History of spaceflight facts for kids

Spaceflight is all about sending things, and people, into space! It started in the 1900s thanks to smart thinkers like Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Robert H. Goddard, and Hermann Oberth. They all wrote about using rockets to travel beyond Earth. The first big rocket programs were in Nazi Germany, led by Wernher von Braun. After World War II, the Soviet Union took the lead in the exciting Space Race. They launched the first satellite, the first animal, the first human, and the first woman into orbit. Then, in 1969, the United States made history by landing the first people on the Moon. Later in the 20th century, countries like France, the United Kingdom, Japan, and China also began their own space projects.

After the Space Race, countries started working together more in space. It also became cheaper to reach low Earth orbit, and more private companies got involved. Space probes have now visited every planet in our Solar System. Humans have also lived in space for a long time on space stations like Mir and the ISS. Recently, China became the third country to send its own astronauts into space. Also, private companies have developed rockets that can be used again, and even launched spacecraft from planes! In 2020, SpaceX was the first private company to send astronauts to the International Space Station with their Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission.

Early Ideas and Rocket Science

At the start of the 1900s, many scientists became very interested in space travel. They were inspired by adventure books from writers like Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.

The first real plan for spaceflight came from Konstantin Tsiolkovsky in 1903. His paper was called "The Exploration of Cosmic Space by Means of Reaction Devices."

Spaceflight became possible for engineers thanks to Robert H. Goddard's work in 1919. His paper, "A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes," showed how liquid fuel rockets could be powerful enough for space travel. This paper greatly influenced Hermann Oberth and Wernher Von Braun, who later became very important in spaceflight.

In 1929, a Slovene officer named Hermann Noordung was the first to imagine a complete space station in his book The Problem of Space Travel.

The first rocket to reach space was a German V-2 rocket. It flew on a test flight in June 1944. After the war, the British launched three V-2 rockets in October 1945. These launches helped them learn a lot about the rocket.

In 1947, the US sent the first animals in space, fruit flies, using a V-2 rocket. On June 14, 1949, the US launched the first mammal into space. It was a monkey named Albert II.

The Space Race (1957 to 1970s)

First Satellite in Orbit

The Space Race began in 1957. Both the US and the USSR announced plans to launch artificial satellites. On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1. It was the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth.

On November 3, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2. This satellite carried the first living animal into orbit, a dog named Laika. The US launched its first satellite, Explorer 1, on February 1, 1958. This satellite discovered the Van Allen radiation belt.

The launch of Sputnik 1 shocked the US public. This event was called the Sputnik crisis. On July 29, 1958, the US government created National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA was put in charge of the nation's space programs. In 1959, NASA started Project Mercury. This project aimed to send single astronauts into Earth orbit. They chose seven astronauts, known as the Mercury Seven.

First Human in Space

On April 12, 1961, the USSR sent the first cosmonaut (Russian for space traveler) into space. His name was Yuri Gagarin. Gagarin's flight, part of the Soviet Vostok program, lasted 108 minutes. He orbited the Earth once.

On August 7, 1961, Gherman Titov, another Soviet cosmonaut, became the second person in orbit. He orbited Earth 17 times during his Vostok 2 mission. By June 1963, the USSR had launched six Vostok cosmonauts into space.

On May 5, 1961, the US launched its first Mercury astronaut, Alan Shepard. He flew in the Freedom 7 capsule. Shepard controlled his spacecraft, and he landed inside it. Before this, on January 31, the chimpanzee Ham became the first ape in space.

First Woman in Space

The first woman in space was Valentina Tereshkova. She was a parachutist before becoming a cosmonaut. She orbited Earth on June 16, 1963, aboard the Soviet mission Vostok 6. The Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, even spoke to Tereshkova by radio during her flight.

On November 3, 1963, Tereshkova married fellow cosmonaut Andrian Nikolayev. On June 8, 1964, she gave birth to the first child whose parents had both traveled to space.

