Launch Calendar

Rocket launches are the gateway to space exploration, satellite deployment, and scientific discovery. Today's launch industry is more active than ever, with multiple providers conducting missions every week. SpaceX leads in launch frequency with its reusable Falcon 9 rocket, which has revolutionized the industry with routine booster landings and rapid turnaround times. NASA continues crewed missions with the Space Launch System (SLS) and commercial crew partnerships, while United Launch Alliance (ULA) operates the Atlas V and Vulcan Centaur for national security and scientific payloads.

Internationally, Rocket Lab provides dedicated small satellite launches from New Zealand and Virginia with its Electron rocket, ESA operates from French Guiana with Ariane 6, and ISRO (India), JAXA (Japan), and CNSA(China) maintain active launch programs. Major launch sites include Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. Each site is chosen for its geographic advantages — equatorial locations provide a velocity boost from Earth's rotation for geostationary orbit insertions.

Every launch follows a precise sequence: from final countdown checks and propellant loading, through main engine ignition and liftoff, to stage separation, payload deployment, and (for reusable rockets) booster recovery. Track the International Space Station to see where cargo and crew missions are headed, or browse the NASA gallery for stunning launch photography. Interested in planetary missions? Visit our Mars rover page.