1976 in spaceflight
# 1976 in spaceflight

The following is an outline of 1976 in spaceflight.

## Launches

| Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | Launch site | LSP | LSP |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Date and time (UTC) | | Payload (⚀ = CubeSat) | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome |
| Remarks ||||||
| 15 January 05:34:00 | Titan IIIE/Star-37 | Titan IIIE/Star-37 | | Cape Canaveral SLC-41 | Cape Canaveral SLC-41 | NASA | NASA |
| 15 January 05:34:00 | | Helios-B | NASA / DFVLR | Heliocentric | Solar probe | In orbit | Successful |
| Achieved a closest approach to the Sun of 43.432 million km (0.29 AU) on 17 April 1976, the closest approach achieved by an artificial satellite; it was succeeded by the Parker Solar Probe in 2018. ||||||
| 15 March 01:25:40 | Titan III(23)C | Titan III(23)C | | Cape Canaveral SLC-40 | Cape Canaveral SLC-40 | NASA | NASA |
| 15 March 01:25:40 | | LES-8 | MIT Lincoln Laboratory | Geosynchronous | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Successful |
| 15 March 01:25:40 | | LES-9 | MIT Lincoln Laboratory | Geosynchronous | Technology demonstration | In orbit | Successful |
| 15 March 01:25:40 | | SOLRAD 11A | NRL | Geosynchronous | Heliophysics | In orbit | Successful |
| 15 March 01:25:40 | | SOLRAD 11B | NRL | Geosynchronous | Heliophysics | In orbit | Successful |
| LES-8 was decommissioned in 2004; LES-9, the last Lincoln Experimental Satellite, continued functioning for 44 years and was finally decommissioned in 2020. ||||||
| 22 June 18:04:00 | Proton-K | Proton-K | | Baikonur Site 81/23 | Baikonur Site 81/23 | | |
| 22 June 18:04:00 | | Salyut 5 (Almaz OPS-3) | | Low Earth | Space station | 8 August 1977 | Successful |
| Visited by three crews, one of which failed to dock ||||||
| 6 July 12:08:45 | Soyuz | Soyuz | | Baikonur Site 1/5 | Baikonur Site 1/5 | | |
| 6 July 12:08:45 | | Soyuz 21 | | Low Earth (Salyut 5) | Salyut expedition | 24 August 18:32:17 | Partial mission failure |
| Crewed flight with two cosmonauts, final flight of Soyuz 11A511, returned early due to crew illness ||||||
| 9 August 12:08:45 | Proton-K/D | Proton-K/D | | Baikonur 81/23 | Baikonur 81/23 | | |
| 9 August 12:08:45 | | Luna 24 | | Selenocentric | Lunar lander | 22 August | Successful |
| Third uncrewed lunar sample return, Third Soviet lunar sample return ||||||
| 15 September 09:48:30 | Soyuz-U | Soyuz-U | | Baikonur Site 1/5 | Baikonur Site 1/5 | | |
| 15 September 09:48:30 | | Soyuz 22 | | Low Earth | Salyut expedition | 23 September 07:40:47 | Successful |
| Crewed flight with two cosmonauts ||||||
| 14 October 17:39:18 | Soyuz-U | Soyuz-U | | Baikonur Site 1/5 | Baikonur Site 1/5 | | |
| 14 October 17:39:18 | | Soyuz 23 | | Low Earth (Intended: Salyut 5) | Salyut expedition | 16 October 17:45:53 | Spacecraft failure |
| Crewed flight with two cosmonauts, failed to dock with Salyut 5 ||||||

## Launches from the Moon

| Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | Launch site | LSP | LSP |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Date and time (UTC) | | Payload (⚀ = CubeSat) | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome |
| Remarks ||||||
| 19 August 5:25 | Luna 24 Ascent stage | Luna 24 Ascent stage | | Mare Crisium (Luna) | Mare Crisium (Luna) | | |
| 19 August 5:25 | | Luna 24 Return capsule | | Highly elliptical | Sample return | 22 August 1976 | Successful |
| Third uncrewed lunar sample return mission ||||||

## Deep space rendezvous

| Date | Spacecraft | Event | Remarks |
| - | - | - | - |
| 19 June | Viking 1 | Areocentric orbit insertion | |
| 20 July | Viking 1 Lander | landed in Chryse Planitia | |
| 7 August | Viking 2 | Areocentric orbit insertion | |
| 18 August | Luna 24 | landed in Mare Crisium | sample return mission |
| 19 August | Luna 24 | lift-off from Mare Crisium | 170 grams (6.0 oz) |
| 3 September | Viking 2 Lander | landed in Utopia Planitia | |
