Suborbital spaceflight in 2008
Encyclopedia
A number of Suborbital spaceflights were conducted during 2008. These consist mostly of sounding rocket
missions and missile
tests, and include other flights such as an ASAT
firing. Between the start of the year and 16 July, at least 43 publicly announced suborbital spaceflights were conducted, the first of them on 11 January.
, serial number 36.243, launched from LC-36 at the White Sands Missile Range
. The launch occurred at 05:32 GMT on 11 January, making it the first recorded spaceflight launch of 2008. The mission was conducted by NASA
for Johns Hopkins University
, and reached an apogee of 315 kilometres. It was declared a success.
i Air Force
was reported to have successfully launched the first Jericho-3 missile from Palmachim
, on a test flight.
and aurora
l research mission, launched from the Andøya Rocket Range
in Norway. It was conducted by NASA
using Black Brant XII
40.021. Research was conducted by Cornell University
, the Lynch Rocket Laboratory at Dartmouth College
, and the Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire
. Launch was delayed several times by high winds and poor scientific conditions, and finally occurred on 18 January at 07:30 GMT. The rocket reached an apogee of 1,460 kilometres during a successful flight.
by the Army
of Pakistan
. The test was declared a success.
and aurora
l research mission was launched from Andøya
at 19:14:00 GMT on 31 January. The mission was conducted by Andøya Rocket Range
(ARR) and the German Aerospace Centre
(DLR), on behalf of the University of Leeds
. The successful research flight was conducted using a VS-30/Orion sounding rocket, which reached an apogee of 380.6 kilometres.
, Lockheed Martin
and the United States Navy
announced that a test launch of a Standard Missile 3, on an undisclosed date in the previous month had been conducted successfully. The launch occurred from the USS Desert Ship, a US Navy base at the White Sands Missile Range
.
conducted its second sounding rocket launch, and the maiden flight of the Kavoshgar-1
rocket, a derivative of the Shahab-3
missile. The launch occurred from a new space centre in Semnan Province
. It is believed that the launch was a test of the Kavoshgar, which was being developed as a carrier rocket.
rocket from the Uchinoura Space Centre
in Japan. The rocket was used to conduct research into the ionosphere
.
microgravity research programme. It was launched from Esrange
in Sweden at 11:30 UTC
on 7 February. A Brazil
lian VSB-30
sounding rocket was used, and the launch was conducted by the German Aerospace Centre
(DLR) and the Swedish Space Corporation
.
which failed shortly after launch in December 2006. Acting as an anti-satellite weapon
, the SM-3 was successful in destroying the satellite, by rupturing its hydrazine
tank. Officially, the United States Government stated that they destroyed the satellite to prevent it falling over a populated area, however it was claimed that there were political motivations, such as proving that the United States had the capability to destroy a satellite in low Earth orbit
, or to prevent the satellite from falling into the wrong hands, should it come down in a country not allied to the United States.
microgravity research mission, was launched from Esrange
in Sweden at 06:15 GMT on 21 February. A Brazil
lian VSB-30
rocket was used for the mission, which was conducted by the German Aerospace Centre
(DLR) and the Swedish Space Corporation
on behalf of the European Space Agency
.
submarine-launched ballistic missile
(SLBM) from the INS Kalinga, in the first K-15 test launch to be conducted underwater.
test fired an Agni-1
missile from Launch Complex 4 at Wheeler Island
.
. The launch and mission were conducted by Andøya Rocket Range
, and the launch occurred from their facilities in Norway.
occurred at 08:01 GMT on 2 April. It was conducted by the United States Air Force
.
, using a Black Brant IX
rocket. The serial number of the rocket was 36.240. Launch occurred at 16:58 GMT on 14 April. The launch was conducted by NASA
for the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
of the University of Colorado
.
i Blue Sparrow missile was test launched. The missile was fired from an F-15
aircraft, and flew a trajectory designed to imitate that flown by Iran
ian Shahab
missiles. Later launches will be used to test Arrow missiles, designed to shoot down enemy missiles.
i Shaheen-II
missiles were launched from an undisclosed launch site, believed to be Sonmiani
.
, serial number 36.223 was launched by NASA
, from LC-36 at the White Sands Missile Range
, on an x-ray astronomy
mission for the University of Wisconsin–Madison
.
rocket, serial number 12.065, was conducted by NASA
from LC-2 at the Wallops Flight Facility
. The flight was reported to be successful.
missile was launched on a test mission from LC-4 at Wheeler Island
, at 04:26 on 7 May. The test was reported to be successful.
, 12.066, was launched from the same launch pad at the Wallops Flight Facility
. The launch occurred early in the launch window, and was reported to have failed, due to a loss of control shortly after burnout of the solid rocket motor, and the loss of stabilisation fins during descent.
announced that two Trident II missiles had been tested successfully earlier in the month. The launches were claimed to have broken a record for consecutive successful launches, with 122 such launches since 1989. Trident launches are typically conducted in pairs on the same day. The missiles were fired from the submarine , submerged in the Pacific Ocean. The launches were later reported to have occurred on 8 May.
11 was a European sounding rocket
mission, launched by a VSB-30
rocket at 04:00 GMT on 15 May. The launch occurred from Esrange
in Sweden, was conducted by the Swedish Space Corporation
, and reached an apogee of 252 kilometres.
. The flight was a long range test aimed at Guam
, approximately 8450 kilometres from the launch site, rather than the usual target, Kwajalein Atoll. Instrumentation was carried for the US National Nuclear Security Administration
. The test was reported to have been successful.
missile was launched by the Indian Army
from the Integrated Test Range, at 05:00 UTC on 23 May, as part of a user training and test flight programme.
sole Soviet-designed
Golf class submarine
, located in the Yellow Sea
, on 29 May.
missile defence system was conducted on 5 June . A Thread-Representative Short Range Ballistic Missile was launched from the , near Kauai
. The missile reached space, and was intercepted by two SM-2
missiles launched from a destroyer, after re-entry. The SM-2 missiles did not reach space.
. The missiles were tracked by US Navy destroyers, and simulated SM-3 missiles were launched to intercept them.
test of the month, when a THAAD missile was used to intercept a Threat Representative Ballistic Missile. The TRBM was launched from a C-17 Globemaster III
aircraft, flying over the Pacific Ocean, at 02:16 GMT. A THAAD missile was launched from the Kwajalein Missile Range at 02:22, and the missile was successfully intercepted, during the stage at which the mock warhead separated from the missile. The THAAD did not leave the atmosphere, however the target did.
. The rocket was launched from Wallops Island
at 19:57 GMT on 26 June. The payload used infrared
and optical
sensors to track a number of objects released from the sounding rocket.
research missions to be conducted in 2008 was launched from the Andøya Rocket Range
on 30 June. A Nike-Orion rocket was used.
