Tarihowy rozwój kosmicznych pojazdów: od Sputnika do kosmicznych mekarek

Autor / Redaktor: Eren Yalçın•12 October 2026

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The first spacecraft was the German V-2 rocket, launched in June 1944 from Peenemünde, East Prussia (now part of Germany). Although it reached an altitude of 189 km, other flights had also reached this height. During the 1940s, several test launches were made for the V-2 rocket, and some of them reached altitudes above 100 km. This altitude is considered by the International Aviation Federation to be a space flight, and is known as the Karman line.

The second human space vehicle to be named Freedom 7 was launched on 5 May 1961, during a suborbital flight, carrying American astronaut Alan Shepard to an altitude of about 187 km. Five more manned space missions were carried out using the Mercury spacecraft.