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This Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes includes unmanned spacecraft including technology demonstrators, observatories, lunar probes, and interplanetary probes. First satellites from each country are included. Not inclued are earth science satellites, commercial satellites or manned missions.
Key: Year - Origin - Target - Status - Description
- 1970 -
 Japan - Earth - Success - Osumi the first Japanese satellite
- 1970 -
 Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 7, the first successful landing of a spacecraft on another planet
- 1970 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 16 lander is the first automated return of samples from the Moon
- 1970 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Zond 8 flyby
- 1970 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 17/Lunokhod 1 lander/rover is the first automated surface exploration of the Moon
- 1970 -
 USA - Success - Launch of Uhuru, the first dedicated X-ray satellite
- 1970 -
 China - Success - Launch of Dong Fang Hong I, the first Chinese satellite
- 1971 - Soviet Union - Moon - Failure - Luna 18 lander
- 1971 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 19 orbiter
- 1971 - USA - Mars - Failure - Mariner 8 flyby
- 1971 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Cosmos 419 probe
- 1971 - Soviet Union - Mars - Partial Failure - Mars 2 orbiter and lander, created the first human artifact on Mars
- 1971 - Soviet Union - Mars - Partial Success - Mars 3 orbiter and lander, first successful landing on Mars
- 1971 - USA - Mars - Success - Mariner 9 orbiter, first pictures of Mars' moons (Phobos and Deimos) taken
- 1971 -
 UK - Earth - Success - Prospero X-3 satellite, first and only satellite launched by Britain using a British rocket
- 1972 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 8 lander
- 1972 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 20 lander
- 1972 - Success - Launch of the Copernicus ultraviolet satellite
- 1972 - USA - Sun - Success - Explorer 49 solar probe
- 1973 - USA - Venus/Mercury - Success - Mariner 10 launched, it passed by and photographed Mercury, also was the first dual planet probe
- 1973 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 21/Lunokhod 2 lander/rover
- 1973 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Mars 4 orbiter
- 1973 - Soviet Union - Mars - Success - Mars 5 orbiter
- 1973 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Mars 6 orbiter and lander
- 1973 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Mars 7 orbiter and lander
- 1974 -
 Germany - Sun - Success - Helios 1 solar probe
- 1974 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 22 orbiter
- 1974 - Soviet Union - Moon - Failure - Luna 23 probe
- 1974 - Success - Launch of the Ariel V X-ray satellite
- 1975 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 9 returns the first pictures of the surface of Venus
- 1975 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 10 orbiter and lander
- 1975 - USA - Mars - Partial Success - Viking 1 orbiter and lander; lands on Mars 1976
- 1975 - USA - Mars - Success - Viking 2 orbiter and lander; lands on Mars 1976
- 1975 -
 India - Earth - Success - Aryabhata India, launched by USSR
- 1975 - India - India's first rocket SLV launched
- 1976 - Germany - Sun - Success - Helios 2 solar probe
- 1976 - Soviet Union - Moon - Success - Luna 24 lander
- 1976 - Earth - Success - Hermes Communications Technology Satellite prototype for testing direct broadcast TV
- 1976 - Success - The Vela and ANS X-ray satellites discover X-ray bursts
- 1976 - Success - The OSO-8 X-ray satellite shows that X-ray bursts have blackbody spectra
- 1977 - Success - Launch of the HEAO-1 X-ray satellite
- 1978 - USA - Venus - Success - Pioneer Venus 1 orbiter
- 1978 - USA - Venus - Success - Pioneer Venus 2 atmospheric probe
- 1978 - Soviet Union - Venus - Partial Success - Venera 11 flyby and lander
- 1978 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 12 flyby and lander
- 1978 - Success - Launch of the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite
- 1978 - Success - Launch of the Einstein X-ray satellite (HEAO-2) is the first X-ray photographs of astronomical objects
- 1979 - Success - Launch of the Hakucho X-ray satellite
- 1979 - Success - Launch of the Ariel VI cosmic-ray and X-ray satellite
- 1979 - USA - Jupiter - Success - Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 send back images of Jupiter and its system
- 1980 - USA - Sun - Failure- Solar Maximum Mission solar probe succeeded after being repaired in Earth orbit
- 1981 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 13 launched, it returned the first colour pictures of the surface of Venus
- 1981 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 14 flyby and lander
- 1983 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 15 orbiter
- 1983 - Soviet Union - Venus - Success - Venera 16 orbiter
- 1983 - Success - Launch of the EXOSAT X-ray satellite
- 1983 - Success - Launch of the Tenma X-ray satellite (ASTRO-B)
- 1983 - Success - Launch of the IRAS satellite
- 1984 - Soviet Union - Venus/Halley's Comet - Success - Vega 1 flyby, atmospheric probe and lander
- 1984 - Soviet Union - Venus/Halley's Comet - Success - Vega 2 flyby, atmospheric probe and lander
- 1986 -
 Europe - Halley's Comet - Success - Giotto flyby
- 1987 - Success - Launch of the Ginga X-ray satellite (ASTRO-C)
- 1988 - Soviet Union - Mars - Failure - Phobos 1 orbiter and lander
- 1988 - Soviet Union - Mars - Partial Failure - Phobos 2 flyby and lander
- 1989 - Venus - Success - Magellan orbiter launched which mapped 99 percent of the surface of Venus (300 m resolution)
- 1989 - USA - Venus/Earth/Moon/Gaspra/Ida/Jupiter - Success - Galileo flyby, orbiter and atmospheric probe
- 1989 - USA - Neptune - Success - Voyager 2 sends back images of Neptune and its system
- 1989 - Success - Launch of the Granat gamma-ray and X-ray satellite
- 1989 - Europe - Success - Launch of the Hipparcos satellite
- 1989 - Success - Launch of the COBE satellite
[edit] See also
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