due to carrier rocket underperformance.[60] Corrected by satellite through use of spare fuel, without affecting operational life. |
||||
| 1 May 05:30[61][62] |
NASA/JHU | Sub-orbital | Ultraviolet astronomy | 1 May 05:40 |
Successful | |||||
| 7 May 04:26[63][64] |
SFC/DRDO | Sub-orbital | Missile test | 7 May 04:41 |
Successful | |||||
| 8 May | US Navy | Sub-orbital | SLBM test | 8 May | Successful | |||||
| 8 May | US Navy | Sub-orbital | SLBM test | 8 May | Successful | |||||
| 14 May 20:22:54 [65][66] |
RKA | LEO (ISS) | Resupply ISS | 8 September[67] | Successful | |||||
| 15 May 04:00 [68][69][70] |
SSC/ESA | Sub-orbital | Microgravity research | 15 May | Successful[70] | Apogee: 252 km (157 mi)[70] | ||||
| 21 May 09:43[71] |