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.jpg)   _Oleg_Kononenko.jpg) Highlights from spaceflight in 2018[a] | |
| Orbital launches | |
|---|---|
| First | 8 January |
| Last | 29 December |
| Total | 114 |
| Successes | 111 |
| Failures | 2 |
| Partial failures | 1 |
| Catalogued | 112 |
| National firsts | |
| Satellite | |
| Suborbital launch |  Norway |
| Rockets | |
| Maiden flights | |
| Retirements | |
| Crewed flights | |
| Orbital | 3 (+1 failed) |
| Suborbital | 1 (private) |
| Total travellers | 11 (+2 failed) |
| EVAs | 8 |
This article documents notablespaceflight events during the year 2018. For the first time since1990, more than 100 orbital launches were performed globally.
The NASAInSight seismology probe was launched in May 2018 and landed on Mars in November. TheParker Solar Probe was launched to explore theSun in August 2018, and reached its first perihelion in November, traveling faster than any prior spacecraft. On 20 October theESA andJAXA launchedBepiColombo toMercury, on a 10-year mission featuring several flybys and eventually deploying two orbiters in 2025 for local study. The asteroid sampling missionHayabusa2 reached its targetRyugu in June,[1] and the similarOSIRIS-REx probe reachedBennu in December.[2] China launched itsChang'e 4 lander/rover in December which performed the first ever soft landing on thefar side of the Moon in January 2019;[3][4] a communications relay was sent to thesecond Earth-Moon Lagrange point in May. TheGoogle Lunar X Prize expired on 31 March without a winner for its $20 million grand prize, because none of its five finalist teams were able to launch a commerciallunar lander mission before the deadline.[5]
TheSoyuz MS-10 October mission to theInternational Space Station (ISS) was aborted shortly after launch, due to a separation failure of one of the rocket's side boosters. The crew landed safely, and was rescheduled for March 2019 onSoyuz MS-12.[6] The United States returned to spaceflight on 13 December with the successfulsuborbital spaceflight ofVSS UnityFlight VP-03. The flight did not reach theKármán line (100 km) but it did cross the US definition of space (50 mi). As per United States convention, it was the first human spaceflight launched from the U.S. since the lastSpace shuttle flightSTS-135 in 2011. AstronautsMark P. Stucky andFrederick W. Sturckow both received theirFAA Commercial Astronaut Wings on 7 February 2019. The return of the United States to humanorbital spaceflight was further delayed to 2019, asBoeing andSpaceX, underNASA supervision, performed further tests on their commercial crew spacecraft under development:Starliner onAtlas V andSpaceX Dragon 2 onFalcon 9.[7]
After a failed launch in 2017, theElectron rocket reached orbit with its second flight in January; manufactured byRocket Lab, it is the first orbital rocket equipped withelectric pump-fed engines.[8]On 3 February, the JapaneseSS-520-5 rocket (a modifiedsounding rocket) successfully delivered a 3UCubeSat to orbit, thus becoming the lightest and smallestorbital launch vehicle ever.[9]On 6 February, SpaceX performed the much-delayedtest flight ofFalcon Heavy,[10] carryinga car and a mannequin to aheliocentric orbit beyond Mars.[11] Falcon Heavy became the most powerful active rocket until themaiden launch of theSpace Launch System in 2022.[12]On 27 October,LandSpace launchedZhuque-1, the first privately developed rocket in China; it failed to reach orbit.[13] The company later announced that it would not repeat the launch attempt and shift its focus to theZhuque-2 launch vehicle, making this the only launch attempt of Zhuque-1.[14]On 13 DecemberVirgin Galactic'sSpaceShipTwo reached 82.7 km, below the internationally recognizedKármán line but above the 50-mile definition of space used by the U.S.Federal Aviation Administration.[15][16]
The global activity of the launch industry grew significantly in 2018. 114 launches were conducted over the full year, compared with 91 in 2017, a 25% increase. Only three missions failed fully or partially in 2018, compared with eight failures in 2017. In August, China surpassed its previous record of 22 launches in 2016, and ended the year with a total 39 launches, also more launches than any other country in 2018. The 100th orbital launch of the year occurred on 3 December,[17]exceeding all yearly tallies since the end of the Cold War space race in 1991.
| Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payload (⚀ =CubeSat) | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
| Remarks | |||||||
| 18 January 05:53 |  Agni V | Integrated Test Range Launch Complex IV | DRDO | ||||
| DRDO | Suborbital | Missile test | 18 January | Successful | |||
| Apogee: ~800 kilometres (500 mi) | |||||||
| 19 January 12:17 |  Black Brant IX |  Poker Flat Research Range | NASA | ||||
| DXL-3 | U of M | Suborbital | Astronomy | 19 January | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 230 kilometres (140 mi)[253] | |||||||
| 26 January 14:11:15 | Terrier–Improved Orion | Poker Flat Research Range | NASA | ||||
| Super Soaker | ASTRA | Suborbital | Atmospheric | 26 January | Successful | ||
| Apogee: ~160 kilometres (99 mi) | |||||||
| 26 January 14:48:00 | Terrier–Improved Orion | Poker Flat Research Range | NASA | ||||
| Super Soaker | ASTRA | Suborbital | Atmospheric | 26 January | Successful | ||
| Apogee: ~97 kilometres (60 mi) | |||||||
| 26 January 14:49:30 | Terrier–Improved Orion | Poker Flat Research Range | NASA | ||||
| Super Soaker | ASTRA | Suborbital | Atmospheric | 26 January | Successful | ||
| Apogee: ~160 kilometres (99 mi) | |||||||
| 31 January | IRBM ? | C-17, Pacific Ocean | MDA | ||||
| FTM-29 Target | MDA | Suborbital | ABM target | 31 January | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 300 kilometres (190 mi) | |||||||
| 31 January | SM-3 Block IIA | Pacific Missile Range Facility | US Navy | ||||
| FTM-29 Interceptor | MDA | Suborbital | ABM test | 31 January | Failure | ||
| Test of a land-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) weapon system, failed to intercept the target | |||||||
| 5 February |  B-611? | Shuangchengzi | PLA | ||||
| PLA | Suborbital | ABM target | 5 February | Successful | |||
| Target | |||||||
| 5 February | SC-19 | Korla | PLA | ||||
| PLA | Suborbital | ABM test | 5 February | Successful | |||
| Interceptor, successful intercept[254] | |||||||
| 6 February 03:00 | Agni I | Integrated Test Range | IDRDL | ||||
| IDRDL | Suborbital | Missile test | 6 February | Successful | |||
| Apogee: ~500 kilometres (310 mi)? | |||||||
| 17 February 07:00 |  / VS-31/Improved Malemute |  Esrange |  DLR /SSC | ||||
| MAPHEUS-7 | DLR | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 17 February | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 248 kilometres (154 mi) | |||||||
| 18 February 23:30 |  Arrow III | Negev | IAF | ||||
| IAI/IDF | Suborbital | Flight test | 18 February | Successful | |||
| Successful flight test of the Arrow-III weapon system[255] | |||||||
| 20 February 03:08 | Agni II | Integrated Test Range | Indian Army /DRDO | ||||
| Indian Army/DRDO | Suborbital | Missile test | 20 February | Successful | |||
| 25 March 10:51 | Terrier–Improved Malemute | Wallops Flight Facility | NASA | ||||
| USIP | NASA | Suborbital | Student payloads | 25 March | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 172 kilometres (107 mi)[256] | |||||||
| 27 March 02:40? | UGM-133 Trident II | USS Nebraska (SSBN-739),Pacific Missile Range Facility | US Navy | ||||
| US Navy | Suborbital | Missile test | 27 March | Successful | |||
| Demonstration and Shakedown Operation (DASO) 28 | |||||||
| 27 March 02:40? | UGM-133 Trident II | USS Nebraska (SSBN-739),Pacific Missile Range Facility | US Navy | ||||
| US Navy | Suborbital | Missile test | 27 March | Successful | |||
| Demonstration and Shakedown Operation (DASO) 28 | |||||||
| 31 March 16:19 | Black Brant IX | Wallops Flight Facility | NASA | ||||
| ASPIRE-2 | NASA | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 31 March | Successful | ||
| TestedMars 2020's parachute | |||||||
| 4 April 10:40 | Black Brant IX |  Kwajalein Atoll | NASA | ||||
| WRX-R | PSU | Suborbital | XR Astronomy | 4 April | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 205 kilometres (127 mi)[257] | |||||||
| 4 April 18:00 | Hyperbola-1S (Shian Quxian 1S) | Hainan Island | i-Space | ||||
| Mass simulator | i-Space | Suborbital | Test flight | 4 April | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 108 kilometres (67 mi) | |||||||
| 6 April 14:00 | RH-300 Mk-II | TERLS | ISRO | ||||
| ISRO VSSC | Suborbital | Ionosphere research | 6 April | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 107 kilometres (66 mi)[258] | |||||||
| 16 April 16:47 | Black Brant IX | Kwajalein Atoll | NASA | ||||
| CHESS-4 | University of Colorado | Suborbital | UV Astronomy | 16 April | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 200 kilometres (120 mi) | |||||||
| 25 April 12:26 | Minuteman-III | Vandenberg Air Force Base LF-10 | US Air Force | ||||
