Transport & Space

665 advances: 626 achieved, 14 at the frontier now, 25 ahead.

The frontier

• Sleeping car 1857 · frontier
  Railway passenger wagon with private sleeping berths. 2023 – A comeback of sleeping trains in Europe is reported as demand for more comfortable travel modes than overnight buses and sustainable transport rises. A new generation of such trains is released.
• Earth observation satellite 1972 · frontier
  Artificial satellite specifically designed to observe Earth from orbit. The first global, interactive AI- and satellite monitoring -based, map [ image needed ] and analysis of plastic waste sites to help prevention of plastic pollution, especially ocean pollution was published.
• Maglev 1984 · frontier
  System of train transportation that uses two sets of magnets. 2023 – The first test-runs of a superconducting maglev test line, called a hyperloop, are carried out in Datong, China (50 km/h of ~1,000 km/h).
• CAPSTONE 2022 · frontier
  NASA satellite to test and verify the calculated orbital stability planned for Lunar Gateway. US CAPSTONE Near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) of Moon Operational CAPSTONE, Lunar orbiting CubeSat that will test and verify the calculated orbital stability planned for the Gateway space station.
• Starship 2023 · frontier
  First integrated flight 2023; booster catch 2024.
• Starship booster tower catch 2024 · frontier
  Oct 13, 2024 (Flight 5): Mechazilla caught a Super Heavy booster.
• XPoSat 2024 · frontier
  Indian space telescope. India XPoSat Earth Operational ISRO 's mission to study X-ray polarisation. Successfully launched on 1 January 2024 on a PSLV-DL launch vehicle.
• New Glenn booster landing 2025 · frontier
  First orbital launch Jan 2025; the booster landed on a sea platform in Nov 2025.
• NHTSA proposes AV-specific FMVSS 108 rules (cyan ADS lamps) 2026 · frontier
  Proposed rule rewrites lighting standards for driverless designs and standardizes optional cyan ADS indicator lamps.
• China grants paid robotaxi demo permits to Xpeng and VW JV 2026 · frontier
  Guangzhou licence lets Xpeng carry paying passengers in driverless taxis, the step before commercial approval.
• NASA revises Starship/Blue Moon lander plans for 2028 landings 2026 · frontier
  Starship HLS to dock with Orion in LEO and push it to low lunar orbit; NASA to pick first crewed lander by readiness.
• Starship Block 3 reaches orbit 2026 · frontier
  Flight 14 (Sept 28, 2026): first orbital flight, deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites; the Block 3 debut was May 2026.
• Chinese orbital booster recovery 2026 · frontier
  Long March 10B net recovery at sea (July 2026); LandSpace Zhuque-3 land landing (Aug 2026).
• Spectrum (Isar Aerospace launcher) 2026 · frontier
  Two-stage small launch vehicle by Isar Aerospace. 2026 Isar Aerospace launches Spectrum, from Andøya Spaceport becoming the first successful flight from a private Launch provider in Northern Europe.
• Faster-than-light travel (effective FTL) · future · progress: none
  Reaching other stars in less time than light takes, by engineering spacetime itself (an Alcubierre-type warp metric or a traversable wormhole) rather than outrunning light locally. Every known route needs physics we do not have yet, so this spire is the tallest.
• Terraforming · future · progress: none
  Making another world, most likely Mars, habitable to unprotected life by thickening its atmosphere, warming it, shielding it, and seeding a biosphere. No new physics is needed, but the industrial scale is enormous and needs a self-replicating space economy.
• Permanent crewed Mars outpost · future · progress: none
  Continuously crewed Mars base resupplied from Earth: the step between a first landing and a self-sustaining city.
• Outer-moon settlement (Titan, Callisto or Ganymede) · future · progress: none
  A crewed base among the giant planets. Callisto sits outside Jupiter's worst radiation; Titan has a thick atmosphere and hydrocarbons.
• Interstellar von Neumann probe · future · progress: none
  Stage 2: a probe that reaches another star system, builds copies of itself from local material and sends them on, spreading across the galaxy at sublight speed. If such probes are possible, their absence is one form of the Fermi paradox.
• Fully reusable Starship and orbital refilling · future · progress: demonstrated
  Both stages caught and reflown and propellant transferred in orbit. Launch costs fall by another order of magnitude.
• Permanent lunar base · future · progress: early
  A crewed outpost at the lunar south pole with ice mining. The proving ground for living off-world.
• In-situ resource utilization (propellant, water, metals) · future · progress: demonstrated
  Making propellant, oxygen, and metals from local ice and rock. MOXIE has made oxygen on Mars.
• Humans on Mars · future · progress: early
  The first crewed landing on Mars and a return home.
• Orbital industry · future · progress: demonstrated
  Factories, fuel depots, and assembly yards in orbit and on the Moon. Products include fibre optics, pharmaceuticals, and large structures.
• Asteroid mining · future · progress: early
  Extracting water, metals, and volatiles from near-Earth asteroids, the raw material base for the space economy.
• Nuclear thermal and nuclear electric propulsion · future · progress: demonstrated
  Halving transit times to Mars and opening the outer system. Ground-tested in the 1960s (NERVA).
• Fusion propulsion · future · progress: early
  Direct fusion drives that make the solar system weeks wide, the prerequisite for moving comets and building megastructures.
• Self-sustaining Mars city · future · progress: none
  A million-person city that can survive if the ships stop coming, and the industrial base for terraforming.
• Space elevators and orbital tethers · future · progress: early
  Lifting mass to orbit by cable instead of rockets. Feasible first on the Moon and Mars, and on Earth if nanotube strength scales.
• Laser-sail interstellar probes · future · progress: early
  Gram-scale probes pushed by gigawatt lasers to about 20% of light speed (Breakthrough Starshot concept). These are the first robotic visits to nearby stars.
• Uncrewed warp-bubble probe · future · progress: none
  The first craft to make an effective superluminal hop, powered by solar-system-scale energy.
• Crewed warp-capable starship · future · progress: none
  A ship that carries people to another star within a human lifetime, then within weeks.
• Orbital mirrors and solettas · future · progress: early
  Large thin-film mirrors that focus sunlight on polar caps, releasing frozen CO2.
• Artificial magnetosphere at Mars L1 · future · progress: early
  A superconducting dipole shield at Mars–Sun L1 that protects a thickened atmosphere from solar-wind stripping.
• Volatile delivery: redirecting icy bodies · future · progress: early
  Steering comets or Kuiper-belt ice to deliver water and nitrogen to Mars. The energy and precision needed are vast.
• Mars atmosphere thickened to survivable pressure · future · progress: none
  Raising surface pressure above the Armstrong limit so people need only oxygen masks.
• Lunar mass driver · future · progress: early
  An electromagnetic launcher hurling lunar material to orbit cheaply, the industrial artery of O'Neill's space economy.
• Deep-space radiation shielding · future · progress: early
  Active magnetic and passive shields protecting crews on years-long missions.
• Rotating space habitats · future · progress: none
  O'Neill cylinders with artificial gravity, homes for millions off Earth.

How we got here

• Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe 2025 · achieved
  NASA heliophysics satellite. Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe Earth-Sun L 1 point Operational It is NASA 's heliophysics mission that simultaneously investigates two important and coupled science topics in the heliosphere: the acceleration of energetic p…
• PROBA-3 2024 · achieved
  ESA formation-flying satellite mission. PROBA-3 Earth Operational solar Coronagraph and Occulter dual satellites developed by ESA. Successfully launched on 5 December 2024 on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.
• Europa Clipper 2024 · achieved
  NASA space mission en route to Jupiter and Europa. Europa Clipper Jupiter and Europa En route NASA launched the Europa Clipper on 14 October 2024 on a Falcon Heavy launch vehicle, which will study the Jovian moon Europa while in orbit around Jupiter.
• Hera 2024 · achieved
  ESA spacecraft which will study the effects of the DART Impactor on the asteroid moon Dimorphos.
• Space Variable Objects Monitor 2024 · achieved
  French-Chinese small X-ray telescope satellite. Space Variable Objects Monitor Earth Operational X-ray space telescope developed jointly by CNES and CNSA. Successfully launched on 22 June 2024 on a Long March 2C launch vehicle.
• Chang'e 6 2024 · achieved
  Chinese uncrewed lunar expedition. Chang'e 6 Moon Success Orbiter, Returner, Ascent Stage, Lander, Rover configuration mission, China's first automated return of samples from the far side of the Moon. orbiter visited L2.
• Queqiao-2 2024 · achieved
  Chinese lunar orbiter and radio relay satellite launched in 2024. Queqiao-2 Moon Success Queqiao-2 relay satellite for far side of the Moon with Tiandu-1 and 2 to test future lunar satellite constellation technologies.
• Nova-C 2024 · achieved
  Model of lunar lander developed by Intuitive Machines. IM-1 Moon Success Cryogenic - propelled lunar lander developed by Intuitive Machines and selected as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services.
• Einstein Probe 2024 · achieved
  Chinese X-ray astronomy satellite. Einstein Probe Earth Operational X-ray space telescope developed jointly by CAS and ESA. Successfully launched on 9 January 2024 on a Long March 2C launch vehicle.
• Peregrine Mission One 2024 · achieved
  Former commercial lunar landing mission. Peregrine Mission One Moon Failure Lunar lander developed by Astrobotic Technology and selected as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services.
• Psyche 2023 · achieved
  NASA spacecraft en route to metallic asteroid 16 Psyche. Psyche 16 Psyche En route Asteroid orbiter developed by NASA. Successfully launched on 13 October 2023 on a Falcon Heavy launch vehicle.
• X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission 2023 · achieved
  Japanese X-ray space telescope. XRISM Earth Operational X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission, X-ray space telescope developed by JAXA in partnership with NASA. Successfully launched on 6 September 2023 on a H-IIA launch vehicle.
• Aditya-L1 2023 · achieved
  Indian solar probe. Aditya-L1 Earth-Sun L 1 point Operational It is ISRO 's first Sun dedicated scientific mission. It will perform observations of the Solar corona. Successfully launched on 2 September 2023 on a PSLV-XL rocket.
• Chandrayaan-3 2023 · achieved
  India's third lunar exploration mission. Chandrayaan-3 Moon Success It is India's second attempt to land on the Moon and its south pole. Successfully launched on 14 July 2023 on a LVM3 launch vehicle. Successfully landed on 23 August 2023.
• Euclid 2023 · achieved
  ESA space telescope aimed at mapping the distribution of dark matter. Euclid Earth-Sun L 2 point Operational It is ESA 's project for a space telescope to study dark matter. It was launched on July 1 with Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket to Earth-Moon L 2 point.
• JUICE mission to Ganymede 2023 · achieved
  Galilean moon of Jupiter. 14 April 2023 Jupiter/ Ganymede orbiter
• Lunar Flashlight 2022 · achieved
  NASA small satellite which was planned to orbit the Moon. Lunar Flashlight Moon Failure Lunar Flashlight, Lunar orbiting CubeSat that will explore, locate, and estimate size and composition of water ice deposits on the Moon for future exploitation by robots or humans.
• OMOTENASHI 2022 · achieved
  Small spacecraft and semi-hard lander of the 6U CubeSat format. OMOTENASHI Moon Failure Inflatable module attempting to land semi-hard at lunar surface.
• Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter 2022 · achieved
  South Korean lunar orbiter. Danuri (KLPO) Moon Operational South Korea's first lunar orbiter launched by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. Danuri will serve to create topographic map of the lunar surface to pinpoint future landing sites.
• LICIACube 2022 · achieved
  Decommissioned Italian CubeSat in NASA's DART mission. LICIACube a Binary 65803 Didymos asteroid system Success LICIACube, Light Italian Cubesat for Imaging of Asteroids, is the first Agenzia Spaziale Italiana 's interplanetary mission.
• Unmanned surface vehicle 2021 · achieved
  Vehicle that operates on the surface of the water without a crew and is remotely operated. 2021 – The world's first urban autonomous vessels, Roboats, are deployed in the canals of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• Rivian R1T 2021 · achieved
  Full electric pick-up developed by Rivian. September: Rivian R1T becomes the first plug-in electric production pickup truck. [ citation needed ]
• James Webb Space Telescope 2021 · achieved
  NASA/ESA/CSA space infrared telescope launched in 2021. James Webb Space Telescope Earth-Sun L 2 point Success James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), NASA, ESA and CSA 's joint project for a space telescope. It was launched on December 25 with Ariane 5 ECA rocket to Earth-Moon L 2 point.
• Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer 2021 · achieved
  NASA/ASI space observatory to study cosmic X-rays. IXPE Earth Success Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, NASA's new X-ray observatory. It was launched on December 8 with Falcon 9 rocket.
• Double Asteroid Redirection Test 2021 · achieved
  First mission in NASA's Solar System Exploration program; impact of asteroid Dimorphos in 65803 Didymos system. DART a Binary 65803 Didymos asteroid system Success Double Asteroid Redirection Test, NASA's first mission to test planetary defense.
• Lucy 2021 · achieved
  Thirteenth mission of the Discovery program; multiple-flyby reconnaissance of five Jupiter trojans.
• Mars Hope 2021 · achieved
  Space exploration probe mission to Mars. Hope Mars Success Hope satellite is the United Arab Emirates Space Agency's uncrewed space research project on Mars. It was launched with Japanese H-IIA rocket on 19 July and reached Mars on 9 February 2021.
• Mars 2020 2021 · achieved
  Mars mission by NASA, with rover named "Perseverance" and helicopter named "Ingenuity". Mars 2020 Mars Operational Perseverance, JPL's Mars rover. It was launched on July 30 with Atlas V rocket, and landed on February 18, 2021, together with the small Ingenuity helicopter that was deployed on April 4, 2021.
• Lucy mission to Jupiter trojans 2021 · achieved
  Asteroid sharing the orbit of Jupiter. 16 October 2021 Flyby of six Jupiter trojans and two main belt asteroids
• Fuxing 2020 · achieved
  Series of electric multiple unit high-speed trains operated by China Railway Corporation. 2020 - CR400BF-C ' Fuxing Hao ', a variant of CR400 Fuxing series, running on Beijing–Zhangjiakou intercity railway is the world first high-speed rail service capable of driverless automation in commercial operations.
• Bicycle-sharing system 2020 · achieved
  System enabling communal bicycles to be shared, often in an urban setting. 2020 – Google Maps begins including bike shares in its widely used route planning functionality.
• Hydrogen-powered aircraft 2020 · achieved
  Type of airplane. 2020 – First commercial flight of a hydrogen fuel cell plane.
• Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy 2020 · achieved
  Retired NASA airborne infrared observatory. 2020: NASA and SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) discover about 350 mL of surface water in one of the Moon's largest visible craters.
• Pipistrel Velis Electro 2020 · achieved
  World's first type certified electric aircraft. June: the Velis Electro variant of the two-seat Pipistrel Virus was the first electric aircraft to secure type certification, from the EASA
• ArgoMoon 2020 · achieved
  Italian CubeSat. ArgoMoon High Earth Orbit with Lunar Flybys Success Image the ICPS and perform deep space Nanotechnology experiments.
• Plasma propulsion engine 2020 · achieved
  Electric propulsion method for spacecraft. Heliocentric Failure Demonstrate low-thrust plasma propulsion in deep space.
• Artemis I 2020 · achieved
  Uncrewed spaceflight; first flight in the Artemis program, and first flight of NASA's SLS rocket. Artemis 1 Orion MPCV CM-002 Moon Success Uncrewed test of the Orion spacecraft in lunar flyby and DRO orbit.
• Amazônia 1 2020 · achieved
  Earth observation satellite of Brazil. Amazônia-1 Earth Success Amazônia-1 is the first Earth observation satellite developed by Brazil, helped by Argentina's INVAP, who provided the main computer, attitude controls and sensors, and the training of Brazilian engineers, and la…
• Tianwen-1 2020 · achieved
  Chinese Mars probe with an orbiter, lander and rover. Tianwen-1 Mars Success Mission containing an orbiter, deployable and remote cameras, lander and Zhurong rover. This is China's 2nd uncrewed space research project on Mars.
• Solar Orbiter 2020 · achieved
  ESA solar probe. SolO Sun En route Solar Orbiter is an ESA's Sun-observing satellite.
• Chang'e 5 2020 · achieved
  Chinese lunar lander. 23 October 2014 Circumlunar mission and Earth reentry; technology demonstration to prepare for Chang'e 5 mission
• Crew Dragon (Demo-2) 2020 · achieved
  May 30, 2020: the first commercial crewed orbital flight.
• Robotaxis 2020 · achieved
  Waymo driverless public service, Phoenix 2020.
• Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit 2019 · achieved
  Railless guided bus system. 2019 - The Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit opens in China.
• Chandrayaan-2 2019 · achieved
  India's second lunar exploration mission. Chandrayaan-2 Moon Partial success Chandrayaan-2, orbiter achieved orbit, but lander and rover module hit into the Moon's surface and crashed.
• Beresheet 2019 · achieved
  Israeli space probe which failed to land on the Moon in 2019. Beresheet Moon Failure Beresheet, first private space probe and moon lander, crashed
• Chang'e 4 2019 · achieved
  Chinese lunar lander. Chang'e 4 Moon Success Chang'e 4, first spacecraft to soft-land on the lunar far side.
• One-day and same-day delivery at scale 2019 · achieved
  Prime moved to one-day shipping in 2019.
• Starlink 2019 · achieved
  LEO broadband constellation, 2019 onward.
• Ionocraft 2018 · achieved
  Aircraft. 2018 - First electroaerodynamic thrust winged Ion-propelled aircraft test flight of MIT EAD Airframe Version 2 using ionic wind.
• Potsdam Tramway 2018 · achieved
  Tram system in Germany. 2018 - First driverless trams in Potsdam, Germany tested.
• Parker Solar Probe 2018 · achieved
  NASA robotic space probe to probe the outer corona of the Sun. Parker Solar Probe Sun En route Parker Solar Probe, first spacecraft to visit the outer corona of the Sun
• BepiColombo 2018 · achieved
  ESA uncrewed space mission to Mercury. BepiColombo Mercury En route BepiColombo, two orbiters to study the magnetic field, magnetosphere, and both interior and surface structure of Mercury. Final mission of the Horizon 2000+ programme
• InSight 2018 · achieved
  Robotic lander on Mars. InSight Mars Success InSight, Mars lander for planetary information
• Queqiao-1 2018 · achieved
  Chinese lunar orbiter and radio relay satellite launched in 2018. Queqiao Moon Success First relay satellite for far side of the Moon.
• Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster 2018 · achieved
  Sports car launched into space in 2018. US Tesla Roadster Heliocentric orbit Success Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster, dummy payload for the February 2018 Falcon Heavy test flight and is now an artificial satellite of the Sun
• Halo orbit 2018 · achieved
  Periodic, three-dimensional orbit near the L1, L2 or L3 Lagrange points in the three-body problem of orbital mechanics. 20 May 2018 Relay satellite for Chang'e 4 in Halo orbit around Earth–Moon L 2 Lagrange point
• Launch cost collapse 2018 · achieved
  From about $54,500/kg (Shuttle) to about $2,700/kg (Falcon 9) and about $1,500/kg (Falcon Heavy).
• Falcon Heavy 2018 · achieved
  Feb 6, 2018: two side boosters landed together.
• Rocket Lab Electron 2018 · achieved
  Reached orbit Jan 2018; 3D-printed electric-pump engines.
• Brazilian space program 2017 · achieved
  Space program of the Federative Republic of Brazil. Brazil SGDC-1 Earth Success SGDC-1, communication satellite
• Tesla Model 3 mass production 2017 · achieved
  Went on to become the best-selling EV globally in its era.
• Falcon 9 first booster reflight 2017 · achieved
  SES-10, March 30, 2017. By Aug 2026 SpaceX had passed 600 reflown boosters.
• Solar Impulse 2016 · achieved
  Swiss long-range experimental solar-powered aircraft project. June 20-23: Solar Impulse 2 makes the first non-stop solar-powered transatlantic flight
• OSIRIS-REx 2016 · achieved
  NASA sample return mission, launched in 2016. OSIRIS-REx Earth En route OSIRIS-REx, first American asteroid sample return spacecraft
• QUESS 2016 · achieved
  Chinese scientific satellite. Quantum communication satellite: Launched in 2016, QUESS, or Micius, is the world's first quantum communication satellite.
• Raptor full-flow staged combustion 2016 · achieved
  First firing Sept 2016; the first FFSC engine to fly (2019).
• Fuel cell vehicle 2015 · achieved
  Vehicle that uses a fuel cell to power its electric motor. 2015 - In March, China South Rail Corporation (CSR) demonstrated the world's first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle tramcar at an assembly facility in Qingdao.
• Plug-in electric vehicle 2015 · achieved
  Type of electric vehicle. September: Cumulative global plug-in sales passed 1 million units.
• Yuanzheng 2015 · achieved
  Series of Chinese launch vehicle upper stages. DRO A/B Moon Success Yuanzheng 1S upper stage failed to deliver spacecraft into correct orbit. The satellites were intended to test Distant retrograde orbit.
• Akatsuki 2015 · achieved
  Defunct Venus orbiter operated by JAXA. Japan Akatsuki Venus Partial success Akatsuki orbiter, first Japanese spacecraft to orbit another planet (2015)
• New Shepard booster landing 2015 · achieved
  Nov 23, 2015: the first suborbital booster landing.
• Reusable orbital rocket 2015 · achieved
  Falcon 9 first-stage landing, Dec 2015.
• Toyota Mirai 2014 · achieved
  Hydrogen fuel cell car. 2014 – Toyota releases its first hydrogen fuel cell car, the Mirai.
• Türksat 4A 2014 · achieved
  Turkish communications satellite. TÜRKSAT 4A Earth Success TÜRKSAT 4A, Turkey's fifth communication satellite.
• LitSat-1 2014 · achieved
  Lithuanian satellite, launched 2014. Lithuania LitSat1/LituanicaSAT-1 Earth Success LitSat-1 and LituanicaSAT-1, first Lithuanian satellites
• First 3D printer in orbit (Made In Space, ISS) 2014 · achieved
  Made In Space (now Redwire) printed the first parts in orbit on the ISS in 2014, a start on manufacturing in space.
• Tesla Autopilot and FSD (Supervised) 2014 · achieved
  Autopilot from Oct 2014; FSD beta from 2020; supervised driver assistance deployed in millions of cars.
• Self-balancing scooter 2013 · achieved
  Battery-powered electric vehicle. 2013 - Self-balancing scooter invented.
• Free-space optical communication 2013 · achieved
  Communication using light sent through free space. First laser communication with a lunar satellite. USA (NASA) Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
• 311P/PanSTARRS 2013 · achieved
  Comet. Tianwen-2 469219 Kamoʻoalewa and 311P/PANSTARRS En route Tianwen-2 asteroid orbiter, lander and sample return. Launched on a Long March 3B launch vehicle on 29 May 2025.
• MAVEN 2013 · achieved
  Former NASA Mars orbiter. MAVEN Mars Success MAVEN orbiter
• Mars Orbiter Mission 2013 · achieved
  Indian Mars orbiter (2013-2022). MOM Mars Success MOM is India's first interplanetary mission to Mars. First Asian nation to reach Mars.
• CASSIOPE 2013 · achieved
  Canadian Space Agency multi-mission satellite. CASSIOPE Earth Success CASSIOPE, ionosphere research and communication satellite
• Hisaki 2013 · achieved
  Decommissioned Japanese ultraviolet astronomy satellite. Hisaki Earth Success Hisaki planetary atmosphere observatory
• STRaND-1 2013 · achieved
  Nanosatellite. STRaND-1 Earth Success STRaND-1, first smartphone-operated satellite to be launched and dubbed the world's first "phonesat"
• PROBA-V 2013 · achieved
  ESA Earth observation satellite. PROBA-V Earth Success PROBA-V, small satellite to monitor the vegetation of the Earth
• ESTCube-1 2013 · achieved
  Estonian nanosatellite. ESTCube-1 Earth Success ESTCube-1, Estonia's first satellite
• NEE-01 Pegaso 2013 · achieved
  Ecuadorian satellite. NEE 01 Pegaso Earth Success NEE-01 Pegaso, Ecuador's first satellite
• Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite 2013 · achieved
  Asteroid monitoring microsatellite from Canada. NEOSSat Earth Success NEOSSat, monitoring near-Earth objects
• STSAT-2C 2013 · achieved
  South Korean satellite. South Korea STSAT-2C Earth Success STSAT-2C, first successful South Korean orbital rocket launch
• PW-Sat 2012 · achieved
  Satellite. PW-Sat Earth Success PW-Sat, first Polish satellite
• Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2 2012 · achieved
  North Korean Earth observation satellite; first satellite orbited by North Korea. Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Earth Success Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2, first successful North Korean orbital rocket launch after the first unit exploded shortly after launch.
• Navid 2012 · achieved
  Iranian Earth observation satellite. Iran Navid Earth Success Navid Earth-watching satellite
• Electric vehicles at scale 2012 · achieved
  Tesla Model S, 2012.
• Pipistrel Taurus 2011 · achieved
  Two-seat, self launching ultralight sailplane. Taurus Electro G2 becomes the first two-seat electric aircraft to have achieved series production.
• Mars Science Laboratory 2011 · achieved
  Mars mission by NASA, with rover named "Curiosity". MSL Mars Success Mars Science Laboratory with Curiosity rover—orbit and landed
• SAC-D 2011 · achieved
  U.S-Argentinian satellite. SAC-D Earth Success SAC-D Orbiter
• ST-2 2011 · achieved
  Telecommunications satellite in geosynchronous orbit, launched in 2011. ST-2 Earth Success ST-2 replacement launched by Taiwan and Singapore
• Fobos-Grunt 2011 · achieved
  Former Russian spacecraft. Fobos-Grunt Mars Failure Fobos-Grunt lander and sample return
• Juno 2011 · achieved
  NASA spacecraft orbiting the planet Jupiter. Juno Jupiter Success Juno
• Spektr-R 2011 · achieved
  Russian radio astronomy satellite. Spektr-R Earth Success Launch of the Spektr-R radio telescope
• Nissan Leaf 2010 · achieved
  Compact electric car manufactured by Nissan. December: Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt deliveries began
• Astrosat 2010 · achieved
  Indian space observatory. Astrosat Earth Success Astrosat, Space observatory
• Chang'e 2 2010 · achieved
  Chinese Moon orbiter. Chang'e-2 Moon Success Chang'e-2 lunar orbiter/impacter
• IKAROS 2010 · achieved
  Uncrewed Japanese experimental solar sail space probe. Japan IKAROS Venus Success IKAROS, first solar-sail spacecraft
• Falcon 9 first flight 2010 · achieved
  June 2010.
• Škoda 15 T 2009 · achieved
  Czech tram. 2009 - Škoda 15 T world's first completely low-floor tram with articulated bogies introduced.
• Mitsubishi i-MiEV 2009 · achieved
  Electric car manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. July: Launch of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the first modern highway legal series production electric car
• RISAT-2 2009 · achieved
  Indian radar-imaging reconnaissance satellite, reentered in 2022. RISAT-2 Earth Success RISAT-2 developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, launched by ISRO, India
• PROBA-2 2009 · achieved
  ESA technology demonstration satellite. PROBA-2 Earth Success PROBA-2 Small satellite to observe the Sun
• Omid 2009 · achieved
  Communications satellite. Omid Earth Success Omid launched by Iranian made launcher Safir. First Iranian-launched satellite
• Herschel Space Observatory 2009 · achieved
  Former ESA space observatory. Herschel L2 Success Herschel Space Observatory
• Planck 2009 · achieved
  Former ESA space observatory. Planck L2 Success Planck
• Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 2009 · achieved
  North Korean satellite, lost in a launch failure. North Korea Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 Earth Failure Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 failed to orbit, possibly due to the rocket's third stage not separating properly.
• Google self-driving car project 2009 · achieved
  Later spun out as Waymo (2016).
• Kibo 2008 · achieved
  Japanese module of the International Space Station. 2008 – Japanese astronomers launch the first Medical Experiment Module called "Kibō", to be used on the International Space Station.
• Chandrayaan-1 2008 · achieved
  India's first lunar exploration mission. Chandrayaan-1 Moon Success Chandrayaan-1 developed and launched by ISRO, India. First discovery of Lunar Water.
• Interstellar Boundary Explorer 2008 · achieved
  NASA satellite. IBEX Earth Success The Interstellar Boundary Explorer ( IBEX )'s mission is to study the nature of interactions between solar wind and interstellar medium at the edge of Solar System.
• Tesla Roadster 2008 · achieved
  The first highway-legal series EV with lithium-ion cells.
• Falcon 1 reaches orbit 2008 · achieved
  Sept 28, 2008: the first privately developed liquid-fuel rocket to orbit.
