1981 orbital launches

In 1981, ExGalactic records 126 orbital launch attempts.

Counts include only launches confirmed by at least two independent sources.

By country

LaunchesCountry
61Russia
39Kazakhstan
19USA
3Japan
2French Guiana
1China
1India

Launches

  1. Zenit-6U 32 — 6 January 1981, 12:15 UTC — Success
  2. Molniya-3 25L — 9 January 1981, 14:57 UTC — Success
  3. Taifun-1 12 — 16 January 1981, 09:00 UTC — Success
  4. Zenit-4MT 20 — 16 January 1981, 12:00 UTC — Success
  5. Yantar-2K 15 — 20 January 1981, 11:00 UTC — Success
  6. DS-P1-M 15 — 21 January 1981, 08:29 UTC — Success
  7. Geo-IK 1 — 23 January 1981, 11:20 UTC — Failure
  8. Progress 12 — 24 January 1981, 14:18 UTC — Success
  9. Tselina-D 28 — 27 January 1981, 14:58 UTC — Success
  10. Molniya-1K 49 — 30 January 1981, 16:27 UTC — Success
  11. IS-A 11 — 2 February 1981, 02:19 UTC — Success
  12. AUOS-Z-R-P-IK 2 — 6 February 1981, 08:00 UTC — Success
  13. Kiku-3 — 11 February 1981, 08:30 UTC — Success
  14. Parus 26 — 12 February 1981, 18:21 UTC — Success
  15. Zenit-6U 33 — 13 February 1981, 11:15 UTC — Success
  16. Yantar-1KFT 1 — 18 February 1981, 09:00 UTC — Success
  17. US-K 19 — 19 February 1981, 10:00 UTC — Success
  18. Hinotori — 21 February 1981, 00:30 UTC — Success
  19. Comstar 1D — 21 February 1981, 23:23 UTC — Success
  20. KH-8 51 — 28 February 1981, 19:10 UTC — Success
  21. Yantar-2K 16 — 5 March 1981, 15:00 UTC — Success
  22. US-A 17 — 5 March 1981, 18:09 UTC — Success
  23. Strela-1M 209-216 — 6 March 1981, 11:31 UTC — Success
  24. Soyuz T-4 — 12 March 1981, 19:00 UTC — Success
  25. IS-A 12 — 14 March 1981, 16:55 UTC — Success
  26. DSP 9 — 16 March 1981, 19:24 UTC — Success
  27. Zenit-6U 34 — 17 March 1981, 08:40 UTC — Success
  28. Raduga 8 — 18 March 1981, 04:40 UTC — Success
  29. US-P 10 — 20 March 1981, 23:45 UTC — Success
  30. Soyuz 39 — 22 March 1981, 14:58 UTC — Success
  31. Molniya-3 24L — 24 March 1981, 03:31 UTC — Success
  32. Yantar-2K 17 — 28 March 1981, 09:30 UTC — Failure
  33. US-K 20 — 31 March 1981, 09:39 UTC — Success
  34. Zenit-6U 35 — 7 April 1981, 10:51 UTC — Success
  35. Taifun-1 13 — 9 April 1981, 12:00 UTC — Success
  36. STS-1 — 12 April 1981, 12:00 UTC — Success
  37. Zenit-6U 36 — 15 April 1981, 10:30 UTC — Success
  38. Zenit-6U 37 — 16 April 1981, 11:30 UTC — Success
  39. US-A 18 — 21 April 1981, 03:45 UTC — Success
  40. Jumpseat 6 — 24 April 1981, 21:32 UTC — Success
  41. TKS 2 — 25 April 1981, 02:01 UTC — Success
  42. Zenit-6U 38 — 28 April 1981, 09:00 UTC — Success
  43. Strela-2M 24 — 7 May 1981, 13:21 UTC — Success
  44. Soyuz 40 — 14 May 1981, 17:16 UTC — Success
  45. Meteor-2 7 — 14 May 1981, 21:45 UTC — Success
  46. Nova 1 — 15 May 1981, 06:07 UTC — Success
  47. Yantar-2K 18 — 18 May 1981, 11:50 UTC — Success
  48. Tselina-D 29 — 19 May 1981, 03:49 UTC — Success
  49. Zenit-6U 39 — 21 May 1981, 09:10 UTC — Success
  50. Zenit-4MKT 17 — 22 May 1981, 07:10 UTC — Success
  51. GOES 5 — 22 May 1981, 22:29 UTC — Success
  52. Intelsat 501 — 23 May 1981, 22:42 UTC — Success
  53. Rohini RS-D-1 — 31 May 1981, 03:33 UTC — Success
  54. Yantar-2K 19 — 3 June 1981, 14:00 UTC — Success
  55. Parus 27 — 4 June 1981, 15:41 UTC — Success
  56. Molniya-3 30L — 9 June 1981, 03:33 UTC — Success
  57. Zenit-4MKT 18 — 16 June 1981, 07:00 UTC — Success
  58. Zenit-6U 40 — 17 June 1981, 09:30 UTC — Success
  59. Meteosat 2 — 19 June 1981, 12:32 UTC — Success
  60. US-K 21 — 19 June 1981, 19:37 UTC — Success
  61. NOAA 7 — 23 June 1981, 10:52 UTC — Success
  62. Molniya-1K 50 — 24 June 1981, 17:47 UTC — Success
  63. Ekran — 25 June 1981, 23:55 UTC — Success
  64. Zenit-6U 41 — 1 July 1981, 09:30 UTC — Success