, to study Aeronomy
. The mission was flown by ARR
and DLR
.
conducted the Great Prophet III
war games
during July. These included a number of missile launches, several of which made suborbital spaceflights. Nine missiles were launched on 9 July, including a Shahab-3
. Further launches, including another Shahab-3, were reported to have occurred on 10 July.
mission was launched from Andøya
atop a Nike-Orion at 10:46 GMT on 12 July. It reached an apogee of 123 kilometres (76.4 mi).
on 14 July at 10:10 UTC. A Terrier 70-Improved Orion
sounding rocket was used, a derivative of the Terrier-Orion. The mission was reported to have been successful.
. A Polaris missile, in the STARS configuration, was launched from Kodiak Island
at 22:47 GMT. It was tracked by land and sea based radar systems, and the US early warning satellite systems. Intercepts of the missile by SM-3 and THAAD missiles were simulated from ships in the Pacific Ocean, and ground based systems at Vandenberg Air Force Base
, respectively. The test was successful.
, located in the Barents Sea
, on 1 August. The test was reported to have been successful. While the type of missile was not officially confirmed, Ryazan is believed to carry only R-29
missiles.
from the Uchinoura Space Centre
on 2 August at 08:30 UTC. The rocket conducted microgravity research, and reached an apogee of 293 kilometres.
, Wallops Island
, at 09:10 GMT on 22 August. 27 seconds after launch, the flight ended in failure, when the rocket exploded.
. The test was reported to have been successful.
system on 18 September, launching two missiles against a single target. The target was launched from Kauai
at 02:05 GMT, but failed before the interceptors could be launched. Both THAAD launches were cancelled.
SLBM from the Dmitry Donskoi submarine in the White Sea
. The missile was launched at 14:45 GMT, and impacted the test site at 15:05.
launched a Chimera test vehicle from Vandenberg AFB at 06:57, on behalf of the US military. The missile passed close to the NFIRE satellite, before falling back to Earth.
conducted four missile tests in the space of two days. On 11 November, an R-29RMU Sineva
missile was launched from the submarine
Tula (K-114), in the Barents Sea
. The next day, an RS-12M Topol was launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome
at 07:24 UTC. At an undisclosed time on the same day as the Topol, an R-29 Vysota
and an R-29RM Shtil were launched from submarines. The R-29 was launched from the Zelenograd (K-506), in the Sea of Okhotsk
, while the R-29RM was launched from the Yekaterinburg (K-84), in the Barents Sea
. All four tests were reported to have been successful.
was launched from LC-36 at the White Sands Missile Range
, to conduct an ultraviolet astronomy mission for NASA
and the US Navy Research Laboratory
. The flight lasted about ten minutes, and was successful.
by the Russia
n Strategic Rocket Forces
on 22 October at 09:10 UTC.
at 12:30 UTC on 22 October part of the REXUS programme. A Nike-Orion rocket was used. The flight was conducted by the Swedish Space Corporation
and German Aerospace Centre
, and the launch was conducted by EuroLaunch. The rocket reached an apogee of 175 kilometres.
missile defence system as part of the Pacific Blitz naval exercise. Two target missiles were launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility
at Barking Sands
. SM-3 interceptors were launched from the and . The missile launched from the Paul Hamilton successfully intercepted its target, however the one launched from the Hopper failed to do so, due to a targeting fault.
n Shaurya missile was launched on a successful test flight from LC-4 at the Integrated Test Range on Wheeler Island
.
tested a new solid-fuelled
missile, named Sajjil, on 12 November. The test was reported to have been successful.
Force Océanique Stratégique
conducted a successful test flight of the M51 SLBM from the Centre d'Essais des Landes
at Biscarosse.
was launched from LC-36 at the White Sands Missile Range
on a Solar
research mission for NASA
and the US Navy Research Laboratory
.
conducted a test of the AEGIS
missile defence system, in conjunction with the US Navy and MDA
. At 02:21 on 20 November, a target missile was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility
at Barking Sands
, by the US Navy. Three minutes later, an SM-3 interceptor was launched from the JDS Chōkai
. The SM-3 failed to intercept the target due to an infrared sensor fault. It was the second consecutive failure of an AEGIS test, following a similar malfunction during the US Navy test on 1 November.
successfully test-fired its third RS-24
ICBM from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome
.
launched the Kavoshgar-2 research flight. Some sources reported that a Safir was used, whilst images of the launch showed a smaller, solid-fuelled rocket. It is unclear whether the reports or the images were correct. The flight was reported to have lasted 40 minutes, with the payload being recovered by parachute.
. The flight was reported to have been successful.
-Orion was launched from SvalRak
in Svalbard
, on an Aurora
l research flight for the University of Oslo
. Launch occurred at 10:35:10 UTC, and the rocket reached an apogee of 330 kilometres during its ten-minute flight, which was reported to have been successful.
missile, in the STARS configuration was launched as a target from Kodiak Island
at 20:04 UTC, and a Ground Based Interceptor carrying an Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle
was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base
at 20:21. At 20:29, the interceptor destroyed the target, completing the successful test.
. The missile went off course after one of the stage separation events, and self-destructed. This was the fifth reported failure of a Bulava out of ten test flights.
Sounding rocket
A sounding rocket, sometimes called a research rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The origin of the term comes from nautical vocabulary, where to sound is to throw a weighted line from a ship into...
missions and missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
tests, and include other flights such as an ASAT
Anti-satellite weapon
Anti-satellite weapons are designed to incapacitate or destroy satellites for strategic military purposes. Currently, only the United States, the former Soviet Union, and the People's Republic of China are known to have developed these weapons. On September 13, 1985, the United States destroyed US...
firing. Between the start of the year and 16 July, at least 43 publicly announced suborbital spaceflights were conducted, the first of them on 11 January.
LIDOS
LIDOS was an American ultraviolet astronomy mission, conducted using a Canadian Black Brant IXBlack Brant (rocket)
The Black Brant is a Canadian-designed sounding rocket built by Bristol Aerospace in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Over 800 Black Brants of various versions have been launched since they were first produced in 1961, and the type remains one of the most popular sounding rockets ever built...
, serial number 36.243, launched from LC-36 at the White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...
. The launch occurred at 05:32 GMT on 11 January, making it the first recorded spaceflight launch of 2008. The mission was conducted by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
for Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, and reached an apogee of 315 kilometres. It was declared a success.
Jericho-3 test launch
On 17 January, the IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Air Force
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
was reported to have successfully launched the first Jericho-3 missile from Palmachim
Palmachim
Palmachim is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located about ten kilometers south of the Tel Aviv area along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, among the sand dunes, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gan Raveh Regional Council...
