| Date |
Time (UTC) |
Event |
| 1963 Jan 4 |
08:49 |
E-6-1 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Molniya rocket into low orbit around the Earth at 64.9 degrees inclination - it mission is to soft land a camera module onto the lunar surface |
| 1963 Jan 4 |
09:55 |
E-6-1 lunar spacecraft final stage rocket engine fails to fire, leaving it stranded in Earth orbit |
| 1963 Jan 5 |
|
E-6-1 lunar spacecraft re-enters the Earth atmosphere and is destroyed by frictional heating. |
| 1963 Feb 3 |
09:29 |
E-6-2 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Molniya rocket towards a low orbit around the Earth at 65 degrees inclination - it mission is to soft land a camera module onto the lunar surface but control of the rocket is lost 295 seconds after lift-off and it is destroyed. |
| 1963 Mar 21 |
08:30 |
Cosmos 13 (Zenit-2 11Ф61 №9) launched into 201 x 321 kilometre, 89.7 minutes period, 64.9 deg inclination orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Vostok 8A92 rocket. Photo reconnaissance satellite. Carried a secondary package for radiation measurements. |
| 1963 Mar 29 |
02:24 |
Cosmos 13 descent module lands for recovery after being commanded to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. |
| 1963 Apr 2 |
08:16 |
Luna 4 (E-6-3) launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Molniya rocket into low orbit around the Earth at 65 degrees inclination - it mission is to soft land a camera module onto the lunar surface |
| 1963 Apr 2 |
09:34 |
Final stage of Luna 4 launching rocket fired to place it into a trajectory towards the Moon |
| 1963 Apr 3 |
|
Luna 4 rocket engine fails to fire for a trajectory correction so the spacecraft stays on a course which will miss the Moon |
| 1963 Apr 6 |
01:26 |
Luna 4 passes 8,336 kilometres from the Moon - it enters barycentric orbit at distances ranging between 89,250 and 694,000 kilometres from Earth |
| 1963 Apr 22 |
08:30 |
Cosmos 15 (Zenit-2 11Ф61 №8) launched into 166 x 356 kilometre, 89.7 minutes period, 65 deg inclination orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Vostok 8A92 rocket. Photo reconnaissance satellite. Carried a secondary package for radiation and meteorological measurements. |
| 1963 Apr 27 |
07:12 |
Cosmos 15 descent module lands for recovery after being commanded to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. |
| 1963 Apr 28 |
08:50 |
Cosmos 16 (Zenit-2 11Ф61 №10) launched into 201 x 380 kilometre, 90.3 minutes period, 64.8 deg inclination orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Vostok 8A92 rocket. Photo reconnaissance satellite. Partially successful - some information lost due to failure of stabilisation system. The stabilisation issue might explain the extended duration - ie multiple recovery attempts. Carried a secondary package for radiation measurements. |
| 1963 May 8 |
07:12 |
Cosmos 16 descent module lands for recovery after being commanded to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. |
| 1963 May 9 |
08:56 |
Final stage of Luna 5 launching rocket fired to place it into a trajectory towards the Moon |
| 1963 May 24 |
10:33 |
Cosmos 18 (Zenit-2 11Ф61 №11) launched into 207 x 283 kilometre, 89.4 minutes period, 65 deg inclination orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Vostok 8A92 rocket. Photo reconnaissance satellite. Carried a secondary package for radiation and meteorological measurements. |
| 1963 Jun 2 |
09:36 |
Cosmos 18 descent module lands for recovery after being commanded to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. |
| 1963 Jun 14 |
11:58 |
Vostok 5 (3KA-7) launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Vostok rocket into 162 x 209 kilometre orbit at 65.0 degrees inclination with cosmonaut Valeri Bykovsky aboard |
| 1963 Jun 16 |
09:29 |
Vostok 5 (3KA-8) launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Vostok rocket into 168 x 218 kilometre orbit at 65.1 degrees inclination with female cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova aboard |
| 1963 Jun 16 |
09:40 |
Approx time - Vostok 5 passes 5 kilometres from Vostok 5 but their orbits are angled with respect to each other so the two spacecraft move rapidly apart - there is radio contact between the two cosmonauts |
| 1963 Jun 19 |
07:41 |
Approx time - Vostok 5 retro-rocket fires |
| 1963 Jun 19 |
08:10 |
Vostok 5 ejector seat operates and Tereshkova continues descent under a parachute |
| 1963 Jun 19 |
08:20 |
Tereshkova lands, and Vostok 5 touches down nearby at about the same time - location 53.27 degrees north, 80.45 degrees east, 620 kilometres north-east of Karaganda |
| 1963 Jun 19 |
10:26 |
Approx time - Vostok 5 retro-rocket fires |
| 1963 Jun 19 |
10:36 |
Approx time - Vostok 5 re-enters the atmosphere - Bykovsky ride is rough as the instrument unit and the cabin remain joined by a cable until re-entry heating burns it through - a similar problem to that encountered by Gagarin |
| 1963 Jun 19 |
10:55 |
Vostok 5 ejector seat operates and Bykovsky continues descent under a parachute |
| 1963 Jun 19 |
11:05 |
Bykovsky lands, and Vostok 5 touches down nearby at about the same time - location: 53.40 degrees north, 67.62 degrees east, 540 kilometres north-west of Karaganda |
| 1963 Jul 10 |
|
Zenit-2 11Ф61 №12 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Vostok 8A92 rocket. Launch vehicle failure - strap-on engine shut down at T+1.9s. |
| 1963 Oct 18 |
09:29 |
Cosmos 20 (Zenit-2 11Ф61 №13) launched into 202 x 297 kilometre, 89.5 minutes period, 64.9 deg inclination orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Vostok 8A92 rocket. Photo reconnaissance satellite. |
| 1963 Oct 26 |
07:12 |
Cosmos 20 descent module lands for recovery after being commanded to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. |
| 1963 Nov 16 |
10:34 |
Cosmos 22 (Zenit-4 11Ф69) launched into 191 x 390 kilometre, 90.3 minutes period, 64.9 deg inclination orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Voskhod 11A57 rocket. First the Zenit-4, second generation photo-reconnaissance satellite with higher-resolution camera system. |
| 1963 Nov 22 |
09:36 |
Cosmos 22 descent module lands for recovery after being commanded to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. |
| 1963 Nov 28 |
|
Zenit-2 11Ф61 №14 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Vostok 8A92 rocket. Launch vehicle failure in third stage - spacecraft destroyed by automatic system. |
| 1963 Dec 19 |
09:28 |
Cosmos 24 (Zenit-2 11Ф61 №15) launched into 203 x 393 kilometre, 90.5 minutes period, 65 deg inclination orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Vostok 8A92 rocket. Photo reconnaissance satellite. |
| 1963 Dec 28 |
07:12 |
Cosmos 24 descent module lands for recovery after being commanded to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. |