| US Air Force | Suborbital | Test flight | 25 April | Successful | |||
| 29 April 17:06 | New Shepard | Corn Ranch | Blue Origin | ||||
| Suborbital Flight Experiment Monitor-2[259] | NASA | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 29 April | Successful | ||
| Schmitt Space Communicator | Solstar | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 29 April | Successful | ||
| Daphnia | University of Bayreuth | Suborbital | Microgravity Research | 29 April | Successful | ||
| EQUIPAGE | Otto von Guericke University | Suborbital | Microgravity Research | 29 April | Successful | ||
| EUPHORIE | University of Duisburg-Essen | Suborbital | Microgravity Research | 29 April | Successful | ||
| 8th flight, Apogee: ~107 kilometres (66 mi) | |||||||
| 13 May 08:30 | VSB-30 | Esrange |  EuroLaunch | ||||
/ TEXUS-54 | DLR /ESA | Suborbital | Microgravity | 13 May | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 261 kilometres (162 mi) | |||||||
| 14 May 08:23 | Minuteman-III | Vandenberg Air Force Base LF-04 | US Air Force | ||||
| US Air Force | Suborbital | Test flight | 14 May | Successful | |||
| 17 May 00:33 | OS-X, Chongqing Liangjiang (Twin-River) Star[260] | Undisclosed location in northwest China | OneSpace | ||||
| OneSpace | Suborbital | Test flight | 17 May | Successful | |||
| 22 May |  RSM-56 Bulava[261] | K-535Yury Dolgorukiy,White Sea | VMF | ||||
| VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 22 May | Successful | |||
| 22 May | RSM-56 Bulava | K-535Yury Dolgorukiy,White Sea | VMF | ||||
| VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 22 May | Successful | |||
| 22 May | RSM-56 Bulava | K-535Yury Dolgorukiy,White Sea | VMF | ||||
| VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 22 May | Successful | |||
| 22 May | RSM-56 Bulava | K-535Yury Dolgorukiy,White Sea | VMF | ||||
| VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 22 May | Successful | |||
| 23 May | Terrier Malemute | Pacific Missile Range Facility | NNSA | ||||
| HOT SHOT 1 | NNSA | Suborbital | Technology experiments | 23 May | Successful | ||
| Apogee: ~360 kilometres (220 mi)[262] | |||||||
| 29 May 18:54 | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
| Hi-C 2.1 | NASA/MSFC | Suborbital | Solar research | 29 May | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 290 kilometres (180 mi) | |||||||
| 31 May 04:00 | VSB-30 | Esrange | EuroLaunch | ||||
| /TEXUS-55 | DLR /ESA | Suborbital | Microgravity | 31 May | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 255 kilometres (158 mi) | |||||||
| 3 June 04:18 | Agni V | Integrated Test Range Launch Complex IV | DRDO | ||||
| DRDO | Suborbital | Missile test | 3 June | Successful | |||
| Apogee: ~800 kilometres (500 mi) | |||||||
| 7 June | Boosted Zombi (ATACMS) | White Sands | NASA | ||||
| US Army | Suborbital | Missile test | 7 June | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi)? | |||||||
| 18 June 19:00 | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
| EVE | CU Boulder | Suborbital | SDO calibration | 18 June | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 250 kilometres (160 mi) | |||||||
| 19 June | RS-24 Yars | Plesetsk | RVSN | ||||
| RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 19 June | Successful | |||
| 21 June 09:30 | Terrier–Improved Orion | Wallops Flight Facility | NASA | ||||
| RockOn | University of Colorado | Suborbital | Student payloads | 21 June | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 120 kilometres (75 mi)[263] | |||||||
| 29 June |  Momo 2 | Taiki Aerospace Research Field | Interstellar Technologies | ||||
| Kochi University of Technology | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 29 June | Launch failure | ||
| Two seconds after launch, the engine failed and the vehicle fell back to the pad and exploded | |||||||
| 18 July 15:11 | New Shepard | Corn Ranch | Blue Origin | ||||
| Crew Capsule 2.0 | Blue Origin | Suborbital | Test flight | 18 July | Successful | ||
| 9th flight, the Crew Capsule 2.0-1 RSS H.G.Wells carrying a mannequin and various experiments from NASA, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Purdue University, Otto von Guericke University and Olympiaspace in Germany. Both booster and capsule are flight proven. Successful test of the in-flight abort system at high altitude, Apogee: ~119 kilometres (74 mi), duration 11 minutes.[264] | |||||||
| 20 July 22:00 | Astra (Rocket 1) | Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska | Astra Space | ||||
| Astra Space | Suborbital | Flight test | 20 July | Launch failure[265] | |||
