This article outlines notable events occurring in 2006 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs. 2006 saw Brazil, Iran, and Sweden all get a national into space for the first time.

Launches

|colspan=8|

January

|colspan=8|

February

|colspan=8|

March

|colspan=8|

April

|colspan=8|

May

|colspan=8|

June

|colspan=8|

July

|colspan=8|

August

|colspan=8|

September

|colspan=8|

October

|colspan=8|

November

|colspan=8|

December

Suborbital launches

|colspan=8| January

|colspan=8|

February

|colspan=8|

March

|colspan=8| April

|colspan=8| May

|colspan=8| June

|colspan=8| July

|colspan=8|

August

|colspan=8| September

|colspan=8| October

|colspan=8| November

|colspan=8| December

|colspan=8| Unknown date

Deep Space Rendezvous in 2006 Date (GMT)SpacecraftEventRemarks15 January Stardust First sample return mission from comet space capsule landing on Earth with cometary samples15 January Cassini 10th flyby of Titan Closest approach: 27 February Cassini 11th flyby of Titan Closest approach: 10 March Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Areocentric orbit injection18 March Cassini 12th flyby of Titan Closest approach: 11 April Venus Express Cytherean orbit injection30 April Cassini 13th flyby of Titan Closest approach: 20 May Cassini 14th flyby of Titan Closest approach: 2 July Cassini 15th flyby of Titan Closest approach: 22 July Cassini 16th flyby of Titan Closest approach: 4 September SMART-1 Lunar impact7 September Cassini 17th flyby of Titan Closest approach: 23 September Cassini 18th flyby of Titan Closest approach: 9 October Cassini 19th flyby of Titan Closest approach: 23 October MESSENGER 1st flyby of Venus Gravity assist25 October Cassini 20th flyby of Titan Closest approach: 12 December Cassini 21st flyby of Titan Closest approach: 28 December Cassini 22nd flyby of Titan Closest approach:

