1958 Rocket Launch Recap

Our roundup of all the launches that happened in 1958, along with key stats, trends and info. You can learn more about our data, and how we present it here.

Include notable suborbital launches

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Total Launches

Successful Launches

Failed Launches

28.57%

Success Rate

Humans launched to space

Notable 1958 Achievements

🌞 First solar-powered satellite

How 1958 Compares to Previous Years

There were 8 successful launch attempts in 1958 and 20 failed launch attempts. These figures include test/development launches, which are more prone to failure.

Rocket Launches by Year

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Nation in 1958

In 1958, companies and agencies from 2 Nations attempted launches. These Nations were the United States (23 launches) and Russia (5 launches).

Total Rocket Launches by Nation in 1958

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Service Providers in 1958

5 Launch Service Providers completed launches in 1958, including US Navy (12 launches), Army Ballistic Missile Agency (9 launches) and Soviet Space Program (5 launches).

Top Space Launch Service Providers in 1958 by total launch count

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Vehicle in 1958

8 different Launch Vehicles launched off in 1958. The top 3 were the Juno-I (6 launches), Vanguard (6 launches) and Project Pilot (6 launches) launch vehicles.

Top 10 Launch Vehicles in 1958 by total launch count

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Sites in 1958

Rockets launched from 3 Launch Sites in 1958. These launch sites were Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (17 launches), Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (6 launches) and Baikonur Cosmodrome (5 launches).

Top Launch Sites in 1958

By RocketLaunch.org

Where we launched to in 1958

We launched off to 3 different locations beyond earth in 1958 (including flybys). Most launches were to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) (18 launches), The Moon (7 launches) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) (3 launches).