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Sub-orbital spaceflight
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Sub-orbital human spaceflight (<a href="/facts/F%25C3%25A9d%25C3%25A9ration_A%25C3%25A9ronautique_Internationale/WoJkGK09">FAI</a>-defined <a href="/facts/Space_border/R3LRKyFs">space border</a>)<table><tbody><tr><th>Name</th><th>Year</th><th>Flights</th><th>Location</th></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Mercury-Redstone_3/x7DvfFQY">Mercury-Redstone 3</a> <a href="/facts/Mercury-Redstone_4/TXol5Hrv">Mercury-Redstone 4</a></td><td>1961</td><td>2</td><td><a href="/facts/Cape_Canaveral/DsFRGqWm">Cape Canaveral</a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/X-15_Flight_90/Qg4TtYCd">X-15 Flight 90</a> <a href="/facts/X-15_Flight_91/k5llpJMg">X-15 Flight 91</a></td><td>1963</td><td>2</td><td><a href="/facts/Edwards_AFB/MwAW8n6a">Edwards AFB</a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Soyuz_18a/EXKGQt9g">Soyuz 18a</a></td><td>1975</td><td>1</td><td><a href="/facts/Baikonur_Cosmodrome/sk16LwcH">Baikonur Cosmodrome</a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/SpaceShipOne_flight_15P/YsVn3Eux">SpaceShipOne Flight 15P</a> <a href="/facts/SpaceShipOne_flight_16P/aYtajj25">SpaceShipOne Flight 16P</a> <a href="/facts/SpaceShipOne_flight_17P/jAeK0WVA">SpaceShipOne Flight 17P</a></td><td>2004</td><td>3</td><td><a href="/facts/Mojave_Air_and_Space_Port/BRUofdUg">Mojave Air and Space Port</a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Blue_Origin_NS-16/DLBJulKS">Blue Origin NS-16</a> <a href="/facts/Blue_Origin_NS-18/Nl6HgvYG">Blue Origin NS-18</a> <a href="/facts/Blue_Origin_NS-19/s8dfj3sG">Blue Origin NS-19</a></td><td>2021</td><td>3</td><td rowspan="4"><a href="/facts/Corn_Ranch/Ept2vDCz">Corn Ranch</a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Blue_Origin_NS-20/S2zIVm8d">Blue Origin NS-20</a> <a href="/facts/Blue_Origin_NS-21/ESkuhdIL">Blue Origin NS-21</a><p><a href="/facts/Blue_Origin_NS-22/JPkqQKqM">Blue Origin NS-22</a></p></td><td>2022</td><td>3</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Blue_Origin_NS-25/LL4WwICc">Blue Origin NS-25</a> <a href="/facts/Blue_Origin_NS-26/ytfFUn3e">Blue Origin NS-26</a> <a href="/facts/Blue_Origin_NS-28/UGh2wf6K">Blue Origin NS-28</a></td><td>2024</td><td>3</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Blue_Origin_NS-30/z2RToX3h">Blue Origin NS-30</a><a href="/facts/Blue_Origin_NS-31/rjQJGMbR">Blue Origin NS-31</a><a href="/facts/Blue_Origin_NS-32/p8XzC2kf">Blue Origin NS-32</a>Blue Origin NS-33</td><td>2025</td><td>3</td></tr></tbody></table> Sub-orbital human spaceflight (United States-defined <a href="/facts/Space_border/R3LRKyFs">space border</a>; excluding those above)<table><tbody><tr><th>Name</th><th>Year</th><th>Flights</th><th>Location</th></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/X-15_Flight_62/aBtf3k9P">X-15 Flight 62</a></td><td>1962</td><td>1</td><td rowspan="6"><a href="/facts/Edwards_AFB/MwAW8n6a">Edwards AFB</a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/North_American_X-15/btDgcYKz">X-15 Flight 77</a> <a href="/facts/X-15_Flight_87/lowK7mP6">X-15 Flight 87</a></td><td>1963</td><td>2</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/North_American_X-15/btDgcYKz">X-15 Flight 138</a> <a href="/facts/North_American_X-15/btDgcYKz">X-15 Flight 143</a> <a href="/facts/North_American_X-15/btDgcYKz">X-15 Flight 150</a> <a href="/facts/North_American_X-15/btDgcYKz">X-15 Flight 153</a></td><td>1965</td><td>4</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/North_American_X-15/btDgcYKz">X-15 Flight 174</a></td><td>1966</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/North_American_X-15/btDgcYKz">X-15 Flight 190</a> <a href="/facts/X-15_Flight_3-65-97/5E1FH5lH">X-15 Flight 191</a></td><td>1967</td><td>2</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/North_American_X-15/btDgcYKz">X-15 Flight 