Infrastructure
Launch
2015 – U.S. Spaceports – Snapshot
In the United States and its territories, 42% of the spaceports have active launch site operator licenses granted by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The remaining 58% of U.S. spaceports are either proposed, in development, or government-operated. Of the 24 current and future spaceports, 14 were used to conduct orbital or suborbital launches in 2015.
2015 – Sounding Rockets – Snapshot
NASA’s Sounding Rockets Program Office (SRPO) launches sounding rockets from locations such as Andøya, Norway; Esrange, Sweden; Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands; Poker Flats, Alaska; White Sands, New Mexico; and Wallops Island, Virginia. The suborbital nature of the sounding rockets makes them ideal platforms to conduct short near-Earth space science, astrophysics, and heliophysics experiments, as well as for testing new sensors and other burgeoning space technologies. SRPO arranges workshops with primary and secondary school teachers and provides internships to university students to familiarize them with engineering and science disciplines.
2015 – U.S. Suborbital – Snapshot
NASA’s efforts with its Commercial Crew Program and Space Launch System primarily focus on launching humans into Earth orbit and beyond. However, other organizations and companies are pursuing the goal of reusable suborbital launch vehicles for humans.
2015 – Annual Launch Activity – Snapshot
With a total of 86 orbital launch attempts worldwide, 2015 fell slightly short of 2014’s record of 92. A slight dip in launch activity growth trend was observed, with three failures out of 86 launch attempts.
2015 – Orbital Launch Reports and Forecasts – Snapshot
The activities of three nations were responsible for nearly 76% of all of the world’s orbital SLV launches in 2015. Russia alone carried out 30% of the global orbital space launches, followed by the United States with a little more than 23%, and China with 22%. Compared to 2014, the number of orbital payload launches in 2015 dropped by six to 86.
2015 – Orbital Human Space Launch – Snapshot
In 2015, Russia was the only nation conducting flights of humans to space and back. While countries such as the United States and China continued with plans for their own human spaceflight programs…
2015 – Indian Spaceports – Snapshot
During 2015, the Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC), located in India’s Sriharikota Range, was India’s only spaceport supporting orbital space vehicle launches. The…
2015 – Japanese Spaceports – Snapshot
Of Japan’s two spaceports, Tanegashima and Uchinoura Space Centers, Tanegashima was the only spaceport conducting orbital space launch vehicle launches in 2015. Uchinoura…
2015 – Europe Launch, Payload
Europe’s share of global orbital launches grew by 1% in 2015—from nearly 12% in 2014 to nearly 13% in 2015—although the number of launches conducted by the European coalition remained the same. The one European orbital spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, conducted all 11 orbital SLV launches in 2015.
2015 – India Launch, Payload
2015 was a record year for India, increasing the number of launches the country conducted to an unprecedented high. India carried out nearly 6% of global orbital launch activity in 2015. The country’s five launches beat out the previous year’s record of four. India’s launch rate during the 20 years prior to 2015 averaged 1.7 SLV launches per year. There were no Indian launch failures during 2015.