List of human spaceflights, 1961–70
For notes, summary and related links, see List of human spaceflights.
This is a detailed listing of human spaceflights from 1961 to 1970, spanning the Soviet Vostok and Voskhod programs, the start of the Soviet Soyuz program, the American Mercury and Gemini programs, and the first lunar landings of the American Apollo program.
- Red indicates fatalities.
- Green indicates sub-orbital spaceflight (including flights that failed to attain intended orbit).
- Grey indicates flights to the Moon.
- Note: The USA defines spaceflight as any flight reaching an altitude of 50 miles, while the FAI definition requires an altitude of 100 km. During the 1960s, 13 manned flights of the US X-15 rocket plane met the US criteria and only two the FAI's. This list includes only the latter two flights (see the X-15 article for a list of all 13).
# | Crew | Launch Spacecraft |
Habitation | Return Spacecraft |
Brief Mission Summary | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
12 April 1961![]() |
First manned spaceflight. Completed one earth orbit. | |||
2 | ![]() |
5 May 1961![]() |
First American manned suborbital spaceflight (altitude 187 kilometres, 116 miles). | |||
3 | ![]() |
21 July 1961![]() |
Second American manned suborbital flight (altitude 118.26 mi, 190 km). | |||
4 | ![]() |
6 August 1961![]() |
7 August 1961![]() |
Day-long flight. Completed 17 earth orbits. Brief manual control by pilot. | ||
5 | ![]() |
20 February 1962![]() |
First American manned orbital flight. Completed 3 orbits. | |||
6 | ![]() |
24 May 1962![]() |
First manual retrofire. Earth photography and study of liquids in weightless conditions. | |||
7 | ![]() |
11 August 1962![]() |
15 August 1962![]() |
First instance of two manned spacecraft in orbit simultaneously. | ||
8 | ![]() |
12 August 1962![]() |
15 August 1962![]() |
First instance of two manned spacecraft in orbit simultaneously. | ||
9 | ![]() |
3 October 1962![]() |
First flawless Mercury mission. | |||
10 | ![]() |
15 May 1963![]() |
16 May 1963![]() |
First live TV from U.S. astronaut. | ||
11 | ![]() |
14 June 1963![]() |
19 June 1963![]() |
Longest solo spaceflight. | ||
12 | ![]() |
16 June 1963![]() |
19 June 1963![]() |
First woman in space. | ||
13 | ![]() |
19 July 1963![]() |
First winged craft in space. Reached altitude of 106 km. | |||
14 | ![]() |
22 August 1963![]() |
Reached altitude of 108 km. Walker becomes first person to fly into space twice. X-15 #3 (serial 56-6672) becomes first vehicle to fly into space twice. | |||
15 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
12 October 1964![]() |
13 October 1964![]() |
First multiple person spaceflight. Biomedical research. | ||
16 | ![]() ![]() |
18 March 1965![]() |
19 March 1965![]() |
First EVA. | ||
17 | ![]() ![]() |
23 March 1965![]() |
First to perform orbital maneuvers. | |||
18 | ![]() ![]() |
3 June 1965![]() |
7 June 1965![]() |
First American EVA. | ||
19 | ![]() ![]() |
21 August 1965![]() |
29 August 1965![]() |
First one week spaceflight. Cooper becomes the first person to orbit the Earth on two different missions. | ||
20 | ![]() ![]() |
4 December 1965![]() |
18 December 1965![]() |
First two-week spaceflight. First space rendezvous in history with Gemini 6A. | ||
21 | ![]() ![]() |
15 December 1965![]() |
16 December 1965![]() |
First space rendezvous in history with Gemini 7. | ||
22 | ![]() ![]() |
16 March 1966![]() |
17 March 1966![]() |
First docking in space in history with Agena Target Vehicle Planned EVA canceled due to early re-entry necessitated by stuck thruster. | ||
23 | ![]() ![]() |
3 June 1966![]() |
6 June 1966![]() |
First backup crew to fly space mission. | ||
24 | ![]() ![]() |
18 July 1966![]() |
21 July 1966![]() |
First rendezvous with two different objects. | ||
25 | ![]() ![]() |
12 September 1966![]() |
15 September 1966![]() |
Held altitude record prior to lunar missions (1374 km). | ||
26 | ![]() ![]() |
11 November 1966![]() |
15 November 1966![]() |
First manual rendezvous. Miscellaneous scientific experiments. | ||
27 | ![]() |
23 April 1967![]() |
24 April 1967![]() |
Crashed on re-entry. First fatality during spaceflight. | ||
28 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
11 October 1968![]() |
22 October 1968![]() |
First three person U.S. crew. Launched over 20 months after Apollo 1 fatalities. | ||
29 | ![]() |
26 October 1968![]() |
30 October 1968![]() |
Failed to dock with unmanned Soyuz 2. | ||
30 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
21 December 1968![]() |
27 December 1968![]() |
First manned lunar orbit. | ||
31 | ![]() |
14 January 1969![]() |
17 January 1969![]() |
First crew transfer between space vehicles. First docking of two manned spacecraft. | ||
32 | ![]() ![]() |
15 January 1969![]() |
17 January 1969![]() |
First crew transfer between space vehicles. First docking of two manned spacecraft. | ||
![]() |
18 January 1969![]() | |||||
33 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
3 March 1969![]() |
13 March 1969![]() |
Tested Lunar Module in low Earth orbit. | ||
34 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
18 May 1969![]() |
26 May 1969![]() |
Tested Lunar Module in low lunar orbit. | ||
35 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
16 July 1969![]() |
Moon | 24 July 1969![]() |
First lunar landing. | |
36 | ![]() ![]() |
11 October 1969![]() |
16 October 1969![]() |
First three-craft spaceflight. | ||
37 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
12 October 1969![]() |
17 October 1969![]() |
First three-craft spaceflight. | ||
38 | ![]() ![]() |
13 October 1969![]() |
18 October 1969![]() |
First three-craft spaceflight. | ||
39 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
14 November 1969![]() |
Moon | 24 November 1969![]() |
Second lunar landing. Precision landing near Surveyor 3. | |
40 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
11 April 1970![]() |
17 April 1970![]() |
Lunar landing aborted following explosion en route. | ||
41 | ![]() ![]() |
1 June 1970![]() |
19 June 1970![]() |
Investigations into effects of prolonged spaceflight. Record duration mission for single spacecraft. |
See also

A chart showing relative accomplishments in human spaceflights (along with probes) visually graphing how the Soviet Union was far ahead of the U.S. in the early 1960s, but lost that lead in the middle of the decade. By the end of the decade, the U.S. had established unquestioned superiority by accomplishing President Kennedy's Moon challenge.
A chart showing U.S. astronaut assignments during the 1960s through the Apollo era.
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