World Conducted 126 Orbital Launches During First 9 Months (+ 1 Day) of 2022 (Image Credit: Payload)
The world has conducted 126 launches through Oct. 1, with 122 successes and four failures, in what is shaping up to be a record year for orbital flights.
U.S. companies led by SpaceX have accounted for 63 launches, or 50 percent of the global total. China is in second place with 42 launches. The United States and China account for 105 launches, or 83.33 percent of all orbital attempts in 2022.
Orbital Launches by Nation
Jan. 1 – Oct. 1 2022
| Nation | Successes | Failures | Total | Percentage of Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 61 | 2 | 63 | 50 | Includes Rocket Lab Electron launches from New Zealand; 2 Crew Dragon and 1 Cargo Dragon flights to ISS; CST-100 Starliner flight to ISS: first successful launch of Alpha; final flight of Rocket 3.3 (failure) |
| China | 41 | 1 | 42 | 33.33 | Crew, cargo and module launches to space station; Reusable Experimental Spacecraft flight; successful maiden flights of Long March 6A and ZK-1A boosters |
| Russia | 13 | 0 | 13 | 10.3 | Includes 1 Soyuz ST-B launch from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana conducted by Arianespace; 2 Soyuz crew and 2 Progress cargo launches to ISS; successful maiden flight of Angara 1.2 |
| Europe | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2.4 | Successful Vega-C maiden flight, 2 Ariane 5 launches |
| India | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2.4 | 2 Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, Small Satellite Launch Vehicle maiden flight (failure) |
| Iran | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.8 | Qased launch vehicle |
| South Korea | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.8 | First successful launch of domestically produced orbital launch vehicle (Nuri); rocket failed in maiden flight in 2021 |
| TOTAL | 122 | 4 | 126 | 100 |
Russia has launched 13 times, or 10.3 percent of global flights. Europe and India have launched three times apiece, and Iran and South Korea once each.
Japan has yet to launch this year. The nation is scheduled to launch an Epsilon rocket with eight satellites aboard on Thursday, Oct. 6 from Uchinoura Space Center.
International Space Station
ISS operations continued normally despite tensions among the partners over the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February, and repeated threats by Roscosmos to leave the program over sanctions imposed by the West.
Russia launched two three-member Soyuz crew and two Progress resupply ships to the space station. SpaceX launched two four-member crews and a cargo ship. Boeing completed an uncrewed flight test of its CST-100 spacecraft. Northrop Grumman launched a Cygnus resupply ship to the station.
International Space Station Launches & Departures
Jan. 1 – Oct. 1 2022
| Date | Launch Vehicle | Spacecraft | Purpose | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 24, 2022 | — | Cargo Dragon 2 | Capsule return (launched Dec. 21, 2021) | None |
| Feb. 15, 2022 | Soyuz-2.1a | Progress MS-19 (80P) | Resupply launch | None |
| Feb. 19, 2022 | Antares | Cygnus NG-17 | Resupply launch | None |
| March 18, 2022 | Soyuz-2.1a | Soyuz MS-21 | Crew launch | Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev, Sergey Korsakov |
| March 30, 2022 | — | Soyuz MS-19 | crew return | Anton Shkoplerov, Pyotr Dubrov, Mark Vande Hei |
| April 8, 2022 | Falcon 9 | Crew Dragon | Axiom Mission-1 launch | Michael Lopez Alegria, Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, Eytan Stibbe |
| April 25, 2022 | — | Crew Dragon | Axiom Mission-1 return | Michael Lopez Alegria, Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, Eytan Stibbe |
| April 27, 2022 | Falcon 9 | Crew Dragon | Crew-4 launch | Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, Samantha Christoferetti |
| May 6, 2022 | — | Crew Dragon | Crew-3 return (launched Nov 11, 2021) | Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, Matthias Mauer, Kayla Barron |
| May 19, 2022 | Atlas V | CST-100 Starliner | Uncrewed flight test | None |
| May 25, 2022 | — | CST-100 Starliner | Capsule return | None |
| June 1, 2022 | — | Progress MS-18 | Capsule departure (launched Oct. 28, 2021) | None |
| June 3, 2022 | Soyuz-2.1a | Progress MS-20 | Resupply launch | None |
| June 29, 2022 | — | Cygnus NG-17 | Resupply ship departure | None |
| July 15, 2022 | Falcon 9 | Cargo Dragon CRS-25 | Resupply | None |
| Sept. 19, 2022 | Soyuz-2.1a | Soyuz MS-22 | Crew launch | Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitri Petelin, Frank Rubio |
| Sept. 29, 2022 | — | Soyuz MS-21 | Crew return | Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev, Sergey Korsakov |
The first fully private crewed flight to the space station was launched aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon on April 8. Former NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria commanded the Ax-1 mission with three paying customers: American Larry Connor, Canadian Mark Pathy and Israeli Eytan Stibbe. The three men reportedly paid $55 million apiece for their flights.
