The year 1986 saw the destruction of Space Shuttle Challenger shortly after lift-off, killing all seven aboard, the first in-flight deaths of American astronauts. This accident followed the successful flight of Columbia just weeks earlier, and dealt a major setback to the U.S. crewed space program, suspending the Shuttle program for 32 months. The year also saw numerous fly-bys of Halley's Comet as well as other successes. Launches |colspan="8"| January |- |colspan="8"| February |- |colspan="8"| March |- |colspan="8"| April |- |colspan="8"| May |- |colspan="8"| August |- |colspan="8"| September |- |colspan="8"| November |- |colspan="8"| December |- |} Deep space rendezvous EVAs References Spaceflight by year