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| Why an encyclopedia on all spacecrafts ever
launched? Because, beyond all projects, plans, "what we will do..." and
"what we could have done if...", this is what Space exploration and operations
are all about.
This website tries to compile the most comprehensive list of all spacecrafts ever launched (successfully or not) sponsored by every governments, organizations and corporations since October 1957. With more than 6,500 spacecrafts, this encyclopedia represents a collossal endeavour which is only possible by starting with the works of such "giants" as Jonathan McDowell, Mark Wade, Asif Siddiqi, NASA Historians, NSSDC and many other sources. The basic data for each spacecraft are presented in an entry written in "plain english", trying to be as accurate and concise as possible. Entries are grouped by year of launch, that is: entries for all spacecrafts launched in a year are on the same web page. Additional informations are available in the web links presented below each entry. |
Everything You Ever Wanted
To Know About Spacecrafts
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| Since 1957, we launched an average of 132 spacecrafts a year. In all, 6,854 spacecrafts were launched between 1957 and 2009. They included satellites (in Earth orbit), piloted spaceships and planetary probes. The left graph shows the number of spacecrafts launched every year. Color red represents spacecrafts launched for Russia, blue represents spacecrafts launched for the United States, yellow represents other governments (Europe, Japan, China, India, Canada, Israel & Other governments) and green represents non-governmental spacecrafts (commercial and amateur/student). This graph shows that the majority of spacecrafts were launched for Russia, mainly in the 1970s and 1980s. The graph at right shows the number of spacecraft launched in the last ten years (2000-2009). An average of 106 spacecrafts were launched in recent years, with about a quarter each for Russia, United States, other governments and non-government. (Click on each graph to enlarge.) |
| Yearly Summary of Spacecrafts Launched |
| Spacecraft by Countries |
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The table below presents
the numbers of spacecraft launched every year. Il also gives access to
the main lists that formed this encyclopedia.
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| Source: © Claude Lafleur's Spacecraft Encyclopedia, 2005-2010 |
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(as of 31 December 2009) |
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| Source: © Claude Lafleur's Spacecraft Encyclopedia, 2005-2010 |
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| These two graphs traced the evolution of the number of military and civilian spacracfts launched from 1957 to 2009. The graph at left shows that the majority of military spacecrafts were launched by the Soviet Union during the 1970s and 1980s (red), and a net decrease during the last fifteen years. About 30 military spacecrafts were launched in recent years. The graph at right shows civilian spacecraft launched; in general, the numbers are relatively constant throughout the last 50 years (about 75 a year), except for a "surge" in commercial spacecrafts launched at the end of the 1990s (green). (Click on each graph to enlarge.) |
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| Source: © Claude Lafleur's Spacecraft Encyclopedia, 2005-2010 |
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| Source: © Claude Lafleur's Spacecraft Encyclopedia, 2005-2010 |
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| These graphs show the launch rate of all launchers. The graph at left shows the 12 launchers which had been launched more than 100 times. The central graph shows the 14 launchers which had been launched between 10 and 99 times. The graph at right shows the 21 launchers which had been launched less than 10 times. (Click on each graph to enlarge.) |
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| Source: © Claude Lafleur's Spacecraft Encyclopedia, 2005-2010 |
National Score
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| Source: © Claude Lafleur's Spacecraft Encyclopedia, 2010 |
50 Years of Space Exploration it Two Graphs
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| These two graphs summarized the first 50 years of space exploration by answering two questions: who launched spacechips and for what purpose? Click on each graph to view the answer. |
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:
Tables on Piloted Spaceflight (in French)
WARNING: This Encyclopedia includes some 300 tables and lists (300 web pages) that provide basic data, but it will take time (years?) to fulfill each and every one of them. Please be kind to this "work in progress." (You may wright to me at: lafleur@claudelafleur.qc.ca) |
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| Master list of All
Spacecrafts Ever Launched (a ~1.2
MB webpage)
Alphabetical Index of All spacecrafts (a ~1.0 MB webpage) Spacecrafts launched in : (~1 MB webpage) |
| 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 |
| 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 |
| 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 |
| 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Some Interesting Spacecraft Families |
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