| 23 July 06:00 | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
| Micro-X | NU | Suborbital | XR Astronomy | 23 July | Successful | ||
| The detector worked as anticipated during the flight but the pointing system was unable to lock onto the target Cassiopeia A, apogee: 270 kilometres (170 mi) | |||||||
| 31 July 11:38 | Minuteman-III | Vandenberg Air Force Base | US Air Force | ||||
| US Air Force | Suborbital | Test flight | 31 July | Launch failure[266] | |||
| 14 August 10:13 | Terrier–Improved Malemute | Wallops Flight Facility | NASA | ||||
| RockSat-X | NASA | Suborbital | Student experiments | 14 August | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 146 kilometres (91 mi)[267] | |||||||
| 25 August 18:15? | SARGE | Spaceport America, New Mexico | Exos Aerospace | ||||
| SARGE Pathfinder | Exos Aerospace | Suborbital | Test flight | 25 August | Partial launch failure | ||
| ⚀ SKISAT | SKI | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 25 August | Partial launch failure | ||
| A GPS receiver on the rocket stopped providing data during the rocket's ascent. That triggered an automatic shutdown of the rocket's engine 38 seconds after liftoff, versus a planned duration of 62 to 65 seconds. The rocket reached a peak altitude of 28 kilometers, rather than the planned 80 kilometers[268] | |||||||
| 5 September 05:00 | Hyperbola-1Z (Shian Quxian 1Z) | Jiuquan | i-Space | ||||
| ⚀ Three CubeSats[269] | Two companies[269] | Suborbital | Flight test | 5 September | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 108 kilometres (67 mi) | |||||||
| 7 September 13:30 | Black Brant IX | Wallops Flight Facility | NASA | ||||
| ASPIRE-3 | NASA | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | 7 September | Successful | ||
| TestedMars 2020's parachute | |||||||
| 7 September 17:21 | Black Brant IX | White Sands | NASA | ||||
| FOXSI | UMN | Suborbital | Solar research | 7 September | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 304 kilometres (189 mi) | |||||||
| 12 September 08:37 | MRBM | JFTM-5 E2 | Pacific Missile Range Facility | MDA | |||
| JMSDF/MDA | Suborbital | ABM target | 12 September | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 150 km (93 mi)?, intercepted by SM-3-IB | |||||||
| 12 September 08:40 | RIM-161 Standard Missile 3-IB | JFTM-5 E2 | JSAtago, Pacific Ocean | JMSDF | |||
| JMSDF | Suborbital | ABM test | 12 September | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 150 km (93 mi)?, intercepted target | |||||||
| 12 September 14:33 | SpaceLoft XL | Spaceport America | UP Aerospace | ||||
| FOP-5 (ADEPT, SFEM-3, AFTS) | NASA | Suborbital | Three technology experiments | 12 September | Successful | ||
| Mission SL-12, Apogee: 114 kilometres (71 mi)[270] | |||||||
| 17 September 14:09 | SpaceLoft XL | Spaceport America | UP Aerospace | ||||
| FOP-6, Celestis 15 | NASA | Suborbital | Technology experiments | 17 September | Successful | ||
| Mission SL-11, Apogee: 114 kilometres (71 mi) | |||||||
| 27 September 12:15 | Nucleus | Andøya | Andøya | ||||
| Nammo Nucleus | Nammo | Suborbital | Technology experiments | 27 September | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 107 kilometres (66 mi)[271] | |||||||
| 29 September | Traveler III | Black Rock Desert | USC Rocket Propulsion Lab | ||||
| Flight test | Suborbital | Flight test | 29 September | Partial | |||
| No data received after a miscomunication resulted in the avionics and recovery system being unarmed. Vehicle otherwise operated as intended and is approximated to have reached space. | |||||||
| 8 October |  Ghauri | Tilla | Army of Pakistan | ||||
| Haft-5 | Army of Pakistan | Suborbital | Missile test | 8 October | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 400 kilometres (250 mi) ? | |||||||
| 11 October 11:00? | DF-11? | Jiuquan | PLARF | ||||
| PLARF | Suborbital | Missile test | 11 October | Successful | |||
| Apogee: 500 kilometres (310 mi) ? | |||||||
| 11 October | R-29RMU Sineva | Russian submarine,Barents Sea | VMF | ||||
| VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 11 October | Successful | |||
| 11 October | R-29RMU Sineva | Russian submarine,Barents Sea | VMF | ||||
| VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 11 October | Successful | |||
| 11 October | R-29R Volna | Russian submarine,Sea of Okhotsk | VMF | ||||
| VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 11 October | Successful | |||
| 11 October | R-29R Volna | Russian submarine,Sea of Okhotsk | VMF | ||||
| VMF | Suborbital | Missile test | 11 October | Successful | |||
| 26 October | MRBM | Pacific Missile Range Facility | MDA | ||||
