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Orbital Launches in 1996

7,332 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 GCAT & Launch Library 2.

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7,332
Total launches
149
This year
92.8%
Success rate
159
Crewed
1957
Since

Orbital Radar lists 77 every orbital launch in 1996, part of 7,332 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

77 launches
DateMissionVehicleOperatorLaunch sitePayloadsOrbitOutcome
1996-12-24Bion No. 111996-073Soyuz-URussian Aerospace ForcesPlesetsk Cosmodrome—LEOsuccess
1996-12-20Parus1996-071Kosmos 11K65MRussian Aerospace ForcesPlesetsk Cosmodrome2 payloads ↗LEOsuccess
1996-12-20Improved CRYSTAL 21061996-072Titan 404A4SLS/AFSMCVandenberg SFB—LEOsuccess
1996-12-18INMARSAT III F31996-070Atlas IIALockheed MartinCape Canaveral2 payloads ↗GEOsuccess
1996-12-11US-PU1996-069Tsiklon-2Russian Aerospace ForcesBaikonur Cosmodrome—LEOsuccess
1996-12-04MPF Lander1996-068Delta 7925McDonnell DouglasCape Canaveral—HEOsuccess
1996-11-21Eutelsat HB21996-067Atlas IIALockheed MartinCape Canaveral1 payload ↗HEOsuccess
1996-11-19Progress 7K-TGM No. 2331996-066Soyuz-URussian Aerospace ForcesBaikonur Cosmodrome—LEOsuccess
1996-11-19OV-102 Research/FF1996-065Space ShuttleNASAKennedy Space Center—LEOsuccess
1996-11-16M1 No. 520 (Mars-96)1996-064Proton-K/D-2Russian Aerospace ForcesBaikonur Cosmodrome—LEOsuccess
1996-11-13Arabsat 2B1996-063Ariane 44L 44L-3ArianespaceGuiana Space Centre3 payloads ↗GEOsuccess
1996-11-07MGS1996-062Delta 7925McDonnell DouglasCape Canaveral—HEOsuccess
1996-11-04HETE1996-061Pegasus XLOrbital SciencesWallops I—LEOfailure
1996-10-24Molniya-3 No. 621996-060Molniya 8K78M 2BLRussian Aerospace ForcesPlesetsk Cosmodrome—HEOsuccess
1996-10-20FSW-2 No. 31996-059Chang Zheng 2D aCASCJiuquan—LEOsuccess
1996-09-26Ekspress No. 12L1996-058Proton-K/DM-2M DM-2MRussian Aerospace ForcesBaikonur Cosmodrome2 payloads ↗GEOsuccess
1996-09-16OV-104 Shuttle/Mir1996-057Space ShuttleNASAKennedy Space Center—LEOsuccess
1996-09-12Navstar GPS SVN 301996-056Delta 7925McDonnell DouglasCape Canaveral1 payload ↗MEOsuccess
1996-09-11Echostar II1996-055Ariane 42P 42P-3ArianespaceGuiana Space Centre1 payload ↗GEOsuccess
1996-09-08GE 11996-054Atlas IIALockheed MartinCape Canaveral1 payload ↗HEOsuccess
1996-09-06INMARSAT III F-21996-053Proton-K/DM-2 DM1KhrunichevBaikonur Cosmodrome2 payloads ↗GEOsuccess
1996-09-05Parus1996-052Kosmos 11K65MRussian Aerospace ForcesPlesetsk Cosmodrome3 payloads ↗LEOsuccess
1996-09-04Tselina-21996-051Zenit-2Russian Aerospace ForcesBaikonur Cosmodrome9 payloads ↗LEOsuccess
1996-08-29Microsatelite1996-050Molniya 8K78M 2BLRussian Aerospace ForcesPlesetsk Cosmodrome3 payloads ↗MEOsuccess
1996-08-21FAST1996-049Pegasus XLOrbital SciencesVandenberg SFB2 payloads ↗MEOsuccess
1996-08-18Zhongxing 71996-048Chang Zheng 3CASCXichang1 payload ↗HEOfailure
1996-08-17ADEOS1996-046H-IINASDATanegashima3 payloads ↗LEOsuccess
1996-08-17Soyuz 7K-STM No. 731996-047Soyuz-URussian Aerospace ForcesBaikonur Cosmodrome—LEOsuccess
1996-08-14Molniya-1T1996-045Molniya 8K78M MLRussian Aerospace ForcesPlesetsk Cosmodrome—HEOsuccess
1996-08-08Italsat F21996-044Ariane 44L 44L-3ArianespaceGuiana Space Centre2 payloads ↗GEOsuccess
1996-07-31Progress 7K-TGM No. 2321996-043Soyuz-URussian Aerospace ForcesBaikonur Cosmodrome—LEOsuccess
1996-07-25UFO F7-EHF1996-042Atlas IILockheed MartinCape Canaveral2 payloads ↗HEOsuccess
1996-07-16Navstar GPS SVN 401996-041Delta 7925McDonnell DouglasCape Canaveral1 payload ↗MEOsuccess
1996-07-09Arabsat 2A1996-040Ariane 44L 44L-3ArianespaceGuiana Space Centre3 payloads ↗HEOsuccess
1996-07-03Apstar 1A1996-039Chang Zheng 3CASCXichang1 payload ↗HEOsuccess
1996-07-03QUASAR 11?1996-038Titan 405A3SLS/AFSMCCape Canaveral1 payload ↗HEOsuccess
1996-07-02TOMS-EP1996-037Pegasus XLOrbital SciencesVandenberg SFB1 payload ↗LEOsuccess
1996-06-20Kobal't1996-F04Soyuz-U-PVBRussian Aerospace ForcesPlesetsk Cosmodrome—LEOfailure
1996-06-20OV-102 Spacelab1996-036Space ShuttleNASAKennedy Space Center—LEOsuccess
1996-06-15INTELSAT 7091996-035Ariane 44P 44P-3ArianespaceGuiana Space Centre1 payload ↗HEOsuccess
1996-06-04Cluster F1-F41996-F03Ariane 5GESAGuiana Space Centre—LEOfailure
1996-05-25Gorizont No. 44L1996-034Proton-K/DM-2Russian Aerospace ForcesBaikonur Cosmodrome2 payloads ↗HEOsuccess
1996-05-24Galaxy 91996-033Delta 7925McDonnell DouglasCape Canaveral2 payloads ↗HEOsuccess
1996-05-19OV-105 Research/FF1996-032Space ShuttleNASAKennedy Space Center—LEOsuccess
1996-05-17MSTI 31996-031Pegasus HOrbital SciencesVandenberg SFB—LEOsuccess
1996-05-16Palapa C21996-030Ariane 44L 44L-3ArianespaceGuiana Space Centre4 payloads ↗GEOsuccess
1996-05-14Kometa No. 181996-F02Soyuz-URussian Aerospace ForcesBaikonur Cosmodrome—LEOfailure
1996-05-12SLDCOM 4/INTRUDER 41996-029Titan 403A4SLS/AFSMCVandenberg SFB3 payloads ↗MEOsuccess
1996-05-05Progress 7K-TGM No. 2311996-028Soyuz-URussian Aerospace ForcesBaikonur Cosmodrome—LEOsuccess
1996-04-30SAX1996-027Atlas ILockheed MartinCape Canaveral—LEOsuccess

