This was the final year of the Soviet Union, and thus the end of the Cold War competition between the two space superpowers. The number of launches subsequently declined in the 1990s, and 2018 was the first year since 1990 to have more than 100 orbital launches.
Orbital and suborbital launches
Deep Space Rendezvous in 1991 Date (GMT)SpacecraftEventRemarks29 October Galileo First flyby of asteroid - 951 Gaspra Closest approach:
EVAs Start date/timeDurationEnd timeSpacecraftCrewRemarks7 January17:035 hours22:21Mir EO-8Viktor AfanasyevMusa ManarovSuccessfully repaired the damaged hatch on the Kvant-2 airlock and also positioned equipment for installation in a later EVA.23 January10:595 hours33 minutes16:32Mir EO-8Kvant-2Viktor AfanasyevMusa ManarovInstalled the new Stela boom on the base block.26 January09:006 hours20 minutes15:20Mir EO-8Kvant-2Viktor AfanasyevMusa ManarovInstalled supports on Kvant-1 to hold the solar arrays installed on Kristall.7 April4 hours26 minutesSTS-37Jerry L. RossJerome AptWhen the boom antenna on the GRO satellite would not extend, Ross and Apt exited the shuttle on an unplanned EVA to extend the boom to prepare for final release into orbit.8 April5 hours47 minutesSTS-37AtlantisJerry L. RossJerome AptInstalled and tested several monorail-type mobility tools for future space station construction.25 April20:293 hours34 minutes26 April00:03Mir EO-8Kvant-2Viktor AfanasyevMusa ManarovInspected and filmed the Kurs antenna on Kvant-1, finding that one of the antenna dishes was missing and then re-installed the camera on Kvant-2 that was removed and repaired.24 June21:114 hours58 minutes25 June02:09Mir EO-9Kvant-2Sergei KrikalyovReplaced the damaged Kurs antenna on Kvant-1 and performed assembly tests on an experimental structural joint.28 June19:023 hours24 minutes22:26Mir EO-9Kvant-2Anatoly ArtsebarskySergei KrikalyovAttached TREK, a type of cosmic ray detector developed at the University of California, to the outside of Mir.15 July11:455 hours56 minutes17:41Mir EO-9Kvant-2Anatoly ArtsebarskySergei KrikalyovMoved ladders and the base platform parts for the Sofora girder using the Strela boom from the airlock at Kvant-2 and installed them on Kvant-1.19 July11:105 hours28 minutes16:38Mir EO-9Kvant-2Anatoly ArtsebarskySergei KrikalyovStarted construction of the Sofora girder by installing three of 20 structural pieces.23 July09:155 hours42 minutes14:57Mir EO-9Kvant-2Anatoly ArtsebarskySergei KrikalyovContinued the construction of the Sofora girder by installing eleven more of the 20 girder pieces.27 July08:446 hours49 minutes15:33Mir EO-9Kvant-2Anatoly ArtsebarskySergei KrikalyovCompleted assembly of the Sofora girder and mounted a small Russian flag on top of the structure. Artsebarsky had trouble with fogging on his visor, due to overexertion, but Krikalyov was able to lead him back to the airlock.
References
Footnotes