  65. Resurs-F1 17F41 15L — 2 July 1981, 07:10 UTC — Success
  66. Zenit-6U 42 — 7 July 1981, 12:30 UTC — Success
  67. Meteor-Priroda 2-4 — 10 July 1981, 05:14 UTC — Success
  68. Yantar-2K 20 — 15 July 1981, 13:00 UTC — Success
  69. Zenit-6U 43 — 17 July 1981, 08:00 UTC — Success
  70. Zenit-6U 44 — 29 July 1981, 11:55 UTC — Success
  71. Raduga 9 — 30 July 1981, 21:38 UTC — Success
  72. Dynamics Explorer 1 & 2 — 3 August 1981, 09:56 UTC — Success
  73. US-K 22 — 4 August 1981, 00:12 UTC — Success
  74. US-P 11 — 4 August 1981, 08:28 UTC — Success
  75. FLTSATCOM 5 — 6 August 1981, 08:16 UTC — Success
  76. Strela-1M 217-224 — 6 August 1981, 11:49 UTC — Success
  77. Bulgaria 1300 — 7 August 1981, 13:35 UTC — Success
  78. Himawari 2 — 10 August 1981, 20:03 UTC — Success
  79. Parus 28 — 12 August 1981, 05:46 UTC — Success
  80. Yantar-2K 21 — 13 August 1981, 16:20 UTC — Success
  81. Zenit-6U 45 — 18 August 1981, 09:30 UTC — Success
  82. Yantar-4K2 1 — 21 August 1981, 10:20 UTC — Success
  83. US-A 19 — 24 August 1981, 16:37 UTC — Success
  84. Tselina-D 30 — 24 August 1981, 21:40 UTC — Success
  85. Resurs-F1 17F41 16L — 27 August 1981, 10:30 UTC — Success
  86. Strela-2M 25 — 28 August 1981, 16:18 UTC — Success
  87. KH-11 4 — 3 September 1981, 18:29 UTC — Success
  88. Zenit-6U 46 — 4 September 1981, 08:00 UTC — Success
  89. Tsikada 8 — 4 September 1981, 11:06 UTC — Success
  90. Molniya-3 28L — 11 September 1981, 08:43 UTC — Success
  91. US-P 12 — 14 September 1981, 20:31 UTC — Success
  92. Zenit-6U 47 — 15 September 1981, 11:30 UTC — Success
  93. Parus 29 — 18 September 1981, 03:34 UTC — Success
  94. Zenit-4MT 21 — 18 September 1981, 09:30 UTC — Success
  95. Shi Jian 2, 2A, 2B — 19 September 1981, 21:28 UTC — Success
  96. Aureole 3 — 21 September 1981, 13:10 UTC — Success
  97. Taifun-1 14 — 23 September 1981, 08:00 UTC — Success
  98. SBS 2 — 24 September 1981, 23:09 UTC — Success
  99. Taifun-2 9 — 28 September 1981, 21:00 UTC — Success
  100. Geo-IK 2 — 30 September 1981, 08:00 UTC — Success
  101. Zenit-6U 48 — 1 October 1981, 09:00 UTC — Success
  102. Solar Mesosphere Explorer — 6 October 1981, 11:27 UTC — Success
  103. Zenit-4MKT 19 — 9 October 1981, 10:40 UTC — Success
  104. Raduga 10 — 9 October 1981, 16:59 UTC — Success
  105. Tselina-D 31 — 13 October 1981, 23:01 UTC — Success
  106. Zenit-6U 49 — 15 October 1981, 09:15 UTC — Success
  107. Molniya-3 31L — 17 October 1981, 05:59 UTC — Success
  108. Venera-13 — 30 October 1981, 06:04 UTC — Success
  109. Vortex 10 — 31 October 1981, 09:22 UTC — Success
  110. US-K 23 — 31 October 1981, 22:53 UTC — Success
  111. Yantar-2K 22 — 3 November 1981, 13:00 UTC — Success
  112. Venera-14 — 4 November 1981, 05:31 UTC — Success
  113. STS-2 — 12 November 1981, 15:10 UTC — Success
  114. Zenit-6U 50 — 13 November 1981, 09:30 UTC — Success
  115. Molniya-1K 51 — 17 November 1981, 15:25 UTC — Success
  116. Satcom 3R — 20 November 1981, 01:37 UTC — Success
  117. Bhaskara 2 — 20 November 1981, 08:30 UTC — Success
  118. Strela-1M 225-232 — 28 November 1981, 18:08 UTC — Success
  119. Tselina-D 32 — 3 December 1981, 11:47 UTC — Success
  120. Zenit-6U 51 — 4 December 1981, 09:50 UTC — Success
  121. Intelsat 503 — 15 December 1981, 23:35 UTC — Success
  122. Radio Sputnik 3 to 8 — 17 December 1981, 11:00 UTC — Success
  123. Navstar 7 — 19 December 1981, 01:10 UTC — Failure
  124. Yantar-2K 23 — 19 December 1981, 11:50 UTC — Success
  125. Marecs 1 — 20 December 1981, 01:29 UTC — Success
  126. Molniya-1K 52 — 23 December 1981, 13:15 UTC — Success

Sources: Jonathan's Space Report (GCAT), CC-BY; CelesTrak; Launch Library 2.

Last updated: 2026-10-20 UTC.

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