, on a test flight.
SCIFER-2
SCIFER-2 (Sounding of the Cusp Ion Fountain Energization Region-2) was an American ionosphericIonosphere
The ionosphere is a part of the upper atmosphere, comprising portions of the mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere, distinguished because it is ionized by solar radiation. It plays an important part in atmospheric electricity and forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere...
and aurora
Aurora (astronomy)
An aurora is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the high latitude regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere...
l research mission, launched from the Andøya Rocket Range
Andøya Rocket Range
Andøya Rocket Range is a rocket launch site and rocket range on Andøya island in Andøy municipality in northern Norway...
in Norway. It was conducted by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
using Black Brant XII
Black Brant (rocket)
The Black Brant is a Canadian-designed sounding rocket built by Bristol Aerospace in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Over 800 Black Brants of various versions have been launched since they were first produced in 1961, and the type remains one of the most popular sounding rockets ever built...
40.021. Research was conducted by Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, the Lynch Rocket Laboratory at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, and the Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
. Launch was delayed several times by high winds and poor scientific conditions, and finally occurred on 18 January at 07:30 GMT. The rocket reached an apogee of 1,460 kilometres during a successful flight.
Shaheen-1 test launch
On 25 January, a Shaheen-1 missile was test fired from SonmianiSonmiani
Sonmiani is a coastal town in the southeast of Balochistan province in Pakistan, approximately 145 kilometres northwest of Karachi. The coast of Sonmiani is the northernmost point of the Arabian Sea. The town also serves as a Union Council of Hub Tehsil. Sonmiani is noted for its space research...
by the Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. The test was declared a success.
HotPay-2
The British HotPay-2 ionosphericIonosphere
The ionosphere is a part of the upper atmosphere, comprising portions of the mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere, distinguished because it is ionized by solar radiation. It plays an important part in atmospheric electricity and forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere...
and aurora
Aurora (astronomy)
An aurora is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the high latitude regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere...
l research mission was launched from Andøya
Andøya Rocket Range
Andøya Rocket Range is a rocket launch site and rocket range on Andøya island in Andøy municipality in northern Norway...
at 19:14:00 GMT on 31 January. The mission was conducted by Andøya Rocket Range
Andøya Rocket Range
Andøya Rocket Range is a rocket launch site and rocket range on Andøya island in Andøy municipality in northern Norway...
(ARR) and the German Aerospace Centre
German Aerospace Center
The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany. Its headquarters are located in Cologne. It is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in...
(DLR), on behalf of the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
. The successful research flight was conducted using a VS-30/Orion sounding rocket, which reached an apogee of 380.6 kilometres.
Standard Missile test
On 28 January, BoeingBoeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
and the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
announced that a test launch of a Standard Missile 3, on an undisclosed date in the previous month had been conducted successfully. The launch occurred from the USS Desert Ship, a US Navy base at the White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...
.
Kavoshgar-1
On 4 February, IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
conducted its second sounding rocket launch, and the maiden flight of the Kavoshgar-1
Kavoshgar-1
The Safir is the name of the first Iranian expendable launch vehicle that is able to place a satellite in orbit. The first successful orbital launch using the Safir launch system took place 2 February 2009 when a Safir 2 carrier rocket placed the Omid satellite into an orbit with a apogee...
rocket, a derivative of the Shahab-3
Shahab-3
The Shahab-3 is a medium-range ballistic missile developed by Iran and based on the Nodong-1. The Shahab-3 has a range of ; a MRBM variant can now reach...
missile. The launch occurred from a new space centre in Semnan Province
Semnan Province
Semnan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the north of the country, and its center is Semnan. The province of Semnan covers an area of 96,816 square kilometers and stretches along the Alborz mountain range and borders to Dasht-e Kavir desert in its southern parts.Counties of...
. It is believed that the launch was a test of the Kavoshgar, which was being developed as a carrier rocket.
S-310 Ionosphere research mission
On 6 February at 09:14:40 GMT, JAXA launched an S-310S-310
S-310 is the designation of a Japanese sounding rocket.The S-310 is a middle-size rocket for carrying various payloads. It is a single-stage sounding rocket, 310 mm in diameter, and can reach an altitude of 200 km...
rocket from the Uchinoura Space Centre
Uchinoura Space Center
The is a space launch facility close to the Japanese town of Kimotsuki, in Kagoshima Prefecture. Before the establishment of the JAXA space agency in 2003, it was simply called the . All Japan's scientific satellites were launched from Uchinoura prior to the M-V launch vehicles being decommissioned...
in Japan. The rocket was used to conduct research into the ionosphere
Ionosphere
The ionosphere is a part of the upper atmosphere, comprising portions of the mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere, distinguished because it is ionized by solar radiation. It plays an important part in atmospheric electricity and forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere...
.
TEXUS-44
TEXUS-44 was the 44th flight of the European TEXUSTEXUS
TEXUS is a European/German sounding rocket programme, serving the microgravity programmes of ESA and DLR. The launches are conducted from Esrange in Sweden....
microgravity research programme. It was launched from Esrange
Esrange
Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...
in Sweden at 11:30 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
on 7 February. A Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
lian VSB-30
VSB-30
VSB-30 - "Veículo de Sondagem Booster – 30" is the designation of a Brazilian sounding rocket, which replaced the Skylark rocket at Esrange....
sounding rocket was used, and the launch was conducted by the German Aerospace Centre
German Aerospace Center
The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany. Its headquarters are located in Cologne. It is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in...
(DLR) and the Swedish Space Corporation
Swedish Space Corporation
The Swedish Space Corporation is a comprehensive space company covering the entire field, from the definition of innovative business concepts and space projects to the development, tests and operation of the systems....
.
USA-193 intercept
At 03:26 GMT on 21 February, a modified Standard Missile 3 was launched from the , stationed in the Pacific Ocean. The missile was fired at USA-193, a reconnaissance satelliteSpy satellite
A spy satellite is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications....
which failed shortly after launch in December 2006. Acting as an anti-satellite weapon
Anti-satellite weapon
Anti-satellite weapons are designed to incapacitate or destroy satellites for strategic military purposes. Currently, only the United States, the former Soviet Union, and the People's Republic of China are known to have developed these weapons. On September 13, 1985, the United States destroyed US...
