Russia
Spacecraft Deployments Grew 23% in 2023 Despite Broadband Cooldown
![dia’s first successful lunar lander, Chandrayaan-3, sits in a facility before launch. Even though commercial satellites made up the majority of deployments in 2023, civil government payloads increased most rapidly, growing 74% year-over-year. Credit: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-18-at-9.39.37-AM-150x150.png)
![dia’s first successful lunar lander, Chandrayaan-3, sits in a facility before launch. Even though commercial satellites made up the majority of deployments in 2023, civil government payloads increased most rapidly, growing 74% year-over-year. Credit: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-18-at-9.39.37-AM.png)
With record launches for the third year running, it’s no surprise that the number of payloads reaching orbit is also skyrocketing. Spacecraft deployed in 2023 grew 23% to 2,891, bringing approximately 1.4 million kg of equipment to space.
Up to 14 Large Rockets and Tiny Competitors Are Poised for Launch in 2024
![ULA’s Vulcan has completed a series of tests ahead of a planned January flight.” with the launch now successful, change to “ULA’s Vulcan completed a series of tests ahead of its successful January flight. Credit: ULA](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-18-at-9.30.59-AM-150x150.png)
![ULA’s Vulcan has completed a series of tests ahead of a planned January flight.” with the launch now successful, change to “ULA’s Vulcan completed a series of tests ahead of its successful January flight. Credit: ULA](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-18-at-9.30.59-AM.png)
Space leaders in 2023 pondered a lack of launch vehicles to lift anticipated swarms of satellites to orbit. But 2024 could bring relief.
Led by Sharp Uptick in Commercial Demand and U.S. Space Launches, All-time Records Topple for Attempts and Successful Space Flights in 2023
![A Soyuz rocket lifts off in one of Russia’s 19 launches of 2023. Russia maintained its third-place rank among spacefaring nations. Credit: Roscosmos](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-18-at-9.25.07-AM-150x150.png)
![A Soyuz rocket lifts off in one of Russia’s 19 launches of 2023. Russia maintained its third-place rank among spacefaring nations. Credit: Roscosmos](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-18-at-9.25.07-AM.png)
In what was the busiest year of the Space Age, 2023 set records with 223 launch attempts and 212 successful launches. A sharp uptick in commercial space launches drove much of the increase, with the highest number of launches coming from the United States.
Celebrating 60 years of women in space
![Women in Space Tereshkova](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Women-in-Space-Tereshkova-150x150.jpg)
![Women in Space Tereshkova](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Women-in-Space-Tereshkova-1024x637.jpg)
June 16 marks the 60th anniversary of Valentina Tereshkova’s historic launch to orbit, where she became the first woman to reach space. She orbited Earth 48 times during the three-day Vostok 6 mission.
Active Launch Vehicle Operators by Type, 2000-2022
![](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Active-Launch-Vehicle-Operators-by-Type-2000-2022_screenshot-150x150.jpg)
![](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Active-Launch-Vehicle-Operators-by-Type-2000-2022_screenshot.jpg)
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.
SNAPSHOT: Launch Vehicle Operators
![](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Active-Launch-Vehicle-Operators-by-Type-2000-2022-150x150.jpg)
![](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Active-Launch-Vehicle-Operators-by-Type-2000-2022.jpg)
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 . . .
Commercial Space Stations Steadily Make Progress, Begin Preliminary Tests
![](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/A-subscale-model-of-Sierra-Spaces-LIFE-habitat-is-inflated-before-the-third-burst-test-was-completed-on-Jan.-31-2023.-150x150.jpg)
![](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/A-subscale-model-of-Sierra-Spaces-LIFE-habitat-is-inflated-before-the-third-burst-test-was-completed-on-Jan.-31-2023..jpg)
As the International Space Station (ISS) nears the end of its life and the U.S. celebrates the 50th anniversary of Skylab, its first space station, the commercial sector is hard at work designing the next generation of space stations in low Earth orbit (LEO).
Launch Attempts by Top Operators, 2000-2022
![](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Launch-Attempts-by-Top-Operators-2000-2022_screenshot-150x150.jpg)
![](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Launch-Attempts-by-Top-Operators-2000-2022_screenshot.jpg)
Two of the top three launch operators — CNSA and SpaceX — have contributed to overall launch activity growth by exponentially increasing their pace, while the third — Roscosmos — decreased its annual launches by 42% from 2000 to 2022.
Space Force Budget by Category, 2021-2023
![](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Space-Force-Budget-by-Category-2021-150x150.jpg)
![](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Space-Force-Budget-by-Category-2021.jpg)
In recent years, space has reestablished itself as an important component of defense strategy alongside the establishment of the Space Force and large budget increases for space programs. The Space Force received $1.7 billion more than originally requested for fiscal year 2023, resulting in $7.1 billion (39%) more than the enacted 2022 budget.
Per Nation Mass Share of an Estimated 973,000 KG, 2022
![](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Per-Nation-Mass-Share-of-an-Estimated-973000-KG-2022-150x150.jpg)
![](https://www.thespacereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Per-Nation-Mass-Share-of-an-Estimated-973000-KG-2022.jpg)
Operators deployed ~421 spacecraft with a mass of 200 kg or less, 18% of all deployed spacecraft in 2022. SpaceX’s Starlink satellites comprised over half the spacecraft mass deployed in 2022. The company’s Starlink deployments added up to 518,523 kg, nearly double the 257,140 kg it deployed in 2021. The largest spacecraft deployed during 2022 was Lockheed Martin’s Orion space capsule (25,848 kg), deployed during NASA’s first Artemis/Space Launch System launch.