Commercial Space Data Available in FAA Fact Book
The FAA has released its most recent commercial space data as part of its most recent Fact Book.
Which state has the most commercial space launches? What launch site is the busiest? How many companies are licensed to conduct launch and reentry operations? You can find answers to all these questions and more by exploring the interactive commercial space data section of the FAA Fact Book.
The commercial space industry is growing rapidly. For example, the number of FAA-licensed launches increased from just one in 2011 to a record 79 in 2022. The FAA ensures these space operations are safe for the public and are efficiently integrated into the national airspace system.
As the space economy continues to expand with new research, business and space tourism opportunities, more commercial rockets will launch from across the U.S. These missions will carry payloads and humans above, around and beyond the Earth.
The FAA commercial space data offers insights about current trends in commercial space transportation and the future for this exciting segment of the aerospace industry.
Top Line Commercial Space Data
According to FAA data, there have been 519 FAA-licensed launches as of Feb. 21, 2023. Of those, 21 have involved human spaceflight.
SpaceX is by far the leader in licensed commercial launches with 196 to its credit. Rocket Lab comes in second with 33 lanches. The vast majority of the commercial launches have been from Florida, where 172 launches have been performed. Of those, 118 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and 54 from the Kennedy Space Center. California is third with 35 launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The interactive nature of the online factbook allows users to drill down into the data collected by the FAA. The site tracks commercial space data for calendar years 2010 through 2023.
(Source: FAA. Infographic from screenshot)