• NigComSat-1 2007 · achieved
  Communication satellite in Nigeria. NigComSat-1 Earth Partial success NigComSat-1 launched by China, failed after 1 year
• Chang'e 1 2007 · achieved
  Chinese lunar orbiter. Chang'e-I Moon Success Chang'e-I lunar orbiter
• Dawn 2007 · achieved
  NASA space probe exploring Vesta and Ceres. Dawn Vesta/Ceres Success Dawn solar powered ion engined probe to 4 Vesta and 1 Ceres.
• SELENE 2007 · achieved
  Former Japanese lunar orbiter spacecraft. SELENE Moon Success SELENE orbiter and lander
• New Horizons 2006 · achieved
  NASA probe that visited Pluto and Kuiper belt object 486958 Arrokoth. US New Horizons Pluto Success New Horizons launched. On July 14, 2015, New Horizons flew within 7,750 miles (12,472 km) of Pluto.
• Orion 2006 · achieved
  Crewed spacecraft designed for the Artemis program. 16 November 2022 Uncrewed lunar orbital test of Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System. The cubesats are launched as rideshares and will execute their own missions.
• Venus Express 2005 · achieved
  ESA spacecraft which orbited Venus. Venus Express Venus Success Venus Express
• Sina-1 2005 · achieved
  Iranian satellite. Sinah-1 Earth Success Sinah-1 launched, first Iranian-built satellite
• Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter 2005 · achieved
  NASA space probe in orbit of Mars. MRO Mars Success Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
• Suzaku 2005 · achieved
  Decommissioned Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite. Suzaku Earth Partial success Launch of the Suzaku X-ray observatory ( ASTRO-EII )
• Deep Impact (comet Tempel 1) 2005 · achieved
  Short-period comet. First spacecraft to impact a comet ( Tempel 1 ). USA (NASA) Deep Impact
• Amazon Prime two-day shipping 2005 · achieved
  February 2005.
• Metrocable 2004 · achieved
  First urban transit cablecar. 2004 - First modern urban transit aerial cable car Metrocable (Medellín).
• SpaceShipOne 2004 · achieved
  Suborbital, air-launched spaceplane. 2004 - US-based, first privately developed, crewed (suborbital) spaceflight, SpaceShipOne demonstrates reusability.
• NASA X-43 2004 · achieved
  Unmanned experimental hypersonic aircraft. Hyper-X first scramjet to maintain altitude
• MESSENGER 2004 · achieved
  Seventh mission of the Discovery program; orbital reconnaissance of the planet Mercury (2004–2015). MESSENGER Mercury Success MESSENGER orbiter launched (in Mercury orbit)
• Spitzer Space Telescope 2003 · achieved
  Decommissioned NASA infrared space observatory. 2003 — The Spitzer Space Telescope (SST), formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), is an infrared space observatory launched in 2003. It is the fourth and final of the NASA Great Observatories program
• Spirit 2003 · achieved
  Former NASA Mars rover. Mars Exploration Rover Mars Success Mars Exploration Rovers successful launches, Spirit successfully landed, Opportunity successfully landed
• Mars Express 2003 · achieved
  European Mars orbiter. Mars Express & Beagle 2 Mars Partial success Mars Express orbiter (successfully reached orbit) and failed Beagle 2 lander
• SMART-1 2003 · achieved
  European Space Agency satellite that orbited around the Moon. Europe SMART-1 Moon Success SMART-1 orbiter
• Microvariability and Oscillations of Stars 2003 · achieved
  Smallsat space telescope. Canada MOST Earth Success MOST the smallest space telescope in orbit.
• Segway PT 2002 · achieved
  Battery-powered electric vehicle. 2002 – Segway PT self-balancing personal transport was launched by inventor Dean Kamen.
• Hydrogen train 2002 · achieved
  Rail vehicle using on-board hydrogen fuel as a source of energy. 2002 – The first hydrail locomotive is demonstrated in Val-d'Or, Quebec.
• INTEGRAL 2002 · achieved
  Currently operational space telescope for observing gamma rays. INTEGRAL Earth Success Launch of the INTEGRAL gamma-ray satellite.
• PROBA-1 2001 · achieved
  ESA Earth observation satellite. PROBA-1 Earth Success PROBA-1 Small satellite to observe the Earth (first Belgian Satellite)
• 2001 Mars Odyssey 2001 · achieved
  2001 NASA orbiter studying the geology and hydrology of Mars. Mars Odyssey Mars Success Mars Odyssey
• Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe 2001 · achieved
  NASA Cosmic Microwave Background probe launched in 2001. WMAP Earth Success Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) performs cosmological observations.
• Genesis 2001 · achieved
  NASA sample return probe. Genesis Sun Partial success Genesis solar wind sample crash-landed on return
• Türksat 2A 2001 · achieved
  Decommissioned Turkish communications satellite. Turkey Türksat 2A Earth Success Türksat 2A, third Turkish communications satellite
• Bus rapid transit 2000 · achieved
  Rapid transit operated with buses rather than rail vehicles. 2000 – TransMilenio, first modern bus rapid transit.
• Akari 2000 · achieved
  Infrared astronomy satellite developed by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Akari Earth Success Launch of the Akari infrared observatory ( ASTRO-F )
• Trikke 1999 · achieved
  Chain-less, pedal-less, personal vehicle with a three-wheel frame. 1999 – Trikke (wiggle scooter) invented.
• XMM-Newton 1999 · achieved
  ESA space observatory. XMM-Newton Earth Success Launch of the X-Ray Multi-Mirror Mission, XMM-Newton
• Chandra X-ray Observatory 1999 · achieved
  NASA space observatory. Chandra Earth Success Launch of the Chandra X-ray Observatory
• Deep Space 2 1999 · achieved
  Twin Mars impact probes. Deep Space 2 Mars Failure Deep Space 2 (DS2) penetrators
• Mars Polar Lander 1999 · achieved
  Robotic spacecraft lander launched by NASA on January 3, 1999. US Mars Polar Lander Mars Failure Mars Polar Lander
• Stardust comet-dust sample return 1999 · achieved
  Cloud of gas or a trail around a comet or asteroid. 7 February 1999 First comet coma sample return (returned 15 January 2006)
• Folding bicycle 1998 · achieved
  Bicycle designed to fold into a compact form. 1998 – Honda Raccoon Compo, first folding electric bicycle in Japan.
• Zarya 1998 · achieved
  First module of the International Space Station. 1998 - Russia launches the Zarya module, the first part of the International Space Station.
• Deep Space 1 1998 · achieved
  NASA technology demonstration spacecraft. 1998 - US Deep Space 1 is first deep space mission to use an ion thruster for propulsion.
• Mars Climate Orbiter 1998 · achieved
  Robotic space probe launched by NASA on December 11, 1998. Mars Climate Orbiter Mars Failure Mars Climate Orbiter
• Nozomi 1998 · achieved
  Space probe. Nozomi Mars Failure Nozomi (Planet B) orbiter, the first Japanese spacecraft to reach another planet
• Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 1998 · achieved
  North Korean satellite, lost in a launch failure. North Korea Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 Earth Unknown Claimed launch of Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 by North Korea though no independent source was able to verify its existence
• International Space Station 1998 · achieved
  Assembly begins 1998.
• Hybrid vehicle 1997 · achieved
  Vehicle whose powertrain uses multiple power sources. 1990s – Hybrid vehicles that run on an internal combustion engine (ICE) and an electric motor charged by regenerative braking.
• Nissan R'nessa 1997 · achieved
  Car model. 1997 – Nissan R'nessa, first short-run production lithium-ion battery electric car.
• Toyota Prius 1997 · achieved
  Hybrid electric automobile. Toyota Prius becomes the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle.
• Toyota RAV4 EV 1997 · achieved
  Motor vehicle. Toyota RAV4 EV becomes first plug-in electric production SUV. Leases are mostly restricted to governments and businesses in California.
• Amazon fulfillment network 1997 · achieved
  Large fulfillment centers, beginning in Seattle and Delaware.
• Ariane 5 1996 · achieved
  Retired rocket series of the Ariane family. 1996 - EU Ariane 5, first flight of the Ariane 5 rocket, self-destructed in flight. After that, Ariane 5 will be the main European rocket for decades.
• Vulcain 1996 · achieved
  Family of European first stage rocket engines. 1996 – Vulcain rocket engine.
• General Motors EV1 1996 · achieved
  Electric compact car model. December: Launch of the limited production General Motors EV1
• Mars 96 1996 · achieved
  Failed Russian Mars mission. Mars 96 Mars Failure Mars 96 orbiter and lander
• Mars Pathfinder 1996 · achieved
  Mars lander. Mars Pathfinder Mars Success Mars Pathfinder, the first automated surface exploration of another planet
• Mars Global Surveyor 1996 · achieved
  US spacecraft developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Mars Global Surveyor Mars Success Mars Global Surveyor orbiter
• NEAR Shoemaker 1996 · achieved
  1996 robotic space probe that landed on asteroid 433 Eros in 2001. US NEAR Shoemaker 433 Eros Success NEAR Shoemaker asteroid flybys/orbiter/lander
• Solar and Heliospheric Observatory 1995 · achieved
  Space observatory. SOHO Sun Success SOHO solar probe
• Infrared Space Observatory 1995 · achieved
  Decommissioned ESA space observatory. ISO Earth Success Launch of the Infrared Space Observatory
• Sich-1 1995 · achieved
  Ukrainian satellite. Sich-1 Earth Success Sich-1 launched, first Ukrainian-built satellite
• GPS full operational capability 1995 · achieved
  Declared FOC 1995; selective availability ended 2000.
• Amazon.com 1995 · achieved
  Launched July 1995 as an online bookstore.
• Clementine 1994 · achieved
  American lunar orbiter. US Clementine Moon Success Clementine orbiter mapped the surface of the Moon (resolution 125–150 m) and allowed the first accurate relief map of the Moon to be generated
• Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics 1993 · achieved
  Cosmic X-ray astronomy mission. Japan ASCA Earth Success Launch of the ASCA (ASTRO-D) X-ray satellite
• DC-X vertical landing 1993 · achieved
  The first flight of the vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing demonstrator.
• Mars Observer 1992 · achieved
  Space probe. US Mars Observer Mars Failure Mars Observer orbiter
• Yohkoh 1991 · achieved
  Former solar observatory satellite. Japan Yohkoh Sun Success Yohkoh solar probe
• ADtranz low floor tram 1990 · achieved
  German low floor tram model. 1990 – ADtranz low floor tram world's first completely low floor tram introduced.
• Family Portrait 1990 · achieved
  38-part mosaic image of the Solar System acquired by Voyager 1. First photograph of the whole Solar System ( Family Portrait ). USA (NASA) Voyager 1
• Compton Gamma Ray Observatory 1990 · achieved
  Former NASA space observatory. Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory Earth Success Launch of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory satellite
• ROSAT 1990 · achieved
  German space observatory. ROSAT Earth Success Launch of the ROSAT X-ray satellite to conduct the first imaging X-ray sky survey
• Badr-1 1990 · achieved
  Pakistani digital communication satellite. Badr-1 Earth Success Launch of Badr-1 Pakistan 1st communication satellite
• HITEN 1990 · achieved
  Japanese lunar orbiter. Hiten Moon Success Hiten probe, this was the first non-United States or USSR probe to reach the Moon
• Low-floor tram 1990 · achieved
  Tram that has no stair steps between entrances and the passenger cabin. The first Russian produced low-floor tram
• Combustion chamber 1990 · achieved
  Reaction chamber within a combustion engine. Dual- combustion chamber, dual- nozzle rocket engine, derived from the RD-170 used in Soviet Zenit rockets, and currently provides first-stage power for the American Atlas V launch vehicle.
• Disk 1990~ · achieved
  Plane figure, bounded by circle. The thermoplan is a disc -shaped airship of hybrid type, currently under development in Russia. The key feature of thermoplan is its two section structure.
• Lean manufacturing goes global 1990 · achieved
  The Machine That Changed the World (MIT).
• Hubble Space Telescope 1990 · achieved
  Launched 1990.
• Snakeboard 1989 · achieved
  Type of skateboard with separate footplates. 1989 – Snakeboard invented.
• GPS navigation device 1989 · achieved
  Device that determines its position by analyzing GPS satellite signals. First commercial handheld GPS receiver (Magellan NAV 1000) Magellan Navigation Inc.
• Granat 1989 · achieved
  Former Soviet/Russian space observatory. Granat Earth Success Launch of the Granat gamma-ray and X-ray satellite
• Cosmic Background Explorer 1989 · achieved
  Decommissioned NASA space observatory. COBE Earth Success Launch of the COBE satellite
• Magellan 1989 · achieved
  NASA robotic space probe that studied the planet Venus. US Magellan Venus Success Magellan orbiter launched which mapped 99 percent of the surface of Venus (300 m resolution)
• Ariane 4 1988 · achieved
  European rocket of the Ariane family. 1988 - EU Ariane 4, first launch of the Ariane 4 rocket.
• Tupolev Tu-155 1988 · achieved
  Testbed aeroplane. 1988 – First flight of Tupolev Tu-155, a variant of the Tu-154 airliner designed to run on hydrogen.
• Ofeq 1988 · achieved
  Series of Israeli reconnaissance satellites. Ofeq 1 Earth Success Ofeq 1 first Israeli satellite, first satellite to be launched in retrograde orbit
• Phobos 2 1988 · achieved
  Soviet Mars probe. Phobos 2 Mars Failure Phobos 2 flyby and lander
• Phobos 1 1988 · achieved
  Soviet mars mission. USSR Phobos 1 Mars Failure Phobos 1 orbiter and lander
• Energia 1987 · achieved
  Soviet launch vehicle. 1988 - USSR Energia delivers a Buran spaceplane to orbit.
• Ginga 1987 · achieved
  Satellite. Japan Ginga Earth Success Launch of the Ginga X-ray satellite ( ASTRO-C )
• Giotto 1986 · achieved
  Retired ESA spacecraft which visited Comets Halley and Grigg-Skjellerup. Europe Giotto Halley's Comet Success Giotto flyby
• Mir 1986 · achieved
  1986–2001 modular space station in low Earth orbit. Mir space station
• Sinclair C5 1985 · achieved
  Battery electric vehicle. 1985 – Sinclair C5, the first mass-produced electric battery velomobile launched.
