1998 Rocket Launch Recap

Our roundup of all the launches that happened in 1998, 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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82

Total Launches

77

Successful Launches

5

Failed Launches

93.90%

Success Rate

39

Humans launched to space

Notable 1998 Achievements

🛰️ International Space Station launched

How 1998 Compares to Previous Years

There were 77 successful launch attempts in 1998 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 1998

In 1998, companies and agencies from 7 Nations attempted launches, including the United States (36 launches), Russia (25 launches) and Europe (11 launches).

Total Rocket Launches by Nation in 1998

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Service Providers in 1998

18 Launch Service Providers completed launches in 1998, including United States Air Force (16 launches), ROSCOSMOS (10 launches) and Arianespace (10 launches).

Top 10 Space Launch Service Providers in 1998 by total launch count

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Vehicle in 1998

38 different Launch Vehicles launched off in 1998. The top 3 were the Ariane 4 (10 launches), Soyuz U (8 launches) and Delta II 7920-10C (5 launches) launch vehicles.

Top 10 Launch Vehicles in 1998 by total launch count

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Sites in 1998

Rockets launched from 14 Launch Sites in 1998. The most active launch sites were Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (18 launches), Baikonur Cosmodrome (17 launches) and Vandenberg SFB (11 launches).

Top 10 Launch Sites in 1998

By RocketLaunch.org

Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 1998

In 1998, 39 humans from 8 nations were launched into space, including the United States (27 astronauts), Russia (6 astronauts) and Kazakhstan (1 astronaut).

Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 1998

By RocketLaunch.org

Where we launched to in 1998

We launched off to 6 different locations beyond earth in 1998 (including flybys). Most launches were to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) (40 launches), Geostationary Orbit (GEO) (28 launches) and Solar and Heliocentric Orbit (2 launches).

Top Launch Destinations in 1998

By RocketLaunch.org

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