2001 Mission Report Archive Also: 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 Tsyklon booster launches with cargo of six satellites A Tsyklon 3 rocket blasted off from Russia on December 28 carrying six communications satellites on the final space launch of 2001, ending a year that marked the lowest number of launches in nearly 40 years.    FULL STORY Zenit 2 rocket launches five satellite payloads into space A Ukrainian Zenit 2 rocket on December 10 launched the Russian Meteor 3M-N1 Earth observation spacecraft that features NASA's Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment-3 atmospheric research instrument.    FULL STORY Two science satellites launched by 100th Delta 2 Two spacecraft that will use the unique vantage point of space to study our home planet were successfully launched into orbit December 7 by the 100th Boeing Delta 2 rocket.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: RE-EDIT OF FULL LAUNCH VIDEO QT or RV    VIDEO: DELTA 2 LAUNCHES INTO MORNING SKY QT or RV    VIDEO: ONBOARD CAMERA VIEW OF LIFTOFF QT or RV    VIDEO: ONBOARD VIEW OF BOOSTER SEPARATION QT or RV    VIDEO: ONBOARD VIEW OF ROCKET STAGING QT or RV    MORE: COMPLETE SFN+ VIDEO INDEX Russian Proton rocket launches satellite trio A powerful Proton-K rocket was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on December 1 carrying three replacement spacecraft for Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System.    FULL STORY European Ariane 4 rocket launches DirecTV satellite A sophisticated communications spacecraft that will beam hundreds of local television channels to subscribers of the DirecTV satellite system across the U.S. was successfully launched November 26 by an Ariane 4 rocket.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER India launches satellite trio aboard one PSLV rocket India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle bolted from its launch pad October 22, successfully hauling three technology demonstration payloads into space. The PSLV rocket launched from India's Sriharikota complex, located on the east coast of the nation near the Bay of Bengal.    FULL STORY Commercial Earth-imager rockets into space on Delta Its name is QuickBird and it will take pictures of Earth's surface with unprecedented clarity for a commercial eye-in-the-sky imaging satellite. The spacecraft was successfully launched into orbit October 18 by the workhorse Boeing Delta 2 rocket.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    DETAILED LAUNCH TIMELINE    QUICKBIRD BACKGROUND INFO    ROCKET FACT SHEET Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: DELTA LIFTS OFF WITH QUICKBIRD QT or RV    VIDEO: DRAMATIC AERIAL VIEW OF LAUNCH QT or RV    VIDEO: SERVICE TOWER ROLLS AWAY FROM ROCKET QT or RV    VIDEO: ANIMATION OF QUICKBIRD IN SPACE QT or RV    MORE: COMPLETE SFN+ VIDEO INDEX Atlas 2AS rocket propels top-secret cargo into orbit While America strikes back against terrorism half-way around the world, a surge of three previously-planned U.S. national security satellite launches in one month's time was completed successfully October 10 as a Lockheed Martin Atlas rocket soared into space from Cape Canaveral, Florida.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    DETAILED LAUNCH TIMELINE    LAUNCH GROUND TRACK    ROCKET FACT SHEET Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: LAUNCH TEAM POLLED FOR FINAL "GO" QT or RV    VIDEO: ATLAS BLASTS OFF FROM CAPE CANAVERAL QT or RV    VIDEO: THIS ATLAS ROCKET NICKNAMED "AQUILA" QT or RV    VIDEO: PAYLOAD DEPLOYMENT CONFIRMED QT or RV    MORE: COMPLETE SFN+ VIDEO INDEX Titan 4 launches U.S. national security satellite A spying eye was put into the sky October 5 by America's mightiest unmanned rocket, probably destined to replace an aging imaging satellite in the country's reconnaissance spacecraft fleet.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    ROCKET FACT SHEET    TITAN 4 FLIGHT HISTORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: TITAN 4B ROCKET LIFTS OFF QT or RV    MORE: COMPLETE SFN+ VIDEO INDEX Proton lofts military satellite A Russian Proton rocket successfully launched a military communications satellite on October 6. Liftoff occurred at 1645 GMT (12:45 p.m. EDT) from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazahkstan, with deployment of the Raduga-1 (Globus) spacecraft about 6 1/2 hours later. Athena rocket successfully launches from Alaska After waiting all week for the solar weather to subside, the Lockheed Martin Athena 1 rocket lifted off September 29 from Kodiak Island, Alaska. The rocket successfully lofted four small satellites for NASA and the Air Force, marking the first orbital launch from Alaska.    