EVAs Start date/timeDurationEnd timeSpacecraftCrewFunctionRemarks3 February09:555 hours16:27ISS PirsWilliam S. McArthurValery TokarevReleased SuitSat-1, retrieved the Biorisk experiment, photographed a sensor for a micrometeoroid experiment, and tied off the surviving umbilical of the Mobile Transporter.1 June23:486 hours31 minutes2 June06:19Expedition 13ISS PirsPavel VinogradovJeffrey WilliamsRepaired a vent for the Elektron unit, retrieved a Biorisk experiment, retrieved a contamination-monitoring device from Zvezda, and replaced a malfunctioning camera on the Mobile Base System.8 July13:177 hours31 minutes20:48STS-121ISS Quest/Piers SellersMichael E. FossumInstalled a blade blocker in the zenith Interface Umbilical Assembly (IUA) to protect the undamaged power, data and video cable, rerouted the cable to prepare for the second EVA. Tested the combination of the Shuttle's Canadarm(SRMS) and the Orbiter Boom Sensor System as a platform for astronauts to make repairs to a damaged orbiter.10 July12:146 hours47 minutes19:01STS-121ISS Quest/Piers SellersMichael E. FossumRestored the Mobile Transporter to full operation, and delivered a spare pump module for the station's cooling system.12 July07:116 hours20 minutes13:31STS-121ISS Quest/Piers SellersMichael E. FossumUsed an infrared camera to shoot 20 seconds of video of selected reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) panels on the shuttle wing's leading edge, and then moved to the payload bay to test a shuttle tile repair material known as NOAX on pre-damaged shuttle tiles that were flown in a test container.3 August14:045 hours54 minutes19:58Expedition 13ISS QuestJeffrey WilliamsThomas ReiterInstalled the Floating Potential Measurement Unit, two MISSE containers, a controller for a thermal radiator rotary joint on the S1 truss, a starboard jumper and spool positioning device on S1, a light on the truss railway handcart, and installed and replaced a malfunctioning GPS antenna. Tested an infrared camera designed to detect damage in a shuttle's thermal protection tiles. Inspection and photography of a scratch on the Quest airlock hatch.10:175 hours26 minutes15:43STS-115ISS QuestJoseph R. TannerInitial installation of the P3/P4 truss. Connected power cables on the truss, released the launch restraints on the solar array blanket box, the Beta Gimbal Assembly, and the solar array wings. Configured the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint, and removed two circuit interrupt devices to prepare for STS-116.Piper became the 7th American and the 8th female spacewalker.13 September09:057 hours11 minutes16:16STS-115ISS QuestDaniel C. BurbankSteven MacLeanContinued installation of the P3/4 truss onto the station, and activated the SARJ.15 September10:006 hours42 minutes16:42STS-115ISS QuestJoseph R. TannerHeidemarie Stefanyshyn-PiperInstalled a radiator onto the P3/4 truss, powered up a cooling radiator for the new solar arrays, replaced an S-Band radio antenna, and installed insulation for another antenna. Tanner took photos of the shuttles wings using an infrared camera.22 November23:175 hours38 minutes23 November04:55Expedition 14ISS PirsMikhail TyurinMichael Lopez-Alegria"Orbiting golf shot" event sponsored by a Canadian golf company. Lopez-Alegria put the tee on the ladder outside Pirs, while Tyurin set up a camera, and then performed the golf shot. Inspected and photographed a Kurs antenna, relocated an ATV WAL antenna, installed a BTN neutron experiment, and jettisoned two thermal covers from the BTN.12 December20:316 hours36 minutes03:07STS-116ISS QuestRobert CurbeamChrister FuglesangInstalled the P5 Truss, and replaced a video camera on the S1 truss.14 December19:415 hours15 December00:41STS-116ISS QuestRobert CurbeamChrister FuglesangReconfigured channels 2–3 on the P3/P4 truss to take advantage of the new solar arrays, relocated two handcarts that run along the station's main truss, put a thermal cover on the station's robotic arm, and installed bags of tools for future spacewalkers.16 December19:257 hours31 minutes17 December02:57STS-116ISS QuestRobert CurbeamSunita WilliamsReconfigured channels 1 and 4 on the P3/P4 truss to take advantage of the new solar arrays, installed a robotic arm grapple fixture, and positioned three bundles ofdebris shield panels outside Zvezda. Additional time was spent trying to help retract the P6 solar array panel by shaking the panel's blanket box from its base.Williams became the 8th American and the 9th female spacewalker.18 December19:006 hours38 minutes19 December01:38STS-116ISS QuestRobert CurbeamChrister FuglesangAssisted ground controllers with retracting the P6 solar array panels.

Orbital launch statistics By country 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 6 6 0 0 5 5 0 0 1 0 1 0 6 6 0 0 1 0 1 0 22 21 1 0 8 7 1 0 18 17 1 0 World

By rocket

By family Rocket Country Launches Successes Failures Partial failures RemarksAriane 5 5 0 0 Atlas 2 2 0 0 Delta 9 9 0 0 Falcon 1 0 1 0 Maiden flightGSLV 1 0 1 0 H-II 4 4 0 0 Long March 6 6 0 0 Minotaur 2 2 0 0 Mu 2 2 0 0 Final flightPegasus 1 1 0 0 R-7 12 12 0 0 R-14 1 1 0 0 R-29 1 1 0 0 R-36 3 2 1 0 Space Shuttle 3 3 0 0 Topol 1 1 0 0 Unha 1 0 1 0 Maiden flight, disputedUniversal Rocket 7 6 1 0 Zenit 5 5 0 0

By type Rocket Country Family Launches Successes Failures Partial failures RemarksAriane 5 Ariane 5 5 0 0 Atlas V Atlas 2 2 0 0 Delta II Delta 6 6 0 0 Delta IV Delta 3 3 0 0 Dnepr R-36 2 1 1 0 Falcon 1 Falcon 1 0 1 0 Maiden flightGSLV GSLV 1 0 1 0 H-IIA H-II 4 4 0 0 Kosmos R-12/R-14 1 1 0 0 Long March 2 Long March 1 1 0 0 Long March 3 Long March 3 3 0 0 Long March 4 Long March 2 2 0 0 M-V Mu 2 2 0 0 Final flightMinotaur I Minotaur 2 2 0 0 Molniya R-7 1 1 0 0 Pegasus Pegasus 1 1 0 0 Proton Universal Rocket 6 5 1 0 Shtil' R-29 1 1 0 0 Soyuz R-7 8 8 0 0 Soyuz-2 R-7 3 3 0 0 Space Shuttle Space Shuttle 3 3 0 0 Start-1 Topol 1 1 0 0 Tsyklon R-36 1 1 0 0 Unha Unha 1 0 1 0 Maiden flight, disputedUR-100 Universal Rocket 1 1 0 0 Zenit Zenit 5 5 0 0