| FTM-45 Target | MDA | Suborbital | ABM target | 26 October | Successful | ||
| Ballistic missile target for interception | |||||||
| 26 October | SM-3 Block IIA | USS John Finn, Kauai | US Navy | ||||
| FTM-45 Interceptor | MDA | Suborbital | ABM test | 26 October | Successful | ||
| Ballistic missile interceptor, successful intercept[272] | |||||||
| 7 November 07:01 | Minuteman-III | Vandenberg Air Force Base | US Air Force | ||||
| US Air Force | Suborbital | Test flight | 7 November | Successful | |||
| 28 November 07:00 |  KSLV-2 Pilot Vehicle | Naro Space Center | KARI | ||||
| Boilerplate | KARI | Suborbital | Test flight | 28 November | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 209 kilometres (130 mi) | |||||||
| 29 November | Astra (Test Flight 2) | Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska | Astra Space | ||||
| Astra Space | Suborbital | Flight test | 29 November | Launch failure[273] | |||
| 30 November |  Khorramshahr | Semnan | AFIRI | ||||
| AFIRI | Suborbital | Missile test | 30 November | Successful | |||
| 7 December 11:06 | Black Brant X | Ny-Ålesund | NASA | ||||
| VISIONS-2 1 | GSFC | Suborbital | Ionosphere research | 7 December | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 805 kilometres (500 mi) | |||||||
| 7 December 11:08 | Black Brant X | Ny-Ålesund | NASA | ||||
| VISIONS-2 2 | GSFC | Suborbital | Ionosphere research | 7 December | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 600 kilometres (370 mi) | |||||||
| 8 December 08:26 | Black Brant XIIA | Andøya | NASA | ||||
| TRICE-2-High | UoI | Suborbital | Electrodynamics | 8 December | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 1,042 kilometres (647 mi) | |||||||
| 8 December 08:28 | Black Brant XIIA | Andøya | NASA | ||||
| TRICE-2-Low | UoI | Suborbital | Electrodynamics | 8 December | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 756 kilometres (470 mi) | |||||||
| 9 December 15:43 | VS-30 | Alcântara | AEB | ||||
| PSR-01 | INPE | Suborbital | Test | 9 December | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 120 kilometres (75 mi)? | |||||||
| 10 December | IRBM-T1 | C-17, Pacific Ocean | MDA | ||||
| FTI-03 Target | MDA | Suborbital | ABM target | 10 December | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 300 kilometres (190 mi) | |||||||
| 10 December | SM-3 Block IIA | Pacific Missile Range Facility | US Navy | ||||
| FTI-03 Interceptor | MDA | Suborbital | ABM test | 10 December | Successful | ||
| Ballistic missile interceptor, successful intercept[274] | |||||||
| 10 December 08:00 | Agni V | Integrated Test Range Launch Complex IV | DRDO | ||||
| DRDO | Suborbital | Missile test | 10 December | Successful | |||
| Apogee: ~800 kilometres (500 mi) | |||||||
| 10 December | RS-12M Topol | Kapustin Yar | RVSN | ||||
| RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 10 December | Launch failure[275] | |||
| 13 December 16:00 | SpaceShipTwo | VP-03 | White Knight Two, fromMojave Spaceport | Virgin Galactic | |||
| VSS Unity | Virgin Galactic | Suborbital | Test flight | 13 December | Successful | ||
| First crewed sub-orbital high altitude flight of SpaceShipTwo with two astronauts (Mark P. Stucky andFrederick W. Sturckow), Apogee: 82.7 kilometres (51.4 mi). Not considered a spaceflight underFAI rules, but recognized as a spaceflight under U.S. law. | |||||||
| 18 December 07:46 | Black Brant IX | White Sands Missile Range | NASA | ||||
| DEUCE 2 | University of Colorado | Suborbital | Astronomy | 18 December | Successful | ||
| Apogee: 282 kilometres (175 mi) | |||||||
| 26 December 09:59 | UR-100NU | Yasniy | RVSN | ||||
| Avangard | RVSN | Suborbital | Missile test | 26 December | Successful[276] | ||
| Yu-71 Hypersonic Vehicle Test, Apogee: 1,000 kilometres (620 mi)? | |||||||
| Date (GMT) | Spacecraft | Event | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 February | Juno | 11thperijove ofJupiter | |
| 1 April | Juno | 12th perijove | |
| 17 May | TESS | Gravity assist by theMoon | Closest approach: 8,100 kilometres (5,000 mi) |
| 24 May | Juno | 13th perijove | |
| 25 May | Queqiao | Moon flyby | InEarth–Moon L2halo orbit[277] |
| 25 May | Longjiang-1 | Moon flyby | Failed lunar orbital injection[97] |
| 25 May | Longjiang-2 | Injection intoSelenocentric orbit | Preliminary orbit was 350 × 13800 km, inclined 21° to the equator[98] |
| 27 June[1] | Hayabusa2 | Arrival at asteroidRyugu | |
| 16 July | Juno | 14th perijove | |
| 7 September | Juno | 15th perijove | |
| 21 September | HIBOU (ROVER-1A) | Landing on Ryugu | |
| 21 September | OWL (ROVER-1B) | Landing on Ryugu | |
| 3 October | MASCOT | Landing on Ryugu | |