MISSION STATUS CENTER    LAUNCH EVENTS CHART    KODIAK STAR MISSION PREVIEW    LAUNCH GROUND TRACK MAP Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: ATHENA BLASTS OFF FROM KODIAK ISLAND QT or RV    VIDEO: LAUNCH PAD TOWER ROLLED BACK QT or RV    VIDEO: ATHENA TRAVELS BY BARGE, TRUCK TO KODIAK QT or RV    VIDEO: ROCKET STAGES ASSEMBLED ON LAUNCH PAD QT or RV    VIDEO: KODIAK STAR SATELLITES PREPPED QT or RV    VIDEO: PAYLOADS MOVED TO PAD TO JOIN ATHENA QT or RV    MORE: COMPLETE SFN+ VIDEO INDEX Ariane 4 lofts satellite to cover both sides of Atlantic A telecommunications bridge that will span the Atlantic Ocean to link five continents from the Americas to the Persian Gulf was successfully launched into space on September 25.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Taurus rocket fails to achieve Earth orbit Two satellites that were supposed to give new perspectives of Earth never achieved orbit September 21 and likely fell into the Indian Ocean after a botched launch of Orbital Sciences' Taurus rocket from California.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    DETAILED LAUNCH TIMELINE    ORBVIEW-4 FACT SHEET    QUIKTOMS OVERVIEW RELEASE Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: TAURUS LAUNCHES, GYRATES DURING STAGING QT or RV    VIDEO: REPLAY VIEW OF GYRATION QT or RV    MORE: COMPLETE SFN+ VIDEO INDEX Clandestine cargo carried into space by Atlas rocket A Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket lumbered off its foggy launch pad September 8 carrying its heaviest cargo ever, a hush-hush spy satellite payload that observers suspect will eavesdrop on enemy ships sailing across the vast oceans of planet Earth.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    LAUNCH PREVIEW STORY    LAUNCH GROUND TRACK MAP    ATLAS 2AS FACT SHEET Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: ATLAS 2AS ROCKET LIFTS OFF QT or RV    VIDEO: DRAMATIC AERIAL VIEW OF LAUNCH QT or RV    VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY SHOWS SLOW MOVING ROCKET QT or RV    VIDEO: LAUNCH COMPLEX VIEW OF LIFTOFF QT or RV    VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH PROCESSING FOOTAGE QT or RV    MORE: COMPLETE SFN+ VIDEO INDEX Ariane 4 successfully launches Intelsat craft An Arianespace Ariane 4 rocket was launched from South America on August 30 carrying the Intelsat 902 telecommunications satellite. It took about 21 minutes to inject the payload into geosynchronous transfer orbit around Earth, marking the 63rd consecutive successful launch of the workhorse Ariane 4.    MISSION STATUS CENTER Japan's H-2A rocket launches on maiden flight The Japanese space agency's H-2A rocket was launched on its crucial inaugural flight on August 29 carrying a simulated satellite payload bound for a geosynchronous transfer orbit around Earth. Check the status center for updates.    MISSION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: H-2A ROCKET LIFTS OFF QT or RV    MORE: COMPLETE VIDEO INDEX NASA probe launched to retrieve bits of our origins NASA's Genesis spacecraft was successfully launched on its three-year, 20-million mile voyage by a Boeing Delta 2 rocket on August 8, kicking off the $260 million mission that aims to catch particles streaming from the Sun and return them to scientists on Earth.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Additional coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: GENESIS LAUNCH QT or RV    VIDEO: ONBOARD VIEW OF STAGING QT or RV    VIDEO: ROCKETCAM VIEW OF NOSE CONE FALLING QT or RV    VIDEO: LAUNCH VIEW FROM JETTY PARK QT or RV    VIDEO: ENGINEERING LAUNCH CLOSE-UPS QT or RV    VIDEO: GENESIS MISSION ANIMATION QT or RV Titan 4B rocket launches missile warning satellite A U.S. Air Force Titan 4B rocket lifted off at 3:28 a.m. EDT (0728 GMT) August 6 from Cape Canaveral carrying a Defense Support Program missile-warning satellite. A solid-fueled IUS upper stage later boosted the satellite to geostationary altitude during the seven-hour launch.    