The Ax-1 astronauts conducted a series of experiments and educational projects during their nearly 17-day mission, which ended on April 25. It was the second private mission launched by SpaceX following the Inspiration4 flight during which four individuals spent three days in Earth orbit aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft in September 2021.
Chinese Space Station
The Shenzhou-13 crew of Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu ended a 6-month mission aboard China’s Tiangong space station in April. The Tianzhou-4 resupply ship was launched the following month.
China launched a new three-member crew of Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe on June 5. The Shenzhou-14 taikonauts are the third crew to occupy China’s first permanent space station, and the second one scheduled for a six-month mission. The first three taikonauts to occupy the station last year stayed for three months.
Tiangong Launches and Return Flights
Jan. 1 – Oct. 1 2022
| Date | Launch Vehicle | Launch Site | Spacecraft | Purpose | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 16, 2022 | Long March 2F | Jiuquan | Shenzhou-13 | Crew return | Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, Ye Guangfu (launched Oct. 15, 2021) |
| May 9, 2022 | Long March 7 | Wenchang | Tianzhou-4 | Resupply launch | None |
| June 5, 2022 | Long March 2F | Jiuquan | Shenzhou-14 | Crew launch | Chen Dong, Liu Yang, Cai Xuzhe |
| July 24, 2022 | Long March 5B | Wenchang | Wentian | Station module launch | None |
The Shenzhou-14 taikonauts will oversee the initial assembly of the space station during their mission. The 23-metric ton Wentian module was launched on July 24, docking with the station early the next day after a 13-hour flight.
The 17.9 meter long module includes laboratory equipment for life sciences, biotechnology and variable gravity experiments. The module also has 22 external mounting devices that will allow for the attachment of unpressurized experiments. Wentian features a robotic arm that is half the size as the one mounted on the outside of the Tianhe core module.
Wentian includes three sleeping berths, a kitchen and a toilet to accommodate the expansion of the station’s full-time complement from three to six taikonauts. The module will provide additional propulsion, control and avionics to back up the Tianhe core. Wentian is powered by two solar panels.
China will launch the Mengtian laboratory module within the next month to complete initial assembly of the space station. Mengtian is similar in size and design to Wentian.
Orbital Launches by Company
SpaceX has ruled the roost this year with 43 launches of its partially reusable Falcon 9 booster. Twenty-nine launches were dedicated to the orbiting 1,455 satellites for the company’s Starlink broadband constellation. Three Transporter rideshare missions carried 204 payloads, including 10 Starlink spacecraft.
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation is a close second with 35 Long March launches. CASC and SpaceX have combined for 78 launches, or 61.9 percent of total launches worldwide.
Orbital Launches by Company/Agency
Jan. 1 – Oct. 1 2022
| Company/ Organization | Nation | Successes | Failures | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpaceX | United States | 43 | 0 | 43 |
| China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) | China | 35 | 0 | 35 |
| Rocket Lab | United States | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation (RVSN SF) | Russia | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| United Launch Alliance (ULA) | United States | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Roscosmos | Russia | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| ExPace | China | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Arianespace | Europe | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) | India | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Astra Space | United States | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Virgin Orbit | United States | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Northrop Grumman | United States | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| CAS Space | China | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Firefly Aerospace | United States | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Galactic Energy | China | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) | South Korea | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Russian Aerospace Force (VKS) | Russia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps | Iran | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| i-Space | China | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 122 | 4 | 126 |
The table falls off precipitously from there, with every other launch provider in single digits. Rocket Lab leads the rest with seven successful Electron launches, a new record for the company in a calendar year.
