Infrastructure
Launch
Space Vehicle Launch Log and Associated Payloads
An up-to-date list of space launch vehicles and their payloads, sorted by SLV Launch ID. Payload descriptions and orbital status are also provided. Updated during Space Foundation business hours.
2015 – Japan Launch, Payload
Japan’s number of SLVs launched during 2015 equaled their 2014 efforts. The country’s 2015 share of global orbital space launches grew, but only because the total number of SLVs launched globally during 2015 declined. The four SLVs launched during 2015 from Japan helped the nation to maintain a share of nearly 5% of global launches.
2015 – European Spaceports – Snapshot
ESA conducts orbital space launches from its only spaceport: Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. Guiana Space Center launches the Soyuz, Ariane 5, and Vega space launch vehicles. The European spaceport is one of the closest active spaceports to the Earth’s equator.
Sounding Rockets
Uncrewed suborbital vehicles, also called sounding rockets, come in diverse sizes and capabilities. They range from relatively small single-stage vehicles that carry payloads of a few dozen kilograms to altitudes of 160 kilometers (100 miles), to larger rockets that use up to four stages to lift several-hundred-kilogram payloads as high as 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles).
Payload Launch
Launch vehicles come in a variety of sizes, configurations, and capabilities. One primary distinction lies between orbital and suborbital launchers. Suborbital vehicles carry their payloads outside of Earth’s atmosphere, but they do not accelerate payloads to the velocities needed to enter orbi… Thank you for visiting The Space Report! The Authoritative Guide to Global Space…
2015 – Russia Launch, Payload
Russia remained the world’s leader in number of launches provided during 2015, taking slightly more than 30% of the global orbital launch market for the year. This position was earned even though the nation’s launch rate fell by 19% to 26 launches in 2015, down from 32 launches during both 2013 and 2014. While Russia’s launch rate fell in 2015, Russia’s space launch system reliability fell slightly as well. Nearly 12% of Russia’s 26 launch attempts for the year were partial or total failures.
2015 – Chinese Spaceports – Snapshot
China’s orbital space launch activities are conducted through three spaceports: Xichang, Jiuquan, and Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centers. Nearly 50% of the country’s 2015 space launches originated from Xichang. A fourth launch site, Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, was completed in October 2014 and will be used to launch China’s new Long March 5 space launch vehicle sometime in 2016.
2015 – Russian Spaceports – Snapshot
There are three active or planned orbital space launch sites in Russia: Dombarovskiy, Plesetsk, and Vostochny. But in 2015, the site the Russians launched 69% of their space launch vehicles was from Baikonur Cosmodrome, located in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Of the 26 Russian launches conducted, 18 originated in Baikonur. The other eight were launched from the Russian spaceports of Plesetsk and Dombarovskiy.
2015 – Suborbital Payload Launch – Snapshot
The traditional suborbital launch vehicle, the sounding rocket, is uncrewed and launched in assorted configurations. From the very small to the extremely large, sounding rockets are used as an inexpensive and more accessible means for conducting experiments and observing space phenomena. During 2015, other types of suborbital vehicles moved into the suborbital launch domain.
2015 – U.S. Spaceports – Snapshot
In the United States and its territories, 42% of the spaceports have active launch site operator licenses granted by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The remaining 58% of U.S. spaceports are either proposed, in development, or government-operated. Of the 24 current and future spaceports, 14 were used to conduct orbital or suborbital launches in 2015.