The second woman to fly to space was Svetlana Savitskaya. She flew aboard Soyuz T-7 on August 18, 1982.

Space Race Heats Up

The Soviet Union tried to quickly achieve more space firsts. They modified the Vostok capsule to fit two or three people. This new spacecraft was called Voskhod. Only two Voskhod missions were launched. Voskhod 1 was the first spacecraft with a crew of three.

Alexei Leonov made the first spacewalk from Voskhod 2 on March 8, 1965. He had trouble getting back into the spacecraft because his suit inflated.

The US launched ten successful Gemini missions in 1965 and 1966. These missions allowed the US to catch up to the Soviets. They achieved space rendezvous (meeting in space) and docking (connecting two spacecraft). They also had long flights of up to fourteen days. Astronauts also practiced doing useful work outside the spacecraft during spacewalks.

The USSR did not have crewed flights during this time. They continued to develop their Soyuz spacecraft. They also secretly worked on a large rocket called the N1 to send people to the Moon.

In early 1967, both nations faced tragedies. On January 27, the crew of Apollo 1, "Gus" Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee, died in a fire during a ground test. On April 24, the pilot of Soyuz 1, Vladimir Komarov, died when his landing parachutes failed. Both accidents were caused by design problems. These problems were fixed before more crewed flights.

The US sent the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon on December 21, 1968, with Apollo 8. Then, on July 20, 1969, the US achieved President Kennedy's goal. Apollo 11 landed on the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first people to walk on the Moon. Six successful Moon landings happened until 1972.

The Soviet N1 rocket failed four times without crew. The Soviet government officially stopped its crewed Moon program in 1974.

Moving Towards Cooperation

Both nations then flew smaller, temporary space stations. The US had Skylab, and the USSR had the Salyut stations. They used their Soyuz and Apollo spacecraft to carry crews to these stations. The US launched one Skylab. The USSR launched seven Salyut stations. Some of these were secret military spy stations.

The two rivals declared an end to the Space Race. They even shook hands on July 17, 1975, during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. In this mission, the two spacecraft docked, and the crews visited each other.

More Countries and Private Companies (1970s to 2010s)

From the very beginning of spaceflight, other countries and private companies were involved. The first commercial satellite, Telstar, was launched in 1962. By 1965, a third country achieved orbital spaceflight. The launch of Sputnik was part of the International Geophysical Year in 1957, which encouraged international exchange. Soon after, countries started creating international laws for activities in outer space.

In the 1970s, the Soviet Union invited other countries to send their people into space through its Intercosmos program. The United States also started to include women and people of color in its astronaut program.

The US and the Soviet Union slowly began to share more information and work together. This was especially true after 1970, when they developed shared docking standards. The Apollo-Soyuz mission was a big step. It became the basis for the Shuttle-Mir program and later the International Space Station programme.

This international teamwork, along with space organizations like the European Space Agency, helped create a global space economy. Many countries gained spaceflight abilities. Private companies also grew since the 1980s. This led to many new discoveries and "firsts" in space exploration. However, competition started to rise again in the 2010s.

New Space Race and Lower Costs (2010s to Present)

In the 2010s, the space industry became very competitive. There was a return to international competition, and some cooperation barriers appeared. For example, the US banned cooperation with China in 2011. Later, the European Space Agency banned Russia. Private companies also became much more competitive in spaceflight.

Some people call this time a New Space Race. This is especially true because of China's fast progress and other Asian countries advancing their space achievements. This has created an Asian Space Race. However, international cooperation and private spaceflight are still important. For example, Axiom Space works with different countries to send private astronauts to the International Space Station. The ISS kept operating even during international conflicts. Private space companies, like Space-X with its Starlink satellites, even became important in conflicts and global politics.

Meanwhile, new Moon programs are being developed. Many of these are international projects. Examples include the Artemis program and the China-Russian plans for a lunar base. The European Space Agency also has a plan called the Moon Village.

