1973 Rocket Launch Recap
Our roundup of all the launches that happened in 1973, along with key stats, trends and info. You can learn more about our data, and how we present it here.
Include notable suborbital launches
116
Total Launches
109
Successful Launches
7
Failed Launches
93.97%
Success Rate
13
Humans launched to space
Notable 1973 Achievements
How 1973 Compares to Previous Years
There were 109 successful launch attempts in 1973 and 7 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 1973
In 1973, companies and agencies from 4 Nations attempted launches, including Russia (89 launches), the United States (25 launches) and Europe (1 launch).
Total Rocket Launches by Nation in 1973
By RocketLaunch.org
Launches by Launch Service Providers in 1973
5 Launch Service Providers completed launches in 1973, including Soviet Space Program (89 launches), United States Air Force (21 launches) and NASA (4 launches).
Top Space Launch Service Providers in 1973 by total launch count
By RocketLaunch.org
Launches by Launch Vehicle in 1973
28 different Launch Vehicles launched off in 1973. The top 3 were the Voskhod (32 launches), Kosmos-3M (11K65M) (16 launches) and Kosmos 11K63 (10 launches) launch vehicles.
Top 10 Launch Vehicles in 1973 by total launch count
By RocketLaunch.org
Launches by Launch Sites in 1973
Rockets launched from 8 Launch Sites in 1973. The most active launch sites were Plesetsk Cosmodrome (63 launches), Baikonur Cosmodrome (24 launches) and Vandenberg SFB (12 launches).
Top Launch Sites in 1973
By RocketLaunch.org
Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 1973
In 1973, 13 humans from 3 nations were launched into space. These nations were the United States (9 astronauts), Russia (3 astronauts) and Belarus (1 astronaut).
Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 1973
By RocketLaunch.org
Where we launched to in 1973
We launched off to 8 different locations beyond earth in 1973 (including flybys). Most launches were to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) (100 launches), Geostationary Orbit (GEO) (5 launches) and Mars (4 launches).
Top Launch Destinations in 1973
By RocketLaunch.org
That's a wrap! 👏
Don't forget to share this recap with fellow space-enthusiasts! And if you want more, view our Space Age Timeline to access all our annual recaps.
🔔 Set up an email alert for upcoming launches
Get a weekly email containing all launches scheduled for the coming week.