| Year: | 2001 |
| First: | 9 January |
| Last: | 28 December |
| Total: | 59 |
| Success: | 58 |
| Failed: | 1 |
| Catalogued: | 58 |
| Maidens: | GSLV H-IIA 202 Proton-M Soyuz-FG |
| Retired: | Ariane 4 44P Ariane 4 44LP Athena IMir |
| Orbital: | 8 |
| Totalcrew: | 44 |
This article outlines notable events occurring in 2001 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
|colspan=8|
|-|colspan=8|
|-|colspan=8|
|-|colspan=8|
|-|colspan=8|
|-|colspan=8|
|-|colspan=8|
|-|colspan=8|
|-|colspan=8|
|-
|colspan=8|
|-|colspan=8|
|-|colspan=8|
|-|}
| Date (GMT) | Spacecraft | Event | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 January | 1st flyby of the Earth | ||
| 12 February | First-ever asteroid landing | ||
| 25 May | 8th flyby of Callisto | ||
| 6 August | Galileo | 4th flyby of Io | |
| 22 September | Flyby of 19P/Borrelly | ||
| 24 October | Areocentric orbit injection |
| Start Date/Time | Duration | End Time | Spacecraft | Crew | Function | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 February 15:50 | 7 hours | 23:24 |  Thomas D. JonesRobert Curbeam | Removed protective launch covers and disconnected power and cooling cables between Destiny and Atlantis, while crewmembers inside moved the 3800cuft laboratory from the payload bay to its home on the Unity node. Curbeam and Jones then connected electrical, data and cooling lines to the lab, during which a small amount of ammonia crystals leaked from one of the hoses, prompting a decontamination procedure.[1] [2] | |||
| 12 February 15:59 | 6 hours 50 minutes | 22:49 | STS-98 ISS Atlantis | Thomas D. JonesRobert Curbeam | Installed the shuttle docking adapter onto Destiny, installed insulating covers over the pins that held Destiny in place during launch, attached a vent to the lab's air system, installed handrails and sockets on the exterior of Destiny, and attached a base for the future space station robotic arm.[3] | ||
| 14 February 14:48 | 5 hours 25 minutes | 20:13 | STS-98 ISS Atlantis | Thomas D. JonesRobert Curbeam | Attached a spare communications antenna to the station, double-checked connections between the Destiny lab and its docking port, released a cooling radiator on the station, inspected solar array connections at the top of the station, and tested the ability of a spacewalker to carry an immobile crew member back to the shuttle airlock.[4] | 100th American spacewalk. | |
| 11 March 05:12 | 8 hours 56 minutes | 14:08 | STS-102 ISS | James S. VossSusan J. Helms | Prepared PMA-3 for repositioning from Unitys Earth-facing berth to the port-side berth to make room for the Leonardo MPLM. Removed a Lab Cradle Assembly from the shuttle's cargo bay and installed it on the side of Destiny, and installed a cable tray to Destiny for later use by the station's robot arm. After re-entering the shuttle's airlock, the spacewalkers remained ready to assist if any troubles were encountered by the crew inside the shuttle.[5] | Longest-duration EVA in history. | |
| 13 March 05:23 | 6 hours 21 minutes | 11:44 | STS-102 ISS Discovery | Paul W. Richards | Installed an External Stowage Platform for spare station parts, attached a spare ammonia coolant pump to the platform, finished connecting several cables put in place on the first EVA for the station's robotic arm. Inspected a Unity node heater connection, and inspected of an exterior experiment, the Floating Potential Probe.[6] | ||
| 22 April 11:45 | 7 hours 10 minutes | 18:55 | STS-100 |  Chris HadfieldScott E. Parazynski | Installed the station's UHF antenna, and the Canadian Space Agency made Canadarm2. Connected cables to give the arm power and allow it to accept computer commands from inside the lab.[7] | Hadfield became the first Canadian spacewalker. | |
| 24 April 12:34 | 7 hours 40 minutes | 20:14 | STS-100 ISS Endeavour | Chris HadfieldScott E. Parazynski | Connected the Power Data Grapple Fixture circuits for Canadarm2 onto Destiny, removed an early communications antenna, transferred a spare Direct Current Switching Unit from the shuttle's payload bay to an equipment storage rack on the outside of Destiny.[8] | ||
| 8 June 14:21 | 19 minutes | 14:40 | Expedition 2 ISS Zvezda |  Yury UsachyovJames S. Voss | Installed the docking cone onto the Zvezda module, in preparation for the arrival of the Russian Pirs docking compartment.[9] | Conducted from the transfer compartment of the Zvezda Service Module. | |
| 15 July 03:10 | 5 hours 59 minutes | 09:09 | STS-104 ISS Atlantis | James F. Reilly | Installed the Quest Joint Airlock onto the Unity node.[10] [11] [12] | ||
| 18 July 03:04 | 6 hours 29 minutes | 09:33 | STS-104 ISS Atlantis | Michael L. GernhardtJames F. Reilly | Installed one of two high-pressure nitrogen tanks, and one of two high-pressure oxygen tanks onto Quest, and installed grapple fixture and trunion covers.[13] | ||
| 21 July 04:35 | 4 hours 2 minutes | 08:37 | STS-104 ISS Quest | Michael L. GernhardtJames F. Reilly | Installed the second high-pressure nitrogen tank, and the second oxygen tank onto the Quest airlock.[14] [15] | First EVA conducted from the Quest airlock. | |
| 16 August 13:58 | 6 hours 16 minutes | 20:14 | STS-105 ISS Discovery | Daniel T. BarryPatrick G. Forrester | Installed an Early Ammonia Servicer onto the station's P6 truss, co-location of the foot restraint in a stowed location, and installed the MISSE-1 and 2 containers onto the Quest airlock.[16] [17] | ||
| 18 August 13:42 | 5 hours 29 minutes | 19:11 | STS-105 ISS Discovery | Daniel T. BarryPatrick G. Forrester | Installed heater cables and handrails onto the Destiny laboratory. | ||
| 8 October 14:24 | 4 hours 58 minutes | 19:22 | Expedition 3 ISS Pirs | Vladimir DezhurovMikhail Tyurin | Installed cables between Pirs, and Zvezda to allow spacewalk radio communications between the two sections. Installed handrails onto Pirs, and installed an exterior ladder to assist spacewalkers leaving Pirs. Installed a Strela cargo crane.[18] | First EVA conducted from the Pirs docking compartment. | |
| 15 October 09:17 | 5 hours 51 minutes | 15:08 | Expedition 3 ISS Pirs | Vladimir DezhurovMikhail Tyurin | Installed Russian commercial experiments (MPAC-SEEDS) onto the exterior of the Pirs docking compartment. | ||
21:41 | 5 hours 5 minutes | 02:46 | Expedition 3 ISS Pirs | Vladimir DezhurovFrank L. Culbertson | Connected cables on the exterior of Pirs for the Kurs automated docking system, completed checks of the Strela cargo crane, and inspected and photographed a panel of a solar array on Zvezda that had a portion of a panel not fully unfolded. | ||
| 3 December 13:20 | 2 hours 46 minutes | 16:06 | Expedition 3 ISS Pirs | Vladimir DezhurovMikhail Tyurin | Removed an obstruction that prevented a Progress resupply ship from firmly docking with the station, and took pictures of the debris and of the docking interface. | ||
