1960 Rocket Launch Recap

Our roundup of all the launches that happened in 1960, 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

51.11%

Success Rate

Humans launched to space

Notable 1960 Achievements

🛰️ First solar probe

🐕 First return of living beings from orbit

How 1960 Compares to Previous Years

There were 23 successful launch attempts in 1960 and 22 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 1960

In 1960, companies and agencies from 2 Nations attempted launches. These Nations were the United States (36 launches) and Russia (9 launches).

Total Rocket Launches by Nation in 1960

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Service Providers in 1960

3 Launch Service Providers completed launches in 1960. These were United States Air Force (27 launches), NASA (9 launches) and Soviet Space Program (9 launches).

Top Space Launch Service Providers in 1960 by total launch count

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Vehicle in 1960

18 different Launch Vehicles launched off in 1960. The top 3 were the Thor Agena A (7 launches), Thor DM-21 Ablestar (5 launches) and Vostok 8K72 (4 launches) launch vehicles.

Top 10 Launch Vehicles in 1960 by total launch count

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Sites in 1960

Rockets launched from 4 Launch Sites in 1960. The most active launch sites were Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (20 launches), Vandenberg SFB (12 launches) and Baikonur Cosmodrome (9 launches).

Top Launch Sites in 1960

By RocketLaunch.org

Where we launched to in 1960

We launched off to 6 different locations beyond earth in 1960 (including flybys). Most launches were to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) (30 launches), Suborbital (6 launches) and The Moon (4 launches).