Historical Events tagged with "space launch"

Turns out history loves a label—battles, breakthroughs, and the occasional disaster, all neatly tagged for your browsing pleasure. Because sometimes you just need every weird invention in one place.

Space Exploration

Ariane 5 Rocket Fails Shortly After Launch

June 4th, 1996 28 years ago

The first flight of the Ariane 5 rocket, a European space launch vehicle manufactured by Arianespace, was conducted as part of a Cluster mission, which aimed to study the Earth's magnetosphere. Unfortunately, just 37 seconds post-launch, the rocket exploded in a catastrophic failure. This incident revealed critical software issues and led to significant changes in the European space program's approach to satellite launches and vehicle design.

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Space Exploration

First Flight of Saturn IB Rocket AS-201

February 26th, 1966 59 years ago

The AS-201 mission marks the inaugural flight of the Saturn IB rocket, significant in NASA's Apollo program. Launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida, the vehicle carried a dummy payload to test systems and functions critical for future crewed missions to the Moon. The successful launch demonstrated the capabilities of the Saturn IB, setting the stage for subsequent missions that aimed to land humans on the lunar surface.

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