Launch

Payload Launch


2009 – U.S. Launch and Payload – Snapshot

 Seven different American-operated launch vehicle families performed ## orbital launches in 2009: the Atlas V, Delta II, Delta IV, Falcon 1, Minotaur I, Space Shuttle, and Taurus XL. These vehicles are capable of placing payloads into orbit, ranging from small satellites to major elements of the International Space Station (ISS). 

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Commercial Satellite and Launch Forecasts

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2008 – Sounding Rockets

The primary advantages of sounding rockets are their low cost, comparative ease of transport, ability to be launched from locations on land or sea, and relatively short turnaround times between mission concept and launch. These characteristics make sounding rockets a frequent choice of university science programs and research institutes that require less expensive access to space, enabling space-based experiments that might not otherwise receive funding.

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2008 – Other Countries, Launch, Payload

The Brazilian Space Agency has sporadically continued development of its proposed Veículo Lançador de Satélites (VLS) booster, designed to launch from the country’s Alcântara spaceport near the equator. Brazil hopes to perform further tests featuring a mockup rocket in 2010. Possibly as early as 2009, Brazil is expected to begin launching Ukrainian-built rockets under a joint venture between the two countries formalized in 2007.[

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2008 – India Launch, Payload

India conducted ## orbital launches in 2008, all aboard its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). In addition to the PSLV, India operates a second vehicle, the larger Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).

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2008 – Japan Launch, Payload

Japan, after conducting a high of ## orbital launches in 2006, performed ## orbital ## in 2008. Japan is developing an enhanced version of its H-II vehicle, the H-IIB, designed to carry the cargo-supply H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) as a payload to the ISS. The HTV is scheduled for launch in September 2009 and is to be the largest payload the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has ever deployed.

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2008 – Europe Launch, Payload

Europe’s Ariane 5 is operated by the French company Arianespace for both government and commercial use. Since 2005, the Ariane 5 has consistently performed ## or ## launches per year, deploying a mix of commercial and government satellites to GEO. In 2008, the Ariane 5 conducted ## launches, ## of which deployed ESA’s Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV).

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2008 – China Launch, Payload

China’s increasing participation in space continued in 2008 with the record high of ## orbital launches, exceeding its previous peak of ## orbital launches in 2007. These launches used China’s only operational vehicle family, the Long March (“Chang Zheng”, or CZ) series.

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2008 – Russia Launch, Payload

In each of the past five years from 2004 through 2008, Russia has led the world in the number of orbital launches. In 2008, Russia matched its 2007 launch rate, conducting ## orbital launches. Consistent with years past, nearly two-thirds of Russia’s 2008 launches used one of two vehicles, the Proton and Soyuz. Other Russian vehicles active in 2008 included the Dnepr, Kosmos 3M, Molniya, Rockot, and the Soyuz 2.

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