| 3 October | Parker Solar Probe | Firstgravity assist atVenus | |
| 29 October | Juno | 16th perijove | |
| 6 November | Parker Solar Probe | Firstperihelion | Occurred at 03:28 UTC, a distance of 25 million km from the Sun. New record for the fastest spacecraft (95 km/s). |
| 26 November | InSight | Arrival atMars | Successful landing atElysium Planitia, coordinates4°30′09″N135°37′24″E / 4.5024°N 135.6234°E /4.5024; 135.6234.[278] |
| 26 November | MarCO A, B | Mars flyby | Data relays forInSight lander |
| 3 December | OSIRIS-REx | Arrival at asteroidBennu[2] | Approach phase operations began on 17 August |
| 12 December | Chang'e 4 | Injection into Selenocentric orbit | Preliminary orbit 100 × 400 km, en route to a landing attempt on theLunar farside[279] |
| 21 December | Juno | 17th perijove |
| Start Date/Time | Duration | End Time | Spacecraft | Crew | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 January 11:49 | 7 hours 24 minutes | 19:13 | Expedition 54 ISSQuest |
| |
| 2 February 15:34 | 8 hours 13 minutes | 23:47 | Expedition 54 ISSPirs |
| |
| 16 February 12:00 | 5 hours 57 minutes | 17:57 | Expedition 54 ISSQuest |
| |
| 29 March 13:33 | 6 hours 10 minutes | 19:43 | Expedition 55 ISSQuest |
| |
| 16 May 11:39 | 6 hours 31 minutes | 18:10 | Expedition 55 ISSQuest |
| |
| 14 June 08:06[280] | 6 hours 49 minutes | 14:55 | Expedition 56 ISSQuest |
| |
| 15 August 16:17 | 7 hours 46 minutes | 00:03 on 16 August | Expedition 56 ISSPirs | ||
| 11 December 15:59 | 7 hours 45 minutes | 21:44 | Expedition 57 ISSPirs |
|
| Date/Time (UTC) | Source object | Event type | Pieces tracked | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 August | Centaur upper stage | Unknown | 80 | |
| 22 December 07:12 | Orbcomm OG1 FM 16 | Satellite breakup | 34+ | Orbcomm OG1 sat FM 16 disintegrated for unknown reasons.[283] |
For the purposes of this section, the yearly tally of orbital launches by country assigns each flight to the country of origin of the rocket, not to the launch services provider or the spaceport. As examples,Soyuz launches by Arianespace in Kourou are counted under Russia becauseSoyuz-2 is a Russian rocket andElectron launches fromMahia in New Zealand count as USA launches.
| Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 39 | 38 | 1 | 0 | China surpassed its previous record of 22 launches in 2016. The only failure was the maiden flight of private rocketZhuque-1. | |
 France | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | DuringAriane 5 flightVA241 in January, two launched satellites were placed on an off-nominal orbit. | |
 Italy | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| India | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | GSAT-6A launch was a success, but the satellite failed. | |
| Japan | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Russia | 20 | 19 | 1 | 0 | Includes threeEuropean Soyuz launches fromKourou,French Guiana byArianespace. CrewedSoyuz MS-10 launch failure, two cosmonauts landed safely. | |
 United States | 34 | 34 | 0 | 0 | Includes threeElectron launches fromMahia. In January,Zuma launch was a success, satellite was reported lost but actual status isclassified. | |
| Total | 114 | 111 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Family | Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antares | United States | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ariane | France | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | |
| Atlas | United States | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| Delta | United States | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electron | United States | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Epsilon | Japan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Falcon | United States | 21 | 21 | 0 | 0 | |
| GSLV | India | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| GSLV Mk III | India | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| H-II | Japan | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Kuaizhou | China | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Long March | China | 37 | 37 | 0 | 0 | |
| PSLV | India | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| R-7 | Russia | 16 | 15 | 1 | 0 | |
| S-Series | Japan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final orbital flight |
| Universal Rocket | Russia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Vega | Italy | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Zhuque | China | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Maiden flight |
