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mcval/space-launches

Launches and the satellites they carried, 1957 to 2026 This is a copy of the dataset at mcval.org/launches/data, updated there every Monday and here straight after. Cite it by its DOI (see Citing). Version 2026-10-07. 7,634 launches from 1957-10-04 to 2026-10-07, and 27,969 payloads, every one linked to the launch that carried it. Made by McVal for Every launch since Sputnik, a 3D globe of the same data. Licensed CC BY 4.0: use it for anything, with credit (see Citing).… See the full description on the dataset page: https://huggingface.co/datasets/mcval/space-launches.

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Launches and the satellites they carried, 1957 to 2026

This is a copy of the dataset at mcval.org/launches/data, updated there every Monday and here straight after. Cite it by its DOI (see Citing).

Version 2026-10-07. 7,634 launches from 1957-10-04 to 2026-10-07, and 27,969 payloads, every one linked to the launch that carried it.

Made by McVal for Every launch since Sputnik, a 3D globe of the same data. Licensed CC BY 4.0: use it for anything, with credit (see Citing).

How the links are made

Each payload in CelesTrak's satellite catalogue has a COSPAR id (1997-061A for Cassini), whose first part (1997-061) is the launch. Launch Library 2 records that launch number for each launch that reached orbit. The two are joined on it, so a link needs no matching by date or place. Launches that left nothing in orbit, such as failures and suborbital flights, have no COSPAR launch number and no payloads.

Who uses each satellite (defence, civil government, commercial, academic) and who runs it come from Jonathan McDowell's General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (GCAT). A satellite counts as defence if any of its operators is military; otherwise it takes the class of its first operator. operator_group rolls the operator up GCAT's parent chain to its top organisation (NASA Goddard to NASA), with a few GCAT keeps apart merged by hand.

launches.csv

ColumnMeaning
launch_idLaunch Library 2's id for the launch
date_utcLiftoff, UTC, to the minute
cospar_launchCOSPAR launch number (year-number); empty if nothing reached orbit
rocketRocket, as Launch Library 2 names it
providerWho launched it
provider_typegovernment or commercial
site, site_country, padWhere it launched from
outcomesuccess, failure or partial failure
mission, mission_type, orbitAs Launch Library 2 records them
payloads_cataloguedPayloads in CelesTrak's catalogue from this launch
wikipediaEnglish Wikipedia article about the flight or its main payload, through Wikidata, where there is one
webcastThe launch's webcast or film, checked when built, where there is one

satellites.csv

ColumnMeaning
norad_idCatalogue number (NORAD)
cospar_idInternational designator
nameCatalogue name
launchdate, decaydateFrom the catalogue; decay_date empty while it is still up
launchid, cosparlaunch, rocket, launch_providerThe launch that carried it (launches.csv)
userdefence, civil government, commercial, academic or unknown (GCAT)
operatorWho runs it (GCAT)
operator_groupThe operator's top organisation (see above)
registered_toCelesTrak's owner code: the country or organisation it is registered to
orbit_centreEA for Earth orbit; a station's catalogue number when docked; otherwise where it went (MO Moon, SU solar orbit, MA Mars, and so on)
orbit_withheldyes where CelesTrak has no elements available: the US publishes no orbit for it
periodmin, inclinationdeg, apogeekm, perigeekmIts orbit, from the catalogue

Sources

Citing

Osborne, M. (2026). Launches and the satellites they carried, 1957 to 2026 (Version 2026-10-07) [Dataset]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23184904

Built from Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs), CelesTrak, and GCAT by Jonathan McDowell (CC-BY). The DOI above always resolves to the newest version.