| Last Year | Manned Spaceflight Chronology Index | Next Year |
| Flight | Launch | Landing | Name | Country | Parameters | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soyuz T-4 (7K-ST #10L) |
March 12, 1981 (19:00 GMT) |
May 26, 1981 (12:37 GMT) |
Commander: Vladimir Kovalyonok (3rd Flight) (TsPK Detachment - Group 4) |
USSR | M | Perigee: 201 km Apogee: 250 km Inclination: 51.6° 1,178 orbits |
| Flight Engineer: Viktor Savinkyh (1st Flight) (NPOE Detachment - Group 4) |
USSR | M | ||||
| Site-1 (Launch Pad 5) Baikonur Cosmodrome |
125 km E of Dzhezkazgan (46° N, 69° E) |
1st Backup Crew: Vyacheslav Zudov | USSR | M | Time 74 days 17 hours 37 minutes |
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| 1st Backup Crew: Boris Andreyev | USSR | M | ||||
| Launch Vehicle Soyuz-U |
Docked with Salyut 6 March 13, 1981 (20:33 GMT) |
Undocked from Salyut 6 May 26, 1981 (09:20 GMT) |
2nd Backup Crew: Yuri Isaulov | USSR | M | |
| 2nd Backup Crew: Valentin Lebedev | USSR | M | ||||
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| Soyuz 39 (7K-T #55) |
March 22, 1981 (14:58 GMT) |
March 30, 1981 (11:40 GMT) |
Commander: Vladimir Dzhanibekov (2nd Flight) (TsPK Detachment - Group 5) |
USSR | M | Perigee: 197.5 km Apogee: 282.8 km Inclination: 51.6° 124 orbits |
| Site-31 (Launch Pad 6) Baikonur Cosmodrome |
175 km SE of Dzhezkazgan (46° N, 69° E) |
Researcher: Gurragcha Zhugderdemidiyn (1st Flight) (IKO Program - Group 2) |
Mongolia | M | ||
| Launch Vehicle Soyuz-U |
Docked with Salyut 6 March 23, 1981 (16:28 GMT) |
Undocked from Salyut 6 March 30, 1981 (08:15 GMT) |
Backup Crew: Vladimir Lyakhov | USSR | M | Time 7 days 20 hours 42 minutes |
| Backup Crew: Ganzorig Maidarzhavyn | Mongolia | M | ||||
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| STS-1 | April 12, 1981 (12:00 GMT) |
April 14, 1981 (18:20 GMT) |
Commander: John Young (5th Flight) (NASA Group 2) |
USA | M | Perigee: 237 km Apogee: 245 km Inclination: 40.3° 37 orbits |
| Pilot: Robert Crippen (1st Flight) (NASA Group 7) |
USA | M | ||||
| Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) (1st Mission) |
Launch Pad 39A Kennedy Space Center, Florida |
1st landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California (Runway 23) |
Backup Crew: Joseph Engle | USA | M | Time 2 days 6 hours 20 minutes |
| Backup Crew: Richard Truly | USA | M | ||||
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| Soyuz 40 (7K-T #56) |
May 14, 1981 (17:16 GMT) |
May 22, 1981 (13:58 GMT) |
Commander: Leonid Popov (2nd Flight) (TsPK Detachment - Group 5) |
USSR | M | Perigee: 198.1 km Apogee: 287 km Inclination: 51.6° 124 orbits |
| Site-1 (Launch Pad 5) Baikonur Cosmodrome |
225 km SE of Dzhezkazgan (46° N, 69° E) |
Researcher: Dumitru Prunariu (1st Flight) (IKO Program - Group 2) |
Romania | M | ||
| Launch Vehicle Soyuz-U |
Docked with Salyut 6 May 15, 1981 (18:50 GMT) |
Undocked from Salyut 6 May 22, 1981 (10:37 GMT) |
Backup Crew: Yuri Romanenko | USSR | M | Time 7 days 20 hours 41 minutes |
| Backup Crew: Dumitru Dediu | Romania | M | ||||
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| STS-2 | November 12, 1981 (15:09 GMT) |
November 14, 1981 (21:23 GMT) |
Commander: Joseph Engle (1st Orbital Flight) (NASA Group 5) |
USA | M | Perigee: 219 km Apogee: 229 km Inclination: 38° 37 orbits |
| Pilot: Richard Truly (1st Orbital Flight) (NASA Group 7) |
USA | M | ||||
| Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) (2nd Mission) |
Launch Pad 39A Kennedy Space Center, Florida |
2nd landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California (Runway 23) |
Backup Crew: Thomas Mattingly | USA | M | Time 2 days 6 hours 13 minutes |
| Backup Crew: Henry Hartsfield | USA | M | ||||
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Updated - October 21, 2006