Timeline: Rocket Ship Advancement Timeline

Oct 4, 1957

First satellite launched into space

Sputnik I is the first satellite to be launched into space, and was launched by the Soviet Union.

Apr 12, 1961

First man into space

Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin is the first man into space and orbited the Earth in 108 minutes.

Jan 28, 1968

Space Shuttle Challenger blows up

Space Shuttle Challenger blew up with schoolteacher onboard who was going to teach some classes in space. Some of her students were watching the spaceship when it blew up.

Jul 20, 1969

First man walks on the moon

Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin landed on the moon with Apollo 11 and spent 21 1/2 hours on the moon, 2 1/2 of those hours outside of the capsule.

Apr 12, 1981

First winged spaceship to return to landing port

Shuttle Columbia becomes the first winged spaceship to orbit Earth and return to landing on Earth

Period: Oct 31, 2000 to Mar 21, 2001

First crew to occupy the ISS

Captain Shepherd and the crew he commands (Expedition-1 crew), is the first group to occupy the International Space Station (ISS).

Feb 1, 2003

Space Shuttle Columbia breaks apart

Space Shuttle Columbia breaks apart over Texas only 16 minutes before it was supposed to land back in Florida.

May 30, 2020

SpaceX launces Falcon 9 rocket

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ,carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft, is launched from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, on NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station. This shuttle had 2 NASA astronauts, Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, onboard.