• Suisei 1985 · achieved
  Japanese space probe. Suisei Halley's Comet Success Suisei flyby
• Sakigake 1985 · achieved
  Japanese space probe. Japan Sakigake Halley's Comet Success Sakigake flyby, Japan's first interplanetary spacecraft
• Vega 2 1984 · achieved
  Soviet space probe. Vega 2 Venus/Halley's Comet Success Vega 2 flyby, atmospheric probe and lander
• Vega 1 1984 · achieved
  Soviet space probe. USSR Vega 1 Venus/Halley's Comet Success Vega 1 flyby, atmospheric probe and lander
• Oko 1983 · achieved
  Family of Soviet and Russian early warning satellites. 1983 – September 26 – A false alarm occurs in the Soviet Union when the Oko early-warning system malfunctions and erroneously reports an incoming American missile strike.
• IRAS 1983 · achieved
  Space observatory. IRAS Earth Success Launch of the IRAS satellite
• Tenma 1983 · achieved
  Space observatory. Tenma Earth Success Launch of the Tenma X-ray satellite ( ASTRO-B )
• EXOSAT 1983 · achieved
  Space observatory. EXOSAT Earth Success Launch of the EXOSAT X-ray satellite
• Venera 16 1983 · achieved
  Space probe. Venera 16 Venus Success Venera 16 orbiter
• Venera 15 1983 · achieved
  Soviet Venus orbiter. USSR Venera 15 Venus Success Venera 15 orbiter
• Venera 14 1982 · achieved
  Soviet space probe. Venera 14 Venus Success Venera 14 flyby and lander
• Venera 13 1982 · achieved
  Soviet space probe. Venera 13 Venus Success Venera 13 launched, it returned the first colour pictures of the surface of Venus
• Glass cockpit 1982 · achieved
  Electronic flight displays; Boeing 767 (1982).
• Reusable spacecraft 1981 · achieved
  Spacecraft designed to be reused. 1981: The first reusable spacecraft, the Space Shuttle undergoes test flights ahead of full operation in 1982
• Bulgaria 1300 1981 · achieved
  Bulgaria's first artificial satellite. Bulgaria 1300 Earth Success Bulgaria 1300, polar research mission, was Bulgaria's first artificial satellite; launched by the Soviet Union
• Space Shuttle (partial reuse) 1981 · achieved
  Reusable orbiter, but costly refurbishment (about $54,500/kg).
• Fuel injection 1980 · achieved
  Aspect of an internal combustion engine. 1980s – electronic fuel injection appears on gasoline automobile engines.
• Solar Maximum Mission 1980 · achieved
  Former solar observatory satellite. US Solar Maximum Mission Sun Failure Solar Maximum Mission solar probe succeeded after being repaired in Earth orbit
• Rohini Satellite Series 1980 · achieved
  Indian experimental satellite series developed by ISRO for the SLV-3 programme. Rohini Technology Payload Failure Launched by ISRO. Purpose was to monitor flight performance of SLV but a faulty valve caused vehicle to crash into the Bay of Bengal 317 seconds after launch.
• Ariane 1 1979 · achieved
  Rocket of the Ariane family. 1979 - EU Ariane 1, first Ariane European rocket.
• HM7B 1979 · achieved
  European rocket engine. 1979 – HM7B rocket engine.
• Bhaskara 1979 · achieved
  Satellite. India Bhaskara-1 Success Launched by ISRO (First successfully launched Indian low orbit Earth Observation Satellite)
• Hakucho 1979 · achieved
  Space observatory. February 21 Japan Hakucho Earth Success X-ray satellite
• Einstein Observatory 1978 · achieved
  Space observatory. US HEAO-2 Success First X-ray photographs of astronomical objects
• Magion 1 1978 · achieved
  Czechoslovak scientific satellite. Czechoslovakia Magion 1 Earth Success First satellite for Czechoslovakia
• Venera 12 1978 · achieved
  Soviet space mission to Venus. Venera 12 Success
• Venera 11 1978 · achieved
  Soviet space probe. USSR Venera 11 Venus Success Flyby and lander
• Pioneer Venus Multiprobe 1978 · achieved
  Venus atmospheric-entry probe mission. Pioneer Venus 2 Success Atmospheric probe
• Pioneer Venus Orbiter 1978 · achieved
  NASA space probe to Venus. May 20 US Pioneer Venus 1 Venus Success Orbiter
• International Cometary Explorer 1978 · achieved
  American magnetospheric research satellite. 12 August 1978 Solar wind investigations; later redesignated International Cometary Explorer and performed Comet Giacobini-Zinner and Comet Halley flybys – First comet flyby
• GPS 1978 · achieved
  First satellite 1978; fully operational 1995.
• Autonomous car 1977 · achieved
  Automobile capable of traveling without human input. 1977: The first self-driving car that did not rely upon rails or wires under the road is designed by the Tsukuba Mechanical Engineering Laboratory.
• Kosmos 954 1977 · achieved
  Failed nuclear spacecraft. USSR Kosmos 954 Earth Success Reconnaissance satellites
• Voyager 1 1977 · achieved
  Space probe launched by NASA to study the outer Solar System, furthest spacecraft from Earth. Voyager 1 Jupiter/Saturn Success First spacecraft to enter interstellar space
• Voyager 2 1977 · achieved
  Space probe launched by NASA to study the outer Solar System, second furthest spacecraft from Earth after Voyager 1. Voyager 2 Jupiter/Saturn/ Uranus/Neptune Success First spacecraft to encounter Uranus and Neptune
• High Energy Astronomy Observatory 1 1977 · achieved
  Space observatory. August 12 US HEAO-1 Earth Success X-ray satellite
• Concorde 1976 · achieved
  British-French supersonic airliner (1969–2003). 1976 – Concorde makes the world's first commercial passenger-carrying supersonic flight.
• Palapa 1976 · achieved
  Series of Indonesian geostationary communication satellites. Indonesia Palapa A1 Success Launched by US, The First Indonesian GEO Satellite for domestic Communication
• Luna 24 1976 · achieved
  Last sovietic space probe. USSR Luna 24 Moon Success Lander
• Personal rapid transit 1975 · achieved
  Traffic concept. 1975 – Morgantown PRT, first Personal Rapid Transit system to be installed.
• Catalytic converter 1975 · achieved
  Emission control device that treats engine exhaust gas by catalyzing pollutant-destroying redox reactions. 1975 – Catalytic converters are first widely introduced on production automobiles in the US to comply with tightening EPA regulations on auto exhaust.
• Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 1975 · achieved
  United States weather forecasting satellite series. 1975 – The first Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES, was launched into orbit. Their role and design is to aid in hurricane tracking.
• Viking 2 1975 · achieved
  NASA mission which sent an orbiter and lander to Mars. Viking 2 Success Orbiter and lander; lands on Mars 1976
• Viking 1 1975 · achieved
  NASA mission which sent an orbiter and lander to Mars. US Viking 1 Mars Success Orbiter and lander; lands on Mars 1976
• Venera 10 1975 · achieved
  Space probe. Venera 10 Success Orbiter and lander
• Starlette 1975 · achieved
  Geodetic satellite. February 6 France Starlette Earth Success Laser reflector for Earth-based measurement
• Helios Program 1974 · achieved
  Pair of solar probes operated by NASA and DLR. West Germany Helios 1 Sun Success Solar probe
• Luna 23 1974 · achieved
  Space probe. USSR Luna 23 Moon Failure Probe
• Luna 22 1974 · achieved
  Space probe. May 29 USSR Luna 22 Moon Success Orbiter
• UPC scanning at checkout 1974 · achieved
  The first scan, Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio (June 1974).
• Stadtbahnwagen B 1973 · achieved
  Articulated light rail car developed in Germany. 1973 – Stadtbahnwagen B hybrid tram developed.
• Skylab 1973 · achieved
  Space station launched and operated by NASA. 1973 - Skylab is powered by solar cells.
• Mariner 10 1973 · achieved
  American space probe. US Mariner 10 Venus/Mercury Success It passed by and photographed Mercury, also was the first dual planet probe
• Mars 7 1973 · achieved
  Unmanned USSR spaceprobe. Mars 7 Failure Orbiter and lander
• Mars 6 1973 · achieved
  Space probe. Mars 6 Failure Orbiter and lander
• Mars 5 1973 · achieved
  Space probe. Mars 5 Success Orbiter
• Mars 4 1973 · achieved
  Space probe. USSR Mars 4 Mars Failure Orbiter
• Explorer 49 1973 · achieved
  Satellite launched by NASA for long range radio astronomy. US Explorer 49 Sun Success Solar probe
• Pioneer 11 1973 · achieved
  Robotic space probe launched by NASA for planetary and heliosphere exploration. US Pioneer 11 Jupiter/Saturn Success First spacecraft to encounter Saturn
• Luna 21 1973 · achieved
  Soviet spacecraft that landed on the Moon and deployed the Lunokhod 2 lunar rover. January 8/11 USSR Luna 21 / Lunokhod 2 Moon Success Lander/rover
• FedEx hub-and-spoke overnight 1973 · achieved
  The Memphis hub, April 1973.
• Venera 8 1972 · achieved
  Soviet space probe which delivered a lander to Venus. USSR Venera 8 Venus Success Lander
• Pioneer 10 1972 · achieved
  NASA space probe launched in March 1972. US Pioneer 10 Jupiter Success First spacecraft to encounter Jupiter
• Luna 20 1972 · achieved
  Soviet space probe. February 17 USSR Luna 20 Moon Success Lander
• Fly-by-wire 1972 · achieved
  Digital fly-by-wire F-8 test, 1972; Concorde used analog.
• Prospero 1971 · achieved
  British Satellite. UK Prospero X-3 Success Satellite, first satellite launched by Britain using a British rocket
• Luna 19 1971 · achieved
  Space probe. Luna 19 Success Orbiter
• Luna 18 1971 · achieved
  Space probe. USSR Luna 18 Moon Failure Lander
• Kosmos 419 1971 · achieved
  Failed Soviet Mars orbiter. USSR Cosmos 419 Failure Probe
• Mariner 8 1971 · achieved
  1971 Mars spacecraft. US Mariner 8 Mars Failure Orbiter. Lost due to launch failure.
• Mariner 9 1971 · achieved
  Mars orbiter. 28 May 1971 Mars orbiter (arrived after Mariner 9 ); First Mars lander (first image taken from the surface of another planet, though the received image did not show anything);
• Salyut 1 1971 · achieved
  First space station launched by the Soviet Union. Salyut 1, first space station, launched by Soviet Union.
• Ignition system 1970 · achieved
  Electric spark system to ignite a fuel-air mixture. 1970s – electronically controlled ignition appears in automobile engines.
• Ariel 6 1970 · achieved
  Astronomical research satellite. UK Ariel 6 Success Cosmic-ray and X-ray satellite
• Aryabhata 1970 · achieved
  India's first satellite. India Aryabhata Success Launched by USSR, the first Indian satellite
• Ariel 5 1970 · achieved
  Astronomical research satellite. UK Ariel 5 Success X-ray satellite
• Ariel 4 1970 · achieved
  Atmospheric research satellite. UK Ariel 4 Success
• Mars 3 1970 · achieved
  Unmanned USSR spaceprobe. Mars 3 Success Orbiter and lander, first successful landing on Mars
• Luna 17 1970 · achieved
  Space probe. Luna 17 / Lunokhod 1 Success Lander/ rover is the first automated surface exploration of the Moon
• Zond 8 1970 · achieved
  Uncrewed version of Soyuz 7K-L1. Zond 8 Success Flyby
• Luna 16 1970 · achieved
  Space probe. USSR Luna 16 Moon Success Lander is the first automated return of samples from the Moon
• Dong Fang Hong I 1970 · achieved
  First satellite launched by China. China Dong Fang Hong I Success First Chinese satellite
• Ohsumi 1970 · achieved
  First Japanese satellite put into orbit. February 11 Japan Ohsumi Earth Success First Japanese satellite. Japan became the fourth nation after the USSR, USA and France to successfully put an artificial satellite into orbit on its own.
• Lunokhod 1 1970 · achieved
  Soviet lunar rover; first rover to operate on the Moon. Lunokhod 1, the first space exploration rover, reached the Moon surface on 17 November 1970.
• Boeing 747 1969 · achieved
  Widebody airliner family (1968–2023). First flight of the Boeing 747 – First commercial widebody airliner.
• Soyuz 4 1969 · achieved
  Crewed flight of the Soyuz programme. First docking between two crewed spacecraft in Earth orbit. First crew exchange in space. USSR Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5
• Mariner 6 and 7 1969 · achieved
  Uncrewed probes sent by NASA as part of Mariner program in 1969. US Mariner 6 Atlas SLV-3D Agena-D1A Mars Success Mars probe attempting to study the surface and atmosphere of Mars during close flybys to establish a basis for further investigations.
• International Satellite for Ionospheric Studies 1969 · achieved
  Satellites studying Earth's inosphere. January 30 Canada ISIS 1 Delta E 1 Earth Success International Satellites for Ionospheric Studies (ISIS)
• Apollo Moon landing 1969 · achieved
  Apollo 11, 1969.
• Zond 5 1968 · achieved
  Soviet spacecraft. 1968 - USSR Zond 5, two tortoises and smaller biological Earthlings circle the Moon and return safely to Earth.
• ISO container standard 1968 · achieved
  ISO 668 sizes standardized container shipping globally.
• Automatic train operation 1967 · achieved
  Operational safety enhancement device. 1967 – Automatic train operation introduced on London Underground.
• Lunar Orbiter 4 1967 · achieved
  Space probe. First photos of the Lunar south pole. USA Lunar Orbiter 4
• Soyuz 1 1967 · achieved
  First crewed flight of the Soyuz programme. 1967 - Soyuz 1 is the first crewed spacecraft to be powered by solar cells
• Vela 1967 · achieved
  Group of satellites. 1967: Vela nuclear test detection satellites discover the first gamma-ray burst
• WRESAT 1967 · achieved
  First Australian satellite. Australia WRESAT Sparta Earth Success First Australian satellite (on American rocket) launched from Woomera, Australia. Third nation to launch a satellite from its own soil.
• Surveyor 4 1967 · achieved
  American lunar lander. US Surveyor 4 Atlas LV-3C Centaur -D Moon Failure Despite a perfect flight to the Moon, communications was lost 2.5 minutes prior to landing. NASA concluded the spacecraft may have exploded.
• Soyuz 1967 · achieved
  Series of spacecraft designed for the Soviet space programme. Soyuz spacecraft
• Heavy-lift launch vehicle 1967 · achieved
  Orbital launch vehicle capable of lifting heavy payloads to low-Earth orbit. The most used heavy lift launch system
• Saturn V 1967 · achieved
  First flight Apollo 4 (Nov 1967); carried 140 t to LEO.
