October 3, 1942

V-2 rocket

First successful A-4 rocket test flight from Peenemünde

The engine burned for 58 seconds; momentum carried the rocket through a flight of nearly five minutes into the Baltic.

3 October 1942, 15:58

At 15:58 on 3 October 1942, the fourth A-4 test vehicle, designated V4, lifted off from Test Stand VII at the Peenemünde Army Research Center.

The engine burned for 58 seconds, after which the rocket continued on a ballistic trajectory and struck the Baltic Sea after a flight of approximately five minutes — 296 seconds by the Smithsonian's figure.

It was the A-4 programme's first successful flight, after failed launch attempts in June and August 1942.

How high, and whether that counts as space

German historical sources commonly report a range of about 190 kilometres and an apogee of 84.5 kilometres, while the Smithsonian gives roughly 125 miles of range and 60 miles of altitude — so the figures are best treated as approximate.

An apogee of 84.5 kilometres exceeds the 80-kilometre boundary used by some United States agencies but falls below the FAI's 100-kilometre Kármán line.

Whether this was the first man-made object to reach space therefore depends on the definition chosen.

A weapons test, kept secret

Wernher von Braun led technical development of the A-4 at Peenemünde, and Walter Dornberger directed the German Army's rocket programme.

The vehicle was called the A-4 at the time; "V-2" was the later propaganda and operational name. This was a weapons-development test, not a civilian space-exploration mission.

Hitler's order for mass production followed in November, not on launch day.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 6 sources 2 audit passes

How this was checked

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What the sources leave uncertain

Reliable institutions give somewhat different reconstructed figures: German historical sources commonly report a 190-kilometre range and 84.5-kilometre apogee, while the Smithsonian gives about 125 miles of range and 60 miles of altitude. The figures should be presented as approximate.
There is no universally accepted physical boundary of space. The flight qualifies under an 80-kilometre convention but not under the FAI’s 100-kilometre Kármán line.