This competitive but international growth in the space industry is called New Space.

Space Programs by Country

Human Spaceflight to Orbit (beyond Kármán line)
Program	Years	Flights	First Crewed Flight
Vostok	1961–1963	6	Vostok 1
Mercury	1962–1963	4	Mercury-Atlas 6
Voskhod	1964–1965	2	Voskhod 1
Gemini	1965–1966	10	Gemini 3
Soyuz	1967–present	141	Soyuz 1
Apollo	1968–1972	11	Apollo 7
Skylab	1973–1974	3	Skylab 2
Apollo-Soyuz	1975	1	Apollo-Soyuz
Space Shuttle	1981–2011	135	STS-1
Shenzhou	2003–present	6	Shenzhou 5
Crew Dragon	2020–present	11	Demo-2
Suborbital Human Spaceflight
Program	Year	Flights
Mercury	1961	2	Mercury 3
X-15	1963	2	Flight 90
Soyuz 18a	1975	1	Soyuz 18a
SpaceShipOne	2004	3	Flight 15P
SpaceShipTwo	2018–present	3	VP03

United States Space Programs

Until the 2000s, only government agencies ran US space programs. In the 21st century, many aerospace companies started to build a private space industry. SpaceX has been the most successful so far.

NASA's Early Missions

NASA is the main US government agency for space exploration. It was created in 1958.

Project Mercury: First American Astronauts

Project Mercury was the first US program to send humans into space. It ran from 1958 to 1963. Its goal was to put a person into Earth orbit and bring them back safely. John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth on February 20, 1962. He flew aboard the Mercury-Atlas 6.

Project Gemini: Learning Space Skills

Project Gemini was NASA's second human spaceflight program. It ran from 1961 to 1966. This program taught astronauts how to perform orbital maneuvers. These maneuvers are needed for space rendezvous (meeting in space). Ed White was the first American to do a extravehicular activity (EVA, or "spacewalk"). This happened on June 3, 1965, during Gemini 4.

Gemini 6A and 7 achieved the first space rendezvous on December 15, 1965. Gemini 8 was the first to dock with another uncrewed spacecraft on March 16, 1966. Gemini 8 was also the first US spacecraft to have a serious problem in space that put the crew in danger.

Apollo Program: To the Moon

The Apollo program was NASA's third human spaceflight program. Its goal was to orbit and land crewed spacecraft on the Moon. The program ran from 1969 to 1972. Apollo 8 was the first human spaceflight to leave Earth orbit and orbit the Moon. This happened on December 21, 1968. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first people to walk on the Moon. This happened during the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969.

Skylab: America's First Space Station

The Skylab program aimed to create NASA's first space station. The last launch of the powerful Saturn V rocket was for Skylab on May 14, 1973. Many experiments were done on board, including studies of the Sun. The longest crewed mission on Skylab, Skylab 4, lasted 84 days. Skylab eventually fell from orbit over Australia on July 11, 1979.

Space Shuttle: Reusable Spacecraft

Space exploration continued after the Space Race, though at a slower pace. The United States launched the first reusable spacecraft, the Space Shuttle. This happened on April 12, 1981. The Soviet Union also launched its own reusable shuttle, Buran, on November 15, 1988. However, Buran was only used once.

Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983. Eileen Collins was the first female Shuttle pilot. In July 1999, she became the first woman to command a US spacecraft. The United States continued missions to the ISS with the expensive Shuttle system. The Space Shuttle was retired in 2011.

Soviet Union Space Programs

The Soviet space program was the space exploration effort of the former Soviet Union. It was a very important part of the Space Race.

Sputnik: First Earth Satellite

The Sputnik 1 became the first artificial Earth satellite on October 4, 1957. The satellite sent a radio signal. Scientists used Sputnik 1 to study the drag from Earth's upper atmosphere. Sputnik 1 broadcast for 21 days until its batteries ran out. It fell from orbit on January 4, 1958.

