2008 Rocket Launch Recap
Our roundup of all the launches that happened in 2008, along with key stats, trends and info. You can learn more about our data, and how we present it here.
Include notable suborbital launches
69
Total Launches
66
Successful Launches
3
Failed Launches
95.65%
Success Rate
37
Humans launched to space
Notable 2008 Achievements
How 2008 Compares to Previous Years
There were 66 successful launch attempts in 2008 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 2008
In 2008, companies and agencies from 7 Nations attempted launches, including Russia (32 launches), the United States (15 launches) and China (11 launches).
Total Rocket Launches by Nation in 2008
By RocketLaunch.org
Launches by Launch Service Providers in 2008
16 Launch Service Providers completed launches in 2008, including CASC (11 launches), Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center (10 launches) and ROSCOSMOS (7 launches).
Top 10 Space Launch Service Providers in 2008 by total launch count
By RocketLaunch.org
Launches by Launch Vehicle in 2008
34 different Launch Vehicles launched off in 2008. The top 3 were the Proton-M Briz-M (6 launches), Ariane 5 (6 launches) and Zenit 3SL (5 launches) launch vehicles.
Top 10 Launch Vehicles in 2008 by total launch count
By RocketLaunch.org
Launches by Launch Sites in 2008
Rockets launched from 16 Launch Sites in 2008. The most active launch sites were Baikonur Cosmodrome (19 launches), Plesetsk Cosmodrome (6 launches) and Guiana Space Centre (6 launches).
Top 10 Launch Sites in 2008
By RocketLaunch.org
Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 2008
In 2008, 37 humans from 8 nations were launched into space, including the United States (25 astronauts), Russia (3 astronauts) and China (3 astronauts).
Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 2008
By RocketLaunch.org
Where we launched to in 2008
We launched off to 3 different locations beyond earth in 2008 (including flybys). Most launches were to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) (34 launches), Geostationary Orbit (GEO) (25 launches) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) (4 launches).
Top Launch Destinations in 2008
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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