1988 Rocket Launch Recap
Our roundup of all the launches that happened in 1988, along with key stats, trends and info. You can learn more about our data, and how we present it here.
Include notable suborbital launches
121
Total Launches
115
Successful Launches
6
Failed Launches
95.04%
Success Rate
19
Humans launched to space
How 1988 Compares to Previous Years
There were 115 successful launch attempts in 1988 and 6 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 1988
In 1988, companies and agencies from 7 Nations attempted launches, including Russia (94 launches), the United States (11 launches) and Europe (8 launches).
Total Rocket Launches by Nation in 1988
By RocketLaunch.org
Launches by Launch Service Providers in 1988
11 Launch Service Providers completed launches in 1988, including Soviet Space Program (94 launches), United States Air Force (8 launches) and Arianespace (7 launches).
Top 10 Space Launch Service Providers in 1988 by total launch count
By RocketLaunch.org
Launches by Launch Vehicle in 1988
27 different Launch Vehicles launched off in 1988. The top 3 were the Soyuz U (45 launches), Molniya-M 2BL (11 launches) and Tsiklon-3 (10 launches) launch vehicles.
Top 10 Launch Vehicles in 1988 by total launch count
By RocketLaunch.org
Launches by Launch Sites in 1988
Rockets launched from 13 Launch Sites in 1988. The most active launch sites were Plesetsk Cosmodrome (48 launches), Baikonur Cosmodrome (46 launches) and Vandenberg SFB (7 launches).
Top 10 Launch Sites in 1988
By RocketLaunch.org
Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 1988
In 1988, 19 humans from 5 nations were launched into space, including the United States (10 astronauts), Russia (6 astronauts) and Bulgaria (1 astronaut).
Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 1988
By RocketLaunch.org
Where we launched to in 1988
We launched off to 4 different locations beyond earth in 1988 (including flybys). Most launches were to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) (89 launches), Geostationary Orbit (GEO) (20 launches) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) (4 launches).
Top Launch Destinations in 1988
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.
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