As space plays a growing role in the everyday life, economy, and strategic priorities of European societies, the tempo and intricacy of space operations are rapidly intensifying, necessitating access to timely and accurate data.
Addressing this, we are pleased to present our new interactive dashboard on launches and spacecraft: a publicly accessible tool that tracks and visualises global space activity. Click here or below to access the ESPI Launch Dashboard.
The dashboard builds on and replaces the space activity section of our former annual Yearbook, which we are discontinuing as we shift toward more dynamic and regularly updated formats. The new tool allows for more frequent updates, customisable views, and deeper exploration of launch trends, satellite operators, mission purposes, and more.
See below a few use cases how to use and leverage the ESPI Launch Dashboard:
Example 1 – 25-Year Overview of Global Space Activity
In the graph below, the data from our Launch Dashboard, visualised across the entire timeframe, showcases the evolution of global space activity across three main indicators – number of launches, number of spacecraft launched, and total mass launched, enabling the identification of long-term trendlines.
Example 2 – 2024 Snapshot of Launches by Territory
Our Launch Dashboard can be utilised to also quickly visualise snapshots trends in launch activity, as demonstrated in the chart below, visualising the 2024 data on orbital launches by country of launch.
Example 3 – Mass (in kilograms) Launched for European Customers by Mission
Interested in going deeper ? The third example focuses on showcasing demand from European customers, further broken down into mission type.
We invite you to explore the dashboard, use it in your own work, and share it freely. This is part of our commitment to open, evidence-based debate about the future of space in Europe and beyond.
The dashboard will be updated with the latest data on a monthly basis and new features will be added in the future.
If you have any questions, please reach out to ESPI’s Research Fellow Lars Petzold at: <lars.petzold@espi.or.at>
As space becomes increasingly integrated into our daily lives, economies, and strategic interests of European societies, the pace and complexity of space activities are accelerating. With more actors entering orbit and more launches taking place than ever before, access to timely, transparent, and curated data is essential.
