In shortNumber 1 in our ranking is Apollo 11, followed by Sputnik 1 and Vostok 1.
The most important space missions in history opened paths that once seemed impossible: leaving the Earth, walking on the Moon or looking at the most distant universe. We weighed what they achieved for the first time and what we learned from them.
Which do you think matters most? Vote below or add the one we missed.
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We'll publish the readers' ranking once there are enough votes for it to be representative.
1. Apollo 11
NASA · July 1969
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon. It is the great milestone of space exploration.
2. Sputnik 1
Soviet Union · 4 October 1957
The first artificial satellite in history. Its launch started the space race.
3. Vostok 1
Soviet Union · 12 April 1961
Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space. He completed one full orbit of the Earth.
4. The Hubble Space Telescope
NASA and ESA · Since 1990
Its images changed astronomy and the way we picture the universe. It helped pin down the age and expansion of the cosmos.
5. Voyager 1 and 2
NASA · Launched in 1977
They visited the giant planets and are still sending data decades later. Voyager 1 was the first spacecraft to reach interstellar space.
6. The International Space Station
Since 1998 · Continuously inhabited since 2000
It is the largest international scientific cooperation project. It studies how to live and work in space for long periods.
7. The James Webb Space Telescope
NASA, ESA and CSA · Launched in 2021
It observes the universe's first galaxies in infrared. Its images have already changed what we knew about the early cosmos.
8. The Mars rovers
Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity and Perseverance · Since 2004
They showed that Mars had liquid water in the past. Perseverance also carried the first helicopter to fly on another planet.
9. New Horizons
NASA · Reached Pluto in 2015
It gave us the first detailed images of Pluto after almost ten years of travel. It found ice mountains and a vast heart-shaped plain.
10. Rosetta and Philae
ESA · 2014
For the first time a spacecraft orbited a comet and landed a probe on its surface. It is one of the European Space Agency's great achievements.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important space mission in history?
In our ranking, Apollo 11, for taking humans to the Moon for the first time. Sputnik 1 and Gagarin's flight complete the podium.
Are there European missions on the list?
Yes: Rosetta belongs to the European Space Agency, which also took part in Hubble and James Webb.
Would you change the order?
Tell us what's missing, what shouldn't be here or what you'd put at number 1.