Apr 8 Falcon 9 Full Thrust
Success
SpaceX lands a rocket booster on a ship at sea for the first time
Four earlier tries had wrecked their boosters. Sea landings let SpaceX recover boosters on flights with too little fuel to return to land.
Rocket launches in2016
Falcon 9 lands on a droneship at sea for the first time on April 8, then is destroyed along with the AMOS-6 satellite in a pad explosion during a static fire test on September 1. The USA and China make 22 orbital launches each — the USA's total here also counts four suborbital New Shepard flights and the AMOS-6 loss — and Long March 5 and Long March 7 both fly for the first time.
Monthly Cadence complete
DEC peak 12 launches ↑ 2% vs 2015
- launches
- 91
- success · 87/91
- 96%
- providers
- 4
2016 launch leaders
2016 highlights
Mar 14 Proton M / Briz-M
Success
Europe and Russia send an orbiter to look for methane on Mars
Methane could point to life or active geology. In 2019 the orbiter's team reported finding none, far less than telescopes and a rover had seen.
Aug 15 Long March 2D
Success
China launches Micius, the first quantum communications satellite
In 2017 Micius sent encryption keys as strings of photons to ground stations. They secured a video call between Beijing and Vienna.
Sep 3 Falcon 9 Full Thrust
Precluded
Falcon 9 explodes on the pad two days before launch
The blast came during fuelling for an engine test and destroyed the AMOS-6 communications satellite. Falcon 9 did not fly again until January 2017.
Sep 8 Atlas V 411
Success
NASA sends OSIRIS-REx to bring back rock and dust from asteroid Bennu
The spacecraft grabbed its sample from Bennu's surface in 2020. Its capsule landed in Utah in September 2023 carrying 121.6 grams.
Nov 3 Long March 5
Success
China's heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket makes its maiden flight
The rocket could carry 25 tonnes to low orbit, more than any earlier Chinese rocket. It later launched China's Mars rover and Moon sample mission.
All 2016 launches
Quick filters
91 launches
| January | ||||
Jan 15, 2016 | Belintersat 1 China • Long March 3B/E | |||
Jan 17, 2016 | Jason-3 USA • SpaceX • Falcon 9 v1.1 | |||
Jan 20, 2016 | IRNSS-1E India • PSLV XL | |||
Jan 22, 2016 | NS-3 USA • Blue Origin • New Shepard 2 | |||
Jan 27, 2016 | Intelsat 29e France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ECA | |||
Jan 29, 2016 | Eutelsat 9B Russia • Proton M / Briz-M | |||
| February | ||||
Feb 1, 2016 | BeiDou-3M 3-S China • Long March 3C/E / YZ-1 | |||
Feb 5, 2016 | USA-266 USA • Atlas V 401 | |||
Feb 7, 2016 | GLONASS-M 751 Russia • Soyuz 2.1b / Fregat | |||
Feb 7, 2016 | Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4 North Korea • Unha 3 | |||
Feb 10, 2016 | NROL-45 USA • Delta IV M+ (5,2) | |||
Feb 16, 2016 | Sentinel-3A Russia • Rokot Rokot / Briz-KM | |||
Feb 17, 2016 | Hitomi Japan • H2A 202 | |||
| March | ||||
Mar 4, 2016 | SES-9 USA • SpaceX • Falcon 9 Full Thrust | |||
Mar 9, 2016 | Eutelsat 65 West A France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ECA | |||
Mar 10, 2016 | IRNSS-1F India • PSLV XL | |||
Mar 13, 2016 | Resurs-P No.3 Russia • Soyuz 2.1b | |||
Mar 14, 2016 | ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Russia • Proton M / Briz-M | |||
Mar 18, 2016 | Soyuz TMA-20M Russia • Soyuz FG | |||
Mar 23, 2016 | Cygnus CRS OA-6 S. S. Rick Husband USA • Atlas V 401 | |||
Mar 24, 2016 | Bars-M 2L Russia • Soyuz 2.1a | |||
Mar 29, 2016 | BeiDou IGSO-6 China • Long March 3A | |||
Mar 31, 2016 | Progress MS-02 Russia • Soyuz 2.1a | |||
| April | ||||
Apr 2, 2016 | New Shepard crew capsule USA • Blue Origin • New Shepard 2 | |||
Apr 5, 2016 | Shijian 10 China • Long March 2D | |||
Apr 8, 2016 | CRS-8 USA • SpaceX • Falcon 9 Full Thrust | |||
Apr 19, 2016 | Simorgh Flight 1 Iran • Simorgh | |||
Apr 25, 2016 | Sentinel-1B France • Arianespace • Soyuz STA / Fregat | |||
