Mercury-Atlas 5 was an American spaceflight of the Mercury program. It was launched on November 29, 1961, with Enos, a chimpanzee, aboard. The craft orbited the Earth twice and splashed down about 200 miles (320 km) south of Bermuda, and Enos became the first primate from the United States and the third great ape to orbit the Earth. November 29, 1961 at 15:07 UTC · Launch Successful Atlas LV-3B — National Aeronautics and Space Administration, to Low Earth Orbit Space Launch Complex 14, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA The world's 138th orbital launch attempt, and 45th of 1961. Program: Mercury Data: Launch Library 2, The Space Devs. Image via The Space Devs.