Luna Program: Exploring the Moon

The Luna program was a series of uncrewed robotic missions. Their goal was to study the Moon. The program ran from 1959 to 1976. It had 15 successful missions. The Luna missions achieved many "firsts" and collected data on the Moon's makeup, gravity, temperature, and radiation. Luna 2 was the first human-made object to touch the Moon's surface in September 1959. Luna 3 sent back the first photos of the far side of the Moon in October 1959.

Vostok: First Humans in Space

The Vostok Program was the first Soviet spaceflight project to send Soviet citizens into low Earth orbit and bring them back safely. The program had six crewed spaceflights between 1961 and 1963. This program was the first to put humans in space. Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space on April 12, 1961, aboard Vostok 1. Gherman Titov was the first person to stay in orbit for a full day on August 7, 1961, aboard Vostok 2. Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space on June 16, 1963, aboard Vostok 6.

Voskhod: Multi-Person Flights

The Voskhod program began in 1964. It had two crewed flights before it was replaced by the Soyuz programme in 1966. Voskhod 1 launched on October 12, 1964. It was the first crewed spaceflight with more than one person. Alexei Leonov performed the first spacewalk from Voskhod 2 on March 18, 1965.

Salyut: First Space Stations

The Salyut program was the first space station program by the Soviet Union. Its goal was to study how people live in space for a long time. It also did many experiments in astronomy, biology, and Earth resources. The program ran from 1971 to 1986. Salyut 1, the first station in the program, became the world's first crewed space station.

Soyuz Program: Long-Lasting Spacecraft

The Soyuz program started in the 1960s. It is still run by roscosmos (Russia's space agency) today. The program has completed over 140 flights. Since the US Space Shuttle retired, Soyuz has been the only spacecraft to carry humans to the ISS. The program's first goal was to help send a cosmonaut to the Moon. Later, it became vital for building the Mir space station.

Mir: A Long-Term Home in Space

Mir was a Soviet (and later Russian) space station. It was the first space station that could be put together in orbit from different parts. Mir was launched in 1986 and was used until 2001. It was the longest-lasting space station at the time.

Buran: Soviet Shuttle

The Buran program was the Soviet Union's answer to the US Space Shuttle. It aimed to create a reusable spacecraft. The only Buran shuttle ever flew just once, without a crew, in 1988.

International Space Station (ISS)

Recent space exploration has involved a lot of worldwide cooperation. The biggest example is the building and operation of the International Space Station (ISS). At the same time, smaller space powers have started their own space races. This has led to more commercial rocket launches and space tourism.

The United States continues to explore space, including its big role in the ISS. It also plans uncrewed Mars probes and military satellites.

Russia, which took over from the Soviet Union, has great potential but less money. Its space programs do many things, including military tasks. They offer commercial launch services and support the ISS with their own modules. They also operate crewed and cargo spacecraft. Russia is developing a new spacecraft called Orel spacecraft.

European Space Agency (ESA)

The European Space Agency has been a leader in commercial uncrewed launches since 1988. However, it competes with NASA, Russia, China, India, and others. ESA has launched many satellites. It has also used the crewed Spacelab module on US shuttles. ESA has sent probes to comets and Mars. It also helps with the ISS with its own module and the uncrewed cargo spacecraft ATV.

ESA is working on a new crewed spacecraft called CSTS. It also has a big plan called the Aurora Programme. This program aims to send humans to Mars soon after 2030. ESA works with other countries and shares funding for its missions. ESA is also developing the Galileo program. This program aims to give Europe its own satellite navigation system, separate from the American GPS.

China's Space Program

China has had a space program since 1956. The Soviets helped them early on. "Dong Fang Hong I" was China's first satellite, launched on April 24, 1970. China has made huge progress in space activities, especially since the early 2000s. It has developed many Long March rockets. The Long March 5 has the highest payload capacity in Asia. China launched over 140 spaceflights between 2015 and 2020. China operates many satellite systems for communication, Earth imaging, weather, and ocean monitoring. The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System is China's own satellite navigation system.

