1963 Rocket Launch Recap

Our roundup of all the launches that happened in 1963, 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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76

Total Launches

59

Successful Launches

17

Failed Launches

77.63%

Success Rate

5

Humans launched to space

Notable 1963 Achievements

🚀 First reusable crewed suborbital spacecraft

How 1963 Compares to Previous Years

There were 59 successful launch attempts in 1963 and 17 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 1963

In 1963, companies and agencies from 2 Nations attempted launches. These Nations were the United States (53 launches) and Russia (23 launches).

Total Rocket Launches by Nation in 1963

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Service Providers in 1963

3 Launch Service Providers completed launches in 1963. These were United States Air Force (49 launches), Soviet Space Program (23 launches) and NASA (4 launches).

Top Space Launch Service Providers in 1963 by total launch count

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Vehicle in 1963

27 different Launch Vehicles launched off in 1963. The top 3 were the Thor SLV-2A Agena D (10 launches), Kosmos-2I (8 launches) and Vostok 8A92 (7 launches) launch vehicles.

Top 10 Launch Vehicles in 1963 by total launch count

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Sites in 1963

Rockets launched from 7 Launch Sites in 1963. The most active launch sites were Vandenberg SFB (35 launches), Baikonur Cosmodrome (15 launches) and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (12 launches).

Top Launch Sites in 1963

By RocketLaunch.org

Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 1963

In 1963, 5 humans from 2 nations were launched into space. These nations were the United States (3 astronauts) and Russia (2 astronauts).

Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 1963

By RocketLaunch.org

Where we launched to in 1963

We launched off to 6 different locations beyond earth in 1963 (including flybys). Most launches were to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) (59 launches), Suborbital (7 launches) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) (4 launches).

Top Launch Destinations in 1963

By RocketLaunch.org

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