NRL Launches
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 GCAT & Launch Library 2.
Orbital Radar lists 11 orbital launches by NRL, part of 7,332 orbital launches catalogued since 1957. Every entry links to the rocket, the operator and the satellites it deployed.
Featured & milestone launches
| Date | Mission | Vehicle | Operator | Launch site | Payloads | Orbit | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-09-18 | Magne-Ray satellite1959 ETA | Vanguard X-248 | NRL | Cape Canaveral | — | MEO | success |
| 1959-06-22 | Radiation Balance sat1959-F03 | Vanguard | NRL | Cape Canaveral | — | LEO | failure |
| 1959-04-14 | Magnetometer satellite1959-F01 | Vanguard | NRL | Cape Canaveral | — | LEO | failure |
| 1959-02-17 | Cloud cover satellite1959 ALP | Vanguard | NRL | Cape Canaveral | — | MEO | success |
| 1958-09-26 | Cloud cover satellite1958-U01 | Vanguard | NRL | Cape Canaveral | — | LEO | failure |
| 1958-06-26 | X-ray satellite1958-F06 | Vanguard | NRL | Cape Canaveral | — | LEO | failure |
| 1958-05-28 | Lyman Alpha satellite1958-F05 | Vanguard | NRL | Cape Canaveral | — | MEO | failure |
| 1958-04-29 | X-ray satellite1958-F04 | Vanguard | NRL | Cape Canaveral | — | LEO | failure |
| 1958-03-17 | Vanguard Test Satellite1958 BET | Vanguard | NRL | Cape Canaveral | — | MEO | success |
| 1958-02-05 | Vanguard Test Satellite1958-F01 | Vanguard | NRL | Cape Canaveral | — | LEO | failure |
| 1957-12-06 | Vanguard Test Satellite1957-F01 | Vanguard | NRL | Cape Canaveral | — | LEO | failure |
Launch cadence · 1957 → 2026
Annual orbital launch attempts worldwide. The modern surge is reshaping the record.
About this database
Every orbital launch since 1957 — 7,332 in total, 159 of them crewed — cross-linked to the rockets, operators and satellites involved. The historical record is built on GCAT and enriched with Launch Library 2, then matched to our live satellite catalogue.
Browse the database
crawlable facet hubs · each its own indexable pageFull launch index (11 launches)
Last updated 2026-06-21 · Data: GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org) · Launch Library 2 / The Space Devs — enriched & cross-linked by Orbital Radar.