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2006 Worldwide Space Launches
No.
      Date      Mission
Designation		 Launch
Vehicle		 Country
of Launch		 Payload
Type		 Notes
1.
 January 19 New Horizons Atlas 5 (551) US/NASA Pluto Probe  
2.
 January 24

Daichi (ALOS)

 H-2A Japan/JAXA

Imaging

  
3. February 15 Echostar 10 Zenit-3SL US/Com. Comsat Sea Launch (Odyssey)
4. February 18 MTSAT-2 (Japan) H-2A Japan/JAXA Comsat/Imaging  
5. February 21 Akari (ASTRO-F)
(Japan)
CUTE-1.7-APD
Solar Sail
M-V Japan/JAXA Infrared Astronomy  
6. February 28 Arabsat 4A Proton-M/Briz-M Russia/Com. Comsat failed (Briz)
7. March 11

Hotbird 7A (Eutelsat)
Spainsat (Spain)

Ariane 5 ECA Europe/Com.

Comsat
Comsat

  
8. March 22

ST5-FWD
ST5-MID
ST5-AFT

 Pegasus XL US/NASA

Tech
Tech
Tech

  
9. March 24 Falconsat-2 Falcon 1 US/Com. Tech failed
10. March 30 Soyuz TMA-8 Soyuz-FG Russia/FKA ISS Crew Rot. (2+1) 12S (Marcos Pontes)
11. April 12 JCSAT-9 (Japan) Zenit-3SL US/Com. Comsat Sea Launch (Odyssey)
12. April 15

Formosat-3 FM1
Formosat-3 FM2
Formosat-3 FM3
Formosat-3 FM4
Formosat-3 FM5
Formosat-3 FM6

 Minotaur US/Com.

Science
Science
Science
Science
Science
Science

  
13. April 20 Astra 1KR (SES) Atlas V (411) US/Com. Comsat  
14. April 24 Progress M-56 Soyuz-U Russia/FKA ISS Cargo 21P
15. April 25 EROS B (Israel) Start-1 Russia/Com. Imaging  
16. April 26 Yaogan 1 Long March 4B (CZ-4B) China/Civ. Remote Sensing  
17. April 28

Cloudsat
CALIPSO

 Delta 2

US/NASA

Remote Sensing
Remote Sensing

  
18. May 3 Kosmos-2420 Soyuz-U Russia/Mil. Imaging  
19. May 24 GOES N Delta 4 M+ US/Com. Weather  
20. May 26 Kompas-2 Shtil' Russia/Mil. Science (Earthquake) Submarine Launch
21. May 27

Satmex 6 (Mexico)
Thaicom 5 (Thailand)

Ariane 5 ECA Europe/Com.

Comsat
Comsat

  
22. June 15 Resurs-DM No. 1 Soyuz-U Russia/Civ. Imaging  
23. June 17 KazSat (Kazakhstan) Proton-K/DM3 Russia/Com. Comsat  
24. June 18 Galaxy 16 (US/Panam) Zenit-3SL US/Com. Comsat Sea Launch (Odyssey)
25. June 21

USA 187
USA 188
USA 189

Delta 2 US/Mil.

Tech
Tech
Tech

  
26. June 24 Progress M-57 Soyuz-U Russia/FKA ISS Cargo 22P
27. June 25 Kosmos-2421 Tsiklon-2 Russia/Mil. SigInt  
28. June 28 USA 184 (NROL-22) Delta 4M+ US/Mil. SigInt?  
29. July 4 STS-121/Discovery Shuttle US/NASA ISS ULF1.1 Crewed (7)
30. July 10 Insat 4C GSLV India/Com. Comsat failed
31. July 12 Genesis 1 (USA) Dnepr Russia/Com. Inflatable S/C Bigelow Aerospace test
32. July 21 Kosmos-2422 Molniya-M Russia/Mil EarlyWarn  
33. July 26

BelKA (Belarus)
Baumanets (Russia)
Unisat-4 (Italy)
PICPOT (Italy)
ICECube-1 (Cornell)
ION (Illinois)
RINCON (Arizona)
AeroCube-1(Aerosp.Co.)
CalPoly CP1 (California)
SEEDS (Japan)
nCube-1 (Norway)
HAUSAT-1 (S.Korea)
MEROPE (Montana)
CalPoly CP2 (California)
KUTESat (Kansas)
SACRED (Arizona)
Voyager (Hawaii)
ICECube 2 (Cornell)

Dnepr

Russia/Com.
(Kosmotras)

  failed
34. July 28 Kompsat-2 (South Korea) Rokot Russia/Com. Imaging  
35. August 4 Hot Bird 8 (Eutelsat) Proton-M/Briz-M Russia/Com. Comsat  
36. August 11

JCSat-10
Syracuse 3B

Ariane 5 ECA Europe/Com.

