1988 in spaceflight

{{Wikipedia:WikiProject Timeline of spaceflight/Cleanup|incomplete=yes|refs=yes}}

1988 in spaceflight

Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-26R, the first US manned spaceflight after the Challenger accident
Orbital launches
First	6 January
Last	29 December
Total	121
Catalogued	116
National firsts
Satellite	Israel Luxembourg
Orbital launch	Israel
Space traveller	Afghanistan
Rockets
Maiden flights	Ariane 4 Long March 4A Shavit
Retirements	Energia Titan 34D
Manned flights
Orbital	5
Total travellers	19

Launches

Date and time (UTC)	Rocket		Launch site		LSP
	Payload	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (UTC)	Outcome
	Remarks
7 June 21:38:16	Soyuz-U2		Baikonur Site 1/5
	Soyuz TM-5		Low Earth (Mir)	Mir EP-2	7 September 00:48:38	Successful
	Manned flight launching three cosmonauts and landing two, computer problems during deorbit nearly resulted in loss of crew, and delayed landing by one day
7 July 17:38	Proton-K		Baikonur site LC200/39
	Fobos 1		Intended: Areocentric Actual: Heliocentric	Mars orbiter	In orbit	Spacecraft failure
	stationary lander			Phobos lander	In orbit	Never deployed
	Loss of communication 2 September 1988 en route to Mars
12 July 17:01	Proton-K		Baikonur site LC200/40
	Fobos 2		Areocentric	Mars orbiter	In orbit	Spacecraft failure
	stationary lander			Phobos lander	In orbit	Never deployed
	"hopping" lander			Phobos lander	In orbit	Never deployed
	Loss of communication 27 March 1989 near Phobos
29 August 04:23:11	Soyuz-U2		Baikonur Site 1/5
	Soyuz TM-6		Low Earth (Mir)	Mir EP-3	21 December 09:57:00	Successful
	Manned flight with three cosmonauts, one remained on Mir as part of EO-3, first Afghan space traveller
29 September 15:37:00	Space Shuttle Discovery		Kennedy LC-39B		United Space Alliance
	STS-26R	NASA	Low Earth	Satellite deployment	3 October 16:37:11	Successful
	TDRS-3 (TDRS-C)	NASA	Geosynchronous	Communications	In orbit	Operational
	Manned flight with five astronauts, first US manned spaceflight after the Challenger accident in 1986, TDRS deployed using Inertial Upper Stage
15 November 03:00:02	Energia		Baikonur Site 110/37
	Buran 1K1		Low Earth	Test flight	06:26	Successful
	37KB No.3770		Low Earth (Buran)	Test flight		Successful
	Unmanned test, only flight of Buran and final flight of Energia
26 November 14:49:34	Soyuz-U2		Baikonur Site 1/5
	Soyuz TM-7		Low Earth (Mir)	Mir EO-4/EP-4	27 April 1989 02:57:58	Successful
	Manned flight with three cosmonauts
2 December 14:30:34	Space Shuttle Atlantis		Kennedy LC-39B		United Space Alliance
	STS-27R	NASA/NRO	Low Earth	Satellite deployment	6 December 23:30:39	Successful
	USA-34 (Lacrosse)	NRO/CIA	Low Earth	Radar imaging	25 March 1997	Successful
	Manned flight with five astronauts

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

Deep-space rendezvous

There were no deep-space rendezvous in 1988.

References

Generic references: