The space race flipped · 2000–2025

Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org: GCAT / Jonathan’s Space Report orbital launch attempts table, updated 12 October 2026, accessed 24 October 2026. USA, China and Russia; 78 annual observations. Includes failures and selected near-orbital tests. Running totals calculated once from 2000; native cumulative sum off. Country classification follows McDowell; Electron from Mahia belongs to New Zealand, not USA. Russia includes launches abroad. Latest raw table revises USA 2024 to 144 (February paper 145). No partial 2026 or gap filling; animated transitions are illustrative. Not all-time totals, satellite counts, payload mass, science or reliability. Full figures, definitions, changes and credits: /examples/space-race-20261025/sources.html

Data: Jonathan C. McDowell, GCAT, CC BY 4.0. Selection and cumulative transformation by ChartGlow; no endorsement. Background: NASA/Keegan Barber, Crew-9 launch, 28 September 2024; NASA Image and Media Usage Guidelines, federal photograph generally not copyrighted in the US. National flags from Flagcdn; no generated imagery.