197</a></td><td>1968</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Soyuz_MS-10/A5RrLwrD">Soyuz MS-10</a></td><td>2018</td><td>1</td><td><a href="/facts/Baikonur_Cosmodrome/sk16LwcH">Baikonur Cosmodrome</a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/VSS_Unity_VP-03/qaGc8jG8">VSS <i>Unity</i> VP-03</a></td><td>2018</td><td>1</td><td rowspan="2"><a href="/facts/Mojave_Air_and_Space_Port/BRUofdUg">Mojave Air and Space Port</a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/VSS_Unity_VF-01/Ne1nLqma">VSS <i>Unity</i> VF-01</a></td><td>2019</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/VSS_Unity_Unity21/QyhSsYl3">VSS <i>Unity</i> Unity21</a><a href="/facts/Virgin_Galactic_Unity_22/4Y5gL4pA">VSS <i>Unity</i> Unity22</a></td><td>2021</td><td>2</td><td><a href="/facts/Spaceport_America/sLWgIGvh">Spaceport America</a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Virgin_Galactic_Unity_25/jf2xSj8A">VSS <i>Unity</i> Unity25</a><a href="/facts/Galactic_01/9pPsnI92">Galactic 01</a><a href="/facts/Galactic_02/cDJ7qrPx">Galactic 02</a><a href="/facts/Galactic_03/bkuB5gSb">Galactic 03</a><a href="/facts/Galactic_04/0e3wggIL">Galactic 04</a><a href="/facts/Galactic_05/l3c6Bxf3">Galactic 05</a></td><td>2023</td><td>6</td><td><a href="/facts/Spaceport_America/sLWgIGvh">Spaceport America</a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Galactic_06/yrcrHJRb">Galactic 06</a><a href="/facts/Galactic_07/kW4wVTqI">Galactic 07</a></td><td>2024</td><td>2</td><td><a href="/facts/Spaceport_America/sLWgIGvh">Spaceport America</a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>A sub-orbital spaceflight is a <a href="/facts/Spaceflight/zPrnATzo">spaceflight</a> in which the <a href="/facts/Spacecraft/YQqQaUw0">spacecraft</a> reaches <a href="/facts/Outer_space/R3LRKyFs">outer space</a>, but its <a href="/facts/Trajectory/STNN33FK">trajectory</a> intersects the surface of the <a href="/facts/Primary_(astronomy)/PzvXx42a">gravitating body</a> from which it was launched. Hence, it will not complete one <a href="/facts/Orbit/nD2TPySG">orbital</a> revolution, will not become an <a href="/facts/Artificial_satellite/PTX8c68t">artificial satellite</a> nor will it reach <a href="/facts/Escape_velocity/bdtme0tx">escape velocity</a>. </p><p>For example, the path of an object launched from <a href="/facts/Earth/HLLmDfj0">Earth</a> that reaches the <a href="/facts/K%25C3%25A1rm%25C3%25A1n_line/CfvQ3fbp">Kármán line</a> (about 83 km [52 mi] – 100 km [62 mi] above <a href="/facts/Sea_level/mDhuI7Xe">sea level</a>), and then falls back to Earth, is considered a sub-orbital spaceflight. Some sub-orbital flights have been undertaken to test spacecraft and <a href="/facts/Launch_vehicle/g1GCGFJB">launch vehicles</a> later intended for <a href="/facts/Orbital_spaceflight/xdzKmkvt">orbital spaceflight</a>. Other vehicles are specifically designed only for sub-orbital flight; examples include crewed vehicles, such as the <a href="/facts/North_American_X-15/btDgcYKz">X-15</a> and <a href="/facts/SpaceShipTwo/IAAHm6Qx">SpaceShipTwo</a>, and uncrewed ones, such as <a href="/facts/Intercontinental_ballistic_missile/0vKnj2Y7">ICBMs</a> and <a href="/facts/Sounding_rocket/em1GgGND">sounding rockets</a>. </p><p>Flights which attain sufficient velocity to go into <a href="/facts/Low_Earth_orbit/rq1TwayJ">low Earth orbit</a>, and then <a href="/facts/De-orbit/p7TMk9sa">de-orbit</a> before completing their first full orbit, are not considered sub-orbital. Examples of this include flights of the <a href="/facts/Fractional_Orbital_Bombardment_System/xkxw1fhS">Fractional Orbital Bombardment System</a>. </p><p>A flight that does not reach space is still sometimes called sub-orbital, but cannot officially be classified as a "sub-orbital spaceflight". Usually a rocket is used, but some experimental sub-orbital spaceflights have also been achieved via the use of <a href="/facts/Space_gun/Fb1zA1a7">space guns</a>. </p>