SpaceX successfully launches Israeli imaging satellite
SpaceX today successfully launched an Israeli Earth-observation satellite, using its Falcon 9 rocket.
The first stage successfully completed its eleventh flight, touching down softly at SpaceX’s facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
This launch completes SpaceX’s 2022 launch year, with a record 61 launches, one more than predicted by the company earlier in the year, and the most ever by a privately owned company.
The leaders in the 2022 launch race:
62 China
61 SpaceX
21 Russia
9 Rocket Lab
8 ULA
The U.S. now leads China 85 to 62, while trailing the rest of the entire world combined 94 to 85. The 85 launches for the U.S. is a new record for a single year, smashing the record of 70 launches set in 1966.
On Monday I will publish my annual full roundup of the state of global launch industry, based on the 2022 numbers.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
SpaceX today successfully launched an Israeli Earth-observation satellite, using its Falcon 9 rocket.
The first stage successfully completed its eleventh flight, touching down softly at SpaceX’s facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
This launch completes SpaceX’s 2022 launch year, with a record 61 launches, one more than predicted by the company earlier in the year, and the most ever by a privately owned company.
The leaders in the 2022 launch race:
62 China
61 SpaceX
21 Russia
9 Rocket Lab
8 ULA
The U.S. now leads China 85 to 62, while trailing the rest of the entire world combined 94 to 85. The 85 launches for the U.S. is a new record for a single year, smashing the record of 70 launches set in 1966.
On Monday I will publish my annual full roundup of the state of global launch industry, based on the 2022 numbers.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
The launch and booster landing took place at Vandenberg SFB, not Cape Canaveral.
And the reason for the Vandenberg launching was an unusual westward, i.e. retrograde, trajectory. And the reason for that is…
Dick Eagleson: I was up too late last night. :) Now fixed. Thank you.
SpaceX (61) and RocketLab (9) by themselves tied the old record of 70. Add in Astra’s one successful flight this year, and “New Space” has broken the record all by them selves.
I would like to put Falcon 9 launchers at 63. considering FH. Unfortunately that opens the door for every strap on booster which totally screws the numbers.
I get Israel’s need for this sort of tech—but it spooks me
https://nypost.com/2022/12/29/dystopian-new-tech-can-doctor-footage-for-any-smart-cam/amp/
Hey Bob – thanks in advance for the work you put into this Launch year in review post. For all the Space Journalists & Space YouTubes out there, I don’t think there is anyone else who does this detailed tracking of the global launch industry.
Regarding global launches, here is a ‘Big Picture’ Question- ‘For what purposes is humanity competing in Space Exploration?’
Could you provide a best guess percentage using the following categories?
Military Civilian
Orbiting Space Stations
Moon missions
Astronomy
Planetary/Solar System Exploration
Second question – besides Military, which of the above categories will countries focus their resources on this decade?
Happy New Year to you & the BtB Community.
The military has no reason to explore space.
Exploit the Earths orbit yes but those are two different things. And until we start launching stealth satellites for the military placing anything in orbit is just making it an easily visible target for any other space capable nation. Satellites are not as safe as submarines.
For what purpose does humanity compete in anything? To see who is the best at something. And this simple competition drives more cash involvement from all parties.
Investment will more than likely go in reverse order of your list.
Planetary/Solar System Exploration
Astronomy
Moon missions
Orbiting Space Stations
Military