| 10 December 17:52 | 4 hours 12 minutes | 22:04 | STS-108 ISS Endeavour | Linda M. GodwinDaniel M. Tani | Installed insulating blankets around two Beta Gimbal Assemblies that rotate the station's solar array wings, and performed get-ahead tasks in preparation for STS-110's spacewalks.[19] [20] [21] |
For the purposes of this section, the yearly tally of orbital launches by country assigns each flight to the country of origin of the rocket, not to the launch services provider or the spaceport.
| Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | ||||
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 19 | 19 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 22 | 21 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| World | 59 | 56 | 2 | 1 | |||
| Family | Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ariane | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Athena | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final flight | ||
| Atlas | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Delta | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Maiden flight | |||
| H-II | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Minotaur | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| R-7 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | |||
| R-14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| R-36 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |||
| RT-2PM | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Space Shuttle | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Titan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Universal Rocket | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Zenit | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Rocket | Country | Family | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ariane 4 | Ariane | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Ariane 5 | Ariane | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Athena I | Athena | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final flight | ||
| Atlas II | Atlas | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Delta II | Delta | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |||
| GSLV | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Maiden flight | |||
| H-IIA | H-II | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight | ||
| R-14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Long March 2 | Long March | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Molniya | R-7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||
| PSLV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| UR | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| R-7 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Space Shuttle | Space Shuttle | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Start | RT-2PM | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Taurus | Minotaur | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| Titan IV | Titan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Tsyklon | R-36 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Zenit | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Rocket | Country | Type | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ariane 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Final flight | |||
| Ariane 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final flight | |||
| Ariane 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Ariane 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||
| Athena I | Athena | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final flight | ||
| Atlas II | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Atlas II | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Delta II | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Delta II | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Delta II | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Delta II | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Delta II | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| GSLV | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Maiden flight | |||
| H-IIA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight | |||
| Kosmos-3M | Kosmos | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Long March 2F | Long March 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Molniya-M | Molniya | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||
| PSLV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Proton | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Proton | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Proton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight | |||
| Soyuz-U | Soyuz | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Soyuz-FG | Soyuz | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight | ||
| Space Shuttle | Space Shuttle | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Start-1 | Start | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Taurus | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Titan IV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Titan IV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Titan IV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Tsyklon-2 | Tsyklon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Tsyklon-3 | Tsyklon | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Zenit-2 | Zenit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Zenit-3SL | Zenit | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Site | Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baikonur | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Jiuquan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Kennedy | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | First orbital launch | |||
| Kourou | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | |||
| International waters | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Plesetsk | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Svobodny | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Tanegashima | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Vandenberg | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 59 | 56 | 2 | 1 | |||
| Orbital regime | Launches | Achieved | Not achieved | Accidentally achieved | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Earth / Sun-synchronous | 29 | 28 | 1 | 0 | Including flights to ISS and Mir | |
| 22 | 21 | 1 | 0 | GSLV launch failure left satellite in useless transfer orbit | ||
| Medium Earth / Molniya | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | Ariane 5 partial failure left payloads in a useless medium earth orbit. One satellite was able to correct itself to the intended geostationary transfer orbit. | |
| Heliocentric orbit / Planetary transfer | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 59 | 57 | 2 | 1 |