Gelişim Uzay Araçlarının Tarihsel Gelişimi: Sputnik od kosmických kapsul

Autor / Editor: 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 in Germany). Although other flights reached higher altitudes, the V-2 rocket tests in the 1940s reached altitudes above 100 km, which is considered by the International Aviation Federation to be the beginning of spaceflight, and is known as the Karman line.

The second human space vehicle to be named Freedom 7 was launched on 5 May 1961, during an orbital 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.