Space Activity on Record Pace During First Three Quarters of 2023
Well space fans, we are now three-quarters through 2023, and it has been a barnburner so far. Space launch records are falling as the world is well on its way to launching more than 200 times this year. There have also been major accomplishments in robotic space exploration. Let’s take a look at the stats, the major highlights, and the low points as we head into the fourth quarter.
Top 5 Highlights
- SpaceX launched the maiden flight of its Starship/Super Heavy.
- OSIRIS-REx returned a sample from the asteroid Bennu.
- India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft landed on the Moon.
- Virgin Galactic began commercial suborbital service.
- Frank Rubio set a new American space endurance record.
Top 5 Low Points
- Russia’s Luna-25 lander crashed on the Moon.
- ispace’s Hakuto-R lander crashed on the Moon.
- Virgin Orbit went out of business.
- Top NASA officials told the GAO the Space Launch System is unsustainable.
- An Independent Review Board concluded that Mars Sample Return is severely underfunded.
Records Set
- Number of people in orbit at the same time: 17 – 11 International Space Station (ISS), 6 Tiangong
- Number of people in space at the same time: 20 –11 ISS, 3 Tiangong, 6 VSS Unity*
- American endurance record: 371 days – Frank Rubio
- Launches by same rocket family: 69 launches – SpaceX Falcon
- Reuse of launch vehicle first stage: 17 times – SpaceX Falcon 9
* By US definition, space begins at an altitude of 50 miles (80.5 km). The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, which keeps aviation and space records, recognizes 100 km (62.1 miles) as the boundary of space. VSS Unity has never surpassed the 100 km boundary.
Space Station Missions
Crewed & Cargo Space Station Missions
Through September 29, 2023
| Date | Launch Vehicle | Spacecraft | Purpose | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 9, 2023 | Soyuz-2.1a | Progress MS-22/83P | ISS cargo | None |
| Feb. 24, 2023 | Soyuz-2.1a | Soyuz MS-23 | Replacement for Soyuz MS-22 | None |
| March 2, 2023 | Falcon 9 | Crew Dragon (Crew-6) | ISS crew | Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg, Sultan Al Neyadi, Andrey Fedyaev |
| March 12, 2023 | — | Crew Dragon (Crew-5) | ISS crew return | Nicole Mann, Josh Cassada, Koichi Wakata, Anna Kikina |
| March 15, 2023 | Falcon 9 | Cargo Dragon (CRS-27) | ISS cargo | None |
| May 10, 2023 | Long March 7 | Tianzhou 6 | Tiangong cargo | None |
| May 21, 2023 | Falcon 9 | Crew Dragon (Ax-2) | ISS commercial | Peggy Whitson, John Shoffner, Ali AlQarni, Rayyanah Barnawi |
| May 24, 2023 | Russia Soyuz-2.1a | Progress MS-23 (84P) | ISS cargo | None |
| May 30, 2023 | China Long March 2F/G | Shenzhou 16 | Tiangong crew | Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu, Gui Haichao |
| May 31, 2023 | — | Crew Dragon (Ax-2) | Crew return | Peggy Whitson, John Shoffner, Ali AlQarni, Rayyanah Barnawi |
| June 3, 2023 | — | Shenzhou-15 | Crew return | Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming. Zhang Lu |
| June 5, 2023 | Falcon 9 | Cargo Dragon (CRS-28) | ISS cargo | None |
| Aug. 2, 2023 | Antares | Cygnus S.S. Laurel Clark (NG-19) | ISS cargo | None |
| Aug. 23, 2023 | Russia Soyuz-2.1a | Progress MS-24 (85P) | ISS cargo | None |
| Aug. 26, 2023 | Falcon 9 | Crew Dragon (Crew-7) | ISS crew | Jasmin Moghbeli, Andreas Mogensen, Satoshi Furukawa, Konstantin Borisov |
| Sept. 4, 2023 | — | Crew Dragon (Crew-6) | ISS crew return | Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg, Sultan Al Neyadi, Andrey Fedyaev |
| Sept. 15, 2023 | Soyuz-2.1a | Soyuz MS-24 | ISS crew | Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, Loral O’Hara |
| Sept. 27, 2023 | — | Soyuz MS-23 | ISS crew return | Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin, Francisco Rubio |
Launch Statistics
ISS crewed missions launched: 4
ISS crewed spacecraft launched empty: 1
ISS astronauts/cosmonauts launched: 15
ISS astronauts/cosmonauts returned: 11
ISS cargo missions: 6
Tiangong crewed missions launched: 1
Tiangong taikonauts launched: 3
Tiangong taikonauts returned: 3
Tiangong cargo missions: 1
Nationalities Launched
American: 6
Russian: 4
Chinese: 3
Saudi: 2
Danish: 1
Emirati: 1
Japanese: 1
