- April 19
- 16th Space Shuttle Mission (51-D)-Discovery 4 returns to Earth. [1]
- April 29
- 17th space shuttle mission (51-B)-Challenger 7 launched. [1]
- May 6
- 17th Space Shuttle Mission (51-B)-Challenger 7 lands at Edwards Air Force Base. [1]
- June 6
- Soyuz T-13 carries two cosmonauts to Salyut 7 space station. [1]
- June 15
- En route to Halley's Comet, USSR's Vega 2 drops lander on Venus. [1]
- June 17
- 18th Space Shuttle Mission (51-G)-Discovery 5 launched. [1]
- June 24
- 18th Space Shuttle Mission (51-G) - Discovery 5 - returns to Earth. Payload Specialist Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud completes being the first Arab and first Muslim in space. [1] [5] [85]
- June 29
- NASA launches Intelsat VA. [1]
- July 2
- European Space Agency launches Giotto to Halley's Comet. [1]
- Proto launched to Halley's Comet. [1]
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- July 19
- U.S. Vice President George H.W. Bush announces that New Hampshire teacher Christa McAuliffe will become the first schoolteacher to ride aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger. [1] [85]
- July 29
- 19th Space Shuttle Mission (51-F)-Challenger 8-launched. [1]
- August 2
- NASA launches space vehicle S-209. [1]
- August 6
- 19th space shuttle mission (51-F), Challenger 8, lands at Edwards Air Force Base. [1]
- August 7
- Takao Doi, Mamoru Mohri and Chiaki Mukai are chosen to be Japan's first astronauts. [85]
- August 8
- Japan launches Planet A, a probe to Halley's comet. [1]
- August 19
- Japan launches its second probe of Halley's Comet, Suisei. [1]
- August 27
- 20th Space Shuttle Mission (51-I) - Discovery 6 - launched. [1]
- September 3
- 20th Space Shuttle Mission (51-I) - Discovery 6 - returns to Earth. [1]
- September 11
- International Cometary Explorer (ISEE 3) passes Giacobini-Zinner by 7900 km. [1]
- September 17
- Soyuz T-14 carries three cosmonauts to Salyut 7 space station. [1]
- September 28
- NASA launches Intelsat VA. [1]
- October 3
- 21st Shuttle Mission (51J)-Atlantis 1-all-military flight launched. [1]
- October 7
- 21st Space Shuttle Mission (51-J)-Atlantis 1 lands at Edwards Air Force Base. [1]
- October 15
- US space shuttle Columbia carries Spacelab into orbit. [1]
- October 25
- Kosmos 1700 communications satellite placed in geostationary orbit. [1]
- October 30
- Space Shuttle Challenger lifts off for mission STS-61-A, its final successful mission. [1] [5]
- November 6
- 22nd Space Shuttle Mission (61A) -Challenger 9- lands at Edwards Air Force Base. [1]
- November 18
- Space shuttle Enterprise (OV-101) flies from Kennedy Space Center to Dulles Airport, Washington, DC, is and turned over to the Smithsonian Institution. [1]
- November 26
- 23rd Space Shuttle Mission (61-B)-Atlantis 2-is launched. [1]
- December 3
- 23rd Shuttle Mission (61-B)-Atlantis 2-lands at Edwards Air Force Base. [1]
- December 7
- US space shuttle Atlantis returns to Kennedy Space Center via Kelly Air Force Base. [1]
- December 12
- NASA launches space vehicle S-207. [1]
1986
- January 12
- 24th space shuttle mission STS 61-C Columbia 7 is launched with the first Hispanic-American astronaut, Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz. [1] [84]
- January 18
- 24th Space Shuttle (61-C) Mission - Columbia 7 - returns to Earth. [1]
- January 23
- Space shuttle Columbia returns to Kennedy Space Center via Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. [1]
- January 24
- Voyager 2 space probe makes first fly-by of Uranus (81,593 km), finds new moons. [1] [84]
- January 28
- 25th Space Shuttle mission (51L) - Challenger 10 explodes 73 seconds after liftoff. Killed are: Christa McAuliffe (teacher), Dr Judith Arlene Resnik, US Air Force Major Ellison S Onizuka, US Air Force Francis R Scobee, payload specialist Gregory B. Jarvis, US Navy Commander Michael J Smith, Ronald E McNair. [1] [84] [129]
- February 3
- US President Ronald Reagan announces formation of Committee on Challenger Accident. [1]
- February 9
- Halley's Comet reaches 30th perihelion (closest approach to Sun). [1] [84]
- February 19
- USSR launches Mir space station into Earth orbit. [1] [5] [84]
- February 24
- Voyager 2, first Uranus fly-by. [1]
- March 6
- USSR's Vega 1 flies by Halley's Comet at 8,889 km. [1]
