Space Missions of 2002
Private Space
USA
SpaceX Founding
Target: Earth/Mars
Elon Musk founds Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
Satellite
ESA
Envisat
Target: Sun-synchronous Orbit
The world’s largest civilian Earth observation satellite.
Test / Capsule
China
Experimental Shenzhou 3 & 4
Target: Low Earth Orbit
Final uncrewed tests before China's first human flight.
Crewed / Test
Russia
Experimental Soyuz TMA-1
Target: Low Earth Orbit
The first flight of the modernized Soyuz-TMA.