, the SM-3 was successful in destroying the satellite, by rupturing its hydrazine
Hydrazine
Hydrazine is an inorganic compound with the formula N2H4. It is a colourless flammable liquid with an ammonia-like odor. Hydrazine is highly toxic and dangerously unstable unless handled in solution. Approximately 260,000 tons are manufactured annually...
tank. Officially, the United States Government stated that they destroyed the satellite to prevent it falling over a populated area, however it was claimed that there were political motivations, such as proving that the United States had the capability to destroy a satellite in low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
, or to prevent the satellite from falling into the wrong hands, should it come down in a country not allied to the United States.
TEXUS-45
TEXUS-45, the 45th TEXUSTEXUS
TEXUS is a European/German sounding rocket programme, serving the microgravity programmes of ESA and DLR. The launches are conducted from Esrange in Sweden....
microgravity research mission, was launched from Esrange
Esrange
Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...
in Sweden at 06:15 GMT on 21 February. A Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
lian VSB-30
VSB-30
VSB-30 - "Veículo de Sondagem Booster – 30" is the designation of a Brazilian sounding rocket, which replaced the Skylark rocket at Esrange....
rocket was used for the mission, which was conducted by the German Aerospace Centre
German Aerospace Center
The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany. Its headquarters are located in Cologne. It is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in...
(DLR) and the Swedish Space Corporation
Swedish Space Corporation
The Swedish Space Corporation is a comprehensive space company covering the entire field, from the definition of innovative business concepts and space projects to the development, tests and operation of the systems....
on behalf of the European Space Agency
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
.
K-15 Test
On 26 February, at 07:28 GMT, India test-fired a K-15K-15
K-15 is a comedy show project established by three people from Macedonia. The main characters of the show are played by Vasko Todorov, played by Ljupčo "Bubo" Karov, and played by Branko Ognjanovski, who are respectively the three founders and current writers, directors, and actors in the...
submarine-launched ballistic missile
Submarine-launched ballistic missile
A submarine-launched ballistic missile is a ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead that can be launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles each of which carries a warhead and allows a single launched missile to...
(SLBM) from the INS Kalinga, in the first K-15 test launch to be conducted underwater.
Agni-1 missile test
At 04:45 GMT on 23 March, the Indian NavyIndian Navy
The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...
test fired an Agni-1
Agni missile system
The Agni missile is a family of Medium to Intercontinental range ballistic missiles developed by India under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program...
missile from Launch Complex 4 at Wheeler Island
Wheeler Island, India
Wheeler Island is an island off the coast of Orissa, India. It is approximately 150 km from the state capital Bhubaneshwar. India maintains a missile testing facility on the island....
.
Mini-DUSTY 14
Mini-DUSTY 14 was a microgravity research mission launched on 28 March using an Indian RH-200 sounding rocketSounding rocket
A sounding rocket, sometimes called a research rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The origin of the term comes from nautical vocabulary, where to sound is to throw a weighted line from a ship into...
. The launch and mission were conducted by Andøya Rocket Range
Andøya Rocket Range
Andøya Rocket Range is a rocket launch site and rocket range on Andøya island in Andøy municipality in northern Norway...
, and the launch occurred from their facilities in Norway.
GT-196GM
Glory Trip 196GM (GT-196GM) was the first test of a Minuteman III missile to be conducted for nearly a year, due to a series of delays. The launch, from LF-09 at the Vandenberg Air Force BaseVandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
occurred at 08:01 GMT on 2 April. It was conducted by the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
.
SEE
SEE was an Ultraviolet Astronomy mission launched from LC-36 at the White Sands Missile RangeWhite Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...
, using a Black Brant IX
Black Brant (rocket)
The Black Brant is a Canadian-designed sounding rocket built by Bristol Aerospace in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Over 800 Black Brants of various versions have been launched since they were first produced in 1961, and the type remains one of the most popular sounding rockets ever built...
rocket. The serial number of the rocket was 36.240. Launch occurred at 16:58 GMT on 14 April. The launch was conducted by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
for the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics is a research organization at the University of Colorado at Boulder. LASP is a research institute with over 100 research scientists ranging in fields from solar influences, to Earth's and other planetary atmospherics processes, space weather, space...
of the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
.
Blue Sparrow test
On 15 April, an IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Blue Sparrow missile was test launched. The missile was fired from an F-15
F-15 Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
aircraft, and flew a trajectory designed to imitate that flown by Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian Shahab
Shahab
Shahab may refer to:* a male given name in Arabic and also Persian, meaning meteor or shooting star, or a bright star that illuminates the heavens* Shahab F.C., Iranian football club in Semnan...
missiles. Later launches will be used to test Arrow missiles, designed to shoot down enemy missiles.
Shaheen-II tests
On 19 and 21 April, two PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i Shaheen-II
Shaheen-II
The Shaheen-II is an medium range ballistic missile developed by NESCOM's National Defence Complex of Pakistan. The Shaheen missile series is named after a falcon that lives in the mountains of Pakistan...
missiles were launched from an undisclosed launch site, believed to be Sonmiani
Sonmiani
Sonmiani is a coastal town in the southeast of Balochistan province in Pakistan, approximately 145 kilometres northwest of Karachi. The coast of Sonmiani is the northernmost point of the Arabian Sea. The town also serves as a Union Council of Hub Tehsil. Sonmiani is noted for its space research...
.
Black Brant X-ray astronomy mission
At 05:30 GMT on 1 May a Black Brant IXBlack Brant (rocket)
The Black Brant is a Canadian-designed sounding rocket built by Bristol Aerospace in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Over 800 Black Brants of various versions have been launched since they were first produced in 1961, and the type remains one of the most popular sounding rockets ever built...
, serial number 36.223 was launched by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
, from LC-36 at the White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...
, on an x-ray astronomy
X-ray astronomy
X-ray astronomy is an observational branch of astronomy which deals with the study of X-ray observation and detection from astronomical objects. X-radiation is absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere, so instruments to detect X-rays must be taken to high altitude by balloons, sounding rockets, and...
mission for the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
.
First Mesquito launch
On 6 May, between 18:00 and 20:00 UTC, the maiden flight of the MesquitoMesquito
The Mesquito is a new sounding rocket vehicle developed for the NASA Sounding Rocket Program on Wallops Island, Virginia. The "skeeter" was developed to provide rocket-borne measurements of the mesospheric region of the upper atmosphere...
rocket, serial number 12.065, was conducted by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
from LC-2 at the Wallops Flight Facility
Wallops Flight Facility
Wallops Flight Facility , located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, is operated by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, primarily as a rocket launch site to support science and exploration missions for NASA and other U.S. government agencies...
. The flight was reported to be successful.
Agni-III test launch
An Indian Agni-IIIAgni missile system
The Agni missile is a family of Medium to Intercontinental range ballistic missiles developed by India under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program...
missile was launched on a test mission from LC-4 at Wheeler Island
Wheeler Island, India
Wheeler Island is an island off the coast of Orissa, India. It is approximately 150 km from the state capital Bhubaneshwar. India maintains a missile testing facility on the island....
