The heartbeat of
human spaceflight.
Every orbital launch attempt since Sputnik. The cadence of a species learning to leave its planet — visualized across 69 years.
Every year. Every launch.
Hover any bar to see the count. The shape tells the story — from the Space Race to the commercial revolution happening right now.
Next on the pad.
Live from Launch Library 2. The next rockets waiting to add to the count.
The first acceleration
1957–1967. Two superpowers racing to prove something. Launch count went from 3 to 83 in a decade. The fastest growth in spaceflight history — until now.
The long plateau
1970–2009. Four decades of 30–90 launches per year. Government monopoly on spaceflight. The cadence flatlined because the incentive structure never changed.
The second acceleration
2020–present. Commercial reusability broke the cost curve. Launch count doubled, then doubled again. We're now launching more rockets in a single year than the entire first two decades of spaceflight combined.
The pulse is accelerating.
For the first time in history,
humanity is learning to leave.