This is a timeline of first orbital launches by country. While a number of countries have built
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioiso ...
s, as of 2022, eleven
countries
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state (polity), state, nation, or other polity, political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, so ...
have had the capability to send objects into
orbit
In celestial mechanics, an orbit is the curved trajectory of an object such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an artificial satellite around an object or position in space such as ...
using their own
launch vehicle
A launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket designed to carry a payload ( spacecraft or satellites) from the Earth's surface to outer space. Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pads, supported by a launch control center and sys ...
s.
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
and
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
inherited the space launchers and satellites capability from the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
, following its
dissolution in 1991. Russia launches its rockets from its own and foreign (
Kazakh)
spaceport
A spaceport or cosmodrome is a site for launching or receiving spacecraft, by analogy to a seaport for ships or an airport for aircraft. The word ''spaceport'', and even more so ''cosmodrome'', has traditionally been used for sites capable ...
s.
Ukraine launched only from foreign (Kazakh and Russian) launch facilities until 2015, after which political differences with Russia effectively halted Ukraine's ability to produce orbital rockets.
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
became a space power independently, launching a payload into orbit from
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
, before joining space launcher facilities in the multi-national
Ariane project. The
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
became a space power independently following a single payload insertion into orbit from
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
.
Ten countries and one inter-governmental organisation (
ESA) have a proven orbital launch capability, .
Three countries (France, Italy and the United Kingdom) formerly had such an independent capability. In all cases where a country has conducted independent
human spaceflight
Human spaceflight (also referred to as manned spaceflight or crewed spaceflight) is spaceflight with a crew or passengers aboard a spacecraft, often with the spacecraft being operated directly by the onboard human crew. Spacecraft can also be ...
s (as of 2021, three — China, the Soviet Union/Russia, and the United States), these launches were preceded by independent unmanned launch capability.
The race to launch the first satellite was closely contested by the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, and was the beginning of the
Space Race
The Space Race was a 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals, the United States and the Soviet Union, to achieve superior spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between the t ...
. The launching of satellites, while still contributing to national prestige, is a significant economic activity as well, with public and private rocket systems competing for launches, using cost and reliability as selling points.
List of first orbital launches by country
Countries like Italy are not included since they have not yet developed an orbital rocket from scratch; i.e., an orbital rocket that was designed and engineered in its entirety in the country in question.
Notes
Other launches and projects
The above list includes confirmed satellite launches with rockets produced by the launching country. Lists with differing criteria might include the following launches:
Failed launches
* has yet to launch a satellite into orbit independently and its
space program suffered three satellite launch failures, the latest being the
explosion
An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Supersonic explosions created by high explosives are known ...
of a
VLS-1
The ''VLS-1'' () was the Brazilian Space Agency's main satellite launch vehicle. The launch vehicle was to be capable of launching satellites into orbit. The launch site was located at the Alcântara Launch Center due to its proximity to the e ...
rocket on 22 August 2003 at the
Alcântara Launch Centre, which resulted in 21 deaths.
Launches of non-indigenous launch vehicles
Some countries have no self-developed rocket systems, but have provided their spaceports for launches of their own and foreign satellites on foreign launchers:
* with the first successful launch from
Hammaguir
Hammaguir (also written Hamaguir and Hammaguira) ( ar, حماقير) is a village in Abadla District, Béchar Province, Algeria, south-west of Béchar. It lies on the N50 national highway between Béchar and Tindouf. The location is notable ...
of the French satellite
Astérix
''Asterix'' or ''The Adventures of Asterix'' (french: Astérix or , "Asterix the Gaul") is a ''bande dessinée'' comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the Roman Republic, wi ...
on 26 November 1965 by French
Diamant A
The Diamant rocket (French for "diamond") was the first exclusively French expendable launch system and at the same time the first satellite launcher not built by either the United States or USSR. As such, it has been referred to as being a key ...
. The last orbital launch from Hammaguir was on 15 February 1967 by French Diamant A and there are no further launches scheduled (the first Algerian satellite is
AlSAT-1 launched by Russian
Kosmos-3M
The Kosmos-3M (russian: Космос-3М meaning "''Cosmos''", GRAU index 11K65M) was a Russian space launch vehicle, member of the Kosmos rocket family. It was a liquid-fueled two-stage launch vehicle, first launched in 1967 and with over 42 ...
from
Plesetsk, Russia on 28 November 2002).