• RD-0410 1966 · achieved
  Soviet nuclear thermal rocket engine. 1966 – RD-0410 nuclear thermal rocket engine was ground-tested.
• J-2 1966 · achieved
  Cryogenic rocket engine by Rocketdyne. 1966 – J-2 (rocket engine) liquid hydrogen rocket engine flies.
• Lunar Orbiter 2 1966 · achieved
  Space probe. US Lunar Orbiter 2 Atlas SLV-3 Agena -D Moon Success Designed to photograph smooth areas of the lunar surface to identify landing sites.
• Surveyor 2 1966 · achieved
  Failed lunar lander launched in 1966. US Surveyor 2 Atlas LV-3C Centaur -D Moon Failure Lunar Lander. A failure in one of its three thrusters caused it to lose control and crash into the Moon.
• Lunar Orbiter 1 1966 · achieved
  First American robotic spacecraft to orbit the Moon. US Lunar Orbiter 1 Atlas SLV-3 Agena -D Moon Success First US spacecraft to orbit the Moon. Designed to photograph smooth areas of the lunar surface for selecting landing sites.
• Explorer 33 1966 · achieved
  American scientific satellite from Explorer programme, forth in the Interplanetary Monitoring Platform series. US Explorer 33 Delta E 1 Earth Partial success Was intended to orbit the Moon but instead orbited the Earth. Explored solar winds, interplanetary plasma, and solar X-rays.
• Luna 9 1966 · achieved
  Lander in the Soviet Union's Luna programme. Luna 9 by Georgy Babakin
• Refrigerated shipping container 1966~ · achieved
  Integral reefer boxes on container ships, from the late 1960s.
• Gemini 3 1965 · achieved
  1965 American crewed space mission. First crewed spacecraft to change orbit. USA (NASA) Gemini 3
• Project Gemini 1965 · achieved
  NASA's second human spaceflight program. 1965 – The first commercial use of a fuel cell in Project Gemini.
• Diamant 1965 · achieved
  French expendable satellite launcher. France Diapason Diamant A Earth Success Earth measurement by doppler radio measure
• Pioneer 6, 7, 8, and 9 1965 · achieved
  Subseries of Pioneer space probes launched by NASA. US Pioneer 6 Delta E Sun Success A series of solar-orbiting, spin-stabilized, solar-cell and battery-powered satellites designed to obtain measurements on a continuing basis of interplanetary phenomena from widely separated points in space.
• FR 1 1965 · achieved
  French satellite. France FR-1 Scout X-4 Earth Success First French scientific satellite, designed to explore Earth's ionosphere, plasmasphere and magnetosphere.
• Intelsat I 1965 · achieved
  The first commercial communications satellite. US Intelsat I Delta D Earth Success First commercial communications satellite in orbit. Was operated off and on until 1990.
• Ranger 9 1965 · achieved
  NASA lunar impactor. US Ranger 9 Atlas-Agena Moon Success Lunar impactor. Live TV broadcast until impact.
• Ranger 8 1965 · achieved
  Space probe. February 2 US Ranger 8 Atlas-Agena Moon Success Lunar impactor. Returned pictures until impact.
• Ion thruster 1964 · achieved
  Electric propulsion method for spacecraft. 1964 – Ion engine invented.
• San Marco 1 1964 · achieved
  First Italian satellite. Italy San Marco 1 Scout X-4 Earth Success First Italian satellite (on American rocket)
• Mariner 4 1964 · achieved
  Robotic spacecraft sent by NASA to Mars. US Mariner 4 Atlas-Agena Mars Success First deep space photographs of another planet and first flyby of Mars
• Ranger 7 1964 · achieved
  Space probe. US Ranger 7 Atlas-Agena Moon Success Lunar impactor. Returned pictures until impact.
• Ranger 6 1964 · achieved
  Space probe. February 2 US Ranger 6 Atlas-Agena Moon Success Lunar impactor. Successful impact but power failure resulted in no pictures.
• Shinkansen high-speed rail 1964 · achieved
  Tōkaidō Shinkansen, 1964.
• Syncom 1963 · achieved
  American geostationary communication satellites. US Syncom 2 Delta B Earth Success First successful television broadcast through a geosynchronous satellite.
• Mars 1 1962 · achieved
  Soviet space probe launched in 1962. First Mars flyby (11,000 km) but contact was lost. USSR Mars 1
• Mercury-Atlas 6 1962 · achieved
  First American orbital spaceflight. 1962 - The US launches Mercury MA-6 ( Friendship 7 ) on an Atlas D booster, John Glenn puts America in orbit.
• Ranger 5 1962 · achieved
  US unmanned spaceprobe. US Ranger 5 Atlas-Agena Moon Failure Malfunction in the spacecraft's batteries caused them to drain after 8 hours, leaving it inoperable.
• EPE-B 1962 · achieved
  Former American research satellite. US Explorer 14 (EPE-B) Thor-Delta A Earth Success NASA spacecraft instrumented to measure cosmic-ray particles, trapped particles, solar wind protons, and magnetospheric and interplanetary magnetic fields.
• Mariner 2 1962 · achieved
  1962 space probe to Venus. US Mariner 2 Atlas-Agena Venus Success First spacecraft to visit another planet
• Mariner 1 1962 · achieved
  First US attempt to fly by Venus. US Mariner 1 Atlas-Agena Venus Failure Software related guidance system failure, range safety officer ordered destroyed after 294.5 seconds after launch.
• Telstar 1 1962 · achieved
  Communications satellite launched by NASA on July 10, 1962. US Telstar 1 Thor-Delta Earth Success Communication satellite
• Ranger 4 1962 · achieved
  US unmanned spaceprobe. US Ranger 4 Atlas-Agena Moon Partial failure Was the first U.S. spacecraft to reach another celestial body. Failure in the onboard computer prevented it from carrying out its scientific objectives.
• Ranger 3 1962 · achieved
  US spaceprobe to the Moon. January 26 US Ranger 3 Atlas-Agena Moon Failure NASA's first attempt to land a spacecraft on the Moon. A series of malfunctions sent spacecraft hurtling past the Moon.
• Communications satellites 1962 · achieved
  Telstar, 1962.
• Project Mercury 1961 · achieved
  First human spaceflight program of the United States. 1961 - US, a Mercury capsule named Freedom 7 with Alan B. Shepard, spacecraft was launched by a Redstone rocket on a ballistic trajectory suborbital flight.
• Mercury-Redstone 2 1961 · achieved
  Test flight of the Redstone rocket and Mercury spacecraft. 1961 - US launched the Mercury-Redstone 2 mission, which made the chimpanzee Ham to become the first Hominidae in space.
• Transit 1961 · achieved
  Satellite navigation system. US The AN/UYK-1 ( TRW-130 ) computer was designed with rounded edges to fit through the hatch of ballistic missile submarines, as part of the first satellite navigation system, Transit.
• Ranger 2 1961 · achieved
  Unmanned US spaceprobe. US Ranger 2 Atlas-Agena Moon Failure Booster rocket malfunction trapped spacecraft in low Earth orbit.
• Ranger 1 1961 · achieved
  Space probe. US Ranger 1 Atlas-Agena Moon Failure Rocket malfunction left the spacecraft stranded in low Earth orbit.
• EPE-A 1961 · achieved
  Former American research satellite. US Explorer 12 (EPE-A) Thor-Delta A Earth Partial success The spacecraft functioned well until 6 December 1961, when it ceased transmitting data apparently as a result of failures in the power system.
• Explorer 11 1961 · achieved
  Space observatory. US Explorer 11 Juno II Earth Partial success Was the first space-borne gamma-ray telescope. Limited Battery Power restricted the data collection to the ascension stage.
• Venera 1 1961 · achieved
  Soviet space probe. February 12 USSR Venera 1 Molniya 8K78 Venus Partial success First interplanetary flight, contact lost en route, before it performed the first flyby at another planet.
• Vostok 1 1961 · achieved
  Spaceflight of the Vostok programme. Vostok 1 ( Russian: Восток-1, Orient 1 or East 1 ) was the first human spaceflight. The Vostok 3KA spacecraft was launched on 12 April 1961, taking into space Yuri Gagarin, a cosmonaut from the Soviet Union.
• Human spaceflight 1961 · achieved
  Gagarin, 1961.
• Azur 1960 · achieved
  First German scientific satellite. West Germany Azur / (GRS A) (German Research Satellite) Scout B S169C Earth Success The scientific mission was to: scan the energy spectra of inner zone protons and electrons;
• Ariel 3 1960 · achieved
  Atmospheric research satellite. UK Ariel 3 Scout A Earth Success First entirely British built satellite
• Alouette 2 1960 · achieved
  Defunct Canadian research satellite. Canada Alouette 2 Thor-Agena Earth Success Research satellite designed to explore Earth's ionosphere
• Astérix 1960 · achieved
  French satellite. France Asterix Diamant A Earth Success First French satellite. First orbital launch outside U.S. and Soviet Union.
• Ariel 2 1960 · achieved
  Radio astronomy satellite. UK Ariel 2 Scout X-3 Earth Success First Radio Astronomy Satellite (on American rocket)
• Alouette 1 1960 · achieved
  Former Canadian research satellite. Canada Alouette 1 Thor-Agena Earth Success First Canadian satellite (on American rocket), first satellite not constructed by the US or USSR
• Ariel 1 1960 · achieved
  Ionospheric research satellite. UK Ariel 1 Thor-Delta Earth Success First British satellite in space (on American rocket)
• Explorer 8 1960 · achieved
  American research satellite. US Explorer 8 Juno II Earth Partial success Battery power failed early, and data had to be processed by hand. In spite of this, new information about the ionosphere has been discovered
• TIROS-1 1960 · achieved
  Former American weather satellite. US TIROS-1 Thor-Able Earth Success TIROS-1 (or TIROS-A ) was the first successful low-Earth orbital weather satellite, and the first of a series of Television Infrared Observation Satellites.
• Korabl-Sputnik 1 1960 · achieved
  Soviet test flight. USSR Korabl-Sputnik 1 Vostok-L Earth Success First test flight of the Soviet Vostok programme, and the first Vostok spacecraft
• Pioneer 5 1960 · achieved
  American space probe. March 11 US Pioneer 5 Thor-Able Sun Success Solar monitor. Measured magnetic field phenomena, solar flare particles, and ionization in the interplanetary region
• Ground-effect vehicle 1960 · achieved
  Machine to fly in air just above sea or ground using air-surfice reaction. The largest ekranoplan and the second largest fixed-wing aircraft by Rostislav Alexeyev
• Yakovlev Yak-40 1960 · achieved
  Soviet trijet airliner family. The Yakovlev Yak-40 was the world's first regional jet.
• Pulsed plasma thruster 1960 · achieved
  Type of spacecraft plasma propulsion system. Pulsed plasma thruster
• Turbofan engine 1960 · achieved
  Rolls-Royce Conway, early 1960s.
• Far side of the Moon 1959 · achieved
  Hemisphere of the Moon that always faces away from Earth. First photos of another world from space: the far side of the Moon. First gravity assist. USSR Luna 3
• Black Brant 1959 · achieved
  Family of Canadian-designed sounding rockets.
• Sud Aviation Caravelle 1959 · achieved
  French twin-jet narrow-body airliner produced 1958–1972. Sud Aviation Caravelle enters service: claimed as the first short/medium range jet airliner, first flight 27 May 1955.
• Pioneer P-3 1959 · achieved
  U.S. lunar orbiter destroyed in a launch failure. US Pioneer P-3 Atlas-Able 20 Failure Lunar orbiter probe; payload shroud failed at T+45 seconds, resulting in disintegration of upper stages and payload. 168.7 kg (371.1 lb)
• Explorer 7 1959 · achieved
  1959 research satellite. US Explorer 7 Juno II Success Provided data on energetic particles, radiation, and magnetic storms. Also recorded the first micrometeorite penetration of a sensor. 41.5 kg (69.4 lb)
• Luna 3 1959 · achieved
  Lunar probe, first-ever mission to photograph the far side of the Moon. USSR Luna 3 Luna Success The first mission to photograph the far side of the Moon. 278.5 kg (614 lb)
• Explorer 6 1959 · achieved
  NASA earth science satellite launched in 1959. US Explorer 6 Thor-Able 3 Success Included instruments to study particles and meteorology. 64.4 kg (141.7 lb)
• Vanguard 3 1959 · achieved
  American research satellite. US Vanguard 3A Vanguard SLV-5 Failure Failed to orbit. Second stage hydraulics failure led to loss of control, damaged at launch. Two spheres included as payload. 10.3 kg (22.7 lb)
• Pioneer 4 1959 · achieved
  U.S. space probe which performed a lunar flyby. US Pioneer 4 Juno II Success Passed within 60,030 km (37,300 mi) of the Moon into a heliocentric orbit, returning excellent radiation data. 6.1 kg (13.4 lb)
• Vanguard 2 1959 · achieved
  Earth-orbiting weather satellite. US Vanguard 2A Vanguard TV-5 Failure Second stage shutdown sequence not completed, preventing proper 3rd stage separation and firing. Did not reach orbit. 9.98 kg (21.96 lb)
• Heliocentric orbit 1959 · achieved
  Orbit around the barycenter of the Sun. 2 January 1959 First lunar flyby (failed lunar impact); first artificial satellite in heliocentric orbit.
• Nuclear-powered icebreaker 1959 · achieved
  Ship type. On December 5, the Lenin, the first nuclear-powered surface vessel, a Soviet icebreaker, is launched from the Admiralty Shipyards in Leningrad.
• Luna 1 1959 · achieved
  Soviet lunar probe. Luna 1, also the first escape velocity spacecraft and the first Sun satellite.
