1979 Rocket Launch Recap

Our roundup of all the launches that happened in 1979, 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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110

Total Launches

105

Successful Launches

5

Failed Launches

95.45%

Success Rate

4

Humans launched to space

Notable 1979 Achievements

🪐 First flyby of Saturn

How 1979 Compares to Previous Years

There were 105 successful launch attempts in 1979 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 1979

In 1979, companies and agencies from 6 Nations attempted launches, including Russia (89 launches), the United States (15 launches) and Japan (2 launches).

Total Rocket Launches by Nation in 1979

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Service Providers in 1979

9 Launch Service Providers completed launches in 1979, including Soviet Space Program (89 launches), United States Air Force (13 launches) and NASA (2 launches).

Top Space Launch Service Providers in 1979 by total launch count

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Vehicle in 1979

24 different Launch Vehicles launched off in 1979. The top 3 were the Soyuz U (47 launches), Kosmos-3M (11K65M) (18 launches) and Vostok 8A92M (8 launches) launch vehicles.

Top 10 Launch Vehicles in 1979 by total launch count

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Sites in 1979

Rockets launched from 11 Launch Sites in 1979. The most active launch sites were Plesetsk Cosmodrome (68 launches), Baikonur Cosmodrome (19 launches) and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (8 launches).

Top 10 Launch Sites in 1979

By RocketLaunch.org

Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 1979

In 1979, 4 humans from 2 nations were launched into space. These nations were Russia (3 astronauts) and Bulgaria (1 astronaut).

Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 1979

By RocketLaunch.org

Where we launched to in 1979

We launched off to 3 different locations beyond earth in 1979 (including flybys). Most launches were to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) (94 launches), Geostationary Orbit (GEO) (11 launches) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) (1 launch).

Top Launch Destinations in 1979

By RocketLaunch.org

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