* with the first successful launch from the
San Marco platform
The Luigi Broglio Space Center (BSC) is an Italian-owned spaceport near Malindi, Kenya, named after its founder and Italian space pioneer Luigi Broglio. Developed in the 1960s through a partnership between the Sapienza University of Rome's Aero ...
of its satellite
San Marco 2 on 26 April 1967 by US
Scout B (the first Italian satellite is
San Marco 1
San Marco 1, also known as San Marco A, was the first Italian satellite. Built in-house by the Italian Space Research Commission ( it, Commissione per le Ricerche Spaziali, CRS) on behalf of the National Research Council, it was the first of fi ...
launched by another Scout from
Wallops, USA on 15 December 1964). The last orbital launch from San Marco was on 25 March 1988 by US Scout G-1 and there are no further launches scheduled.
* with the first successful launch from
Woomera Test Range of its first satellite
WRESAT on 29 November 1967 by US
Sparta
Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...
. The second and final successful orbital launch from Woomera was performed on 28 October 1971 by the UK
Black Arrow.
* with the first launch after its independence from the
Baikonur Cosmodrome
''Baiqoñyr ğaryş ailağy'' rus, Космодром Байконур''Kosmodrom Baykonur''
, image = Baikonur Cosmodrome Soyuz launch pad.jpg
, caption = The Baikonur Cosmodrome's "Gagarin's Start" Soyuz ...
on 21 January 1992 of the Russian
Soyuz-U2
The Soyuz-U2 ( GRAU index 11A511U2) was a Soviet, later Russian, carrier rocket. It was derived from the Soyuz-U, and a member of the R-7 family of rockets. It featured increased performance compared with the baseline Soyuz-U, due to the use ...
and
Progress M-11 (the first Kazakh satellite is
KazSat
KazSat-1 ( kk, ҚазСат-1, ''QazSat-1'') is the first Kazakh communications satellite. It was launched on 17 June 2006, at 22:44:05 UTC by Proton-K / Blok DM-2M launch vehicle.] This satellite was constructed by Khrunichev State Researc ...
launched by Russian
Proton-K from Baikonur on 17 June 2006). Currently the spaceport continues to be utilized for launches of various Russian rockets.
*; a single
Pegasus-XL
Pegasus is an air-launched launch vehicle developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) and now built and launched by Northrop Grumman. Capable of carrying small payloads of up to into low Earth orbit, Pegasus first flew in 1990 and remai ...
was launched from
Orbital Sciences
Orbital Sciences Corporation (commonly referred to as Orbital) was an American company specializing in the design, manufacture, and launch of small- and medium- class space and launch vehicle systems for commercial, military and other governmen ...
' ''
Stargazer
Stargazer may refer to:
* an observational astronomer, particularly an amateur
Aerospace
* Stargazer (aircraft), a Lockheed L-1011 airliner used to launch the Pegasus rocket
* Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2, nicknamed Stargazer, the first ...
'' aircraft flying from
Gran Canaria Airport
Gran Canaria Airport , sometimes also known as Gando Airport ( es, Aeropuerto de Gran Canaria), is a passenger and freight airport on the island of Gran Canaria. It is an important airport within the Spanish air-transport network (owned and manag ...
in April 1997.
* with a successful launch of a
Pegasus-H rocket from
Orbital Sciences
Orbital Sciences Corporation (commonly referred to as Orbital) was an American company specializing in the design, manufacture, and launch of small- and medium- class space and launch vehicle systems for commercial, military and other governmen ...
' ''
Stargazer
Stargazer may refer to:
* an observational astronomer, particularly an amateur
Aerospace
* Stargazer (aircraft), a Lockheed L-1011 airliner used to launch the Pegasus rocket
* Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2, nicknamed Stargazer, the first ...
'' aircraft flying from
Kwajalein Atoll
Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilia ...
in October 2000. Five ground-based launches were made by
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal o ...
using
Falcon 1
Falcon 1 was a small-lift launch vehicle that was operated from 2006 to 2009 by SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer. On 28 September 2008, Falcon 1 became the first private spaceflight, privately-developed fully liquid-fueled launch vehi ...
rockets between 2006 and 2009, with the first success on 28 September 2008.