By configuration Rocket Country Type Launches Successes Failures Partial failures RemarksAriane 5 ECA Ariane 5 5 5 0 0 Atlas V 411 Atlas V 1 1 0 0 Maiden flightAtlas V 551 Atlas V 1 1 0 0 Maiden flightDelta II 7420 Delta II 1 1 0 0 Delta II 7920 Delta II 1 1 0 0 Delta II 7925 Delta II 4 4 0 0 Delta IV M Delta IV 1 1 0 0 Final flightDelta IV M+ (4,2) Delta IV 2 2 0 0 Dnepr Dnepr 2 1 1 0 Falcon 1 Falcon 1 1 0 1 0 Maiden flightGSLV Mk I GSLV 1 0 1 0 H-IIA 202 H-IIA 1 1 0 0 H-IIA 204 H-IIA 1 1 0 0 Maiden flightH-IIA 2022 H-IIA 1 1 0 0 H-IIA 2024 H-IIA 1 1 0 0 Kosmos-3M Kosmos 1 1 0 0 Long March 2C Long March 2 1 1 0 0 Long March 3A Long March 3 2 2 0 0 Long March 3B Long March 3 1 1 0 0 Long March 4B Long March 4 1 1 0 0 Long March 4B-II Long March 4 1 1 0 0 Maiden flight, later Long March 4CM-V M-V 2 2 0 0 Final flightMinotaur I Minotaur I 2 2 0 0 Molniya-M / 2BL Molniya 1 1 0 0 Pegasus-XL Pegasus 1 1 0 0 Proton-K / DM-2 Proton 1 1 0 0 Proton-K / DM-3 Proton 1 1 0 0 Proton-M / Briz-M Proton 4 3 1 0 Rokot / Briz-KM UR-100 1 1 0 0 Shtil' Shtil' 1 1 0 0 Soyuz-2.1a / Fregat Soyuz-2 2 2 0 0 Maiden flight, first orbital launch of Soyuz-2Soyuz-2.1b / Fregat Soyuz-2 1 1 0 0 Maiden flight of Soyuz-2.1bSoyuz-FG Soyuz 2 2 0 0 Soyuz-U Soyuz 6 6 0 0 Space Shuttle Space Shuttle 3 3 0 0 Start-1 Start-1 1 1 0 0 Tsyklon-2 Tsyklon 1 1 0 0 Final flightUnha Unha 1 0 1 0 Maiden flight, disputedZenit-3SL Zenit 5 5 0 0

By launch site

Site Country Launches Successes Failures Partial failures RemarksBaikonur 17 15 2 0 Barents 1 1 0 0 Launched from Ekaterinburg submarineCape Canaveral 7 7 0 0 Dombarovsky 1 1 0 0 First launchJiuquan 1 1 0 0 Kennedy 3 3 0 0 Kwajalein 1 0 1 0 Kourou 5 5 0 0 MARS 1 1 0 0 First launchOcean Odyssey International 5 5 0 0 Plesetsk 5 5 0 0 Satish Dhawan 1 0 1 0 Svobodny 1 1 0 0 Final launchTaiyuan 2 2 0 0 Tanegashima 4 4 0 0 Tonghae 1 0 1 0 Uchinoura 2 2 0 0 Vandenberg 6 6 0 0 One launch used Stargazer aircraftXichang 3 3 0 0 Total 67 62 5 0

By orbit

Orbital regime Launches Failures Accidentallyachieved RemarksTransatmospheric 0 0 0 0 Low Earth 35 32 3 0 8 to ISS Medium Earth / Molniya 6 6 0 1 Geosynchronous / GTO 24 22 2 0 High Earth / Lunar transfer 0 0 0 0 Heliocentric / Planetary transfer 1 1 0 0 Solar escape 1 1 0 0 Total 67 62 5 1

Notes

References

Footnotes