1961 Rocket Launch Statistics
In 1961, there were 50 orbital launch attempts worldwide, and 30 of them reached orbit. That is 12 more than in 1960, and the most of any year until then. By country, the United States launched 41 and the Soviet Union 9. Together they put 35 tonnes of payload in orbit.
Statistics summary
Payload to orbit
1961
35 t
vs 20 t in 1960
Per week
683 kg
vs 390 kg in 1960
Reached orbit
1961
60%
30 of 50; 15 failures, 5 partial
1960
50%
19 of 38; 19 failures
Who flew in 1961
Company1961 launches1961Share
McDonnell Douglas23vs 2146%- Convair11vs 522%
RKK Energia7vs 914%- Vought4vs 18%
- Chrysler3vs 26%
- Yuzhmash2vs 04%
1961 against 1960. Drawings at one true scale.
Country1961 launches1961Share
1961 against 1960. Drawings at one true scale.
Every company, as a table
| Company | Launches | Share | Payload to orbit | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas | 23 | 46% | 4 t | 12% |
| Convair | 11 | 22% | 10 t | 28% |
| RKK Energia | 7 | 14% | 21 t | 60% |
| Vought | 4 | 8% | 68 kg | <1% |
| Chrysler | 3 | 6% | 41 kg | <1% |
| Yuzhmash | 2 | 4% | – |
Launches and payload by week
Orbital launch attempts per week, 1961
SpaceX, and the rest of the world by region.
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| Week of | SpaceX | Rest of US | Europe | China | Russia | India | Rest of World | All | Payload to orbit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Dec 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 2 | 2 t |
| 10 Dec 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 2 | 400 kg |
| 26 Nov 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 t |
| 19 Nov 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – |
| 12 Nov 1961 | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | 815 kg |
| 5 Nov 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 313 kg |
| 29 Oct 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – |
| 22 Oct 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 2 | – |
| 15 Oct 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 2 t |
| 8 Oct 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 298 kg |
| 17 Sep 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 303 kg |
| 10 Sep 1961 | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 2 t |
| 3 Sep 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – |
| 27 Aug 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 326 kg |
| 20 Aug 1961 | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 368 kg |
| 13 Aug 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 38 kg |
| 6 Aug 1961 | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | 5 t |
| 30 Jul 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – |
| 16 Jul 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – |
| 9 Jul 1961 | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 2 t |
| 2 Jul 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 315 kg |
| 25 Jun 1961 | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 121 kg |
| 11 Jun 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 314 kg |
| 4 Jun 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – |
| 21 May 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – |
| 23 Apr 1961 | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 41 kg |
| 9 Apr 1961 | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | 5 t |
| 2 Apr 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 311 kg |
| 26 Mar 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – |
| 19 Mar 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 2 | 5 t |
| 5 Mar 1961 | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | 5 t |
| 19 Feb 1961 | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 170 kg |
| 12 Feb 1961 | – | 3 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 4 | 2 t |
| 29 Jan 1961 | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 2 | 3 t |
Year against year
Orbital launch attempts, year against year, 1958 to 1961
Added up through each year.
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| By the end of | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0 · 0 t | 1 · 205 kg | 0 · 0 t | 1 · 1 t |
| February | 2 · 8 kg | 3 · 215 kg | 3 · 0 t | 8 · 4 t |
| March | 5 · 18 kg | 4 · 222 kg | 5 · 43 kg | 12 · 14 t |
| April | 7 · 18 kg | 6 · 420 kg | 10 · 481 kg | 16 · 19 t |
| May | 9 · 1 t | 6 · 420 kg | 13 · 9 t | 17 · 19 t |
| June | 10 · 1 t | 10 · 420 kg | 15 · 9 t | 21 · 19 t |
| July | 12 · 1 t | 11 · 420 kg | 16 · 9 t | 25 · 21 t |
| August | 19 · 1 t | 15 · 962 kg | 21 · 14 t | 31 · 27 t |
| September | 21 · 1 t | 18 · 1 t | 23 · 14 t | 35 · 29 t |
| October | 24 · 1 t | 20 · 2 t | 28 · 15 t | 39 · 31 t |
| November | 25 · 1 t | 23 · 2 t | 32 · 15 t | 46 · 33 t |
| December | 28 · 1 t | 23 · 2 t | 38 · 20 t | 50 · 35 t |
Busiest rockets in 1961
Launches and payload by country in 1961
Orbital launch attempts by country, 1961
By the country of the rocket.
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| Country | Launches | Share | Payload to orbit | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 41 | 82% | 14 t | 40% |
| Soviet Union | 9 | 18% | 21 t | 60% |