How many orbital launches have there been?

Orbital Radar's launch database holds 7,412 orbital launches from 1957 to 2026, with an overall success rate of 92.9%.

What was the first orbital launch?

Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 aboard an R-7 rocket, was the first successful orbital launch.

How many rocket launches happen each year?

Annual orbital launches have risen sharply in the 2020s; 228 launches have been recorded so far in 2026.

Where does this launch data come from?

The historical record is built on GCAT (Jonathan McDowell, planet4589.org, CC-BY) and enriched with The Space Devs Launch Library 2, then cross-linked to Orbital Radar’s satellite catalogue.

🚀 Complete Launch Archive Live · auto-updating

Astra Launches

7,412 orbital launches since 1957

Search, filter and explore every orbital launch ever attempted — cross-linked to the satellites they deployed, the rockets that flew them and the operators behind them. Built on Orbital Radar's launch & satellite archives. For what's flying next, see the live launch schedule.

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7,412

Total launches

228

This year

92.9%

Success rate

161

Crewed

1957

Since

Orbital Radar lists 7 orbital launches by Astra, part of 7,412 orbital launches catalogued since 1957. Every entry links to the rocket, the operator and the satellites it deployed.

2020s 2010s SpaceX Falcon 9 Soyuz Failures Cape Canaveral ⬡ Crewed only

Featured & milestone launches

Every rocket launch, 1957 – 2026

228 launches so far this year · search, sort & filter the full record

7 launches

Date	Mission	Vehicle	Operator	Launch site	Payloads	Orbit	Outcome
2022-06-12	TROPICS 12022-F03	Astra Rocket 3.3	Astra	Cape Canaveral Space Force Station	—	LEO	failure
2022-03-15	Spaceflight Astra 12022-026	Astra Rocket 3.3	Astra	Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska	22 payloads ↗	LEO	success
2022-02-10	VCLS Demo 22022-F01	Astra Rocket 3.3	Astra	Cape Canaveral Space Force Station	—	LEO	failure
2021-11-20	STP-27AD22021-108	Astra Rocket 3.3	Astra	Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska	1 payload ↗	LEO	success
2021-08-28	STP-27AD12021-F07	Astra Rocket 3.3	Astra	Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska	—	LEO	failure
2020-12-15	Rocket 3.22020-F09	Astra Rocket 3.2	Astra	Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska	—	LEO	failure
2020-09-12	Rocket 3.12020-F07	Astra Rocket 3.1	Astra	Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska	—	LEO	failure

Launch cadence · 1957 → 2026

Annual orbital launch attempts worldwide. The modern surge is reshaping the record.

19572026

About this database

Every orbital launch since 1957 — 7,412 in total, 161 of them crewed — cross-linked to the rockets, operators and satellites involved. The historical record is maintained in Orbital Radar's launch archive and matched continuously to our live satellite catalogue.

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crawlable facet hubs · each its own indexable page

Full launch index (7 launches)

TROPICS 1 (2022-06-12)Spaceflight Astra 1 (2022-03-15)VCLS Demo 2 (2022-02-10)STP-27AD2 (2021-11-20)STP-27AD1 (2021-08-28)Rocket 3.2 (2020-12-15)Rocket 3.1 (2020-09-12)

Last updated 2026-09-19 · Data: Orbital Radar launch & satellite archives — sources & methodology.

Astra Launches

Featured & milestone launches

Every rocket launch, 1957 – 2026

Launch cadence · 1957 → 2026

About this database

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