- March 8
- Japanese spacecraft Suisei flies by Halley's Comet, studying its ultraviolet hydrogen corona and solar wind. [1] [84]
- March 9
- United States Navy divers find the largely intact but heavily-damaged crew compartment of the Space Shuttle Challenger; the bodies of all seven astronauts are still inside. [1] [84]
- Soviet probe Vega 2 flies by Halley's Comet at 8,030 km. [1]
- March 11
- Japanese probe Sakigake flies by Halley's Comet at 6.8 million km. [1]
- March 13
- Soyuz T-15 carries two cosmonauts to Soviet space station Mir. [1]
- March 14
- European Space Agency's Giotto flies by Halley's Comet (605 km). [1]
- March 24
- NASA publishes Strategy for Safely Returning the Space Shuttle to Flight Status. [1]
- April 11
- Halley's Comet makes closest approach to Earth this trip, 63 million km. [1]
- April 18
- Titan rocket explodes seconds after liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base. [1]
- May 3
- NASA launches Geos-G; it fails to achieve orbit. [1]
- May 30
- Ariane-2 (ESA) launched. [1]
- June 3
- E F Helin discovers asteroid #3767. [1]
- June 9
- The Rogers Commission report on space shuttle Challenger disaster blames Morton Thiokol. [1] [84]
- July 8
- NASA establishes Safety, Reliability and Quality Assurance standards for space shuttle program. [1]
- July 14
- NASA releases plan to implement recommendations of Rogers commission. [1]
- July 28
- NASA releases transcript from doomed Challenger, pilot Michael Smith could be heard saying, "Uh-oh!" as spacecraft disintegrated. [1]
- August 15
- US President Ronald Reagan decides to support a replacement for the space shuttle Challenger. [1]
- September 5
- NASA awards study contracts to five aerospace firms. [1]
- NASA launches DOD-1. [1]
- September 10
- Bryan O'Connor named chairman of US Space Flight Safety Panel. [1]
- November 13
- NASA launches space vehicle S-199. [1]
- December 4
- NASA launches Fltsatcom-7. [1]
1987
- January 6
- Astronomers at University of California see first sight of birth of a galaxy. [1]
- February 5
- February 23
- Supernova 1987A in LMC first seen; first naked-eye supernova since 1604. [1] [83]
- February 24
- At the Las Campanas Observatory, Chile, Canadian astronomer makes the first naked-eye sighting of a supernova since 1604. The supernova occurs in the Large Magellanic Cloud, 170,000 light-years away from Earth. [1588.19]
- February 26
- NASA launches GEOS-H. [1]
- March 20
- NASA launches Palapa B2P. [1]
- March 26
- NASA launches Fltsatcom-6, it fails to reach orbit. [1]
- May 15
- The Soviet Union launches the Polyus prototype orbital weapons platform, which fails to reach orbit. [1] [5]
- June 23
- W Landgraf discovers asteroid #3683 Baumann. [1]
- June 28
- E F Helin discovers asteroid #3680 Sasha. [1]
- July 22
- Soyuz TM-3 launched with three cosmonauts (one Syrian). [1]
- July 25
- USSR launches Kosmos 1870, 15-ton Earth-study satellite. [1]
- July 31
- Rockwell International awarded contract to build a 5th space shuttle. [1]
- August 3
- US Space Shuttle Discovery in Orbital Processing Facility is powered up for STS-26. [1]
- August 10
- Flight Readiness Firing of Space Shuttle Discovery's main engines is successful. [1]
- August 24
- Announcement of possible Martian tornadoes. [1]
- September 16
- NASA launches space vehicle S-209. [1]
- December 21
- Soyuz TM-4 carries three cosmonauts (Musa Manarov, Anatoly Levchenko, and Vladimir Titov) to space station Mir. [1]
1988
- February 8
- March 15
- NASA reports accelerated breakdown of ozone layer by chlorofluorocarbons. [1]
- March 25
- NASA launches space vehicle S-206. [1]
- April 15
- Meteorite explodes above Indonesia. [1]
- April 25
- NASA launches space vehicle S-211. [1]
- June 15
- First launch of the European Space Program of the Ariane rocket. [37]
- NASA launches space vehicle S-213. [1]
- July 7
- Soviet Union launches Phobos 1 to probe Martian moon (unsuccessful). [1]
- July 12
- USSR launches Phobos II for Martian orbit. [1]
- July 21
- ESA's Ariane-3 launches two communications satellites (one Indian). [1]
- July 29
- Judge orders NASA to release unedited tape from Challenger cockpit. [1]
- August 8
- Discovery of most distant galaxy (15 * 10^12 light years away) announced. [1]
- August 25
