Skip to Search Skip to Left Navigation U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) - Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) - United States Department of Transportation (USDOT, US DOT or DOT)
  ABOUT RITA | CONTACT US | PRESS ROOM | CAREERS | SITE MAP
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Data and Statistics
Bookstore
Programs
About BTS
Upcoming Press Releases
External Links
Intelligent Transportation Systems
National Transportation Library
Research, Development and Technology
Transportation Safety Institute
University Transportation Centers
Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
Printable Version

Table 1-54. Worldwide Commercial Space Launches

Excel | CSV

  1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Total 1990-99
United States                      
Athena 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 4
Atlas 0 2 3 1 3 5 6 6 3 3 32
Conestoga 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Delta 4 4 3 1 1 1 2 7 11 5 39
Pegasus 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 3 1 8
Taurus 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Titan 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Total 7 6 6 3 4 8 8 16 17 13 88
Europe                      
Ariane 4 5 6 6 6 8 8 9 11 9 8 76
Total 5 6 6 6 8 8 9 11 9 8 76
Russia                      
Cosmos 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Dnepr 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Proton 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 6 4 5 17
Shtil 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
Soyuz 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 6
Start 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 5 13 27
Ukraine                      
Zenit 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
China                      
Long March 2C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 6
Long March 2E 0 0 2 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 6
Long March 3 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3
Long March 3B 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 3
Total 1 0 2 0 2 3 2 3 4 1 18
Sea Launcha                      
Zenit 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
TOTAL space launches 13 12 14 9 14 19 21 37 36 36 211

a Sea Launch is an international venture involving organizations in four countries and uses its own launch facility outside national borders. Their first commercial launch, in 1999, was licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration.

NOTES: A commercial launch is a launch that is internationally competed, i.e., available in principle to international  launch providers, or whose primary payload is commercial in nature. Data are for orbital launches only.

SOURCES: 1990-98: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Associate Administrator for Commercial  Space Transportation, personal communication, Feb. 25, 1999. 1999: Ibid., Commercial Space Transportation: 1999 Year in Review (Washington, DC: Jan. 2000), Internet site http://ast.faa.gov/launch_info/ as of Apr. 12, 2000, tables 1 and 4 (with supporting text).