New Launch Vehicles Debut
Four launch vehicles — Russia’s Angara-1.2, Europe’s Vega-C, and China’s Long March 6A and ZK-1A (Lijian-1) — made successful maiden flights this year. Vega-C and Long March 6A are significantly upgraded versions of the Vega and Long March 6 boosters.
Launches of New Boosters
Jan. 1 – Oct. 1 2022
| Date | Launch Vehicle | Launch Provider | Launch Site | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 29, 2022 | Long March 6A | CASC (China) | Taiyuan (China) | Successful maiden launch. Upgraded Long March 6 with two first stage engines and four solid-rocket boosters |
| April 29, 2022 | Angara-1.2 | Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation (RVSN RF) | Plesestk (Russia) | Successful maiden orbital launch; suborbital test conducted in 2014 |
| June 21, 2022 | Nuri (KSLV-II) | KARI (South Korea) | Naro (South Korea) | Successful on second launch; maiden flight failed in 2021 |
| July 13, 2022 | Vega C | Arianespace (Europe) | Europe’s Spaceport (French Guiana) | Successful maiden flight; upgraded version of Vega booster with 50% more payload capacity |
| July 27, 2022 | ZK-1A (Lijian-1) | CAS Space (China) | Jiuquan (China) | Successful maiden flight; commercial spinoff of Chinese Academy of Sciences |
| Aug. 7, 2022 | Small Satellite Launch Vehicle | ISRO (India) | Satish Dhawan (India) | Failure; fourth stage failed to fire |
| Oct. 1, 2022 | Alpha | Firefly Aerospace (USA) | Vandenberg (USA) | Successful on second launch; maiden flight failed in 2021 |
Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha and South Korea’s Nuri rockets succeeded on their second launches after suffering catastrophic failures during maiden flights in 2021.
India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle failed during its maiden launch when the booster’s fourth stage failed to fire. The first three stages performed nominally.
Launches by Location
Florida has hosted 41 orbital launches this year, making it the busiest location in the world. Twenty-eight launches have been conducted from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with 13 more from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Thirteen launches have originated from California, including 11 from Vandenberg and two from the Mojave Air and Space Port. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia and Pacific Spaceport Complex — Alaska have each hosted one launch apiece.
Rocket Lab, which is an American company, launched Electron boosters seven times from Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand.
Launches by Location
Jan. 1 – Oct. 1 2022
| Launch Site | Country | Successes | Failures | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Canaveral | United States | 26 | 2 | 28 |
| Jiuquan | China | 16 | 1 | 17 |
| Kennedy | United States | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Vandenberg | United States | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Taiyuan | China | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Xichang | China | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Plesetsk | Russia | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Mahia | New Zealand | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Baikonur | Kazakhstan | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Europe’s Spaceport | French Guiana | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Wenchang | China | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Satish Dhawan | India | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Mojave Air and Space Port | United States | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Tai Rui Launch Platform, East China Sea | China | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport | United States | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Naro Space Center | South Korea | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Pacific Spaceport Complex — Alaska | United States | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Shahrud Missile Test Site | Iran | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 122 | 4 | 126 |
China’s 42 launches have been divided between Jiuquan (17), Taiyuan (10), Xichang (10), Wenchang (4) and a platform in the East China Sea (1).
There have been seven launches from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia and five launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. A Russian Soyuz ST-B rocket was launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. There have been no launches this year from the new Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East.
Europe’s Spaceport has experienced a relatively quiet year with only four launches to date. Three launches have been conducted from India’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
South Korea’s Naro Space Center and Iran’s Shahrud Missile Test Site have each hosted one launch apiece.
