2003 Rocket Launch Recap

Our roundup of all the launches that happened in 2003, 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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63

Total Launches

60

Successful Launches

3

Failed Launches

95.24%

Success Rate

13

Humans launched to space

How 2003 Compares to Previous Years

There were 60 successful launch attempts in 2003 and 3 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 2003

In 2003, companies and agencies from 6 Nations attempted launches, including the United States (23 launches), Russia (22 launches) and China (7 launches).

Total Rocket Launches by Nation in 2003

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Service Providers in 2003

15 Launch Service Providers completed launches in 2003, including United States Air Force (13 launches), ROSCOSMOS (8 launches) and CASC (7 launches).

Top 10 Space Launch Service Providers in 2003 by total launch count

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Vehicle in 2003

35 different Launch Vehicles launched off in 2003. The top 3 were the Soyuz U (4 launches), Pegasus XL (4 launches) and Delta II 7925-9.5 (4 launches) launch vehicles.

Top 10 Launch Vehicles in 2003 by total launch count

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Sites in 2003

Rockets launched from 13 Launch Sites in 2003. The most active launch sites were Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (16 launches), Baikonur Cosmodrome (14 launches) and Plesetsk Cosmodrome (7 launches).

Top 10 Launch Sites in 2003

By RocketLaunch.org

Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 2003

In 2003, 13 humans from 5 nations were launched into space, including the United States (8 astronauts), Russia (2 astronauts) and China (1 astronaut).

Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 2003

By RocketLaunch.org

Where we launched to in 2003

We launched off to 6 different locations beyond earth in 2003 (including flybys). Most launches were to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) (25 launches), Geostationary Orbit (GEO) (21 launches) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) (4 launches).

Top Launch Destinations in 2003

By RocketLaunch.org

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