Three further Pegasus launches occurred between 2008 and 2012, using the Pegasus-XL configuration. Currently there are no plans announced for a Marshall Islands satellite.
Privately developed launch vehicles
*
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Orbital Sciences Corporation (commonly referred to as Orbital) was an American company specializing in the design, manufacture, and launch of small- and medium- class space and launch vehicle systems for commercial, military and other governmen ...
(USA) became the first company to launch a privately developed rocket into orbit, the
Pegasus
Pegasus ( grc-gre, Πήγασος, Pḗgasos; la, Pegasus, Pegasos) is one of the best known creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine stallion usually depicted as pure white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as hor ...
on April 5, 1990. Orbital subsequently developed the
Minotaur rocket family. Orbital joined
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal o ...
as one of only two private entities to supply the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest Modular design, modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos ( ...
with its launch of the
Cygnus Orb-D1 mission on its
Antares rocket on September 28, 2013.
*
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal o ...
(USA) became the second company to launch a rocket into orbit using a rocket developed with private—not government—funds. Its first successful launch was performed on September 28, 2008, by
Falcon 1
Falcon 1 was a small-lift launch vehicle that was operated from 2006 to 2009 by SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer. On 28 September 2008, Falcon 1 became the first private spaceflight, privately-developed fully liquid-fueled launch vehi ...
from the
Omelek Island,
Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Inte ...
and its first launch from US spaceport was
Falcon 9 Flight 1
The Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit (Dragon C100) was a boilerplate version of the Dragon spacecraft manufactured by SpaceX. After using it for ground tests to rate Dragon's shape and mass in various tests, SpaceX launched it into low Earth ...
on June 4, 2010, from
Cape Canaveral
, image = cape canaveral.jpg
, image_size = 300
, caption = View of Cape Canaveral from space in 1991
, map = Florida#USA
, map_width = 300
, type = Cape
, map_caption = Location in Florida
, location ...
. Its
Dragon spacecraft
American private space transportation company SpaceX has developed and produced several spacecraft named Dragon. The first family member, now referred to as Dragon 1, flew 23 cargo missions to the ISS between 2010 and 2020 before being retired. ...
docked with the International Space Station on October 11, 2012, to deliver supplies.
* American private company
Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab is a public American aerospace manufacturer and launch service provider, with a New Zealand subsidiary. The company operates lightweight Electron orbital rockets, which provide dedicated launches for small satellites. Rocket Lab also ...
successfully launched its
Electron
The electron ( or ) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary electric charge. Electrons belong to the first generation of the lepton particle family,
and are generally thought to be elementary particles because they have n ...
rocket from
Mahia Launch Center in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
on January 21, 2018, carrying three cubesats into low earth orbit. This was the first time that a rocket entered orbit after launching from a privately owned and operated spaceport.
* Chinese private company
i-Space successfully launched its Hyperbola 1 rocket from
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC; also known as Shuangchengzi Missile Test Center; Launch Complex B2; formally Northwest Comprehensive Missile Testing Facility (); Base 20; 63600 Unit) is a Chinese space vehicle launch facility ( sp ...
and sent several small payloads, including the CAS-7B amateur radio satellite into earth orbit on July 25, 2019.
*
Galactic Energy successfully launched its Ceres-1 solid rocket from
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC; also known as Shuangchengzi Missile Test Center; Launch Complex B2; formally Northwest Comprehensive Missile Testing Facility (); Base 20; 63600 Unit) is a Chinese space vehicle launch facility ( sp ...
into
sun-synchronous orbit
A Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), also called a heliosynchronous orbit, is a nearly polar orbit around a planet, in which the satellite passes over any given point of the planet's surface at the same local mean solar time. More technically, it is ...
on November 7, 2020, becoming the second Chinese private company capable of launching satellites into orbit.