- NASA launches space vehicle S-214. [1]
- August 29
- USSR launches three cosmonauts (Valery Polyakav, one Afghan) to station Mir. [1]
- September 6
- Crippled Soviet Soyuz TM-5 lands safely with two cosmonauts aboard. [1]
- September 19
- Israel launches its first satellite, for secret military reconnaissance. [1]
- September 29
- NASA resumes space shuttle flights, grounded after the Challenger disaster, with the 26th Space Shuttle mission, Discovery 7. Challenger disaster, with Space Shuttle Discovery. [1] [82]
- October 3
- 26th Space Shuttle Mission, Discovery 7 returns to Earth after four days. [1]
- November 15
- In the Soviet Union, the unmanned space shuttle Buran is launched by an Energia rocket on its maiden orbital spaceflight (the first and last space flight for the shuttle). [1] [82]
- November 26
- Alexander Volkov, Sergei Krikalev, and Jean-Loup Chretien launch into space. [1]
- Pioneer 6's closest approach to Earth since 1965 launch (1.87 million km). [1]
- December 5
- Shuttle Atlantis (STS-27) launches world's first nuclear-war-fighting satellite. [1]
- December 6
- STS-27 Atlantis lands in California after secret mission. [1]
- December 19
- NASA unveils plans for lunar colony and manned missions to Mars. [1]
- December 21
- Vladimir Titov, Anatoly Levchenko, and Musa Manarov return to Earth (after a year) with Chretien. [1]
1989
- January 4
- Comet Tempel 1 at perihelion. [1]
- January 16
- USSR announces plan for two-year manned mission to Mars. [1]
- January 18
- Astronomers discover pulsar in remnants of Supernova 1987A (LMC). [1]
- January 29
- USSR's Phobos II enters Mars orbit. [1]
- February 1
- Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 at perihelion. [1]
- February 14
- The first of 24 Global Positioning System satellites is placed into orbit. [43] [457]
- World's first satellite Skyphone opens. [1]
- February 17
- Six-week study of Arctic atmosphere shows no ozone "hole". [1]
- February 20
- Total eclipse of the Moon. [1]
- March 1
- Comet du Toit at perihelion. [1]
- March 7
- Partial eclipse of the Sun (Hawaii, North West North America, Greenland). [1]
- March 13
- 27th US space shuttle mission, STS-29, Discovery 8, launched. [1]
- March 18
- 27th space shuttle mission, STS-29 (Discovery 8), returns to Earth. [1]
- March 22
- Asteroid 4581 Asclepius approaches the Earth at a distance of 700,000 kilometres. [43]
- March 23
- A 300m (1,000 feet) diameter Near-Earth asteroid misses the Earth by 500,000km (400,000 miles). [43]
- March 25
- Birth of Chicken Kentucky, first partial birth in space (chicken). [1]
- March 29
- First US private commercial rocket takes suborbital test flight (New Mexico). [1]
- May 4
- US launches Magellan to Venus. [1]
- US space shuttle STS-30 launched. [1]
- May 8
- US space shuttle STS-30 lands. [1]
- June 18
- Comet Churyunov-Gerasimenko at perihelion. [1]
- June 30
- NASA closes down tracking stations in Santiago, Chile, and Guam. [1]
- August 2
- NASA confirms Voyager 2's discovery of three more moons of Neptune designated temporarily 1989 N2, 1989 N3 and 1989 N24. [1]
- August 8
- STS-28: Space Shuttle Columbia takes off on a secret five-day military mission. [1] [43]
- August 9
- The asteroid 4769 Castalia is the first asteroid directly imaged by radar from Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. [43]
- August 11
- Voyager 2 discovers two partial rings of Neptune. [1]
- August 13
- US space shuttle STS-28 lands. [1]
- August 21
- Voyager 2 begins a flyby of the planet Neptune. [1]
- August 22
- The first complete ring around Neptune is discovered. [1] [5]
- August 25
- Voyager 2 flies past Neptune. [1] [43] (August 24 [5])
- September 30
- NASA closes down tracking stations in Hawaii and Ascension. [1]
- October 18
- US 62nd manned space mission STS 34 (Atlantis 5) launches into orbit. [1]
- October 23
- US 62nd manned space mission STS 34 (Atlantis 5) returns from space. [1]
- November 22
- Conjunction of Venus, Mars, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn and the Moon. [1]
- US 63rd manned space mission STS 33 (Discovery 9) launches into orbit. [1]
- November 27
- US 63rd manned space mission STS 33 (Discovery 9) returns from space. [1]
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