Jan. 21
1960: A Mercury capsule with the Rhesus monkey “Miss Sam” on board launches from Wallops Island, Va., on the Little Joe 1B rocket. The launch
tested Mercury’s launch and abort systems.
Jan. 22
1968:
A Saturn 1B rocket launches NASA’s Apollo 5 mission from Kennedy Space Center, Fla.,
for an unmanned test in Earth orbit
. It was the first orbital test of Apollo’s lunar excursion module.
Jan. 23
2002:
Arianespace launches India’s Insat 3C, a telecommunica tions satellite, on an Ariane 4 rocket to geosynchronous orbit from Kourou, French Guiana.
Jan. 24
1985:
Space Shuttle Discovery launches from Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The STS-51C mission carried and deployed a Department of Defense satellite using an
Inertial Upper Stage booster.
1990:
Japan launches its Hiten lunar orbiter from Kagoshima Space Center on a Mu-3 rocket. The satellite was designed to test gravity-aided maneuvering techniques. Hiten also launched a smaller lunar orbiter, Hagoromo, but contact was lost immediately after it was released.
2006:
Japan launches the
Advanced Land Observing Satellite, also known as Daichi, into near-polar orbit from Tanegashima Space Center on an H-2A rocket.
Jan. 27
1967:
The “Treaty on Principles Covering the Activities of the States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies” is signed by representatives of 62 nations in separate ceremonies in Washington, Moscow and London. The Outer Space
Treaty placed limits on military activities in space.