, at 04:26 on 7 May. The test was reported to be successful.
Second Mesquito launch
About 24 hours after the maiden flight, the second MesquitoMesquito
The Mesquito is a new sounding rocket vehicle developed for the NASA Sounding Rocket Program on Wallops Island, Virginia. The "skeeter" was developed to provide rocket-borne measurements of the mesospheric region of the upper atmosphere...
, 12.066, was launched from the same launch pad at the Wallops Flight Facility
Wallops Flight Facility
Wallops Flight Facility , located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, is operated by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, primarily as a rocket launch site to support science and exploration missions for NASA and other U.S. government agencies...
. The launch occurred early in the launch window, and was reported to have failed, due to a loss of control shortly after burnout of the solid rocket motor, and the loss of stabilisation fins during descent.
Trident test launches
On 21 May Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
announced that two Trident II missiles had been tested successfully earlier in the month. The launches were claimed to have broken a record for consecutive successful launches, with 122 such launches since 1989. Trident launches are typically conducted in pairs on the same day. The missiles were fired from the submarine , submerged in the Pacific Ocean. The launches were later reported to have occurred on 8 May.
MASER-11
MaserMaser (rocket)
Maser is a sounding rocket that is used in the MASER microgravity research rocket programme, which is operated by the Swedish Space Corporation . The main customer is the European Space Agency , and in particular its EMIR and ELIPS programmes....
11 was a European sounding rocket
Sounding rocket
A sounding rocket, sometimes called a research rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The origin of the term comes from nautical vocabulary, where to sound is to throw a weighted line from a ship into...
mission, launched by a VSB-30
VSB-30
VSB-30 - "Veículo de Sondagem Booster – 30" is the designation of a Brazilian sounding rocket, which replaced the Skylark rocket at Esrange....
rocket at 04:00 GMT on 15 May. The launch occurred from Esrange
Esrange
Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...
in Sweden, was conducted by the Swedish Space Corporation
Swedish Space Corporation
The Swedish Space Corporation is a comprehensive space company covering the entire field, from the definition of innovative business concepts and space projects to the development, tests and operation of the systems....
, and reached an apogee of 252 kilometres.
GT-197GM
Glory Trip 197GM (GT-197GM) was the second test of a Minuteman III missile to be conducted in 2008. The launch, from LF-10 at Vandenberg AFB occurred at 10:04 UTC on 22 May. It was conducted by the 576th Flight Test Squadron of the USAF Space CommandAir Force Space Command
Air Force Space Command is a major command of the United States Department of the Air Force, with its headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. AFSPC supports U.S. military operations worldwide through the use of many different types of satellite, launch and cyber operations....
. The flight was a long range test aimed at Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, approximately 8450 kilometres from the launch site, rather than the usual target, Kwajalein Atoll. Instrumentation was carried for the US National Nuclear Security Administration
National Nuclear Security Administration
The United States National Nuclear Security Administration is part of the United States Department of Energy. It works to improve national security through the military application of nuclear energy...
. The test was reported to have been successful.
Prithvi test
A PrithviPrithvi
Prithvi is the sanskrit name for earth and its essence Prithivi Tattwa, in the form of a mother goddess or godmother. Prithvi is also called Dhra, Dharti, Dhrithri, meaning that which holds everything. As Prithvi Devi, she is one of two wives of Lord Vishnu. His other wife is Lakshmi. Prithvi is...
missile was launched by the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
from the Integrated Test Range, at 05:00 UTC on 23 May, as part of a user training and test flight programme.
Tszyuylan-2 test flight
A Tszyuylan-2 missile was launched from the Chinese Navy'sPeople's Liberation Army Navy
The People's Liberation Army Navy is the naval branch of the People's Liberation Army , the military of the People's Republic of China. Until the early 1990s, the navy performed a subordinate role to the PLA Land Forces. Since then, it has undergone rapid modernisation...
sole Soviet-designed
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
Golf class submarine
Golf class submarine
Project 629, also known by the NATO reporting name of Golf class, were diesel electric ballistic missile submarines of the Soviet Navy. They were designed after six Zulu class submarines were successfully modified to carry and launch Scud missiles...
, located in the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
, on 29 May.
AEGIS SM-2 test
A test of the terminal intercept capability of the United States AEGISAegis Ballistic Missile Defense System
The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System is a United States Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency program developed to provide defense against ballistic missiles. It is part of the United States national missile defense strategy...
missile defence system was conducted on 5 June . A Thread-Representative Short Range Ballistic Missile was launched from the , near Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
. The missile reached space, and was intercepted by two SM-2
Standard missile
Standard Missile can refer to a family of several different American missiles:* RIM-66 Standard , a medium range surface-to-air missile, the successor of the RIM-24 Tartar missile...
missiles launched from a destroyer, after re-entry. The SM-2 missiles did not reach space.
Simulated AEGIS test
A further test of the AEGIS system was conducted on 13 June, when two Medium Range Target Missiles were launched from Barking SandsBarking Sands
Barking Sands is a beach on the island of Kauaʻi in the US state of Hawaiʻi. It is the location of Pacific Missile Range Facility, a rocket launch site and also an official Missile Defense Testing Area, both controlled by the United States Navy....
. The missiles were tracked by US Navy destroyers, and simulated SM-3 missiles were launched to intercept them.
THAAD test
On 26 June, the United States conducted its third ABMAnti-ballistic missile
An anti-ballistic missile is a missile designed to counter ballistic missiles .A ballistic missile is used to deliver nuclear, chemical, biological or conventional warheads in a ballistic flight trajectory. The term "anti-ballistic missile" describes any antimissile system designed to counter...
test of the month, when a THAAD missile was used to intercept a Threat Representative Ballistic Missile. The TRBM was launched from a C-17 Globemaster III
C-17 Globemaster III
The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...
aircraft, flying over the Pacific Ocean, at 02:16 GMT. A THAAD missile was launched from the Kwajalein Missile Range at 02:22, and the missile was successfully intercepted, during the stage at which the mock warhead separated from the missile. The THAAD did not leave the atmosphere, however the target did.
NGSP-01
A Black Brant XI was used to conduct the Next Generation Sensor Producibility (NGSP-01) technology development mission for the US MDAMissile Defense Agency
The Missile Defense Agency is the section of the United States government's Department of Defense responsible for developing a layered defense against ballistic missiles. The agency has its origins in the Strategic Defense Initiative, which was established in 1983 and was headed by Lt...
