1958 in spaceflight

|January 28
|Thor DM-18
|LC-17A, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|(none)
|N/A
|N/A
|IRBM Research & Development
|N/A
|Failure
-
|February 1
03:47 GMT
|Juno I
|LC-26A, Cape Canaveral
|US Army / ARPA
|Explorer 1
|US Army
|LEO
|Magnetosphere research
|March 31, 1970
|Successful
|First American spacecraft in orbit
Discovered Van Allen belts
-
|February 5
07:33 GMT
|Vanguard
|LC-18A, Cape Canaveral
|US Navy
|Vanguard 1B
|US Navy
|Intended: LEO
|Demonstrate orbital launch capability
|T+57 seconds
|Failure
|Loss of control
-
|February 28
|Thor DM-18
|LC-17B, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|(none)
|N/A
|N/A
|IRBM Research & Development
|N/A
|Failure
-
|March 5
18:27 GMT
|Juno I
|LC-26A, Cape Canaveral
|US Army / ARPA
|Explorer 2
|US Army
|Intended:LEO
|Magnetosphere research
|March 5, 1958
|Failure
|Fourth stage failed to ignite
-

|March 17
12:15 GMT
|Vanguard
|LC-18A, Cape Canaveral
|US Navy
|Vanguard 1
|US Navy
|LEO
|Demonstrate orbital launch capability
|Still in orbit
|Successful
|Oldest spacecraft remaining in orbit
-

|March 26
17:38 GMT
|Juno I
|LC-5, Cape Canaveral
|US Army / ARPA
|Explorer 3
|US Army
|LEO
|Magnetosphere research
|June 27, 1958
|Successful
-

|April 19
|Thor DM-18
|LC-17B, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|(none)
|N/A
|N/A
|IRBM Research & Development
|N/A
|Failure
-

|April 23
|Thor Able
|LC-17A, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|1 mouse
|US Air Force
|Sub-orbital
|Demonstrate re-entry capability
|T+150 seconds
|Failure
|Pump gearbox failure
Maiden flight of Thor-Able rocket.
-

|April 27
09:01 GMT
|R-7 8A91
|LC-1, Baikonur
|RVSN
|ISZ
|RVSN
|Intended: Low Earth Orbit
|Physical research
|T+88 seconds
|Failure
|LV disintegrated
-

|April 29
02:53 GMT
|Vanguard
|LC-18A, Cape Canaveral
|US Navy
|Vanguard 2A
|US Navy
|Intended: LEO
|X-ray and environmental research
|29 April 1958
|Failure
|Third stage failed to ignite
-

|May 15
03:46 GMT
|R-7 8A91
|LC-1, Baikonur
|RVSN
|Sputnik 3
|RVSN
|Low Earth Orbit
|Physical research
|April 6, 1960
|Partially successful
|Launched with faulty recorder; only data transmitted directly was received
-

|May 28
03:46 GMT
|Vanguard
|LC-18A, Cape Canaveral
|US Navy
|Vanguard 2B
|US Navy
|Intended: LEO
|X-ray and environmental research
|28 May 1958
|Failure
|Guidance malfunction
-

|June 4
|Thor DM-18
|LC-18B, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|(none)
|N/A
|N/A
|IRBM Research & Development
|N/A
|Successful
-

|June 13
|Thor DM-18
|LC-17B, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|(none)
|N/A
|N/A
|IRBM Research & Development
|N/A
|Successful
-

|June 26
05:00 GMT
|Vanguard
|LC-18A, Cape Canaveral
|US Navy
|Vanguard 2C
|US Navy
|Intended: LEO
|X-ray and environmental research
|26 June 1958
|Failure
|Premature cutoff of second stage
-

|July 10
02:30 GMT
|Thor Able
|LC-17A, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|1 mouse
|US Air Force
|Sub-orbital
|Demonstrate re-entry capability
|July 10, 1957
|Successful
-

|July 13
|Thor DM-18
|LC-17B, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|(none)
|N/A
|N/A
|IRBM Research & Development
|N/A
|Successful
-