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 — 7,332 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 page

By year

2026 1492025 3302024 2632023 2232022 1862021 1462020 1142019 103

By vehicle

Soyuz 1,177Falcon 9 653Long March 653Kosmos 622Atlas 436Proton 425Thor 331Molniya 320

By operator

Soviet Rocket Forces 1,537Soviet Space Forces 905SpaceX 682CASC 644NASA 462Arianespace 305US Air Force 277Russian Aerospace Forces 272

By outcome / site

Successful 6,805Failed 525Unconfirmed 2Plesetsk Cosmodrome 1,644Baikonur Cosmodrome 1,558Cape Canaveral 1,093
Full launch index (77 launches)
Bion No. 11 (1996-12-24)Parus (1996-12-20)Improved CRYSTAL 2106 (1996-12-20)INMARSAT III F3 (1996-12-18)US-PU (1996-12-11)MPF Lander (1996-12-04)Eutelsat HB2 (1996-11-21)OV-102 Research/FF (1996-11-19)Progress 7K-TGM No. 233 (1996-11-19)M1 No. 520 (Mars-96) (1996-11-16)Arabsat 2B (1996-11-13)MGS (1996-11-07)HETE (1996-11-04)Molniya-3 No. 62 (1996-10-24)FSW-2 No. 3 (1996-10-20)Ekspress No. 12L (1996-09-26)OV-104 Shuttle/Mir (1996-09-16)Navstar GPS SVN 30 (1996-09-12)Echostar II (1996-09-11)GE 1 (1996-09-08)INMARSAT III F-2 (1996-09-06)Parus (1996-09-05)Tselina-2 (1996-09-04)Microsatelite (1996-08-29)FAST (1996-08-21)Zhongxing 7 (1996-08-18)ADEOS (1996-08-17)Soyuz 7K-STM No. 73 (1996-08-17)Molniya-1T (1996-08-14)Italsat F2 (1996-08-08)Progress 7K-TGM No. 232 (1996-07-31)UFO F7-EHF (1996-07-25)Navstar GPS SVN 40 (1996-07-16)Arabsat 2A (1996-07-09)Apstar 1A (1996-07-03)QUASAR 11? (1996-07-03)TOMS-EP (1996-07-02)OV-102 Spacelab (1996-06-20)Kobal't (1996-06-20)INTELSAT 709 (1996-06-15)Cluster F1-F4 (1996-06-04)Gorizont No. 44L (1996-05-25)Galaxy 9 (1996-05-24)OV-105 Research/FF (1996-05-19)MSTI 3 (1996-05-17)Palapa C2 (1996-05-16)Kometa No. 18 (1996-05-14)SLDCOM 4/INTRUDER 4 (1996-05-12)Progress 7K-TGM No. 231 (1996-05-05)MERCURY 2 (1996-04-24)Taifun-1B (1996-04-24)MSX (1996-04-24)TsM-I 77KSI No. 17401 (1996-04-23)MSAT-1 (1996-04-20)Astra 1F (1996-04-08)INMARSAT III F-1 (1996-04-03)Navstar GPS SVN 33 (1996-03-28)OV-104 Shuttle/Mir (1996-03-22)IRS-P3 (1996-03-21)INTELSAT 707 (1996-03-14)Kobal't (1996-03-14)REX II (1996-03-09)Polar (1996-02-24)OV-102 Research/FF (1996-02-22)Soyuz 7K-STM No. 72 (1996-02-21)Gonets-D1 No. 13/14/15 (1996-02-19)Gran' No. 44L (1996-02-19)NEAR (1996-02-17)INTELSAT 708 (1996-02-14)N-Star b (1996-02-05)Palapa C1 (1996-02-01)Gorizont No. 43L (1996-01-25)Parus (1996-01-16)Koreasat 2 (1996-01-14)Panamsat K4 (1996-01-12)OV-105 Research/FF (1996-01-11)

Last updated 2026-06-21 · Data: GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org) · Launch Library 2 / The Space Devs — enriched & cross-linked by Orbital Radar.