North Korea
Total launches by nation, 2024
The United States saw an unprecedented 154 launches on the year. China came in second with a record 68 launches. A continued slump in space launches from Russia.
SNAPSHOT: Space Force improves detection for hypersonic missiles
As the United States develops hypersonic capabilities, the Space Force is working to better detect enemy weapons, which combine maneuverability, speed, and stealth to hit targets with little warning.
Military launches by nation, 2023
During the first half of 2024, China and the United States each launched five military missions to orbit. The Ukraine war, in its third year, continued to demonstrate the utility of satellites for intelligence, targeting and communication.
2024 launch pace easily exceeds 2023’s record midyear mark
Global launches through June 30 were up nearly 30% from 2023, easily eclipsing last year’s record 97 first half launches with 126. Launch failures also fell in the first half of 2024 despite the higher launch activity. The pace is expected to accelerate through the second half of 2024, with key launch vehicles set for first flights.
Active Launch Vehicle Operators by Type, 2000-2022
Orbital launch attempts have more than tripled since a lull in activity in the early 2000s bottomed out at 55 attempts in 2004. Part of the rapid growth in the past few years is due to a sharp increase in launch vehicle operators after a long period with an average just shy of 10 distinct operators per year.
2016 TSRQ1 – Space Products & Innovation
As humans continue to explore space, their ingenuity brings the technology used for space operations and exploration down to Earth. Whether leading sport-fishermen to a favorite fishing hole, or helping farmers predict crop yields, space products and services continue to make things convenient for humans and help them survive during turbulent times.
Satellite Imagery Analysis Ready For Business
Imagery intelligence is becoming more available to the public, as services such as Allsource Analysis gained attention in the news. In October 2014, the Longmont, Colorado, company wrote a comprehensive summary in which it identified a new kind of North Korean submarine in port during its monitoring of North Korean political prisoner camps.
2014 – Spaceports Overview
Space launch vehicles and their payloads are prepared and subsequently launched or deployed from facilities called spaceports. The scale of spaceports varies widely, whether measuring the area they cover or the activities they host.
2013 – Military Reconnaissance
Military-specific observation satellites can be used for reconnaissance or other intelligence-gathering purposes. The capabilities of remote sensing satellites can sometimes obscure whether or not they are being used for civilian or military applications.
2013 – Spaceports Overview
Spaceports are the facilities where launch vehicles and their payloads are prepared and subsequently launched. Spaceports vary widely in scale. They range from the relatively austere Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska, which typically conducts only one launch every year or two from its one pad, to a sprawling facility such as Baikonur, which covers thousands of square kilometers and conducts about one-third of all global launches per year, lifting off from more operational launch pads than are found in any other spaceport.