1968 in spaceflight

{{Wikipedia:WikiProject Timeline of spaceflight/Converting|some}} {{Wikipedia:WikiProject Timeline of spaceflight/Cleanup|incomplete=yes|refs=yes}}

1968 in spaceflight

The crew of Apollo 8 were the first humans to witness Earthrise, on December 24, 1968
Orbital launches
Total	157

The United States National Space Science Data Center catalogued 157 spacecraft placed into orbit by launches which occurred in 1968. The first manned Apollo missions occurred in 1968. It was also the year in which humans first left low Earth orbit, during the successful Apollo 8 mission.

Launches

Date and time (UTC)	Rocket		Launch site		LSP
	Payload	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (UTC)	Outcome
	Remarks
January
22 January 23:45	Saturn IB (C-1B)		LC-37B, Cape Canaveral		NASA
	Apollo 5	NASA	LEO	Test Lunar Module	12 February 1968 09:59	successful
	Minor malfunction of LM descent stage engine, otherwise successful
April
4 April 12:00:02	Saturn V (C-5)		LC-39A, Kennedy		NASA
	Apollo 6	NASA	LEO	Test CSM heat shield at Lunar return speeds. Test S-IVB re-ignition in LEO.	4 April 1968 21:57:26	Partial failure
	Experienced Pogo oscillation during S-IC first stage ascent. S-IVB failed restart test.
October
11 October 1968 15:02	Saturn IB (C-1B)		LC-34, Cape Canaveral		NASA
	Apollo 7	NASA	LEO	Manned orbital flight	22 October 1968 11:11:48	Successful
	First manned Apollo flight
25 October 1968 09:00	Soyuz (R-7/A-2)		LC-1/5, Baikonur		RVSN
	Soyuz 2	RVSN	LEO	Docking target for Soyuz 3	28 October 1968 07:21	Successful
	Soyuz 3 failed to dock
26 October 08:34	Soyuz (R-7/A-2)		LC-31/6 Baikonur		RVSN
	Soyuz 3	RVSN	LEO	Manned orbital flight	30 October 1968 07:25:03	Partial Failure
	Failed to dock with Soyuz 2
December
21 December 12:51	Saturn V (C-5)		LC-39A, Kennedy		NASA
	Apollo 8	NASA	Selenocentric	Manned lunar orbiter	27 December 1968 15:51:42	Successful
	First manned mission to the Moon

Deep space rendezvous

Date (UTC)	Spacecraft	Event	Remarks
10 January	Surveyor 7	Lunar landing	in the debris from Tycho crater
31 January	Lunar Orbiter 5	Lunar impact
10 April	Luna 14	Selenocentric orbit insertion
18 September	Zond 5	Flyby of the Moon; first return to Earth after flight to Moon	Closest approach: 1,950 kilometres (1,210 mi)
14 November	Zond 6	Flyby of the Moon	Closest approach: 2,420 kilometres (1,500 mi)
24 December	Apollo 8	Selenocentric orbit insertion
25 December	Apollo 8	Leaves selenocentric orbit	Completed 10 orbits

References

Generic references: