The record for the annual number of rocket take-offs had not been beaten since 1967… We therefore had to wait until 2021, and a new space age, for a new record to be set. During the past year, there will have been 144 space launch attempts, including 136 successful. Significantly, China is the country that sent the most rockets into space in 2021.
The record for the number of space launches was broken in 2021
The number of space launches has varied every year since 1957. According to the report by Space Launch Report, there were several phases. From 1965 to 1976, we see that the rate of rocket take-offs was very sustained. An era that corresponds to first lunar missions with in particular the American space program Apollo and the first steps of the Man on the Moon on July 21, 1969. The preceding records began to seriously date. It was necessary to go back to 1967 for that of the attempts (139) and to 1976 for that of the successes (125).
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This period was marked by the dominance of the United States and Russia in the space field. That era is over. Today, space launches no longer depend solely on these two great powers. Other actors joined in the dance. This is particularly the case for China and India. The Middle Empire is even the nation with the most space launches in the past year. It shows Beijing’s determination in the space sector.
Evolution of space launches. Graphics: Space Track.
In fact, before the 2000s, the overwhelming majority of rocket launches were the work of Russia and the United States. In 2021, the Chinese government made 56 attempts, of which 53 were successful. China’s space launches serve several purposes. There was this famous lunar mission to explore the far side of the moon with Chang’e 4 in 2019. More recently, the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) sent a 6G satellite into orbit.
The 4 major space nations (the United States, India, Russia and China) do not plan to downsize in 2022. The installation of new satellite networks requires many launches. This is the case of SpaceX, which regularly carries out launches to position its satellites as part of the creation of the Starlink network. This summer, the American carried out its 20th launch and announced that it had sent 900 satellites into orbit in just two years.