| Rocket | Country | Family | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antares 200 | United States | Antares | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ariane 5 | France | Ariane | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | |
| Atlas V | United States | Atlas | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| Delta II | United States | Delta | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final flight |
| Delta IV | United States | Delta | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electron | United States | Electron | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Epsilon | Japan | Epsilon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Falcon 9 | United States | Falcon | 21 | 21 | 0 | 0 | |
| GSLV | India | GSLV | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| GSLV Mk III | India | GSLV Mk III | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| H-IIA | Japan | H-II | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| H-IIB | Japan | H-II | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Kuaizhou 1 | China | Kuaizhou | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Long March 2 | China | Long March | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | |
| Long March 3 | China | Long March | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | |
| Long March 4 | China | Long March | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| Long March 11 | China | Long March | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Proton | Russia | Universal Rocket | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| PSLV | India | PSLV | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Soyuz | Russia | R-7 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | |
| Soyuz-2 or ST | Russia | R-7 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | |
| SS-520 | Japan | S-Series | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final orbital flight |
| UR-100 | Russia | Universal Rocket | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Vega | Italy | Vega | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Zhuque-1 | China | Zhuque | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Only flight |
| Rocket | Country | Type | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antares 230 | United States | Antares 200 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ariane 5 ECA | France | Ariane 5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | |
| Ariane 5 ES | France | Ariane 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final flight |
| Atlas V 401 | United States | Atlas V | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Atlas V 411 | United States | Atlas V | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Atlas V 541 | United States | Atlas V | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Atlas V 551 | United States | Atlas V | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Delta II 7420 | United States | Delta II | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final flight |
| Delta IV Medium+ (5,2) | United States | Delta IV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final flight |
| Delta IV Heavy | United States | Delta IV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Epsilon | Japan | Epsilon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electron | United States | Electron | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Falcon 9 Full Thrust | United States | Falcon 9 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | Final flight |
| Falcon 9 Block 5 | United States | Falcon 9 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight |
| Falcon Heavy | United States | Falcon 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Maiden flight |
| GSLV Mk II | India | GSLV | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| GSLV Mk III | India | GSLV Mk III | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| H-IIA 202 | Japan | H-IIA | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| H-IIA 204 | Japan | H-IIA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| H-IIB | Japan | H-IIB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Kuaizhou 1A | China | Kuaizhou | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Long March 2C | China | Long March 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| Long March 2D | China | Long March 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | |
| Long March 3A | China | Long March 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Long March 3B/E | China | Long March 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Long March 3B/E /YZ-1 | China | Long March 3 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | |
