Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, a Russian scientist, is widely regarded as the father of modern rocketry due to his pioneering work on rocket propulsion and space exploration.

Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, was the first artificial satellite to be successfully placed into orbit around Earth.

The Soviet Union achieved the first human spaceflight with Yuri Gagarin's historic mission aboard Vostok 1 in 1961.

Apollo 11, launched by NASA in 1969, was the first manned mission to successfully land humans on the moon.

Neil Armstrong, an American astronaut, became the first person to walk on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.

The Space Shuttle, developed by NASA, was the first reusable spacecraft capable of carrying humans and cargo into orbit and returning to Earth.

The Soviet Union achieved the first successful mission to Mars with the launch of Mars 2 and Mars 3 in 1971, which included orbiters and landers.

Venera 3, launched by the Soviet Union in 1965, was the first spacecraft to successfully land on Venus.

The United States achieved the first successful mission to Jupiter with the launch of Pioneer 10 in 1972.

Pioneer 11, launched by NASA in 1973, was the first spacecraft to successfully orbit Saturn.

The United States achieved the first successful mission to Pluto with the launch of New Horizons in 2006.

SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, became the first private company to successfully launch a spacecraft into orbit in 2010.

SpaceX achieved the first successful launch and landing of a reusable rocket, the Falcon 9, in 2015.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission in 2020 was the first commercial crew mission to the International Space Station.

NASA's Perseverance rover, launched in 2020, successfully collected and returned samples from Mars to Earth in 2023.