2017 Rocket Launch Recap

Our roundup of all the launches that happened in 2017, 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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Total Launches

Successful Launches

Failed Launches

90.72%

Success Rate

Humans launched to space

Notable 2017 Achievements

♻️ First reuse of an orbital rocket

♻️ First controlled flyback and recovery of a payload fairing

♻️ First re-flight of a commercial cargo spacecraft

🪐 First spacecraft to enter the atmosphere of Saturn

🗿 First known interstellar object detected crossing the Solar System

How 2017 Compares to Previous Years

There were 88 successful launch attempts in 2017 and 9 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 2017

In 2017, companies and agencies from 7 Nations attempted launches, including the United States (38 launches), China (18 launches) and Russia (15 launches).

Total Rocket Launches by Nation in 2017

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Service Providers in 2017

20 Launch Service Providers completed launches in 2017, including SpaceX (18 launches), CASC (17 launches) and Arianespace (11 launches).

Top 10 Space Launch Service Providers in 2017 by total launch count

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Vehicle in 2017

39 different Launch Vehicles launched off in 2017. The top 3 were the Falcon 9 (18 launches), Ariane 5 (6 launches) and Long March 3B (5 launches) launch vehicles.

Top 10 Launch Vehicles in 2017 by total launch count

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Sites in 2017

Rockets launched from 20 Launch Sites in 2017. The most active launch sites were Baikonur Cosmodrome (13 launches), Kennedy Space Center (12 launches) and Guiana Space Centre (11 launches).

Top 10 Launch Sites in 2017

By RocketLaunch.org

Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 2017

In 2017, 15 humans from 5 nations were launched into space, including the United States (8 astronauts), Russia (4 astronauts) and Italy (1 astronaut).

Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 2017

By RocketLaunch.org

Where we launched to in 2017

We launched off to 4 different locations beyond earth in 2017 (including flybys). Most launches were to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) (49 launches), Geostationary Orbit (GEO) (35 launches) and Suborbital (6 launches).