| Long March 3C/E | China | Long March 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Long March 4B | China | Long March 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Long March 4C | China | Long March 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Long March 11 | China | Long March 11 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Proton-M /Briz-M | Russia | Proton | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| PSLV-CA | India | PSLV | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| PLSV-XL | India | PSLV | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Rokot /Briz-KM | Russia | UR-100 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Soyuz-FG | Russia | Soyuz | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | |
| Soyuz-2.1a or ST-A | Russia | Soyuz-2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Soyuz-2.1a or ST-A /Fregat-M | Russia | Soyuz-2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Soyuz-2.1b or ST-B | Russia | Soyuz-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Soyuz-2.1b or ST-B /Fregat-M | Russia | Soyuz-2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Soyuz-2.1b or ST-B /Fregat-MT | Russia | Soyuz-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Soyuz-2-1v /Volga | Russia | Soyuz-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| SS-520-5 | Japan | SS-520 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Final orbital flight |
| Vega | Italy | Vega | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Zhuque-1 | China | Zhuque-1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Only flight |
| Site | Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baikonur |  Kazakhstan | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | |
| Cape Canaveral | United States | 17 | 16 | 1 | 0 | |
| Jiuquan | China | 16 | 15 | 1 | 0 | |
| Kennedy | United States | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Kourou | France | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | |
| Mahia |  New Zealand | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| MARS | United States | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Plesetsk | Russia | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| Satish Dhawan | India | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |
| Taiyuan | China | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tanegashima | Japan | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Uchinoura | Japan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Vandenberg | United States | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | |
| Vostochny | Russia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Xichang | China | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 114 | 110 | 3 | 1 | ||
| Orbital regime | Launches | Achieved | Not achieved | Accidentally achieved | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transatmospheric | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Low Earth /Sun-synchronous | 67 | 64 | 3 | 0 | Zuma,Soyuz MS-10 andZhuque-1 lost |
| Geosynchronous /GTO | 27 | 26 | 0 | 1 | ArianeVA241 underperformed |
| Medium Earth | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 | |
| High Earth /Lunar transfer | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Heliocentric /Planetary transfer | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 114 | 110 | 3 | 1 |
Notes
Citations
Based on the data available, our team did not identify any information that would change SpaceX's Falcon 9 certification status.
CSES (China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite) is a scientific mission dedicated to monitoring electromagnetic field and waves, plasma and particles perturbations of the atmosphere, ionosphere and magnetosphere induced by natural sources and anthropocentric emitters; and to study their correlations with the occurrence of seismic events. The satellite mission is part of a collaboration program between the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI), and developed by China Earthquake Administration (CEA) and Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), together with several Chinese and Italian Universities and research Institutes.
2018 in space | ||
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| Space probe launches  |
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| Impact events | ||
| SelectedNEOs | ||
| Exoplanets | ||
| Discoveries |
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| Novae |
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| Comets | ||
| Space exploration |
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