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Data Infrastructure
Launch Log, 2023
Interested in this year’s global space launch vehicle activity? Keep track of orbital launch trends with our 2023 launch log. Launch data is updated every day during weekdays, excluding U.S. holidays.
Human Spaceflight
In the sixty years since Yuri Gagarin became the first human to reach space in 1961, over six hundred humans have joined him in traveling beyond Earth. Space agencies and companies are seeking to improve diversity in space
Lunar Missions
After decades of relatively little activity, missions to the Moon are becoming more frequent. Well-established space agencies like NASA and Roscosmos are ramping up their lunar programs.
Space Insurance Industry Estimates, 2001-2021
In 2021, despite high-profile insurance claims on numerous satellites. . . Net premiums totaled $537 million, and incurred losses were $362 million.
Spacecraft Value by Market, 2017-2021
Commercial spacecraft manufacturing revenue was estimated to be $4.3 billion in 2021, an increase of 6% over the estimated $4 billion in revenue in 2020. The growth from 2020 to 2021 reflects the increase in the number of payloads launched, while also recognizing efficiencies and cost-savings achieved by companies utilizing small satellite technology and mass manufacturing techniques.
Orbital Launch Attempts, 2021
Of the 55 commercial launches attempted in 2021, 31 occurred in the United States. Of these, 23 were carried out by SpaceX, all of which were successful. China and Russia each conducted nine commercial launches in 2021. All six Russian launches were conducted on the Soyuz launch vehicle, and all were successful.
Launch Services Value by Market, 2017-2021
There were 145 launch attempts in 2021, 135 of which were fully or partially successful. This is an increase of 27% from 2020, when 114 launch attempts took place. Commercial launches —those carried out for a non-government customer — accounted for 55 attempts, 49 of which were successful.
Launches by Nation Jan. 1 to June 30, 2022
American firms led the world for launches in the first half of 2022 with 39, including 27 launches from SpaceX.
Payload Launches by Mission Type, Jan.-June, 2022
In terms of payloads, the impact of commercial firms is far more striking. Of 1,022 spacecraft sent to orbit in the first half of the year, 958 were backed by commercial firms, accounting for nearly 94 percent of all spacecraft sent to orbit so far in 2022, up four percentage points from records set in 2021, Space Foundation research shows.
Launches by Mission Type, Jan.-June 2022
Including five launches that carried mixed payloads, commercial firms backed 36 missions to space in the first half of 2022, civil governments backed 26 and militaries footed the bill for 15, Space Foundation research shows. In all of 2021, itself a record year, commercial firms backed 56 launches.