*
Virgin Orbit successfully achieved orbit on January 17, 2021, using their
LauncherOne
LauncherOne is a two-stage orbital launch vehicle developed and flown by Virgin Orbit that began operational flights in 2021, after being in development from 2007 to 2020. It is an air-launched rocket, designed to carry smallsat payloads o ...
vehicle to deploy 10
CubeSat
A CubeSat is a class of miniaturized satellite based around a form factor consisting of cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than per unit, and often use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for their electronics and structure. CubeSats ...
s into
Low Earth Orbit
A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit around Earth with a period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial objects in outer space are in LEO, with an altitude never m ...
for
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...
.
*
Astra Rocket 3.3 vehicle successfully reached orbit on November 20, 2021, after launching from
Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (PSCA) carrying the demonstration payload STP-27AD2 for the
United States Space Force
The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and the world's only independent space force. Along with its sister branch, the U.S. Air Force, the Space ...
.
Abandoned projects
*/ was developing larger designs in the
Aggregat series as early as 1940. A combination of A9 to A12 components could have produced orbital capability as early as 1947 if work had continued. Further preliminary development of numerous rocket space launchers and re-usable launch systems (
Sänger II, etc.) took place after WWII, although these were never realized as national or European projects. Also, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the private German company
OTRAG tried to develop low-cost commercial space launchers. Only sub-orbital tests of the first prototypes of these rockets were carried out.
* did not proceed with a 1946 proposal to develop German
V-2
The V-2 (german: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit=Retaliation Weapon 2), with the technical name ''Aggregat 4'' (A-4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was develope ...
technology into the "
Megaroc" system to be launched in 1949.
* had developed the gun-based space launchers Martlet and GLO as the joint Canadian-American
Project HARP
Project HARP, short for High Altitude Research Project, was a joint venture of the United States Department of Defense and Canada's Department of National Defence created with the goal of studying ballistics of re-entry vehicles and collecting ...
in the 1960s. These rockets were never tested.
* developed the space launcher
RSA-3 in the 1980s. This rocket was tested 3 times without a satellite payload in 1989 and 1990. The program was postponed and canceled in 1994.
*
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
claimed to have developed and tested "Al-Abid", a three-stage space launch vehicle without a payload or its upper two stages on 5 December 1989. The rocket's design had a clustered first stage composed of five modified
scud rockets strapped together and a single scud rocket as the second stage in addition to a
SA-2 liquid-fueled rocket engine as the third stage. The video tape of a partial launch attempt which was retrieved by
UN weapons inspectors, later surfaced showing that the rocket prematurely exploded 45 seconds after its launch.
* previous attempts at developing space launcher based on their
Condor missile were scrapped in 1993.
* The
VLS-1
The ''VLS-1'' () was the Brazilian Space Agency's main satellite launch vehicle. The launch vehicle was to be capable of launching satellites into orbit. The launch site was located at the Alcântara Launch Center due to its proximity to the e ...
was cancelled after decades of development and high expenditures with poor results and a failed association with Ukraine that slowed the program for years.
* tried to develop space launcher as part of its various
ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are guided only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles stay within t ...
programs in the second half of the 20th century. In different periods they worked independently or in cooperation with
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
,
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
and
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
.
* developed the space launcher
Capricornio (Capricorn) in the 1990s. This rocket was related to Argentina's
Condor missile and its test scheduled for 1999/2000 was not conducted.
*
Swiss Space Systems
Swiss Space Systems (S3) was a company that planned to provide orbital launches of small satellites and manned sub-orbital spaceflights. The company was based in Payerne in western Switzerland, near Payerne Air Base, where it planned to build ...
company planned to develop the micro satellite launcher-spaceplane
SOAR by 2018 but went bankrupt.
Future projects
* is developing an orbital rocket called
Tronador II, whose maiden flight is expected to take place in the next four years as of late 2020.
*'s ATSpace is developing an orbital launch vehicle called Kestrel, tentatively launching in 2022 from Whalers Way.
*'s
Gilmour Space Technologies is developing an orbital launch vehicle called
Eris, scheduled to launch in 2022.
* announced that it will launch its
VLM rocket from the
Alcântara Launch Center
Alcantara, Alcântara ( Portuguese), Alcántara ( Spanish), Alcàntara, Alcàntera, El-Qantarah and (El) Kantara are all transliterations of the Arabic word ''al qantara'' (القنطرة), meaning "the bridge".
Alcantara may refer to:
People
* ...
in 2025.