. The rocket was launched from Wallops Island
Wallops Island
Wallops Island is a island off the east coast of Virginia, part of the barrier islands that stretch along the eastern seaboard of the United States of America.It is located in Accomack County, Virginia...
at 19:57 GMT on 26 June. The payload used infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
and optical
Optics
Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
sensors to track a number of objects released from the sounding rocket.
ECOMA 2008-1
The first of three ECOMA aeronomyAeronomy
Aeronomy is the science of the upper region of the atmosphere, where dissociation and ionization are important. The term aeronomy was introduced by Sydney Chapman, and the above definition stems from 1960. Today the term also includes the science of the corresponding regions of the atmospheres of...
research missions to be conducted in 2008 was launched from the Andøya Rocket Range
Andøya Rocket Range
Andøya Rocket Range is a rocket launch site and rocket range on Andøya island in Andøy municipality in northern Norway...
on 30 June. A Nike-Orion rocket was used.
ECOMA 2008-2
The second ECOMA mission was launched at 21:30 UTC on 7 July. The mission used a Nike-Orion rocket launched from AndøyaAndøya Rocket Range
Andøya Rocket Range is a rocket launch site and rocket range on Andøya island in Andøy municipality in northern Norway...
, to study Aeronomy
Aeronomy
Aeronomy is the science of the upper region of the atmosphere, where dissociation and ionization are important. The term aeronomy was introduced by Sydney Chapman, and the above definition stems from 1960. Today the term also includes the science of the corresponding regions of the atmospheres of...
. The mission was flown by ARR
Andøya Rocket Range
Andøya Rocket Range is a rocket launch site and rocket range on Andøya island in Andøy municipality in northern Norway...
and DLR
German Aerospace Center
The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany. Its headquarters are located in Cologne. It is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in...
.
Great Prophet III
IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
conducted the Great Prophet III
Great Prophet III
Great Prophet III was an Iranian missile test and war games exercise, conducted by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards. It began in the early morning of 9 July 2008, when Iran claimed nine missiles were simultaneously test-fired, including a long-range Shahab-3. Further tests, which one report...
war games
Military simulation
Military simulations, also known informally as war games, are simulations in which theories of warfare can be tested and refined without the need for actual hostilities. Many professional contemporary analysts object to the term wargames as this is generally taken to be referring to the civilian...
during July. These included a number of missile launches, several of which made suborbital spaceflights. Nine missiles were launched on 9 July, including a Shahab-3
Shahab-3
The Shahab-3 is a medium-range ballistic missile developed by Iran and based on the Nodong-1. The Shahab-3 has a range of ; a MRBM variant can now reach...
. Further launches, including another Shahab-3, were reported to have occurred on 10 July.
ECOMA 2008-3
2008's third and final ECOMA AeronomyAeronomy
Aeronomy is the science of the upper region of the atmosphere, where dissociation and ionization are important. The term aeronomy was introduced by Sydney Chapman, and the above definition stems from 1960. Today the term also includes the science of the corresponding regions of the atmospheres of...
mission was launched from Andøya
Andøya Rocket Range
Andøya Rocket Range is a rocket launch site and rocket range on Andøya island in Andøy municipality in northern Norway...
atop a Nike-Orion at 10:46 GMT on 12 July. It reached an apogee of 123 kilometres (76.4 mi).
SubTEC-II
SubTEC-II, a technology development flight, was launched from Wallops Flight FacilityWallops Flight Facility
Wallops Flight Facility , located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, is operated by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, primarily as a rocket launch site to support science and exploration missions for NASA and other U.S. government agencies...
on 14 July at 10:10 UTC. A Terrier 70-Improved Orion
Orion (US rocket)
Orion is the designation of a small American elevator research rocket. The Orion has a length of 5.60 meters, a diameter of 0.35 m, a launch weight of 400 kg, a launch thrust of 7 kN and a ceiling of 85 kilometers...
sounding rocket was used, a derivative of the Terrier-Orion. The mission was reported to have been successful.
FTX-03
FTX-03 was a missile defence test, conducted on 18 July by the US Air Force and MDAMissile Defense Agency
The Missile Defense Agency is the section of the United States government's Department of Defense responsible for developing a layered defense against ballistic missiles. The agency has its origins in the Strategic Defense Initiative, which was established in 1983 and was headed by Lt...
. A Polaris missile, in the STARS configuration, was launched from Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the United States and the 80th largest island in the world, with an...
at 22:47 GMT. It was tracked by land and sea based radar systems, and the US early warning satellite systems. Intercepts of the missile by SM-3 and THAAD missiles were simulated from ships in the Pacific Ocean, and ground based systems at Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
, respectively. The test was successful.
Russian SLBM test
A Russian SLBM test was conducted from the submarine RyazanRyazan
Ryazan is a city and the administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Oka River southeast of Moscow. Population: The strategic bomber base Dyagilevo is just west of the city, and the air base of Alexandrovo is to the southeast as is the Ryazan Turlatovo Airport...
, located in the Barents Sea
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of Norway and Russia. Known in the Middle Ages as the Murman Sea, the sea takes its current name from the Dutch navigator Willem Barents...
, on 1 August. The test was reported to have been successful. While the type of missile was not officially confirmed, Ryazan is believed to carry only R-29
R-29 Vysota
R-29 Vysota is a family of Russian submarine-launched ballistic missiles, designed by State Rocket Center Makayev. Development of the R-29 SLBMs started in the 1963 and was first launched in 1969. It uses the storable Liquid rocket propellants N2O4/UDMH. Over time different versions have developed...
missiles.
S-520 microgravity research flight
JAXA launched an S-520S-520
S-520 is the designation of a Japanese sounding rocket.The S-520 is a powerful single-stage rocket which is optionally equipped with three-axis attitude control and a recovery system...
from the Uchinoura Space Centre
Uchinoura Space Center
The is a space launch facility close to the Japanese town of Kimotsuki, in Kagoshima Prefecture. Before the establishment of the JAXA space agency in 2003, it was simply called the . All Japan's scientific satellites were launched from Uchinoura prior to the M-V launch vehicles being decommissioned...
on 2 August at 08:30 UTC. The rocket conducted microgravity research, and reached an apogee of 293 kilometres.
GT-195GM
A Minuteman III missile was launched from Vandenberg AFB at 08:01 UTC on 13 August, on a test flight aimed at Kwajalein Atoll. The test was successful, and the missile travelled about 6,790 kilometres downrange, deploying three re-entry vehicles.ALV X-1
The ALV X-1 test flight of the ATK Launch Vehicle was launched from LP-0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional SpaceportMid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport is a commercial space launch facility located at the southern tip of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on the Delmarva Peninsula south of Chincoteague, Virginia.-Background:...
