1957    The United States successfully launches the first Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

1962    Project Mercury: Sigma 7 is launched from Cape Canaveral, with Astronaut Wally Schirra aboard, for a six-orbit, nine-hour flight.

1965    Gemini program: Gemini 6A, crewed by Wally Schirra and Thomas Stafford, is launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida. Four orbits later, it achieves the first space rendezvous, with Gemini 7.

1969    Apollo program: ''Apollo 11'', the first manned space mission to land on the Moon, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

1972    The Pioneer 10 space probe is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida with a mission to explore the outer planets.

1997    The Cassini probe launches from Cape Canaveral on its way to Saturn.

2005    Deep Impact launches from Cape Canaveral on a Delta 2 rocket.