July 20, 1945
A classified U.S. program initiated in 1945 to recruit top German scientists and engineers after World War II, significantly contributing to America's space program and technological advancement during the Cold War era.
January 1, 1961
The Apollo program began in 1961 when President John F. Kennedy declared America's intention to land humans on the Moon before the decade's end. This ambitious $28 billion initiative involved over 400,000 people and led to numerous technological breakthroughs.
April 8, 1964
NASA launched Project Gemini as its second human spaceflight program, conducting 12 missions between 1964-1966. The program served as a crucial bridge between Mercury and Apollo missions, developing essential capabilities for lunar exploration.
January 5, 1972
President Richard Nixon officially authorized NASA's Space Shuttle program, marking the beginning of reusable spacecraft era with a $5.5 billion development plan aimed at revolutionizing space transportation.
May 14, 1973
NASA launched Skylab, America's first space station, using a modified Saturn V rocket from Kennedy Space Center. The 169,950-pound orbital workshop marked the beginning of permanent human presence in space.
November 20, 1998
The International Space Station's construction officially began with the launch of its first module, Zarya, from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome. This historic event marked the start of humanity's largest international cooperative space project.
February 1, 2003
The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere on February 1, 2003, killing all seven crew members. The disaster was caused by damage to the shuttle's thermal protection system during launch and led to a 29-month suspension of NASA's Space Shuttle program.
September 28, 2008
SpaceX made history when its Falcon 1 became the first privately developed liquid-fuel rocket to reach Earth's orbit from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, marking a revolutionary moment in commercial spaceflight.
December 21, 2015
SpaceX achieved a historic milestone by successfully landing its Falcon 9 rocket's first stage booster at Cape Canaveral, marking the first-ever vertical landing of an orbital-class rocket while delivering 11 Orbcomm-2 satellites to orbit.
February 6, 2018
SpaceX made history with the successful launch of Falcon Heavy, the world's most powerful operational rocket, carrying Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster with 'Starman' mannequin into space orbit beyond Mars.
May 11, 2018
SpaceX achieved a historic milestone with the inaugural launch of Falcon 9 Block 5, their most advanced reusable rocket. The mission successfully deployed Bangladesh's first geostationary communications satellite while demonstrating revolutionary reusability features.
