1961 in spaceflight

Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who, aboard the first successful crewed spaceflight, became the first person to journey into outer space. Travelling on Vostok 1, Gagarin completed one orbit of Earth on 12 April 1961, with his flight taking 108 minutes. By achieving this major milestone for the Soviet Union amidst the Space Race, he became an international celebrity and was awarded many medals and titles, including his country's highest distinction: Hero of the Soviet Union.

American astronaut, first American in space, lunar explorer (1923–1998)

Soviet cosmonaut (1935-2000)

first human spaceflight program of the United States

American astronaut (1926–1967)

family of American missiles and space launch vehicles

chimpanzee launched into outer space

American launch vehicle

family of American rocket boosters

crewed spacecraft

satellite navigation system

American ballistic missile

series of American strategic reconnaissance satellites

Soviet rocket

first test flight of the Saturn I

short-range ballistic missile

first operational ballistic missile deployed by the U.S. Air Force

test flight of the Redstone rocket and Mercury spacecraft

experimental space-based radio communication project

family of American intercontinental ballistic missiles; first operational ICBM

test flight of the Redstone rocket during Project Mercury

first chimpanzee to orbit Earth

solid-fuel booster rocket used during Project Mercury

overview of spaceflight-related events during the year of 1961

family of Soviet satellites

test flight of the Atlas rocket and Mercury spacecraft

family of British research ballistic missiles

launch escape system test flight during Project Mercury

launch escape system test flight during Project Mercury

American reconnaissance satellite series

American satellite

American expendable launch system and sounding rocket used in the early 1960s

retired American sounding rocket and orbital launch vehicle

SOLRAD (short for "solar radiation") was an American series of satellites sponsored by the US Navy in a program to continuously monitor the Sun. SOLRAD was the Naval Research Laboratory's first post-Vanguard satellite.