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Launch Success
Liftoff Time (GMT)
14:34:00
Friday May 5, 1961
Watch Replay
Official Livestream
First crewed launch into space by the United States.
Mercury-Redstone 3, or Freedom 7, was the first United States human spaceflight and was piloted by astronaut Alan Shepard. It was the first crewed flight of Project Mercury, the objective of which was to put an astronaut into orbit around the Earth and return him safely. Shepard's mission was a 15-minute suborbital flight with the primary objective of demonstrating his ability to withstand the high g-forces of launch and atmospheric re-entry.
Suborbital
1 Payload
1,830 kilograms
5th
Mission
3rd
Mission of 1961