, Wallops Island
Wallops Island
Wallops Island is a island off the east coast of Virginia, part of the barrier islands that stretch along the eastern seaboard of the United States of America.It is located in Accomack County, Virginia...
, at 09:10 GMT on 22 August. 27 seconds after launch, the flight ended in failure, when the rocket exploded.
Trident missile tests
The US Navy launched two Trident II missiles from the in the Pacific Ocean on 25 August. The launches were part of the missile's operational test programme, and were both successful.Topol test
On 28 August the Russian military launched a test flight of the Topol-M missile from the Plesetsk CosmodromePlesetsk Cosmodrome
Plesetsk Cosmodrome is a Russian spaceport, located in Arkhangelsk Oblast, about 800 km north of Moscow and approximately 200 km south of Arkhangelsk.-Overview:...
. The test was reported to have been successful.
Double THAAD test
The US military intended to conduct a test of the THAAD anti-ballistic missileAnti-ballistic missile
An anti-ballistic missile is a missile designed to counter ballistic missiles .A ballistic missile is used to deliver nuclear, chemical, biological or conventional warheads in a ballistic flight trajectory. The term "anti-ballistic missile" describes any antimissile system designed to counter...
system on 18 September, launching two missiles against a single target. The target was launched from Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
at 02:05 GMT, but failed before the interceptors could be launched. Both THAAD launches were cancelled.
Bulava test
On 18 September the Russian Navy test fired a BulavaBulava (missile)
The Bulava |mace]]"; designation RSM-56, NATO reporting name SS-NX-30, GRAU index 3M30) is a submarine-launched ballistic missile under development for the Russian Navy and to be deployed on the new Borei class of ballistic missile nuclear submarines...
SLBM from the Dmitry Donskoi submarine in the White Sea
White Sea
The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
. The missile was launched at 14:45 GMT, and impacted the test site at 15:05.
NFIRE-2b
A missile test using the NFIRE satellite to observe the launch was conducted on 24 September. Orbital Sciences CorporationOrbital Sciences Corporation
Orbital Sciences Corporation is an American company which specializes in the manufacturing and launch of satellites. Its Launch Systems Group is heavily involved with missile defense launch systems...
launched a Chimera test vehicle from Vandenberg AFB at 06:57, on behalf of the US military. The missile passed close to the NFIRE satellite, before falling back to Earth.
Russian missile tests
On 11 and 12 November, RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
conducted four missile tests in the space of two days. On 11 November, an R-29RMU Sineva
R-29RMU Sineva
The R-29RMU Sineva , also designated RSM-54,is a Russian liquid-fuelled submarine-launched ballistic missile. It has the GRAU index 3M27, and is identified by NATO as the SS-N-23 Skiff...
missile was launched from the submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
Tula (K-114), in the Barents Sea
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of Norway and Russia. Known in the Middle Ages as the Murman Sea, the sea takes its current name from the Dutch navigator Willem Barents...
. The next day, an RS-12M Topol was launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome
Plesetsk Cosmodrome
Plesetsk Cosmodrome is a Russian spaceport, located in Arkhangelsk Oblast, about 800 km north of Moscow and approximately 200 km south of Arkhangelsk.-Overview:...
at 07:24 UTC. At an undisclosed time on the same day as the Topol, an R-29 Vysota
R-29 Vysota
R-29 Vysota is a family of Russian submarine-launched ballistic missiles, designed by State Rocket Center Makayev. Development of the R-29 SLBMs started in the 1963 and was first launched in 1969. It uses the storable Liquid rocket propellants N2O4/UDMH. Over time different versions have developed...
and an R-29RM Shtil were launched from submarines. The R-29 was launched from the Zelenograd (K-506), in the Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
, while the R-29RM was launched from the Yekaterinburg (K-84), in the Barents Sea
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of Norway and Russia. Known in the Middle Ages as the Murman Sea, the sea takes its current name from the Dutch navigator Willem Barents...
. All four tests were reported to have been successful.
Black Brant UV astronomy mission
On 20 October at 08:39 UTC, a Black Brant IXBlack Brant (rocket)
The Black Brant is a Canadian-designed sounding rocket built by Bristol Aerospace in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Over 800 Black Brants of various versions have been launched since they were first produced in 1961, and the type remains one of the most popular sounding rockets ever built...
was launched from LC-36 at the White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...
, to conduct an ultraviolet astronomy mission for NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
and the US Navy Research Laboratory
United States Naval Research Laboratory
The United States Naval Research Laboratory is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps and conducts a program of scientific research and development. NRL opened in 1923 at the instigation of Thomas Edison...
. The flight lasted about ten minutes, and was successful.
UR-100 test
A UR-100N missile was successfully test-launched from the Baikonur CosmodromeBaikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
by the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Strategic Rocket Forces
Strategic Rocket Forces
The Strategic Missile Troops or Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation or RVSN RF , transliteration: Raketnye voyska strategicheskogo naznacheniya Rossiyskoy Federatsii, literally Missile Troops of Strategic Designation of the Russian Federation) are a military branch of the Russian...
on 22 October at 09:10 UTC.
REXUS-4
REXUS-4 was a student microgravity flight, launched from EsrangeEsrange
Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...
at 12:30 UTC on 22 October part of the REXUS programme. A Nike-Orion rocket was used. The flight was conducted by the Swedish Space Corporation
Swedish Space Corporation
The Swedish Space Corporation is a comprehensive space company covering the entire field, from the definition of innovative business concepts and space projects to the development, tests and operation of the systems....
and German Aerospace Centre
German Aerospace Center
The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany. Its headquarters are located in Cologne. It is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in...
, and the launch was conducted by EuroLaunch. The rocket reached an apogee of 175 kilometres.
Pacific Blitz
On 1 November, the US Navy conducted two tests of the AEGISAegis Ballistic Missile Defense System
The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System is a United States Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency program developed to provide defense against ballistic missiles. It is part of the United States national missile defense strategy...
missile defence system as part of the Pacific Blitz naval exercise. Two target missiles were launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility
Pacific Missile Range Facility
The Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands is a U.S. Naval facility and airport located five nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Kekaha, in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States....
at Barking Sands
Barking Sands
Barking Sands is a beach on the island of Kauaʻi in the US state of Hawaiʻi. It is the location of Pacific Missile Range Facility, a rocket launch site and also an official Missile Defense Testing Area, both controlled by the United States Navy....
. SM-3 interceptors were launched from the and . The missile launched from the Paul Hamilton successfully intercepted its target, however the one launched from the Hopper failed to do so, due to a targeting fault.