|July 23
|Thor Able
|LC-17A, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|1 mouse
|US Air Force
|Sub-orbital
|Demonstrate re-entry capability
|July 23, 1957
|Successful
-

|July 26
15:07 GMT
|Juno I
|LC-5, Cape Canaveral
|US Army / ARPA
|Explorer 4
|US Army
|LEO
|Magnetosphere research
|October 23, 1959
|Successful
-

|July 26
|Thor DM-18
|LC-17B, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|(none)
|N/A
|N/A
|IRBM Research & Development
|N/A
|Failure
-

|August 6
|Thor DM-18
|LC-18B, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|(none)
|N/A
|N/A
|IRBM Research & Development
|N/A
|Successful
-

|August 17
12:18 GMT
|Thor Able
|LC-17A, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|Pioneer 0
|NASA
|Intended: Lunar flyby
|Lunar probe
|T+77 seconds
|Failure
|LV exploded
-

|August 24
06:17 GMT
|Juno I
|LC-5, Cape Canaveral
|US Army / ARPA
|Explorer 5
|US Army
|Intended: LEO
|Magnetosphere research
|August 24, 1958
|Failure
|Collision between booster and second stage disrupted upper stage firing angle
-

|September 23
|Luna 8K72
|LC-1, Baikonur
|RVSN
|Luna 1958A
|RVSN
|Intended: Lunar impact
|Lunar probe
|T+93 seconds
|Failure
|LV breakup
-

|September 26
15:38 GMT
|Vanguard
|LC-18A, Cape Canaveral
|US Navy
|Vanguard 2D
|US Navy
|Intended: LEO
|X-ray and environmental research
|26 September 1958
|Failure
|Insufficient thrust to reach orbit
-

|October 11
08:45 GMT
|Thor Able
|LC-17A, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|Pioneer 1
|NASA
|Intended: Lunar flyby
Actual: LEO
|Lunar probe
|October 12 1958
|Failure
|Insufficient thrust to reach moon
-

|October 11
|Luna 8K72
|LC-1, Baikonur
|RVSN
|Luna 1958B
|RVSN
|Intended: Lunar impact
|Lunar probe
|T+104 seconds
|Failure
|LV exploded
-

|November 5
|Thor DM-18
|LC-17B, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|(none)
|N/A
|N/A
|IRBM Research & Development
|N/A
|Successful
-

|November 8
07:30 GMT
|Thor Able
|LC-17A, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|Pioneer 2
|NASA
|Intended: Lunar flyby
|Lunar probe
|November 8 1958
|Failure
|Third stage failed to ignite
-

|November 26
|Thor DM-18
|LC-17B, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|(none)
|N/A
|N/A
|IRBM Research & Development
|N/A
|Successful
-

|December 4
|Luna 8K72
|LC-1, Baikonur
|RVSN
|Luna 1958C
|RVSN
|Intended: Lunar impact
|Lunar probe
|T+245 seconds
|Failure
|LV exploded
-

|December 5
|Thor DM-18
|LC-18B, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|(none)
|N/A
|N/A
|IRBM Research & Development
|N/A
|Successful
-

|December 6
05:45 GMT
|Juno II
|LC-17A, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|Pioneer 3
|NASA
|Intended: Lunar flyby
|Lunar probe
|December 7 1958
|Failure
|First stage depleted propellant early; erroneous orbit injection angle
-

|December 16
|Thor DM-18
|LC-17B, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|(none)
|N/A
|N/A
|IRBM Research & Development
|N/A
|Successful
-

|December 16
23:44 GMT
|Thor DM-18
|LC-75-1-1, Vandenberg AFB
|US Air Force
|(none)
|N/A
|N/A
|IRBM Operational Test
|N/A
|Successful
-

|December 18
23:02 GMT
|Atlas B
|LC-11, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|Project SCORE
|ARPA
|LEO
|Comsat
|January 21 1959
|Successful
|First communications satellite
-
|December 30
|Thor DM-18
|LC-18B, Cape Canaveral
|US Air Force
|(none)
|N/A
|N/A
|IRBM Research & Development
|N/A
|Successful
-

References