First Satellites of Countries
| Country | Year of first launch | First satellite | Payloads in orbit in 2010-2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soviet Union ( Russia) |
1957 (1992) |
Sputnik 1 (Cosmos 2175) |
1437 |
| United States | 1958 | Explorer 1 | 1099 |
| United Kingdom | 1962 | Ariel 1 | 0029 |
| Canada | 1962 | Alouette 1 | 0032 |
| Italy | 1964 | San Marco 1 | 0017 |
| France | 1965 | Astérix | 0049 |
| Australia | 1967 | WRESAT | 0011 |
| Germany | 1969 | Azur | 0042 |
| Japan | 1970 | Ōsumi | 0127 |
| China | 1970 | Dong Fang Hong I | 0120 |
| Poland | 1973 | Intercosmos Copernicus 500 | 00002 |
| Netherlands | 1974 | ANS | 0005 |
| Spain | 1974 | Intasat | 0009 |
| India | 1975 | Aryabhata | 0045 |
| Indonesia | 1976 | Palapa A1 | 0010 |
| Czechoslovakia | 1978 | Magion 1 | 0005 |
| Bulgaria | 1981 | Intercosmos Bulgaria 1300 | 0001 |
| Brazil | 1985 | Brasilsat A1 | 0011 |
| Mexico | 1985 | Morelos 1 | 0007 |
| Sweden | 1986 | Viking | 0011 |
| Israel | 1988 | Ofeq 1 | 00010 |
| Luxembourg | 1988 | Astra 1A | 0015 |
| Argentina | 1990 | Lusat | 0010 |
| Pakistan | 1990 | Badr-1 | 0005 |
| South Korea | 1992 | Kitsat A | 0012 |
| Portugal | 1993 | PoSAT-1 | 0001 |
| Thailand | 1993 | Thaicom 1 | 0006 |
| Turkey | 1994 | Turksat 1B | 0005 |
| Ukraine | 1995 | Sich-1 | 0006 |
| Malaysia | 1996 | MEASAT | 0004 |
| Norway | 1997 | Thor 2 | 0003 |
| Philippines | 1997 | Mabuhay 1 | 0002 |
| Egypt | 1998 | Nilesat 101 | 0003 |
| Chile | 1998 | FASat-Bravo | 0002 |
| Singapore | 1998 | ST-1 | 0003 |
| Taiwan | 1999 | ROCSAT-1 | 0009 |
| Denmark | 1999 | Ørsted | 0004 |
| South Africa | 1999 | SUNSAT | 0002 |
| Saudi Arabia | 2000 | Saudisat 1A | 0012 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2000 | Thuraya 1 | 0003 |
| Morocco | 2001 | Maroc-Tubsat | 0001 |
| Algeria | 2002 | Alsat 1 | 0001 |
| Greece | 2003 | Hellas Sat 2 | 0002 |
| Cyprus | 2003 | Hellas Sat 2 | 0002 |
| Nigeria | 2003 | Nigeriasat 1 | 0004 |
| Iran | 2005 | Sina-1 | 0004 |
| Kazakhstan | 2006 | KazSat 1 | 0002 |
| Colombia | 2007 | Libertad 1 | 0001 |
| Mauritius | 2007 | Rascom-QAF 1 | 0002 |
| Vietnam | 2008 | Vinasat-1 | 0002 |
| Venezuela | 2008 | Venesat-1 | 0001 |
| Switzerland | 2009 | SwissCube-1 | 0001 |
| Hungary | 2012 | MaSat-1 | 0005 |
| Romania | 2012 | Goliat | 0001 |
| Belarus | 2012 | BelKA-2 | N/A |
| Sri Lanka | 2012 | Sir Arthur C. Clarke | N/A |
While Canada was the third country to build a satellite which was launched into space, it was launched aboard a U.S. rocket from a U.S. spaceport. The same goes for Australia, who launched on board a donated Redstone rocket. The first Italian-launched was San Marco 1, launched on 15 December 1964 on a U.S. Scout rocket from Wallops Island (VA,USA) with an Italian Launch Team trained by NASA. Australia's launch project (WRESAT) involved a donated U.S. missile and U. S. support staff as well as a joint launch facility with the United Kingdom. The first satellite built by Singapore, X-SAT, was launched aboard a PSLV rocket on April 20, 2011.
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Famous quotes containing the words satellites and/or countries:
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