* is planning to launch military and security satellites. The first phase will begin in 2022.
* is planning to launch military and security satellites. The first phase will begin in 2024.
*
Orbex
Orbital Express Launch Ltd., or Orbex, is a United Kingdom-based aerospace company that is developing a small commercial orbital rocket called Prime. Orbex is headquartered in Forres, Moray, in Scotland and has subsidiaries in Denmark and Germany ...
is developing its Prime launch vehicle, whose first launch is planned in 2022 from
Sutherland spaceport.
*
Blue Origin
Blue Origin, LLC is an American private spaceflight, privately funded aerospace manufacturer and sub-orbital spaceflight services company headquartered in Kent, Washington. Founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, the founder and executive chairman of Am ...
is developing its
New Glenn
New Glenn is a heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle in development by Blue Origin. Named after NASA astronaut John Glenn, design work on the vehicle began in 2012. Illustrations of the vehicle, and the high-level specifications, were initial ...
launch vehicle, whose first launch is planned for sometime in 2022.
* The private company
PLD Space is developing the
Miura 5 orbital launch vehicle, whose first launch is planned for 2024.
*
OrbitX, a private company, plans to develop Haribon, a biofuel-powered launch vehicle.
* The private company
Independence-X Aerospace is developing an orbital launch vehicle called DNLV, scheduled to launch in 2023.
Satellite operators
Many
other countries have launched their own satellites on one of the foreign launchers listed above, the first being British owned and operated; American-built satellite
Ariel 1
Ariel 1 (also known as UK-1 and S-55), was the first British satellite, and the first satellite in the Ariel programme. Its launch in 1962 made the United Kingdom the third country to operate a satellite, after the Soviet Union and the United Sta ...
, which was launched by a US rocket in April 1962. In September 1962 the Canadian satellite,
Alouette-1, was launched by a US rocket, but unlike Ariel 1 it was constructed by Canada.
See also
*
List of orbital launch systems
This is a list of conventional orbital launch systems. This is composed of launch vehicles, and other conventional systems, used to place satellites into orbit.
Argentina
*ORBIT II – ''Retired''
* TRONADOR – ''Under Development''
Australia
...
*
List of missiles by country
*
Orbital spaceflight
An orbital spaceflight (or orbital flight) is a spaceflight in which a spacecraft is placed on a trajectory where it could remain in space for at least one orbit. To do this around the Earth, it must be on a free trajectory which has an altit ...
*
Satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioiso ...
*
Spaceport
A spaceport or cosmodrome is a site for launching or receiving spacecraft, by analogy to a seaport for ships or an airport for aircraft. The word ''spaceport'', and even more so ''cosmodrome'', has traditionally been used for sites capable ...
(including timeline of first orbital launches by spaceport)
*
Discovery and exploration of the Solar System (including exploration by country)
*
Timeline of first artificial satellites by country
*
Timeline of Solar System exploration
References
External links
First Satellites Launched By Spacefaring Nations Anthony R. Curtis, Ph.D., ''Space Today Online'', accessed 17 February 2006.
''Ranger Associates'', accessed 17 February 2006.
Kevin Orfall and Gaurav Kampani, with Michael Dutra, ''Center for Nonproliferation Studies'', ''
Monterey Institute of International Studies
The Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS), formerly known as the Monterey Institute of International Studies, is an American graduate school of Middlebury College, a private college in Middlebury, Vermont.
Established ...
'', accessed 17 February 2006.
News Release 25-98 ''
United States Space Command
United States Space Command (USSPACECOM or SPACECOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Department of Defense, responsible for military operations in outer space, specifically all operations 100 kilometers (62 miles) and grea ...
'', 8 September 1998, accessed 17 February 2006.
Daily Press Briefing James P. Rubin, ''
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other na ...
'', 14 September 1998, accessed 17 February 2006.
BBC World: Brazil Launches rocket into spaceHerald Tribune: Brazil launches rocket for gravity researchAFP: Iran rocket test 'unfortunate': White House*
ttps://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/world/middleeast/05iran.html?ref=world New York Times: Iran Launches Rocket to Commemorate New Space Centerbr>
MSNBC: Iran unveils space center, launches rocket
{{Public-sector space agencies