1989 Rocket Launch Recap

Our roundup of all the launches that happened in 1989, 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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102

Total Launches

100

Successful Launches

2

Failed Launches

98.04%

Success Rate

26

Humans launched to space

Notable 1989 Achievements

🪐 First flyby of Neptune

How 1989 Compares to Previous Years

There were 100 successful launch attempts in 1989 and 2 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 1989

In 1989, companies and agencies from 4 Nations attempted launches, including Russia (75 launches), the United States (18 launches) and Europe (7 launches).

Total Rocket Launches by Nation in 1989

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Service Providers in 1989

6 Launch Service Providers completed launches in 1989, including Soviet Space Program (75 launches), United States Air Force (13 launches) and Arianespace (7 launches).

Top Space Launch Service Providers in 1989 by total launch count

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Vehicle in 1989

22 different Launch Vehicles launched off in 1989. The top 3 were the Soyuz U (38 launches), Kosmos-3M (11K65M) (9 launches) and Proton K/DM-2 (9 launches) launch vehicles.

Top 10 Launch Vehicles in 1989 by total launch count

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Sites in 1989

Rockets launched from 8 Launch Sites in 1989. The most active launch sites were Plesetsk Cosmodrome (46 launches), Baikonur Cosmodrome (29 launches) and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (11 launches).

Top Launch Sites in 1989

By RocketLaunch.org

Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 1989

In 1989, 26 humans from 2 nations were launched into space. These nations were the United States (24 astronauts) and Russia (2 astronauts).

Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 1989

By RocketLaunch.org

Where we launched to in 1989

We launched off to 5 different locations beyond earth in 1989 (including flybys). Most launches were to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) (69 launches), Geostationary Orbit (GEO) (19 launches) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) (8 launches).

Top Launch Destinations in 1989

By RocketLaunch.org

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