---
license: cc-by-4.0
pretty_name: "Global Space Launch Log"
language:
  - en
description: "Every orbital launch attempt since 1957 from Jonathan McDowell's GCAT, with vehicles, sites, and outcomes. Updated weekly."
task_categories:
  - tabular-classification
  - time-series-forecasting
tags:
  - space
  - launches
  - rockets
  - gcat
  - orbital-mechanics
  - open-data
  - spaceflight
  - nasa
  - launch-vehicle
  - tabular-data
  - parquet
configs:
  - config_name: launches
    data_files:
      - split: train
        path: data/launches.parquet
  - config_name: sites
    data_files:
      - split: train
        path: data/sites.parquet
size_categories:
  - 10K<n<100K
---

# Space Launch Log

*Part of the [Orbital Mechanics Datasets](https://huggingface.co/collections/juliensimon/orbital-mechanics-datasets-69c24caca4ab3934c9856994) collection on Hugging Face.*

![Update Launch Log](https://github.com/juliensimon/space-datasets/actions/workflows/update-launch-log.yml/badge.svg)
![Updated](https://img.shields.io/badge/dynamic/json?url=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/juliensimon/space-datasets/main/status.json&query=$['launch-log']&label=updated&color=brightgreen)

Complete global launch history from [GCAT](https://planet4589.org/space/gcat/)
(General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects), maintained by Jonathan McDowell.
Currently **75,775** launches (7,033 orbital, 49,514 suborbital)
from **710** sites, spanning 1942–2026.

## Dataset description

This dataset captures the complete record of humanity's attempts to reach space, from the first Sputnik launch in 1957 to present-day commercial missions. Every orbital and suborbital launch attempt is cataloged with its vehicle type, launch site, mission objective, operating agency, and outcome code. The companion sites table provides geographic coordinates and operational history for every launch facility worldwide, from Cape Canaveral and Baikonur to mobile sea-launch platforms.

The data originates from Jonathan McDowell's General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (GCAT), widely regarded as the most meticulous independent accounting of spaceflight activity. McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, cross-references official government records, regulatory filings, tracking data, and open-source intelligence to maintain a launch log that frequently corrects errors in official databases. GCAT distinguishes between orbital and suborbital attempts, records partial failures where payloads reached unintended orbits, and assigns standardized vehicle designations across different naming conventions.

This dataset is valuable for trend analysis in launch cadence, vehicle reliability, and the geographic distribution of spaceport activity. Researchers use it to study launch failure rates, the evolution of launch vehicle families, the emergence of new spacefaring nations, and the accelerating commercialization of orbital access. When joined with the sites table, it enables geospatial analysis of global launch infrastructure and its expansion over seven decades.

## Configs

### `launches` — 75,775 launch records

Every known launch attempt — orbital, suborbital, and failed — from 1942 to present.

| Column | Type | Description |
|--------|------|-------------|
| `launch_tag` | string | Unique GCAT launch identifier |
| `launch_jd` | float | Launch time as Julian Date |
| `launch_date` | string | Launch date (ISO-ish format) |
| `lv_type` | string | Launch vehicle type (e.g. "Falcon 9") |
| `variant` | string | Vehicle variant |
| `flight_id` | string | Flight identifier |
| `flight` | string | Flight number |
| `mission` | string | Mission name |
| `flight_code` | string | Flight code |
| `platform` | string | Launch platform |
| `launch_site` | string | Launch site code |
| `launch_pad` | string | Launch pad identifier |
| `ascent_site` | string | Ascent site (if different from launch) |
| `ascent_pad` | string | Ascent pad |
| `apogee` | float | Apogee altitude in km |
| `apogee_flag` | string | Apogee qualifier flag |
| `range` | float | Range in km |
| `range_flag` | string | Range qualifier flag |
| `destination` | string | Target orbit/destination |
| `orbital_payload` | string | Whether payload reached orbit |
| `agency` | string | Responsible agency/operator |
| `launch_code` | string | Launch outcome code |
| `fail_code` | string | Failure details (if applicable) |
| `group` | string | Launch group |
| `category` | string | `O` (orbital), `S` (suborbital), etc. |
| `lt_cite` | string | Launch time citation |
| `cite` | string | General citation |
| `notes` | string | Additional notes |

### `sites` — 710 launch sites

Launch facilities, pads, and test ranges worldwide.

| Column | Type | Description |
|--------|------|-------------|
| `site` | string | Site identifier |
| `code` | string | Short code |
| `ucode` | string | Unicode code |
| `type` | string | Site type |
| `state_code` | string | Country/state code |
| `start` | string | First operational date |
| `stop` | string | Last operational date |
| `short_name` | string | Short name |
| `name` | string | Full name |
| `location` | string | Geographic location description |
| `longitude` | float | Longitude (WGS-84) |
| `latitude` | float | Latitude (WGS-84) |
| `error` | string | Position error estimate |
| `parent` | string | Parent site (for pads within complexes) |
| `short_ename` | string | Short English name |
| `ename` | string | Full English name |
| `group` | string | Site group |
| `uname` | string | Unicode name |

## Quick stats

- **75,775** launches (7,033 orbital, 49,514 suborbital)
- **705** distinct agencies/operators
- **710** launch sites
- Coverage: **1942–2026**

## Usage

```python
from datasets import load_dataset

launches = load_dataset("juliensimon/space-launch-log", "launches", split="train")
sites = load_dataset("juliensimon/space-launch-log", "sites", split="train")

df = launches.to_pandas()

# Launches per year
df["year"] = df["launch_date"].str[:4]
print(df["year"].value_counts().sort_index().tail(10))

# Most-used launch vehicles
print(df["lv_type"].value_counts().head(10))

# Orbital launches only (launch_code starts with O)
orbital = df[df["launch_code"].str[0] == "O"]

# Join with site coordinates
sites_df = sites.to_pandas()
df_geo = df.merge(sites_df[["code", "latitude", "longitude"]],
                  left_on="launch_site", right_on="code", how="left")
```

## Data source

[GCAT](https://planet4589.org/space/gcat/) (General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects)
by Jonathan McDowell, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. GCAT is the most
comprehensive public catalog of space launches and is widely used in the spaceflight
research community.

## Update schedule

Weekly on Mondays at 07:00 UTC via [GitHub Actions](https://github.com/juliensimon/space-datasets).

## Related datasets

- [starlink-fleet-data](https://huggingface.co/datasets/juliensimon/starlink-fleet-data) — Daily Starlink constellation health snapshots
- [space-track-satcat](https://huggingface.co/datasets/juliensimon/space-track-satcat) — NORAD satellite catalog
- [starlink-ground-stations](https://huggingface.co/datasets/juliensimon/starlink-ground-stations) — Starlink gateway and PoP locations

## Pipeline

Source code: [juliensimon/space-datasets](https://github.com/juliensimon/space-datasets)

## Support

If you find this dataset useful, please give it a ❤️ on the [dataset page](https://huggingface.co/datasets/juliensimon/space-launch-log) and share feedback in the Community tab! Also consider giving a ⭐️ to the [space-datasets](https://github.com/juliensimon/space-datasets) repo.

## Citation

```bibtex
@dataset{space_launch_log,
  author = {Simon, Julien},
  title = {Space Launch Log},
  year = {2026},
  publisher = {Hugging Face},
  url = {https://huggingface.co/datasets/juliensimon/space-launch-log},
  note = {Based on GCAT (General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects) by Jonathan McDowell, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics}
}
```

## License

[CC-BY-4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)