• Explorer S-1 1958 · achieved
  Geoscience satellite in the Explorers program; lost during a launch vehicle failure. US Explorer S-1 Juno II Failure Did not achieve orbit. Guidance system power malfunction. Destroyed by range safety officer at T+5.5s. 41.5 kg (91.3 lb)
• Pioneer 3 1958 · achieved
  U.S. space probe lost due to a launch failure. US Pioneer 3 Juno II Partial success Did not reach the Moon as intended, but discovered a second radiation belt around Earth. 5.9 kg (13.0 lb)
• Pioneer 2 1958 · achieved
  U.S. space probe lost due to a launch failure. US Pioneer 2 Thor-Able 1 Failure Briefly provided further data on Earth's magnetic field. Third stage provided insufficient thrust to reach the vicinity of the Moon. 38 kg (83 lb)
• Beacon 1958 · achieved
  NASA balloon satellite program. US Beacon 1 Juno I Failure A thin plastic sphere (12-feet in diameter) intended to study atmosphere density. Payload dropped due to rotational vibrations. 4.2 kg (9.2 lb)
• Pioneer 1 1958 · achieved
  First satellite launched by NASA, unable to reach lunar orbit due to rocket guidance failure. US Pioneer 1 Thor-Able 1 Partial success First spacecraft launched by NASA. Studied Earth's magnetic fields. Third stage provided insufficient thrust to reach the Moon, leaving it sub-orbital. 38 kg (84 lb)
• Explorer 5 1958 · achieved
  United States satellite launched in 1958. US Explorer 5 Juno I Failure On-board instruments damaged on first stage separation. Failed to orbit. 11.7 kg (25.8 lb)
• Pioneer 0 1958 · achieved
  U.S. space probe destroyed due to a launch failure. US Pioneer 0 Thor-Able 1 Failure Failed to orbit. First stage engine failure caused explosion at T+77 seconds. 38 kg (84 lb)
• Explorer 4 1958 · achieved
  American research satellite launched in 1958. US Explorer 4 Juno I Success Expanded data set of previous Explorer missions and collected data from Argus high-altitude nuclear explosions. 11.7 kg (25.8 lb)
• Sputnik 3 1958 · achieved
  Soviet research satellite. USSR Sputnik 3 Sputnik Success Contained 12 instruments for a wide range of upper atmosphere tests. 1,327 kg (2,926 lb)
• Explorer 3 1958 · achieved
  American military research satellite. US Explorer 3 Juno I Success Added to data received by Explorer 1. 14.1 kg (31.0 lb)
• Vanguard 1 1958 · achieved
  Fourth artificial Earth orbital satellite. US Vanguard 1C Vanguard TV-4 Success Vanguard 1. Expected to de-orbit in ~2240AD, this and its upper launch stage are the oldest human-made objects in space. Also the first use of solar cells to power a satellite. 1.47 kg (3.25 lb)
• Explorer 2 1958 · achieved
  American research satellite, lost during a launch vehicle failure. US Explorer 2 Juno I Failure Failed to orbit. Fourth stage did not ignite. 14.52 kg (31.94 lb)
• Vanguard 1B 1958 · achieved
  Second flight of the American Vanguard rocket. US Vanguard 1B Vanguard TV-3BU Failure Control failure caused vehicle breakup at T+57 seconds as vehicle exceeded an angle of attack of 45° due to a control system malfunction. 1.36 kg (2.99 lb)
• Explorer 1 1958 · achieved
  First satellite of the United States. February 1 US Explorer 1 Juno I Success The first American satellite in space. 13.91 kg (30.66 lb)
• Vanguard 1A 1958 · achieved
  U.S. satellite, damaged in a launch failure in 1957 and now on display at the National Air and Space Museum. US Vanguard 1A Vanguard TV-3 Failure The first stage engine was improperly started, causing the vehicle to fall back to the launch pad immediately after launch and explode. 1.36 kg (2.99 lb)
• Van Allen radiation belt 1958 · achieved
  Zone of energetic charged particles around the planet Earth. Confirmed existence of the Van Allen radiation belt. USA ( ABMA ) Explorer 1
• Space race 1957 · achieved
  Competition to explore space between USA and USSR. NASA rocket technology, spurred on by the US/Russia Space Race – Makes the first crewed Moon landing a reality.
• Orbital spaceflight 1957 · achieved
  Spaceflight where spacecraft orbits astronomical body. 2014 - First booster rocket returning from an orbital trajectory to achieve a zero-velocity-at-zero-altitude propulsive vertical landing.
• Boeing 707 1957 · achieved
  1957 airliner family. First flight of the Boeing 707 – First commercially successful jet airliner.
• Sputnik 2 1957 · achieved
  Soviet artificial satellite that took the dog Laika to the space. USSR Sputnik 2 Sputnik-PS Success The first satellite to carry a living animal, a dog named Laika. 508 kg (1,118 lb)
• R-7 Semyorka 1957 · achieved
  The first ICBM; it launched Sputnik.
• Sputnik 1957 · achieved
  First artificial satellite, 1957.
• Container ship 1956 · achieved
  Type of cargo ship. Gateway City – World's first purpose-built container ship, enters service.
• Shipping container 1956 · achieved
  McLean's Ideal X, 1956.
• Nuclear marine propulsion 1955 · achieved
  Propulsion system for marine vessels utilizing a nuclear powerplant. 1955 – First nuclear-powered vessel, USS Nautilus, a submarine, is launched.
• Project Rover 1955 · achieved
  U.S. project to build a nuclear thermal rocket. On July 1, Kiwi A, the first nuclear thermal rocket, begins testing at Area 25, Nevada, under Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory 's Project Rover.
• Intermodal container 1955 · achieved
  Standardized large, reusable steel box used for transporting freight. 1955: The intermodal container is developed by Malcom McLean.
• Hovercraft 1955~ · achieved
  Vehicle capable of movement within ground effect at speed or stationary over all surfaces without contact. The Luftkissengleitboot Hovercraft – First hovering vehicle was created by Dagobert Müller. It could only travel on water.
• Cable-stayed bridge 1955 · achieved
  Type of bridge. The world's longest cable-stayed bridge
• De Havilland Gyron 1953 · achieved
  1950s British turbojet aircraft engine. The de Havilland Gyron, Halford's last jet design, runs for the first time. Before cancellation 2 years later it has evolved to 25,000 lbf (110,000 N) using reheat.
• Kanban / Just-in-time 1953 · achieved
  Taiichi Ohno's pull system at Toyota.
• De Havilland Comet 1952 · achieved
  1949 airliner family. de Havilland Comet first commercial jet air liner.
• Véronique 1952 · achieved
  French sounding rocket. 1952 - 22 May, French Véronique 1 rocket is launched from the Algerian desert.
• RB.80 Conway 1952~ · achieved
  1952 turbofan engine family by Rolls-Royce. late 1950: Rolls-Royce Conway the world's first production turbofan enters service, significantly improving fuel efficiency and paving the way for further improvements.
• Jet airliner (Comet, 707) 1952 · achieved
  de Havilland Comet 1952; Boeing 707 1958.
• Automated guideway transit 1950~ · achieved
  Fully automated, driverless, grade-separated transit system in which vehicles are automatically guided along a guideway. The first fully Automated guideway transit driverless people mover train technology introduced on Port Island Line, Japan.
• High-speed craft 1950~ · achieved
  High speed water vessel for civilian use. Supramar launched the first commercial high-speed craft, a hydrofoil.
• Heritage railway 1950 · achieved
  Railway used for heritage/historical/tourism purposes. 1950 – First Heritage railway.
• Electric kick scooter 1950~ · achieved
  Powered stand-up scooter. Motorized scooter invented.
• Scramjet 1950 · achieved
  Type of jet engine. 1930: The Supersonic combusting ramjet — Frank Whittle. [ citation needed ]
• Launch pad 1950 · achieved
  Facility from which rockets are launched. Baikonur Cosmodrome launch complex by Vladimir Barmin
• Staged combustion cycle 1949 · achieved
  Method of rocket engine operation. Aleksei Isaev proposed the Staged combustion cycle widely used in rocket engines.
• X-1 1947 · achieved
  1946 experimental aircraft model by Bell. 1947 – Chuck Yeager in the Bell X1 completes the first supersonic manned flight.
• Supersonic speed 1947 · achieved
  Speed that exceeds the speed of sound. 1947 - Chuck Yeager achieves the first crewed supersonic flight in a Bell X-1 rocket-powered aircraft
• RB.53 Dart 1946 · achieved
  1946 turboprop engine family by Rolls-Royce. Development of the Rolls-Royce Dart starts. The Dart would go on to become one of the most popular turboprop engines made, with over 7,000 being produced before the production lines finally shut down in 1990.
• Ejection seat 1946 · achieved
  System designed to rescue the crew of an aircraft in an emergency. 1946: James Martin invents the ejector seat, inspired by the death of his friend and test pilot Captain Valentine Baker in an aeroplane crash in 1942.
• Geostationary orbit 1945 · achieved
  Geosynchronous orbit with zero eccentricity at a fixed longitude and a nominally fixed latitude; common orbit for communications satellites. Article in Wireless World, "Extra-Terrestrial Relays — Can Rocket Stations Give Worldwide Radio Coverage?" makes first discussion of geostationary satellites as a means of communication. UK Arthur C. Clarke
• Rolls-Royce Clyde 1945 · achieved
  1940s British turboprop aircraft engine. The RB.39 Rolls-Royce Clyde turboprop runs, combining axial and centrifugal stages in the compressor. Rolls-Royce abandon development, preferring to focus on the turbojet.
• Nakajima Kikka 1945 · achieved
  1945 attack aircraft prototype by Nakajima; first jet aircraft built in Japan. The Nakajima Kikka flies for the first time on August 7, 1945, powered by two Ishikawajima Ne-20 turbojets, making it the first Japanese jet aircraft to fly.
• RB.41 Nene 1944 · achieved
  1944 turbojet engine family by Rolls-Royce. October 27 - After a short 6-month period Rolls-Royce designs and builds the Rolls-Royce Nene at 5,000 lbf (22 kN), but it sees only limited use in the United Kingdom, and is first run on this date.
• Leduc 0.10 1944 · achieved
  First aircraft flying with a ramjet engine.
• Ishikawajima Ne-20 1944 · achieved
  First Japanese turbojet engine developed to power the Nakajima Kikka. The Ishikawajima Ne-20 first runs in Japan.
• Allison J35 1944 · achieved
  1946 USAF's first axial-flow compressor engine. The J35, a development of an earlier turboprop effort, runs for the first time.
• Rolls-Royce RB.50 Trent 1944 · achieved
  British Turboprop. June: A Derwent II engine is modified with an additional turbine stage powering a gearbox and five-bladed propeller. The resulting RB.50, or Rolls-Royce Trent, is not further developed, but is test flown on a modified Gloster Meteor.
• Traffic cone 1943 · achieved
  Cone-shaped marker used for traffic management. 1943 - Traffic cone invented.
• General Electric J31 1943 · achieved
  Jet engine. The General Electric J31, their version of the W.2B/23, is tested.
• M.52 1943 · achieved
  1942 British supersonic jet project. Miles Aircraft test an all-moving tailplane as part of the Miles M.52 supersonic research aircraft design effort.
• J33 1943 · achieved
  Turbojet engine family by Allison. September: Allis-Chalmers runs into difficulty on the J36, and the Shooting Star project is re-engined with the General Electric J33, a licensed version of the W.2B/26, or Rolls-Royce Derwent.
• BMW 018 1943 · achieved
  German turbojet engine. Design work on the BMW 018 starts.
• De Havilland Goblin 1943 · achieved
  1940s British turbojet aircraft engine. The de Havilland Goblin engine is tested, similar in most ways to the Derwent.
• RB.37 Derwent 1943 · achieved
  1940s British turbojet aircraft engine. The parallel Rover design effort, the W.2B/26, is adopted by Rolls-Royce for further development and becomes the Rolls-Royce Derwent.
• RB.23 Welland 1943 · achieved
  Turbojet aircraft engine, Britain's first production jet. After only a few short months since Rolls-Royce took over from Rover, the W.2B/23, soon to be known as the Rolls-Royce Welland, starts production.
• Armstrong Siddeley ASX 1943 · achieved
  1940s British turbojet aircraft engine. Armstrong Siddeley starts work on an axial-flow design, the ASX.
• Westinghouse J30 1943 · achieved
  Turbojet aircraft engine family. Westinghouse starts work on an axial-flow engine design, the WE-19.
• Heinkel HeS 011 1943 · achieved
  German turbojet engine. Work on the HeS 8 (-001) and HeS 30 (-006) is stopped, although the later appears to be reaching production quality. Heinkel is ordered to continue on the more advanced Heinkel HeS 011.
• JATO 1941 · achieved
  Type of aircraft assisted take-off. 1941 - Jet Assisted Take Off JATO installed on US Army Air Corp Ercoupe aircraft occurred on 12 August in March Field, California.
• Miller cycle 1940 · achieved
  Thermodynamic cycle. 1940s – Ralph Miller patents his Miller cycle engine.
• Jendrassik Cs-1 1940 · achieved
  Turboprop engine. After only two years of development, the Jendrassik Cs-1 turboprop engine is tested. Designed to produce 1,000 horsepower (750 kW), combustion problems limit it to only 400 horsepower (300 kW) when it first runs.
• Lockheed J37 1940 · achieved
  Early US turbojet engine. The Lockheed Corporation starts work on the L-1000 axial-flow engine, the United States's first jet design.
• Heinkel He 280 1940 · achieved
  Experimental jet aircraft. September: Glider testing of the Heinkel He 280 twin-jet fighter begins, while it waits for the HeS 8 to mature.
• Heinkel HeS 8 1940 · achieved
  Jet engine. von Ohain's larger Heinkel HeS 8 (-001) engine is tested.
• Heinkel He 176 1939 · achieved
  Experimental rocket plane. 1939 - 20 June - First rocket powered aircraft, the Heinkel He 176, takes flight.
• BMW 801 1939 · achieved
  German aircraft engine developed by BMW during World War II. 1939 – The BMW company's BMW 801 aviation radial engine pioneers the use of an early form of an engine control unit, the Kommandogerät.
• Metropolitan-Vickers F.2 1939 · achieved
  Aircraft engine model. After hearing of Whittle's successful demonstration, Hayne Constant realizes that exhaust thrust is practical. The Metrovick efforts are quickly reworked into a turbojet design, the Metrovick F.2.
• Gloster E.28/39 1939 · achieved
  Britain's first jet aircraft. September: The Air Ministry also contracts Gloster to build an experimental airframe for testing Whittle's engines, the Gloster E.28/39
• Helicopter 1939 · achieved
  Sikorsky VS-300, 1939; Focke-Wulf Fw 61, 1936.
• Jet engine 1939 · achieved
  Heinkel He 178, 1939; Whittle.
• HeS 3 1938 · achieved
  Engine series by Heinkel. 1938: The Heinkel HeS 3 "flight quality" engine is tested. This is the first truly usable jet engine. The engine flies on a Heinkel He 118 later that year, eventually becoming the first aircraft to be powered by jet power alone.
• Heinkel He 178 1938 · achieved
  Experimental jet aircraft. 1938: The Heinkel He 178 V1 jet testbed is completed, awaiting an engine.
• Mechanical truck refrigeration (Jones / Thermo King) 1938 · achieved
  Frederick McKinley Jones' roof-mounted unit (patented 1940).
