Orbital Launches in 1959
Search, filter and explore every orbital launch ever attempted — cross-linked to the satellites they deployed, the rockets that flew them and the operators behind them. Built on GCAT & Launch Library 2.
Orbital Radar lists 25 every orbital launch in 1959, part of 7,332 orbital launches catalogued since 1957. Every entry links to the rocket, the operator and the satellites it deployed.
Featured & milestone launches
| Date | Mission | Vehicle | Operator | Launch site | Payloads | Orbit | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-11-26 | Able IVB1959-F09 | Atlas Able | US Air Force | Cape Canaveral | — | LEO | failure |
| 1959-11-20 | CORONA C-51959 LAM | Thor Agena A | US Air Force | Vandenberg SFB | — | LEO | success |
| 1959-11-07 | CORONA C-41959 KAP | Thor Agena A | US Air Force | Vandenberg SFB | — | LEO | success |
| 1959-10-13 | NASA S-1A1959 IOT | Juno II | ABMA | Cape Canaveral | — | LEO | success |
| 1959-10-04 | E-2A1959 THE | Vostok-L 8K72 | MVS | Baikonur Cosmodrome | — | HEO | success |
| 1959-09-24 | Able IVA1959-E02 | Atlas C Able | US Air Force | Cape Canaveral | — | LEO | failure |
| 1959-09-18 | Magne-Ray satellite1959 ETA | Vanguard X-248 | NRL | Cape Canaveral | — | MEO | success |
| 1959-09-17 | Transit 1A1959-F08 | Thor Able II M1 | US Air Force | Cape Canaveral | — | LEO | failure |
| 1959-09-12 | E-1 No. 71959 XI | Vostok-L 8K72 | MVS | Baikonur Cosmodrome | — | HEO | success |
| 1959-08-19 | CORONA C-31959 ZET | Thor Agena A | US Air Force | Vandenberg SFB | — | LEO | success |
| 1959-08-15 | Beacon1959-F07 | Juno II (3) | ABMA | Cape Canaveral | — | LEO | failure |
| 1959-08-13 | CORONA C-21959 EPS | Thor Agena A | US Air Force | Vandenberg SFB | — | LEO | success |
| 1959-08-07 | NASA S-21959 DEL | Thor Able III | US Air Force | Cape Canaveral | — | HEO | success |
| 1959-07-16 | NASA S-11959-F05 | Juno II | ABMA | Cape Canaveral | — | LEO | failure |
| 1959-06-25 | CORONA C-11959-U01 | Thor Agena A | US Air Force | Vandenberg SFB | — | LEO | failure |
| 1959-06-22 | Radiation Balance sat1959-F03 | Vanguard | NRL | Cape Canaveral | — | LEO | failure |
| 1959-06-18 | E-1 No. 51959-F06 | Vostok-L 8K72 | MVS | Baikonur Cosmodrome | — | LEO | failure |
| 1959-06-03 | CORONA BIO 21959-F02 | Thor Agena A | US Air Force | Vandenberg SFB | — | LEO | failure |
| 1959-04-14 | Magnetometer satellite1959-F01 | Vanguard | NRL | Cape Canaveral | — | LEO | failure |
| 1959-04-13 | CORONA BIO 11959 GAM | Thor Agena A | US Air Force | Vandenberg SFB | — | LEO | success |
| 1959-03-03 | Pioneer 41959 NU | Juno II | ABMA | Cape Canaveral | — | HEO | success |
| 1959-02-28 | CORONA Test Vehicle 21959 BET | Thor Agena A | US Air Force | Vandenberg SFB | — | LEO | failure |
| 1959-02-17 | Cloud cover satellite1959 ALP | Vanguard | NRL | Cape Canaveral | — | MEO | success |
| 1959-01-21 | Discoverer 01959-E01 | Thor Agena A | US Air Force | Vandenberg SFB | — | LEO | failure |
| 1959-01-02 | E-1 No. 41959 MU | Vostok-L 8K72 | MVS | Baikonur Cosmodrome | — | HEO | success |
Launch cadence · 1957 → 2026
Annual orbital launch attempts worldwide. The modern surge is reshaping the record.
About this database
Every orbital launch since 1957 — 7,332 in total, 159 of them crewed — cross-linked to the rockets, operators and satellites involved. The historical record is built on GCAT and enriched with Launch Library 2, then matched to our live satellite catalogue.
Browse the database
crawlable facet hubs · each its own indexable pageFull launch index (25 launches)
Last updated 2026-06-21 · Data: GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org) · Launch Library 2 / The Space Devs — enriched & cross-linked by Orbital Radar.