MISSION STATUS CENTER Atlas rocket launches U.S. weather satellite A Lockheed Martin Atlas 2A rocket successfully launched from Cape Canaveral on July 23 and placed the GOES-M weather satellite into the proper orbit.    MISSION STATUS CENTER - from the Cape    LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE    INTERACTIVE FLIGHT PROFILE Atlantis returns home after delivering station airlock Blocked by bad weather one day, the shuttle Atlantis glided back to Earth on July 24, dropping out of a muggy Florida sky into the glare of xenon spotlights to complete a virtually flawless space station assembly mission.    FULL STORY    VIDEO: LANDING - subscribers only    VIDEO: LANDING IN INFRARED - subscribers only    VIDEO: CREW WAKEUP - subscribers only    MISSION VIDEO THEATER - subscribe now More mission coverage here:       Solar sail experiment lost due to launcher problem Officials analyzing data from the July 20 test flight of a solar sail demonstrator have confirmed that the third stage of the Volna rocket launching the craft failed to separate from the spacecraft. That left the inflatable re-entry shield and the two solar sail blades unable to deploy, dooming the mission.    FULL STORY Ariane 5 rocket falls short Europe's Ariane 5 commercial rocket suffered a major setback July 12 when it failed to deliver a pricey experimental communications technology satellite and a TV broadcasting spacecraft into the correct orbit.    FULL STORY [Posted: July 12]    MISSION STATUS CENTER    UPPER STAGE BLAMED [Posted: July 13]    INVESTIGATORS NAMED [Posted: July 16] Craft launched to unlock secrets of the universe A NASA space probe designed to map the afterglow of the Big Bang -- the fossil light from the creation of the universe 14 billion years ago -- was launched into space on June 30 atop a Boeing Delta 2 rocket.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Atlas launches foundation of ICO satellite system The orbital assembly of a new wireless telephone and data relay satellite network began on June 19 when a Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket successfully launched the cornerstone spacecraft for the ICO system.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton adds new craft to ASTRA satellite system A new broadcasting spacecraft was propelled into Earth orbit on June 16 to join the ASTRA direct-to-home TV satellite system serving over 87 million homes across Europe.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Ariane 4 rocket launches new era for Intelsat A predawn launch of a European Ariane 4 rocket on June 9 delivered into space the first in a new series of communications satellites to beef up Intelsat's orbiting fleet with more powerful and higher capacity craft.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Search begins for cause of X-43A launch malfunction Video shot during the June 2 doomed launch of a Pegasus booster with NASA's X-43A experimental aircraft shows what might be one of the rocket's aerosurfaces breaking off moments before the vehicle goes into an uncontrolled tumble through the sky.    FULL STORY    VIDEO OF LAUNCH FAILURE    HESSI LAUNCH DELAYED [posted: June 4]    EARLIER STORY ON MISHAP [posted: June 2] Russian Soyuz rocket lofts military satellite Russia launched an unmanned Soyuz U rocket from Plesetsk Cosmodrome on May 29 carrying a classified military spacecraft believed to be an imaging spy satellite.    FULL STORY Delta 2 lofts spy satellite technology demonstrator A $130 million experimental laser communications testbed spacecraft launched May 18 could pave the way for quicker transmission of reconnaissance information from U.S. spy satellites back to Earth.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton lofts international communications satellite A telecommunications spacecraft that will orbit above the Indian Ocean to serve an area where 80 percent of the planet's population resides and replace an ailing sister-satellite was successfully delivered into space May 15 by a Russian Proton rocket.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Sea Launch rocket lofts second XM radio satellite "Long live Rock and Roll!" A jubilant launch team member made that exclamation on May 8 after a Zenit 3SL rocket successfully carried XM Satellite Radio's second powerhouse broadcasting spacecraft into orbit from a floating platform in the Pacific Ocean.