• Heinkel HeS 1 1937 · achieved
  Experimental hydrogen jet engine. 1937 – The Heinkel HeS 1 experimental gaseous hydrogen-fueled centrifugal jet engine is tested at Hirth in March – the first working jet engine.
• LZ 129 Hindenburg 1937 · achieved
  German airship, launched in 1936 and destroyed in 1937. 1937 – The Zeppelin LZ 129 Hindenburg is destroyed by fire.
• Drogue parachute 1937 · achieved
  Parachute for high speed deployment. The drag chute or braking parachute is an application of the drogue parachute for decreasing the landing distance of an aircraft below that available solely from the aircraft's brakes.
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory 1936 · achieved
  Research and development center and NASA field center in California, United States. 1993–95 – The Jet Propulsion Laboratory develops devices using CMOS or active pixel sensors.
• Turboprop 1936 · achieved
  Turbine engine driving an aircraft propeller. 1936: Junkers starts work on axial-flow turboprop designs under the direction of Herbert Wagner and Adolf Müeller.
• Douglas DC-3 airliner 1936 · achieved
  The first profitable passenger airliner; more than 16,000 were built.
• Normandie 1935 · achieved
  Ship built in 1935. Vladimir Yourkevitch invented the modern ship hull design when he designed the SS Normandie. [ citation needed ]
• Caproni Campini N.1 1934 · achieved
  Experimental Italian jet aircraft of the 1930/40s. 1934: Secondo Campini starts work on the Campini Caproni CC.2, based on his "thermojet" engine.
• Golf cart 1932 · achieved
  Small vehicle designed originally to carry golfers. 1932 - The first electric golf cart was custom-made in 1932, but did not gain widespread acceptance.
• Motorjet 1931 · achieved
  Type of jet engine. 1931: Secondo Campini patents his motorjet engine, referring to it as a thermojet. (A motorjet is a crude form of hybrid jet engine in which the compressor is powered by a piston engine, rather than a turbine.)
• Tail rotor 1930 · achieved
  Small tail-mounted helicopter rotor. The world's first tail rotor helicopter and first amphibious helicopter by Igor Sikorsky.
• Wankel engine 1929 · achieved
  Internal combustion engine using an eccentric rotary design in place of pistons. 1929 – Felix Wankel patents the Wankel rotary engine ( U.S. patent 2,988,008 ).
• LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin 1929 · achieved
  German Zeppelin (rigid airship). 1929 – The hydrogen-filled LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin makes a 33,234 km (20,651 mi; 17,945 nmi) circumnavigation of the world. It is the first and only airship to do so, and the second circumnavigation of the globe by air.
• Airfoil 1926 · achieved
  Cross-sectional shape of a wing, blade (of a propeller, rotor, or turbine), or sail. 1926: Alan Arnold Griffith publishes his groundbreaking paper Aerodynamic Theory of Turbine Design, changing the low confidence in jet engines.
• Rocket propellant 1926 · achieved
  Chemical or mixture used as fuel for a rocket engine. 1941 - French rocket EA-41 is launched, being the first European liquid propellant working rocket (It was, however, preceded by the Peenemunde A5 and Soviet experiments.)
• Three-point hitch 1926 · achieved
  Widely used type of hitch for attaching ploughs and other implements to an agricultural or industrial tractor. 1926: Harry Ferguson, patents the Three-point hitch equipment linkage system for tractors.
• Rocket engine 1926 · achieved
  Non-air breathing jet engine used to propel a missile or vehicle. 1961 – RL10 liquid hydrogen-fuelled rocket engine first flight.
• Liquid-fuel rocket 1926 · achieved
  Goddard, 1926.
• Autogyro 1923 · achieved
  Juan de la Cierva, 1923.
• HD-4 1919 · achieved
  Early hydrofoil watercraft. 1919 - HD-4 first hydroplane launched by Alexander Graham Bell.
• R33 class airship 1919 · achieved
  1919 – The first Atlantic crossing by airship with the Beardmore HMA R34.
• Six-stroke engine 1915 · achieved
  Internal combustion engine designs. 1915 – Leonard Dyer invents a six-stroke engine, now known as the Crower six-stroke engine named after his reinventor Bruce Crower.
• Traffic light 1914 · achieved
  Signalling device to control competing flows of traffic. 1914 - The first application of railway electric traffic light signals was by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad 's use of the US&S "Style L" colour light signal on their line through the Pacific Northwest.
• Russky Vityaz 1913 · achieved
  1913 airliner by Igor Sikorsky. Russky Vityaz by Igor Sikorsky
• Articulated vehicle 1912 · achieved
  Vehicle which has a pivoting joint in its construction. 1912 - Articulated trams, invented and first used by the Boston Elevated Railway.
• Diesel locomotive 1912 · achieved
  Railway locomotive which generates tractive power directly from a diesel engine. 1912 - The world's first diesel locomotive (a diesel-mechanical locomotive) was operated in the summer of 1912 on the Winterthur–Romanshorn railway in Switzerland.
• LZ 13 Hansa 1912 · achieved
  1912 Zeppelin G-class passenger airship; conducted first international passenger flight. 1912 – The first scheduled international Zeppelin passenger flights with the Zeppelin LZ13.
• Autopilot 1912 · achieved
  Sperry gyroscopic autopilot, 1912.
• Fabre Hydravion 1910 · achieved
  Originally unnamed experimental floatplane designed by Henri Fabre. 1910 - Fabre Hydravion first seaplane.
• Sikorsky Ilya Muromets 1910 · achieved
  Russian Airplane. Sikorsky Ilya Muromets by Igor Sikorsky
• Kégresse track 1910 · achieved
  Belt-Track designed to be retrofitted onto the drive wheels of a standard automobile, to convert it for use in rough or snowy/icy terrain.. Also known as Kégresse track, invented by Adolphe Kégresse.
• Aerial lift 1908 · achieved
  Means of cable transport in which cabins, cars, gondolas or open chairs are hauled above the ground by means of one or more cables. 1908 - the Kohlerer-funicular went into service in Bolzano. It was the first modern (enclosed) cable car in the world to carry passengers.
• Ford Model T mass production 1908 · achieved
  Fifteen million built (1908–27); the moving line came in 1913.
• Pulsejet 1907 · achieved
  Jet engine utilizing combustion in pulses to create jet propulsion. 1907: Victor Kavarodine builds the first pulsejet engine based on his 1906 patent.
• Ramjet 1907 · achieved
  Jet engine that uses the engine's forward motion to compress incoming air. 1907: The tuyères thermopropulsives after 1945 ( Maurice Roy (fr) ) known as the statoreacteur a combustion subsonique (the ramjet ) – R. Lorin
• Hydrofoil 1906 · achieved
  Watercraft using hydrofoil technology. 1906 - Early hydrofoil used by Enrico Forlanini.
• Tsiolkovsky rocket equation 1903 · achieved
  Mathematical equation describing the motion of a rocket. 1813 - "A Treatise on the Motion of Rockets" by William Moore – first appearance of the rocket equation
• Turbocharger 1903 · achieved
  Exhaust-powered forced-induction device for engines. 1900: Sanford Alexander Moss publishes a paper on turbocompressors. He builds and runs a testbed example in 1903.
• Powered flight 1903 · achieved
  Wright brothers, 1903.
• LZ 1 1900 · achieved
  1900 Zeppelin A Class airship; first successful rigid airship. 1900 – Ferdinand von Zeppelin launches the first successful airship.
• Four-wheel drive 1899 · achieved
  Type of drivetrain with four driven wheels. 1899 - The Lohner-Porsche Mixte Hybrid was both the world's first hybrid vehicle, and the first four-wheel drive without a steam engine.
• Lohner-Porsche 1899 · achieved
  Car model. 1899 – Ferdinand Porsche creates the Lohner–Porsche, the first hybrid vehicle.
• Electric bicycle 1897 · achieved
  Bicycle with an integrated electric motor. 1897 – Most likely the first electric bicycle was built in 1897 by Hosea W. Libbey.
• Monorail 1896 · achieved
  Single-rail based transportation system. 1896 - First battery powered monorail, Ontario Southern Railway (Ontario).
• Weather balloon 1896 · achieved
  Meteorological instrumentation. 1896 – Leon Teisserenc de Bort carries out experiments with high flying instrumental weather balloons.
• Space elevator 1895 · achieved
  Proposed type of space transportation system. First proposal of space elevator. Russia Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
• Sidecar 1893 · achieved
  A one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle. 1893 - First sidecar.
• Moving walkway 1893 · achieved
  Roughly horizontal conveyor for pedestrians. 1893 - first moving walkway debuted at the World's Columbian Exposition.
• Recumbent bicycle 1893 · achieved
  Type of bicycle. 1893 - Recumbent bicycles invented.
• Diesel engine 1892 · achieved
  Internal combustion engine with quality rotational frequency governing, internal mixture formation, lean air-fuel-ratio, diffusion flame and compression ignition. 1892 – Rudolf Diesel patents the Diesel engine ( U.S. patent 608,845 ).
• Bicycle saddle 1892 · achieved
  One of 5 contact points on an upright bicycle. A bicycle seat, unlike a bicycle saddle, is designed to support the rider's buttocks and back, usually in a semi-reclined position.
• Icebreaker 1890 · achieved
  Special-purpose ship or boat capable of maneuvering through frozen bodies of water and remove ice. A polar icebreaker is an icebreaker capable of operating in the polar waters with their vast and thick multi-year sea ice.
• Early electric cars 1890 · achieved
  Morrison's electric wagon (1890); around 1900 about a third of US cars were electric.
• Battery electric vehicle 1889 · achieved
  Vehicle using only rechargeable electric batteries as energy source. 1889 - First introduced in 1889, battery vehicles milk floats expanded use in 1931 and by 1967 gave Britain the largest electric vehicle fleet in the world.
• Interurban 1889 · achieved
  Type of electric railway. 1889 - The first interurban tram-train to emerge in the United States was the Newark and Granville Street Railway in Ohio, which opened in 1889.
• Tire 1888 · achieved
  Ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel's rim. 1888: The first practical pneumatic tire was made by Scotsman John Boyd Dunlop, the patent was from 1847 by Robert William Thomson
• Battery electric multiple unit 1887 · achieved
  Self propelled railway vehicle using electricity from onboard storage batteries. 1887 - The first Battery electric multiple unit (battery rail car) was used on the Royal Bavarian State Railways.
• Hot bulb engine 1886 · achieved
  Internal combustion engine. 1886 – Hot-bulb engine was established by Herbert Akroyd Stuart, Gottlieb Daimler invents the Petrol engine.
• Automobile 1886 · achieved
  Benz Patent-Motorwagen, 1886.
• Supercharger 1885 · achieved
  Air compressor for an internal combustion engine. 1885 – Gottlieb Daimler patents the first supercharger.
• Atkinson cycle 1882 · achieved
  Thermodynamic cycle. 1882 – James Atkinson invents the Atkinson cycle engine, now common in some hybrid vehicles.
• Trolleybus 1882 · achieved
  Electric bus that draws power from dual overhead wires. The trolleybus dates back to 29 April 1882, when Dr. Ernst Werner Siemens demonstrated his " Elektromote " in a Berlin suburb. This experiment continued until 13 June 1882.
• Frozen meat shipping (SS Dunedin) 1882 · achieved
  New Zealand mutton reached London frozen.
• Electric vessel 1880 · achieved
  Watercraft propelled by an electric drivetrain. Immisch & Co, established by Moritz Immisch, establishes an electric boat department - probably the world's first fleet of electric launches for hire, with a chain of electrical charging stations established along the River Thames.
• Refrigerated railcar (Swift) 1878 · achieved
  Gustavus Swift shipped dressed beef from Chicago to the East.
• Four-stroke engine 1876 · achieved
  Internal combustion engine type. 1876: Nicolaus August Otto invents the four-stroke cycle.
• Bogie 1874 · achieved
  Framework which carries a wheelset and is attached to a rail vehicle. 1874 - Midland railway introduces the first bogie.
• Zeppelin 1874 · achieved
  Rigid airship type. 1874: Ferdinand von Zeppelin invents the Zeppelin rigid airship.
• Kicksled 1870 · achieved
  Small sled consisting of a chair mounted on a pair of flexible metal runners that extend backward to about twice the chair's length. 1870 - First definite record of a kicksled.
• Michaux-Perreaux steam velocipede 1868 · achieved
  Steam powered velocipede. 1868 – Louis-Guillaume Perreaux 's steam velocipede, a steam engine attached to a Michaux velocipede.
• Railway air brake 1868 · achieved
  Fail-safe power braking system with compressed air as the operating medium. 1868 – George Westinghouse invented the compressed-air brake for railway trains.
• Safety bicycle 1868 · achieved
  Archaic term for pedal-driven bicycles with equal-size front and rear wheels, geartrain and tires ("common" bicycle). 1868 – Safety bicycle invented.
• Hippomobile 1863 · achieved
  Automobile using an internal combustion engine, invented by Étienne Lenoir in 1863. 1863 – Etienne Lenoir makes a test drive from Paris to Joinville-le-Pont with the 1-cylinder, 2-stroke Hippomobile running on coal gas.
• Rapid transit 1863 · achieved
  High-capacity public transport generally used in urban areas. The Moscow Metro, which spans almost the entire Russian capital, is Europe's busiest metro system. Opened in 1935, it is well known for the ornate design of many of its stations, which contain numerous examples of socialist realist art.
• Airship 1852 · achieved
  Powered lighter-than-air aircraft. 1852: Henri Giffard becomes the first person to make a manned, controlled and powered flight using a dirigible.
• Human powered quadricycle 1850~ · achieved
  Human powered four-wheeled land vehicle. - Quadracycle invented.
• Glider 1849 · achieved
  Unpowered fixed-wing aircraft. 1849 - Sir George Cayley 's gliders achieved brief wing-borne hops from around 1849.
• Railcar 1847 · achieved
  Self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers or luggage. 1847 - The first steam railcar was designed by James Samuel, the Eastern Counties Railway Locomotive Engineer, built by William Bridges Adams in 1847, and trialled between Shoreditch and Cambridge on 23 October 1847.
• Tunnel boring machine 1846 · achieved
  Machine used to excavate circular tunnels through a variety of soil and rock strata. 1846: Henri-Joseph Maus invents the tunnel boring machine.
• Howe truss 1844 · achieved
  Type of truss. A Pratt truss is a specialized design of a trussed bridge whereby the vertical trusses are compressed and the diagonal trusses are in tension.