GT-198GM
GT-198GM was the fourth test of a Minuteman III missile to be conducted in 2008. The missile was launched from Vandenberg AFB at 09:00 UTC on 5 November. The missile travelled 6,740 kilometres downrange, and successfully impacted Kwajalein Atoll.Shaurya test
At 05:56 UTC on 12 November, an IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Shaurya missile was launched on a successful test flight from LC-4 at the Integrated Test Range on Wheeler Island
Wheeler Island, India
Wheeler Island is an island off the coast of Orissa, India. It is approximately 150 km from the state capital Bhubaneshwar. India maintains a missile testing facility on the island....
.
Sajjil test
IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
tested a new solid-fuelled
Solid rocket
A solid rocket or a solid-fuel rocket is a rocket engine that uses solid propellants . The earliest rockets were solid-fuel rockets powered by gunpowder; they were used by the Chinese in warfare as early as the 13th century and later by the Mongols, Arabs, and Indians.All rockets used some form of...
missile, named Sajjil, on 12 November. The test was reported to have been successful.
M51 test
At 09:06 UTC on 13 November, the FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Force Océanique Stratégique
Force Océanique Stratégique
The Force océanique stratégique is the ballistic missile submarine force of the French Navy. It is one of the two components of the submarine forces of the French Navy and the sea-based component of the French nuclear deterrent.- History :The FOST was created in the early 1960s, around the need...
conducted a successful test flight of the M51 SLBM from the Centre d'Essais des Landes
Centre d'Essais des Landes
The Centre d'Essais des Landes is a launch site for the test of military rockets and for launching sounding rockets in France. The Centre d'Essais des Landes is situated between Biscarrosse and the Atlantic Ocean at...
at Biscarosse.
Black Brant solar mission
On 14 November, a Black Brant IXBlack Brant (rocket)
The Black Brant is a Canadian-designed sounding rocket built by Bristol Aerospace in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Over 800 Black Brants of various versions have been launched since they were first produced in 1961, and the type remains one of the most popular sounding rockets ever built...
was launched from LC-36 at the White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...
on a Solar
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
research mission for NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
and the US Navy Research Laboratory
United States Naval Research Laboratory
The United States Naval Research Laboratory is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps and conducts a program of scientific research and development. NRL opened in 1923 at the instigation of Thomas Edison...
.
Japanese AEGIS test
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense ForceJapan Maritime Self-Defense Force
The , or JMSDF, is the naval branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. It was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy after World War II....
conducted a test of the AEGIS
Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System
The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System is a United States Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency program developed to provide defense against ballistic missiles. It is part of the United States national missile defense strategy...
missile defence system, in conjunction with the US Navy and MDA
Missile Defense Agency
The Missile Defense Agency is the section of the United States government's Department of Defense responsible for developing a layered defense against ballistic missiles. The agency has its origins in the Strategic Defense Initiative, which was established in 1983 and was headed by Lt...
. At 02:21 on 20 November, a target missile was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility
Pacific Missile Range Facility
The Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands is a U.S. Naval facility and airport located five nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Kekaha, in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States....
at Barking Sands
Barking Sands
Barking Sands is a beach on the island of Kauaʻi in the US state of Hawaiʻi. It is the location of Pacific Missile Range Facility, a rocket launch site and also an official Missile Defense Testing Area, both controlled by the United States Navy....
, by the US Navy. Three minutes later, an SM-3 interceptor was launched from the JDS Chōkai
JDS Chokai (DDG-176)
JDS Chōkai is a Kongō class guided missile destroyer in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force . Chōkai was named for Mount Chōkai....
. The SM-3 failed to intercept the target due to an infrared sensor fault. It was the second consecutive failure of an AEGIS test, following a similar malfunction during the US Navy test on 1 November.
RS-24 test
At 13:24 on 26 November, RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
successfully test-fired its third RS-24
RS-24
The RS-24 Yars is a Russian MIRV-equipped, thermonuclear intercontinental ballistic missile first tested on May 29, 2007 after a secret military R&D project, to replace the older R-36 and UR-100N that have been already used almost for 50 years. RS-24 is a missile that is heavier than the current...
ICBM from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome
Plesetsk Cosmodrome
Plesetsk Cosmodrome is a Russian spaceport, located in Arkhangelsk Oblast, about 800 km north of Moscow and approximately 200 km south of Arkhangelsk.-Overview:...
.
Kavoshgar-2
On 26 November, IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
launched the Kavoshgar-2 research flight. Some sources reported that a Safir was used, whilst images of the launch showed a smaller, solid-fuelled rocket. It is unclear whether the reports or the images were correct. The flight was reported to have lasted 40 minutes, with the payload being recovered by parachute.
Bulava test flight
An RSM-56 Bulava was tested on 28 November, with launch occurring from the Dmitry Donskoi submarine in the White SeaWhite Sea
The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
. The flight was reported to have been successful.
ICI-2
On 5 December, a VS-30VS-30
The VS-30 is an Argentine-Brazilian sounding rocket, derived from the Sonda 3 sounding rocket's first stage. It consists of a single, solid-fuelled stage, and has been launched from Alcântara, Maranhão, and Parnamirim, Rio Grande do Norte, in Brazil, and Andøya in Norway.It has been launched both...
-Orion was launched from SvalRak
SvalRak
SvalRak is the name of a launch site for sounding rockets in the neighbourhood of Ny-Ålesund on Spitsbergen at . The launch site SvalRak has been in service since 1997 and is suitable for the launch of rockets for the investigation of the earth's magnetic field. SvalRak is owned and operated by...
in Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
, on an Aurora
Aurora Programme
The Aurora programme is a human spaceflight programme of the European Space Agency established in 2001 with the primary objectives of creating, and then implementing, a European long-term plan for exploration of the Solar System using robotic spacecraft and human spaceflight...
l research flight for the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
. Launch occurred at 10:35:10 UTC, and the rocket reached an apogee of 330 kilometres during its ten-minute flight, which was reported to have been successful.
FTG-03
FTG-03 was an American missile defence test. A PolarisUGM-27 Polaris
The Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fuel nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile built during the Cold War by Lockheed Corporation of California for the United States Navy....
missile, in the STARS configuration was launched as a target from Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the United States and the 80th largest island in the world, with an...
at 20:04 UTC, and a Ground Based Interceptor carrying an Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle
Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle
Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle can refer to two related missile defense concepts:* Most common: the Raytheon-manufactured interceptor component with subcontractor Aerojet of the U.S...
was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
at 20:21. At 20:29, the interceptor destroyed the target, completing the successful test.
Failed Bulava test
An RSM-56 Bulava was tested on 23 December at 03:00 UTC. The missile was launched from the Dmitry Donskoi submarine in the White SeaWhite Sea
The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
. The missile went off course after one of the stage separation events, and self-destructed. This was the fifth reported failure of a Bulava out of ten test flights.