Comsat
Comsat (mil.)

 
37. August 22

Koreasat 5
(Mugunghwa 5)

Zenit-3SL US/Com. Comsat Sea Launch (Odyssey)
38. September 9 Shijan (SJ)-8 Long March 2C (CZ-2C) China/Civ. Microgravity Seeds
39. September 9 STS-115/Atlantis Space Shuttle US/NASA ISS 12A crewed (6)
40. September 11 IGS-3A (Optical-2) H2A Japan/Mil. Imaging  
41. September 12 Zhongxing 22A (ZX-22A) Long March 3A (CZ-3A) China/Com. Comsat  
42. September 14 Kosmos-2423 Soyuz-U Russia/Mil. Imaging  
43. September 18 Soyuz TMA-9 Soyuz-FG Russia/FKA ISS CrewRot (2+1) 13S (Anousheh Ansari)
44. September 22

Hinode (Sunrise)
HIT-SAT
SSSAT

M-V Japan/JAXA

XR Astronomy
Technology Dev.
Technology Dev.

was: "Solar-B"
Hokkaido Inst.Tech.
Solar sail experiment

45. September 25 GPS 52 (Navstar 52) Delta 2 US/Mil. Navigation SVN 52
46. October 13

DirecTV 9S (US)
Optus D1 (Australia)
LDREX 2 (Japan)

Ariane 5 ECA Europe/Com.

Comsat
Comsat
Technology Dev.

 
 
6.5m deployable antenna

47. October 19 METOP A (Europe) Soyuz-2 (1A) Russia/Com. Weather 1st orbit flight of Soyuz-2
48. October 23 Progress M-58 Soyuz-U Russia/FKA ISS Cargo 23P
49. October 23

Shijian (SJ)-6-2A
Shijian (SJ)-6-2B

Long March 4B (CZ-4B) China/Civ

Earth Observation
Earth Observation

 
50. October 25

STEREO A(head)
STEREO B(ehind)

Delta 2 US/NASA

Solar Science
Solar Science

 
51. October 28 Xinnuo 2 (Sinosat-2) Long March 4B (CZ-4B) China/Com. Comsat Payload failed in orbit
52. October 30 XM-4 (XM-Blues) Zenit-3SL US/Com. Radiosat Sea Launch (Odyssey)
53. November 4 DMSP SD-3 F-17 Delta 4M US/Mil. Weather  
54. November 8 Badr 4 (Arabsat 4B) Proton-M/Briz-M Russia/Com Comsat  
55. November 17 GPS 58 Delta 2 US/Mil. Navigation SVN 58
56. December 8 Fengyun 2D Long March 3A (CZ-3A) China/Civ Weather  
57. December 8

Wildblue 1
AMC 18

Ariane 5 ECA (V174) Europe/Com.

Comsat
Comsat

  
58. December 10 STS-116/Discovery Space Shuttle US/NASA ISS 12A.1 crewed (7)
59. December 11 Measat 3 (Malaysia) Proton-M/Briz-M Russia/Com Comsat  
60. December 14 USA-193 (NROL-21) Delta 2 US/Mil.    
61. December 16 Tacsat 2/Genesat-1 Minotaur US/Mil. Imaging/Tech.  
62. December 18 ETS-8 H2A (204) Japan Comsat  
63. December 19 SAR-Lupe 1 (Germany) Kosmos-3M Russia/Mil. Radar German Military
64. December 24 Meridian No. 1 Soyuz-2 (1A) Russia/Com. Comsat Starsem
65. December 25

Glonass-M(Kosmos2424)
Glonass-M(Kosmos2425)
Glonass-M(Kosmos2426)

 Proton-K/DM-2 Russia/Mil.

Navigation
Navigation
Navigation

  
66. December 27 COROT (France) Soyuz-2 (1B) Russia/Com. Astronomy Starsem
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