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Tito's tourist trip blasts off A Russian Soyuz spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on April 28 bound for the international space station carrying Dennis Tito, the world's first fare-paying space tourist. The launch came after NASA and Russian Space Agency managers reached a last-minute compromise.    FULL STORY    VIDEO: LIFT-OFF - subscribers only    TITO MISSION THEATER - exclusive video    ROCKET ROLLS OUTS New Indian rocket makes inaugural flight India's fledgling space program experienced a major boost April 18 as the maiden Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle took to the skies and delivered an experimental communications satellite into orbit.    FULL STORY Martian odyssey begins with successful liftoff NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft set sail for the Red Planet on April 7, departing Earth aboard a Boeing Delta 2 rocket fitted with two video cameras that provided spectacular views of the thunderous blastoff.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    SCIENCE REPORT    VIDEO: DELTA 2 LIFTS OFF    VIDEO: ONBOARD CAMERA VIEW OF LAUNCH    VIDEO: ONBOARD CAMERA SHOWS STAGING    VIDEO: ONBOARD CAMERA VIEW OF SPIN UP Europe's Ariane 4 carries out military mission Arianespace launched its first double military payload February 7, lofting a pair of communications relay satellites for the British and Italian defense ministries.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Russian Proton M rocket successfully debuts The long-delayed maiden flight of the Proton M rocket, the more advanced version of the Russian workhorse launcher, finally lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on April 7 and placed a communications satellite into Earth orbit.    FULL STORY Satellite launched to beam digital radio across America American motorists seeking something new from their car radios received a boost March 18 when a rocket launched from a platform in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and delivered a digital audio broadcasting satellite into orbit.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Arianespace launches first Ariane 5 rocket of 2001 Two new digital stars are in the sky today following the successful launch March 8 of an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket that delivered European and Japanese telecommunications satellites into Earth orbit.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Air Force Titan 4 carries out $1.2 billion mission A sophisticated military communications switchboard-in-the-sky that promises to revolutionize the amount of information available to U.S. soldiers on the battlefield was successfully placed into Earth orbit February 27 in a picture-perfect Titan 4 rocket launch.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    VIDEO: LAUNCH OF THE TITAN 4 Boeing Delta 2 rocket lofts another GPS satellite Exactly ten years after the U.S. military troops reaped the benefits from the Global Positioning System while fighting the Gulf War in featureless deserts, a new satellite was launched into orbit January 30 to keep the constellation going.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    VIDEO: DELTA 2 ROCKET LIFTS OFF Mir deorbiter tug launched An unmanned freighter destined to drive Russia's abandoned space station Mir into a suicidal plunge back to Earth was launched into orbit January 24 atop a Soyuz rocket. Liftoff occurred at 0428:42 GMT from Central Asia.    FULL STORY Arianespace begins 2001 with launch for Turkey A telecommunications satellite that will bridge 150 million Turkish-speaking people of Europe and Asia was launched into orbit January 10 by an Arianespace Ariane 4 rocket, marking the European booster's 60th straight success.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Chinese capsule launched on second unmanned test China took another step towards manned space travel January 9 by launching its second prototype capsule on a demonstration flight. The unmanned Shenzhou 2 spacecraft, with several animals aboard, was successfully launched into the planned orbit around Earth by a Long March rocket on a several-day excursion.    FULL STORY    CAPSULE RETURNS TO EARTH