China's Human Spaceflight Program

The China Manned Space Program started in 1992. In 2003, Shenzhou 5 was China's first successful crewed spaceflight. This made China the third country with its own human spaceflight ability. China has developed important skills like spacewalks and space docking. China's Tiangong Space Station is currently being built.

Chinese Lunar Exploration

The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program was approved in 2004. It was the first step in exploring deep space. China launched two lunar orbiters, Chang'e 1 and Chang'e 2. On December 14, 2013, China successfully landed its Chang'e 3 Moon lander and its rover Yutu on the Moon. This made China the first Asian country to do so.

This was followed by Chang'e 4, the first landing on the far side of the Moon, in 2019. Then came Chang'e 5 in 2020, which brought Moon samples back to Earth. This completed the first stage of the program. China now plans to build a permanent International Lunar Research Station on the Moon.

China's Planetary Exploration

China tried its first interplanetary mission in 2011. It sent Yinghuo-1, a Mars orbiter, with Russia. But the Russian rocket failed. So, China started its own Mars mission. In July 2020, China launched Tianwen-1 to Mars. This mission included an orbiter, a lander, and a rover. Tianwen-1 reached Mars orbit on February 10, 2021. It successfully landed and deployed the Zhurong rover on May 14, 2021. This made China the second country to successfully land a working spacecraft on Mars.

Japan's Space Program

Japan's space agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is a major space player in Asia. Japan has a module on the ISS. It also operates an uncrewed cargo spacecraft, the H-II Transfer Vehicle.

JAXA plans to launch a Mars fly-by probe. Their lunar probe, SELENE, is considered a very advanced Moon mission. Japan's Hayabusa probe was the first to bring samples back from an asteroid. IKAROS was the first working solar sail.

Japan has plans to launch a new crewed spacecraft by 2025. They also aim to build a Moon base by 2030.

India's Space Program

ISRO: India's Space Agency

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is India's national space agency. It has an active space program. It operates a small commercial launch service. India launched a successful uncrewed lunar mission called Chandrayaan-1 in October 2007. India successfully launched a mission to Mars, the Mars Orbiter Mission, in 2013. It reached Mars in September 2014. This made India the first country to succeed in a Mars mission on its first try. On July 22, 2019, India sent Chandrayaan-2 to the Moon. Its Vikram lander crashed near the lunar south pole on September 6.

Other Nations in Space

Astronauts and cosmonauts from other nations have also flown in space. The first was Vladimir Remek from the Czech Republic, who flew on a Soviet spacecraft on March 2, 1978. As of November 2013, 536 people from 38 countries have gone into space.

Private Space Companies

SpaceX (USA)

SpaceX is an American aerospace company. It designs, makes, and launches rockets and spacecraft. SpaceX has made history by creating the first orbital rocket that can land itself and be used again. This has made space launches much cheaper. SpaceX is also planning a fully reusable rocket called Starship. It has a first stage called Super Heavy and a second stage also called Starship.

Blue Origin

Blue Origin made the first reusable suborbital rocket booster, New Shepard. They also had the idea of landing rocket boosters on ships at sea. SpaceX later did this first. Blue Origin leads a team that is designing a lunar lander. They will use their Blue Moon lunar lander design.

Bigelow Aerospace

Bigelow Aerospace made the first commercial inflatable module in space (BEAM). They also designed and built the first inflatable habitats in space, Genesis I and Genesis II. They also plan to make the first commercial space station around the Moon, called Lunar Depot.

Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman makes commercial supply runs to the ISS with their Cygnus spacecraft. They also helped develop spacecraft during the Space Race. They are part of the team led by Blue Origin that is designing a lunar lander.

United Launch Alliance