1978 Rocket Launch Recap
Our roundup of all the launches that happened in 1978, along with key stats, trends and info. You can learn more about our data, and how we present it here.
Include notable suborbital launches
128
Total Launches
123
Successful Launches
5
Failed Launches
96.09%
Success Rate
10
Humans launched to space
Notable 1978 Achievements
How 1978 Compares to Previous Years
There were 123 successful launch attempts in 1978 and 5 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 1978
In 1978, companies and agencies from 4 Nations attempted launches, including Russia (91 launches), the United States (33 launches) and Japan (3 launches).
Total Rocket Launches by Nation in 1978
By RocketLaunch.org
Launches by Launch Service Providers in 1978
6 Launch Service Providers completed launches in 1978, including Soviet Space Program (91 launches), United States Air Force (32 launches) and ISAS (2 launches).
Top Space Launch Service Providers in 1978 by total launch count
By RocketLaunch.org
Launches by Launch Vehicle in 1978
25 different Launch Vehicles launched off in 1978. The top 3 were the Soyuz U (45 launches), Kosmos-3M (11K65M) (21 launches) and Molniya-M 2BL (9 launches) launch vehicles.
Top 10 Launch Vehicles in 1978 by total launch count
By RocketLaunch.org
Launches by Launch Sites in 1978
Rockets launched from 8 Launch Sites in 1978. The most active launch sites were Plesetsk Cosmodrome (62 launches), Baikonur Cosmodrome (28 launches) and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (19 launches).
Top Launch Sites in 1978
By RocketLaunch.org
Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 1978
In 1978, 10 humans from 5 nations were launched into space, including Russia (6 astronauts), Czechia (1 astronaut) and Belarus (1 astronaut).
Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 1978
By RocketLaunch.org
Where we launched to in 1978
We launched off to 5 different locations beyond earth in 1978 (including flybys). Most launches were to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) (94 launches), Geostationary Orbit (GEO) (18 launches) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) (6 launches).
Top Launch Destinations in 1978
By RocketLaunch.org
That's a wrap! 👏
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