• SS Great Western 1838 · achieved
  Oak-hulled paddle-wheel steamship. 1838 – Isambard Kingdom Brunel 's SS Great Western, the first purpose-built transatlantic steamship, inaugurates the first regular transatlantic steamship service.
• Electric locomotive 1837 · achieved
  Locomotive powered by electricity. 1837 - The first electric locomotive built in 1837 was a battery locomotive. It was built by chemist Robert Davidson of Aberdeen in Scotland, and it was powered by galvanic cells (batteries).
• Mail coach 1830 · achieved
  Stagecoach that is used to deliver mail. 1830 – Liverpool and Manchester Railway opens.
• Stephenson's Rocket 1829 · achieved
  Early steam locomotive. 1829 – Rainhill Trials to find best self-propelled engine for Liverpool Manchester line are won by Robert Stephenson's Rocket proving there is no need for horse traction or static engines on the main line.
• Suspension railway 1825 · achieved
  Form of elevated railway where the vehicle is suspended from a fixed track. 1825 - The first suspension railway was opened at Cheshunt, England, United Kingdom on 25 June.
• Steam locomotive and railway 1825 · achieved
  Stockton & Darlington 1825, Liverpool & Manchester 1830.
• Balloon 1824 · achieved
  Inflatable flexible bag filled with gas. 1824 – Michael Faraday invents the rubber balloon.
• Kick scooter 1819 · achieved
  Human-powered land vehicle without saddle. 1819 - Denis Johnson invents kick scooter.
• SS Savannah 1819 · achieved
  American hybrid sailing ship/sidewheel steamer built in 1818. 1819 – SS Savannah, the first vessel to cross the Atlantic Ocean partly under steam power, arrives at Liverpool, England from Savannah, Georgia.
• Tunnelling shield 1818 · achieved
  Protective structure used during the excavation of tunnels. 1818: Marc Isambard Brunel invents the tunnelling shield.
• Dandy horse 1817 · achieved
  Two-wheeled human-powered vehicle often regarded as the predecessor of the bicycle. 1817: Baron Karl von Drais invents the dandy horse, an early velocipede and precursor to the modern bicycle.
• Bicycle 1817 · achieved
  Pedal-driven two-wheel vehicle. 1816 – The most likely originator of the Bicycle is the German, Baron Karl von Drais, who rode his 1816 machine while collecting taxes from his tenants.
• Killingworth locomotives 1815 · achieved
  Early experimental steam locomotives. 1815 ( 1815 ): George Stephenson builds Blücher - similar to Blenkinsop model.
• Puffing Billy 1812 · achieved
  Preserved early British steam locomotive. 1812 – Timothy Hackworth 's " Puffing Billy " ran on smooth Cast Iron Rails at Wylam Colliery near Newcastle
• Salamanca 1812 · achieved
  Early British steam locomotive (built 1812). 1812 – First commercially successful self-propelled engine on land was Matthew Murray 's Salamanca on Middleton Railway using toothed wheels and rail.
• Guided bus 1809 · achieved
  Bus that is capable of running in a guideway (guided optically, magnetically or by a central rail). 1809 - First stone laid of first ' guided bus ' passenger wagonway Gloucester and Cheltenham Tramroad.
• Catch Me Who Can 1808 · achieved
  Early British steam locomotive (1808). 1808 ( 1808 ): Richard Trevithick demonstrates the passenger carrying railway with his "steam circus" (using the locomotive Catch Me Who Can on a circular track) in London.
• North River Steamboat 1807 · achieved
  1807 passenger steamboat by Robert Fulton, first steamship in regular service. 1807 – Robert Fulton 's North River Steamboat, the world's first commercially successful steamboat, makes her maiden voyage.
• Horsecar 1807 · achieved
  Animal-powered tram or streetcar. 1807 - The Swansea and Mumbles Railway ran the world's first passenger horsecar tram service.
• Pyréolophore 1807 · achieved
  Internal combustion engine. 1807 – Nicéphore Niépce and his brother Claude build a fluid piston internal combustion engine, the Pyréolophore and use it to power a boat up the river Saône.
• Steamship 1807 · achieved
  Fulton's Clermont, 1807.
• Amphibious vehicle 1804 · achieved
  Means of transport, viable on land as well as on (or under) water. 1804 – Oliver Evans (claimed to have) demonstrated a steam-powered amphibious vehicle.
• Charlotte Dundas 1803 · achieved
  Towing steamboat, second successful steamboat. 1803 – William Symington 's Charlotte Dundas, generally considered to be the world's first practical steamboat, makes her first voyage.
• Marshall Islands stick charts 1800 · achieved
  Charts of ocean swell patterns.
• Tricycle 1789 · achieved
  Three-wheeled self-powered vehicle. 1789 - The pedal powered tricycle was invented by two Frenchmen, named Blanchard and Maguier.
• Rozière balloon 1785 · achieved
  Hybrid balloon using both hydrogen/helium and hot air for lift. 1785 – Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier builds the hybrid Rozière balloon.
• Parallel motion 1783 · achieved
  Mechanical engineering. 1783 ( 1783 ): Watt builds his first "double acting" engine, which admits steam so as to alternately act on one side of the piston then on the other, and the introduction of his parallel motion linkage allows the transmission of the pow…
• Gas balloon 1783 · achieved
  Balloon filled with gas less dense than air. 1783 – Jacques Charles makes the first flight with his hydrogen-filled gas balloon or Charlière.
• Parachute 1783 · achieved
  Device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere. 1783: Louis-Sébastien Lenormand invents and uses the first modern parachute
• Steamboat 1783 · achieved
  Type of steam powered vessel; smaller than a steamship; boat in which the primary method of marine propulsion is steam power. 1783: Claude de Jouffroy builds the first steamboat
• Sun and planet gear 1782 · achieved
  Type of gear used in early beam engines. 1782 ( 1782 ): First Watt rotative engine, driving a flywheel by means of the sun and planet gear rather than a crank, thus avoiding James Pickard 's patent. Watt secures further patents in this year and 1784.
• Marine chronometer 1761 · achieved
  Portable timepiece. 1761 - Marine chronometer invented as a means to accurately determine longitude.
• Inline skates 1760 · achieved
  Boots with wheels arranged in a single line. 1760s - Inline skates invented.
• Roller skates 1760 · achieved
  Shoe or overshoe with wheels. Quad skates are four-wheeled turning roller skates set in two side-by-side pairs. In 1863, James Leonard Plimpton of Medford, Massachusetts, invented the first four-wheeled roller skates arranged in two side-by-side pairs.
• Stroller 1733 · achieved
  Wheeled baby transport. 1733 - William Kent developed an early stroller.
• Bus 1662 · achieved
  Large road vehicle for transporting people. 1662 – Blaise Pascal invents a horse-drawn public bus which has a regular route, schedule, and fare system.
• Backstaff 1594 · achieved
  Navigational instrument. 1594: Backstaff: Invented by Captain John Davis
• Drawbar 1540 · achieved
  Linking pole between a trailer or a carriage and the harnessed animals or motorized engines. Draw bar: The draw bar was applied to sugar-milling, with evidence of its use at Delhi in the Mughal Empire by 1540, but possibly dating back several centuries earlier to the Delhi Sultanate.
• Age of Discovery navigation 1492 · achieved
  Columbus 1492, da Gama 1498, Magellan 1519–22.
• Mariner's astrolabe 1480 · achieved
  Nautical navigational instrument. 1480s: Mariner's astrolabe in Portuguese circumnavigation of Africa
• Suspension bridge 1450~ · achieved
  Type of bridge. Suspension bridge using iron chains: Although there is evidence that many early cultures had suspension bridges with cabled ropes, the first written evidence of iron-chain suspension bridges comes from a local history and topography of…
• Inca road system 1450 · achieved
  A 40,000 km road network.
• Ocean-going ships (caravel/carrack) 1450 · achieved
  Portuguese exploration ships.
• Zheng He treasure voyages 1405 · achieved
  Ming maritime expeditions, 1405–1433.
• Inca rope bridges 1400 · achieved
  Grass-cable suspension bridges; Q'eswachaka is still rebuilt each year.
• Solid-propellant rocket 1350~ · achieved
  Rocket with a motor that uses solid propellants. Solid-propellant rocket: The medieval Song dynasty Chinese invented the solid-propellant rocket at a time when bows, arrows, and catapult-based projectile launchers were state of the art military technology in medieval Europe.
• Tenochtitlan causeways and aqueduct 1325 · achieved
  Island capital with causeways, dikes and the Chapultepec aqueduct.
• Magnetic compass 1040 · achieved
  Song dynasty navigation.
• Polynesian wayfinding 1000 · achieved
  Star, swell, and bird navigation that settled the Pacific (~1000–1200 for East Polynesia).
• Pound lock 984 · achieved
  Qiao Weiyue's pound lock, 984.
• Kamal 850~ · achieved
  Celestial navigation device that determines latitude. Kamal: The kamal originated with Arab navigators of the late 9th century. The invention of the kamal allowed for the earliest known latitude sailing, and was thus the earliest step towards the use of quantitative methods in navigation.
• Breeching 650~ · achieved
  Strap around the haunches of a draft, pack or riding animal. Breeching strap: The breeching strap traces its roots back to the Chinese invented breast-strap or breastcollar harness developed during the Warring States (481–221 BC) era.
• Grand Canal 609 · achieved
  A waterway linking north and south China, completed in 609.
• Zhaozhou Bridge 605 · achieved
  Open-spandrel arch bridge in Hebei Province, China. Open-spandrel segmental arch bridge: The earliest known fully stone open-spandrel segmental arch bridge is the Zhaozhou Bridge in southern Hebei province, China, completed in 605 by the Sui dynasty (581–618) engineer Li Chun.
• Paddle steamer 350~ · achieved
  Steamship or riverboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels. 4th century – 5th century: Paddle wheel boat (in De rebus bellicis ) in Roman Empire
• Simple suspension bridge 350~ · achieved
  Type of bridge. 4th century: Simple suspension bridge, independently invented in Pre-Columbian South America, and the Hindu Kush range, of present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan.
• Weir 250~ · achieved
  Barrier across a river designed to alter its flow characteristics. The Band-i-Kaisar, constructed by Roman prisoners of war in Shustar, Persia, in the 3rd century AD, featured a weir combined with an arch bridge, a multifunctional hydraulic structure which subsequently spread throughout Iran.
• Roman Bridge of Chaves 100 · achieved
  Bridge in the river tamega in Chaves city, Portugal. See e.g. Roman Bridge of Chaves or the Severan Bridge.
• Junk ship and stern rudder 100 · achieved
  Chinese stern-mounted rudders by the Han.
• Wheelbarrow 100 · achieved
  In use in Han China by about the 1st–2nd century.
• Pont du Gard 50 · achieved
  Ancient Roman aqueduct bridge that crosses the Gardon River in Vers-Pont-du-Gard, France. Pont du Gard, Segovia etc.
• Arch bridge 50 BCE~ · achieved
  Bridge type characterized by its supporting arches. 1st century BC: Segmental arch bridge (e.g. Pont-Saint-Martin or Ponte San Lorenzo ) in Italy, Roman Republic
• Lateen sail 150 BCE~ · achieved
  Boomless triangular sail used as both main and head sail. Introduction of fore-and-aft rigs, both the lateen sail and the spritsail, the latter already attested in 2nd century BC in the northern Aegean Sea.
• Syracusia 240 BCE · achieved
  Ancient Greek ship. c. 240 BC: First recorded for Syracusia as well as other Syracusan (merchant) ships under Hiero II of Syracuse
• Dry dock 250 BCE~ · achieved
  Waterside basin that can be sealed and pumped dry to allow work on a vessel. Late 3rd century BC: Dry dock under Ptolemy IV (221–205 BC) in Hellenistic Egypt
• Milestone 250 BCE~ · achieved
  Numbered marker mostly along a road or sometimes also at a boundary. c. 3rd century BC Odometer, a device used in the late Hellenistic time and by Romans for indicating the distance traveled by a vehicle. It was invented sometime in the 3rd century BC.
• Canal of the Pharaohs 250 BCE~ · achieved
  Forerunner of the Suez Canal. early 3rd century BC Built into Ancient Suez Canal under Ptolemy II (283–246 BC).
• Lighthouse 280 BCE · achieved
  Structure designed to emit light to aid navigation. 500 BC: Lighthouse in Greece.
• Roman roads and aqueducts 312 BCE · achieved
  Appian Way and Aqua Appia, 312 BC.
• Horseshoe 350 BCE~ · achieved
  Item designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear. 4th century BC: Nailed horseshoe, with 4 bronze shoes found in an Etruscan tomb.
• Horse harness 350 BCE~ · achieved
  Horse tack to pull carriages, wagons or sleighs. Horse harness: Throughout the ancient world, the throat-and-girth harness was used for harnessing horses that pulled carts; this greatly limited a horse's ability to exert itself as it was constantly choked at the neck.
• Wagonway 600 BCE~ · achieved
  Railway using horses to pull goods wagons. Late 7th or early 6th century BC: Wagonway called Diolkos across the Isthmus of Corinth in Ancient Greece.
• Saddle 700 BCE~ · achieved
  Supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. 700 BC: Saddle (fringed cloths or pads used by Assyrian cavalry ).
• Outrigger canoe and double-hulled voyaging canoe 1,500 BCE~ · achieved
  Austronesian seafaring craft.
• Wheel 3,500 BCE~ · achieved
  Wheel and axle appear ~3500 BC in Mesopotamia and Eastern Europe.
• Sail 3,500 BCE~ · achieved
  Sailing boats on the Nile, ~3500 BC.
• Road 4,000 BCE~ · achieved
  Wide way leading from one place to another, especially one with a specially prepared surface which vehicles can use. 4000 BC: Paved roads, in and around the Mesopotamian city of Ur, Iraq.
• Oar 5,000 BCE~ · achieved
  Implement used for water-borne propulsion. 5000 BC – 4500 BC: Rowing oars in China
• Pesse canoe 6,500 BCE~ · achieved
  Boat constructed during the early mesolithic period. 8040–7510 BC: The Pesse canoe is the oldest boat we have found, while early human habitation of Crete and Australia make clear human seafaring goes back tens or hundreds of thousands of years. (see above)
• Sled dog 7,000 BCE~ · achieved
  Working dog. 7000 BC: Sled dog and Dog sled, in Siberia.
• Boats and rafts 50,000 BCE~ · achieved
  Humans reached Australia by ~50 kya, which required watercraft.
• Raft (watercraft) 898,000 BCE~ · achieved
  Flat structure for support or transportation over water. 900 kya – 40 kya: Rafts