Comparative Analysis of Public and Private-Sector Space Activity

This page helps users visualize rocket launches across three dimensions: public vs. public, private vs. private, and private vs. public. The visuals highlight the initial rise of national space exploration, the decline following the collapse of the USSR, and the resurgence of launches driven by private companies and emerging global competitors.

Background

It’s almost like space exploration skipped a generation. After the collapse of the USSR, rocket launches became few and far between. But in the past 15 years, we’ve seen a dramatic resurgence in launching high-speed objects into space. As you explore this page, start by taking a global view of rocket launches. Which countries stand out? Which ones surprise you or don’t? Then, dive deeper into individual countries to see how their activity has evolved over time. Finally, zoom in on the organizations behind these launches, both public and private. What patterns emerge? Who are the key players?

For the first visual use the slide bar at the bottom to watch rocket exploration grow. You can drag your mouse over the triangles to get specific information on that country.

Country vs Country

That map is incredibly helpful for spotting emerging powers and unexpected contributors in space exploration. The dominant players are clearly the United States and Russia, but one of the most exciting newcomers is China. The visual makes it clear that while some countries have plateaued, others have made space launches a growing priority. In the next visual, we’ll dive deeper into a country-by-country comparison to explore these trends further.

In this visual, you can compare countries by interacting with the legend. Click on a country's name to highlight its line while dimming the others. You can select multiple countries at once, and deselect by clicking the name again. Use your mouse to zoom in for more detail or hover over the chart to see specific data for each year.

Here, you can clearly see the trough that skipped generation we mentioned earlier. The collapse of the USSR likely played a major role in this decline. The loss in competition may have slowed momentum. But what sparked the resurgence? Who led the charge? And was there a shift in how rocket launches were funded? These are the questions we’ll explore in the next visual.

Behind the Lines

For this last visual, we’re diving into a stacked bar chart that traces rocket launches from the very first to the present day. This allows us to explore the paradigm shift from public to private organizations. You’ll also be able to spot the dominant players before the trough and those fueling the resurgence today.

For this visual, I recommend watching it play out fully the first time. This gives you a moment to briefly take in each year and observe the progression. Once the chart has built up to the present, you can use the slider to explore specific years and events. You can also pause and resume the animation to examine details more closely. Finally, hover your mouse over the bars to see information about each organization’s contribution in a given year.

So what did we learn? From the first visual, we saw the global spread of rocket launches along with who the major players are and who’s emerging. The country-level comparison helped us track that journey more clearly over time. Then we looked deeper, zooming in on the organizations actually responsible for those launches.

It seems like the USSR played a massive role in kicking off the space race, and interestingly, may have also contributed to that big drop-off after its collapse. It’s almost like space exploration skipped a generation. But in the last 15 years, we’ve seen a serious comeback. And leading the way? SpaceX on the private side, and China becoming a major force publicly.

What began as a government-dominated domain has undergone a true paradigm shift. We are now in an era driven by fierce competition, bold innovation, and renewed ambition. The visuals tell that story clearly, from the rise of space exploration through its decline and into the powerful resurgence we are witnessing today.