In keeping with the established tradition of recent years, 2024 set a new record for the number of space launches. Over the past twelve months, 259 orbital launches took place. For comparison, in the previous year, this figure was 223 launches, which was also a record at the time.
SpaceX’s usual records
We have to thank SpaceX again for another record. Every year, it increases the number of launches, and it does so at a very significant pace. While in 2022 the company recorded 61 and in 2023 – 98 space missions, in 2024 this figure was 134 missions (excluding Starship).
132 of these flights were carried out by the Falcon 9, which can rightly be called the main workhorse of modern astronautics. In 130 cases, its first stage was successfully returned (in one mission, it was used in a one-time configuration, in the other, it crashed during landing). Also in 2024, SpaceX launched the Falcon Heavy rocket twice.
The situation with the classification of Starship launches is a little more complicated. Formally, all the ships flew on a suborbital trajectory and their speed was slightly lower than the first space speed. This was done with the expectation that even in the event of an accident, the ship would fall in a selected area in the Indian Ocean and cause no damage. At the same time, it is clear that SpaceX had every opportunity to put the ships into a full orbit around the Earth. So, depending on the desire, their flights can be classified as either orbital or suborbital.
As for the other US launch operators, they have recorded a total of 20 orbital launches. Of these, 14 were made by Rocket Lab, 5 by ULA, and 1 by Firefly Aerospace.
China and the rest of the world
In 2024, China also updated its national record with 68 launches. About three-quarters of the missions were carried out by various Long March rockets operated by the state-owned launch operator САSС. At the same time, it should be noted that the contribution of private Chinese companies to national space statistics is becoming more and more noticeable every year.
As for other countries, Russia carried out 17 orbital launches, Japan – 7, India – 5, Iran – 4, the European Union – 3, and the DPRK – 1.
Space accidents in 2024
Such a large number of launches, of course, could not have been without a certain number of accidents. In total, six rockets failed to reach orbit. Two more launches were classified as partial failures.
Perhaps the most unexpected accident of 2024 was the failure of the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket in July. It interrupted its accident-free streak, which was unparalleled and had lasted since 2015. At some point, thanks to SpaceX’s success, many people began to think that spaceflight was a boring routine. But the Falcon 9 crash reminded us once again that even the most reliable technology sometimes breaks down.
In any case, the incident did not greatly affect SpaceX’s operations, and after a short break, the Falcon 9 returned to service. The same cannot be said for the Japanese company ispace. Both launches of its small launch vehicle KAIROS have failed. Obviously, the company needs to change something, otherwise it risks joining the list of aerospace start-ups that have never taken off.
The launches of an unnamed North Korean rocket and Chinese Hyperbola-1 and Kinetica 1 also ended in accidents. The launches of the Chinese Long March 2C and European Ariane 6 were classified as partial failures. The former launched its payload (a pair of experimental lunar satellites) into a lower orbit than the flight plan had envisaged. Later, engineers were still able to send the vehicles to the Moon using their engines.
As for Ariane 6, during its debut flight, it placed the payload into a predetermined orbit. After that, the engineers planned to reactivate the upper stage’s engines to send it into the atmosphere. However, they never switched on, and the stage became space debris. That’s why, although Ariane 6 fulfilled its main task, its launch was still classified as a partial failure.
Another launch could well have ended in disaster, but the ULA launch operator was frankly lucky. During the second launch of the Vulcan rocket, the nozzle of its solid rocket booster was destroyed. Fortunately for ULA, the accident did not destroy the rocket itself. Its upper stage, the Centaur, had enough fuel to compensate for the loss of thrust and reach the desired orbit.
Space debuts and retirements
In conclusion, let’s say a few words about the rockets that made their first flights in 2024, as well as the retired launch vehicles. One of the debutants was the aforementioned Ariane 6. Its launch was very important for Europe, which in recent years has found itself in a situation where it has no rockets of its own to deliver cargo into space. Of course, Ariane 6 has no chance of competing with SpaceX’s launchers. But at least with it, Europe has regained independent access to space.
Another long-awaited novelty for 2024 is the Vulcan rocket, which is the successor to the Atlas V and Delta IV Heavy. Production of the first launch vehicle has already been discontinued. ULA has 15 more rockets in stock – and they are all sold out. The Delta IV Heavy was completed in April when it made its last flight. In 2024, the European light carrier Vega also retired. Its last flight took place in September.
In addition to the aforementioned carriers, in 2024, China’s Gravity-1, Long March 6C, Long March 12, and Zhuque-2 made their first flights. But perhaps the most anticipated debut was postponed to 2025. We are talking about the New Glenn rocket from Blue Origin. It has a reusable first stage and can put twice as much cargo into orbit as the Falcon 9. If the New Glenn can challenge SpaceX’s de facto monopoly, it will happen in 2025.