Apr 28, 2016 | Mikhailo Lomonosov Russia • Soyuz 2.1a / Volga | |||
Apr 28, 2016 | IRNSS-1G India • PSLV XL | |||
| May | ||||
May 6, 2016 | JCSAT-14 USA • SpaceX • Falcon 9 Full Thrust | |||
May 15, 2016 | Yaogan 30 China • Long March 2D | |||
May 24, 2016 | Galileo L7 France • Arianespace • Soyuz STB / Fregat | |||
May 27, 2016 | Thaicom 8 USA • SpaceX • Falcon 9 Full Thrust | |||
May 29, 2016 | GLONASS-M 753 Russia • Soyuz 2.1b / Fregat | |||
May 30, 2016 | Ziyuan III-02 China • Long March 4B | |||
| June | ||||
Jun 4, 2016 | Geo-IK-2 No.12 Russia • Rokot Rokot / Briz-KM | |||
Jun 9, 2016 | Intelsat 31 Russia • Proton M / Briz-M | |||
Jun 11, 2016 | NROL-37 USA • Delta IV Heavy | |||
Jun 12, 2016 | BeiDou G7 China • Long March 3C/E | |||
Jun 15, 2016 | ABS-2A USA • SpaceX • Falcon 9 Full Thrust | |||
Jun 18, 2016 | EchoStar 18 France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ECA | |||
Jun 19, 2016 | New Shepard crew capsule USA • Blue Origin • New Shepard 2 | |||
Jun 22, 2016 | Cartosat-2C India • PSLV XL | |||
Jun 24, 2016 | MUOS-5 USA • Atlas V 551 | |||
Jun 25, 2016 | Long March 7 maiden flight China • Long March 7 / YZ-1A | |||
Jun 29, 2016 | Shijian 16-02 China • Long March 4B | |||
| July | ||||
Jul 7, 2016 | Soyuz MS-01 Russia • Soyuz FG | |||
Jul 16, 2016 | Progress MS-03 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Jul 18, 2016 | CRS-9 USA • SpaceX • Falcon 9 Full Thrust | |||
Jul 28, 2016 | NROL-61 USA • Atlas V 421 | |||
| August | ||||
Aug 5, 2016 | Tiantong-1 01 China • Long March 3B | |||
Aug 9, 2016 | Gaofen-3 China • Long March 4C | |||
Aug 14, 2016 | JCSAT-16 USA • SpaceX • Falcon 9 Full Thrust | |||
Aug 15, 2016 | Quantum Experiments At Space Scale China • Long March 2D | |||
Aug 19, 2016 | AFSPC-6 USA • Delta IV M+ (4,2) | |||
Aug 24, 2016 | Intelsat 33e France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ECA | |||
Aug 31, 2016Failure | Gaofen-10 China • Long March 4C | |||
| September | ||||
Sep 3, 2016Precluded | AMOS-6 USA • SpaceX • Falcon 9 Full Thrust | |||
Sep 8, 2016 | INSAT-3DR India • GSLV Mk II | |||
Sep 8, 2016 | OSIRIS-REx USA • Atlas V 411 | |||
Sep 13, 2016 | Ofeq 11 Israel • Shavit 2 | |||
Sep 15, 2016 | Tiangong-2 China • Long March 2F/G | |||
Sep 16, 2016 | PeruSat-1 France • Arianespace • Vega | |||
Sep 26, 2016 | ScatSat-1 India • PSLV G | |||
| October | ||||
Oct 5, 2016 | New Shepard crew capsule USA • Blue Origin • New Shepard 2 | |||
Oct 5, 2016 | NBN-Co 1B France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ECA | |||
Oct 16, 2016 | Shenzhou 11 China • Long March 2F | |||
Oct 17, 2016 | Cygnus CRS OA-5 USA • Antares 230 | |||
Oct 19, 2016 | Soyuz MS-02 Russia • Soyuz FG | |||
| November | ||||
Nov 2, 2016 | Himawari 9 Japan • H2A 202 | |||
Nov 3, 2016 | Shijian 17 China • Long March 5 | |||
Nov 9, 2016 | XPNAV 1 China • Long March 11 | |||
Nov 11, 2016 | WorldView-4 USA • Atlas V 401 | |||
Nov 11, 2016 | Yunhai-1 China • Long March 2D | |||
Nov 17, 2016 | Galileo L8 France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ES | |||
Nov 17, 2016 | Soyuz MS-03 Russia • Soyuz FG | |||
Nov 19, 2016 | GOES-R USA • Atlas V 541 | |||
Nov 22, 2016 | Tianlian I-04 China • Long March 3C/E | |||
| December | ||||
Dec 1, 2016Failure | Progress MS-04 Russia • Soyuz U | |||
Dec 5, 2016 | Göktürk-1 France • Arianespace • Vega | |||
Dec 7, 2016 | Resourcesat-2A India • PSLV XL | |||
Dec 7, 2016 | WGS-8 USA • Delta IV M+ (5,4) | |||
Dec 9, 2016 | HTV-6 Japan • H2B | |||
Dec 10, 2016 | Fengyun 4A China • Long March 3B | |||
Dec 15, 2016 | CYGNSS x 8 USA • Pegasus XL | |||
Dec 18, 2016 | EchoStar 19 USA • Atlas V 431 | |||
Dec 20, 2016 | Arase Japan • Epsilon | |||
Dec 21, 2016 | TanSat China • Long March 2D | |||
Dec 21, 2016 | Star One D1 France • Arianespace • Ariane 5 ECA | |||
Dec 28, 2016Partial failure | SuperView 1 01-02 China • Long March 2D | |||