Archive puzzle · August 8, 2026

Space milestones by launch year

Archive plays are unscored and do not affect your streak or today's leaderboard.

About this puzzle

The space age moved faster in its first two decades than most people remember, then slowed down considerably - which is why launch years cluster in ways that feel wrong. Twelve years separate the first satellite from a crewed Moon landing, while later milestones like a great orbiting telescope and a permanently crewed station are decades apart. Fame is no guide to chronology here: the most famous mission is not the earliest one.

Ranked earliest to latest · year launched

What's in this puzzle

Listed alphabetically, without their values - the answer order stays hidden until you play.

Read the facts

Every item in a Sortations puzzle comes with the story behind its number. The Facts Library collects them all, already solved and safe to read.

Read the facts for Space milestones by year

More puzzles like this

More space and science rankings from the archive.

← All past puzzlesToday's puzzle →