Crewed Suborbital Missions
Crewed Suborbital Flights
Through September 29, 2023
| Date | Pilots | Cabin | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2023 | Michael Masucci (C), CJ Sturckow (P) | Beth Moses (I), Luke Mays, Jamila Gilbert, Christopher Huie | Flight test |
| June 29, 2023 | Michael Masucci (C), Nicola Pecile (P) | Walter Villadei, Angelo Landolfi, Pantaleone Carlucci, Colin Bennett (I) | Microgravity research |
| Aug. 10, 2023 | CJ Sturckow (C), Kelly Latimer (P) | Jon Goodwin, Keisha Schahaff, Anastatia Mayers, Beth Moses (I) | Space tourism |
| Sept. 8, 2023 | Michael Masucci (C), Nicola Pecile (P) | Timothy Nash, Ken Baxter, Adrian Reynard, Beth Moses (I) | Space tourism |
P: Pilot
I: Chief Astronaut Instructor
Top 5 Launches
- Starship/Super Heavy’s maiden flight.
- Virgin Galactic first commercial mission.
- ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE).
- Space Pioneer’s Tianlong-2 successful maiden flight.
- Axiom Space’s Ax-2 commercial mission to ISS.
There have been 160 launches through the first nine months of the year, with 151 successes and nine failures. There were 186 launches with 178 successes, seven failures and one partial failure in 2022.
Launches by Nation
Launches by Nation (Top 5)
Through September 29, 2023
| Nation | Successes | Failures | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 80 | 5 | 85 |
| China | 44 | 1 | 45 |
| Russia | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| India | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Japan | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Launches by Company/Agency
Launches by Company/Agency (Top 5)
Through September 29, 2023
| Company/Agency | Successes | Failures | Total | Payloads Orbited | Payloads Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpaceX (USA) | 69 | 1 | 70 | 1,934 | 12* |
| China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) | 31 | 0 | 31 | 109 | 0 |
| Roscosmos (Russia) | 10 | 0 | 10 | 55 | 0 |
| Rocket Lab (USA) | 7 | 1 | 8 | 19 | 1 |
| Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 51 | 0 |
Launches by Booster
Launches by Booster (Top 5)
Through September 29, 2023
| Launch Vehicle | Company/Agency | Successes | Failures | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcon 9 | SpaceX | 66 | 0 | 66 |
| Long March 2C, 2D | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Soyuz-2.1a, 2.1b | Roscosmos, Russia Strategic Rocket Forces | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Electron | Rocket Lab | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| Ceres-1, 1S | Galactic Energy | 5 | 1 | 6 |
Launch Failures
Launch Failures
Through September 29, 2023
| Launch Vehicle | Company/Agency | Failure | Launch Vehicle Flight No. | Launch Vehicle Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceres-1 | Galactic Energy | TBA | 10 | 9-1 |
| Chollima-1 | National Aerospace Development Administration | Second stage failed to ignite properly; third stage destruct system activated accidentally | 1, 2 | 0-2 |
| Electron | Rocket Lab | Second stage failed to ignite properly | 40 | 37-3^ |
| H3 | Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) | Second stage failed to ignite | 1 | 0-1 |
| LauncherOne* | Virgin Orbit+ | Second stage stopped firing early | 6 | 4-2 |
| RS1 | ABL Space Systems | First stage engines failed | 1 | 0-1 |
| Starship/Super Heavy | SpaceX | First stage engine failures, no stage separation | 1 | 0-1 |
| Terran 1* | Relativity Space | Second stage failed to ignite properly | 1 | 0-1 |
* Launch vehicle retired
+ Company defunct
Five of the nine failures occurred on the maiden flights of new boosters, which is not an uncommon result. North Korea’s Chollima-1 rocket failed on its first and second flights. LauncherOne’s failure on the first orbital launch from the United Kingdom proved to be a fatal blow to Virgin Orbit, which declared bankruptcy months later and ceased operations. Relativity Space decided to retire Terran 1 after one unsuccessful flight, and is now focusing on developing the larger Terran R booster.
Editor’s note (September 29, 2023): This article was updated post-publication with the results of a Falcon 9 launch scheduled for later in the day.
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