2021 Rocket Launch Recap

Our roundup of all the launches that happened in 2021, 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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160

Total Launches

146

Successful Launches

Failed Launches

91.25%

Success Rate

Humans launched to space

Notable 2021 Achievements

🚁 First aircraft flight on another celestial body (Mars)

🪐 First in situ resource utilization (production of oxygen on Mars)

♻️ First reuse of a crewed space capsule

🚀 First orbital launch of an all-private crew

🌞 First spacecraft to fly through the atmosphere of a star

🔭 James Webb Space Telescope launched

How 2021 Compares to Previous Years

There were 146 successful launch attempts in 2021 and 14 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 2021

In 2021, companies and agencies from 9 Nations attempted launches, including the United States (63 launches), China (55 launches) and Russia (16 launches).

Total Rocket Launches by Nation in 2021

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Service Providers in 2021

26 Launch Service Providers completed launches in 2021, including CASC (48 launches), SpaceX (35 launches) and Arianespace (15 launches).

Top 10 Space Launch Service Providers in 2021 by total launch count

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Vehicle in 2021

45 different Launch Vehicles launched off in 2021. The top 3 were the Falcon 9 (31 launches), Soyuz 2.1b (14 launches) and Long March 3B (11 launches) launch vehicles.

Top 10 Launch Vehicles in 2021 by total launch count

By RocketLaunch.org

Launches by Launch Sites in 2021

Rockets launched from 25 Launch Sites in 2021. The most active launch sites were Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (22 launches), Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (19 launches) and Xichang Satellite Launch Center (16 launches).

Top 10 Launch Sites in 2021

By RocketLaunch.org

Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 2021

In 2021, 48 humans from 10 nations were launched into space, including the United States (26 astronauts), Russia (6 astronauts) and China (6 astronauts).

Astronauts Launched by Nationality in 2021

By RocketLaunch.org

Where we launched to in 2021

We launched off to 6 different locations beyond earth in 2021 (including flybys). Most launches were to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) (109 launches), Geostationary Orbit (GEO) (26 launches) and Suborbital (15 launches).