1958 in spaceflight

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[edit] Launches

This is a list of spaceflights launched in 1958.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Launch Date/Time	Rocket	Launch Site	Launch Contractor	Payload	Operator	Orbit	Mission/ Function	Re-Entry/ Destruction	Outcome	Remarks
January 28	Thor DM-18	LC-17A, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	(none)	N/A	N/A	IRBM Research & Development	N/A	Failure
February 1 03:47 GMT	Juno I	LC-26A, Cape Canaveral	US Army / ARPA	Explorer 1	US Army	LEO	Magnetosphere research	March 31, 1970	Successful	First American spacecraft in orbit Discovered Van Allen belts
February 5 07:33 GMT	Vanguard	LC-18A, Cape Canaveral	US Navy	Vanguard 1B	US Navy	Intended: LEO	Demonstrate orbital launch capability	T+57 seconds	Failure	Loss of control
February 28	Thor DM-18	LC-17B, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	(none)	N/A	N/A	IRBM Research & Development	N/A	Failure
March 5 18:27 GMT	Juno I	LC-26A, Cape Canaveral	US Army / ARPA	Explorer 2	US Army	Intended:LEO	Magnetosphere research	March 5, 1958	Failure	Fourth stage failed to ignite
March 17 12:15 GMT	Vanguard	LC-18A, Cape Canaveral	US Navy	Vanguard 1	US Navy	LEO	Demonstrate orbital launch capability	Still in orbit	Successful	Oldest spacecraft remaining in orbit
March 26 17:38 GMT	Juno I	LC-5, Cape Canaveral	US Army / ARPA	Explorer 3	US Army	LEO	Magnetosphere research	June 27, 1958	Successful
April 19	Thor DM-18	LC-17B, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	(none)	N/A	N/A	IRBM Research & Development	N/A	Failure
April 23	Thor Able	LC-17A, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	1 mouse	US Air Force	Sub-orbital	Demonstrate re-entry capability	T+150 seconds	Failure	Pump gearbox failure Maiden flight of Thor-Able rocket.
April 27 09:01 GMT	R-7 8A91	LC-1, Baikonur	RVSN	ISZ	RVSN	Intended: Low Earth Orbit	Physical research	T+88 seconds	Failure	LV disintegrated
April 29 02:53 GMT	Vanguard	LC-18A, Cape Canaveral	US Navy	Vanguard 2A	US Navy	Intended: LEO	X-ray and environmental research	29 April 1958	Failure	Third stage failed to ignite
May 15 03:46 GMT	R-7 8A91	LC-1, Baikonur	RVSN	Sputnik 3	RVSN	Low Earth Orbit	Physical research	April 6, 1960	Partially successful	Launched with faulty recorder; only data transmitted directly was received
May 28 03:46 GMT	Vanguard	LC-18A, Cape Canaveral	US Navy	Vanguard 2B	US Navy	Intended: LEO	X-ray and environmental research	28 May 1958	Failure	Guidance malfunction
June 4	Thor DM-18	LC-18B, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	(none)	N/A	N/A	IRBM Research & Development	N/A	Successful
June 13	Thor DM-18	LC-17B, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	(none)	N/A	N/A	IRBM Research & Development	N/A	Successful
June 26 05:00 GMT	Vanguard	LC-18A, Cape Canaveral	US Navy	Vanguard 2C	US Navy	Intended: LEO	X-ray and environmental research	26 June 1958	Failure	Premature cutoff of second stage
July 10 02:30 GMT	Thor Able	LC-17A, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	1 mouse	US Air Force	Sub-orbital	Demonstrate re-entry capability	July 10, 1957	Successful
July 13	Thor DM-18	LC-17B, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	(none)	N/A	N/A	IRBM Research & Development	N/A	Successful
July 23	Thor Able	LC-17A, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	1 mouse	US Air Force	Sub-orbital	Demonstrate re-entry capability	July 23, 1957	Successful
July 26 15:07 GMT	Juno I	LC-5, Cape Canaveral	US Army / ARPA	Explorer 4	US Army	LEO	Magnetosphere research	October 23, 1959	Successful
July 26	Thor DM-18	LC-17B, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	(none)	N/A	N/A	IRBM Research & Development	N/A	Failure
August 6	Thor DM-18	LC-18B, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	(none)	N/A	N/A	IRBM Research & Development	N/A	Successful
August 17 12:18 GMT	Thor Able	LC-17A, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	Pioneer 0	NASA	Intended: Lunar flyby	Lunar probe	T+77 seconds	Failure	LV exploded
August 24 06:17 GMT	Juno I	LC-5, Cape Canaveral	US Army / ARPA	Explorer 5	US Army	Intended: LEO	Magnetosphere research	August 24, 1958	Failure	Collision between booster and second stage disrupted upper stage firing angle
September 23	Vostok 8K72	LC-1, Baikonur	RVSN	Luna 1958A	RVSN	Intended: Lunar impact	Lunar probe	T+93 seconds	Failure	LV breakup
September 26 15:38 GMT	Vanguard	LC-18A, Cape Canaveral	US Navy	Vanguard 2D	US Navy	Intended: LEO	X-ray and environmental research	26 September 1958	Failure	Insufficient thrust to reach orbit
October 11 08:45 GMT	Thor Able	LC-17A, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	Pioneer 1	NASA	Intended: Lunar flyby Actual: LEO	Lunar probe	October 12, 1958	Failure	Insufficient thrust to reach moon
October 11	Vostok 8K72	LC-1, Baikonur	RVSN	Luna 1958B	RVSN	Intended: Lunar impact	Lunar probe	T+104 seconds	Failure	LV exploded
November 5	Thor DM-18	LC-17B, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	(none)	N/A	N/A	IRBM Research & Development	N/A	Successful
November 8 07:30 GMT	Thor Able	LC-17A, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	Pioneer 2	NASA	Intended: Lunar flyby	Lunar probe	November 8, 1958	Failure	Third stage failed to ignite
November 26	Thor DM-18	LC-17B, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	(none)	N/A	N/A	IRBM Research & Development	N/A	Successful
December 4	Vostok 8K72	LC-1, Baikonur	RVSN	Luna 1958C	RVSN	Intended: Lunar impact	Lunar probe	T+245 seconds	Failure	LV exploded
December 5	Thor DM-18	LC-18B, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	(none)	N/A	N/A	IRBM Research & Development	N/A	Successful
December 6 05:45 GMT	Juno II	LC-17A, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	Pioneer 3	NASA	Intended: Lunar flyby	Lunar probe	December 7, 1958	Failure	First stage depleted propellant early; erroneous orbit injection angle
December 16	Thor DM-18	LC-17B, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	(none)	N/A	N/A	IRBM Research & Development	N/A	Successful
December 16 23:44 GMT	Thor DM-18	LC-75-1-1, Vandenberg AFB	US Air Force	(none)	N/A	N/A	IRBM Operational Test	N/A	Successful
December 18 23:02 GMT	Atlas B	LC-11, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	Project SCORE	ARPA	LEO	Comsat	January 21, 1959	Successful	First communications satellite
December 30	Thor DM-18	LC-18B, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	(none)	N/A	N/A	IRBM Research & Development	N/A	Successful