UK in Space: Every Launch Since 1962 🇬🇧
UK in space: every orbital launch and every satellite, year by year up to 2026.
First satellite: Ariel 1 (1962) · first own rocket to orbit: 1971
Up to 27 Oct 2026: 2 orbital launches, 825 satellites, 741 still in orbit
2025: 0 launches, 12 satellites
What the number means: 100 launches a year = about 2 rockets every week.
SpaceX made the USA the biggest launcher by far: its rockets land and fly again, so launching got much cheaper.
Orbital launch = a rocket launch that tries to put something into orbit around the Earth (or beyond). Counted for the country of the organisation that launches the rocket, failures included.
Terms used:
- orbital launch: a rocket launch that tries to reach orbit
- orbit: the path of a spacecraft around the Earth
- estimate: 2026 is not over: the numbers so far scaled up to a full year
Data: Jonathan McDowell, General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (GCAT, planet4589.org), launch and satellite lists updated 29 Oct 2026. Russia includes the Soviet Union (1957-1991). 2026 per-year numbers are estimates for the full year (data up to 27 October scaled to 365 days).
🎵 Music: Driving Groove
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