This notice was just posted on Ed’s site:
Almost 24 years after starting this web site, I have reluctantly decided to
end Space Launch Report. Decreasing time to devote to the site and rising
hosting costs are the primary reasons for my decision. Updates will cease
at the end of March.
I started Space Launch Report in 1998 to track launch vehicle reliability.
Back then the most-reliable included Atlas 2/2AS, Tsyklon 2, Space Shuttle,
Delta 2, Soyuz U, and Ariane 4, all succeeding at a rate of 97% or better.
Today, only Falcon 9 v1.2, Atlas 5, and CZ-2D have achieved such a success
rate. During the intervening years, Soyuz FG, Delta 4 M(+), and Ariane 5
ECA also reached that mark.
Since 1998, the overall world-wide orbital launch failure rate has
stubbornly hovered between 5% and 8%. If anything, the failure rate has
increased in recent years. Since Space Launch Report began, two crewed
launches out of 129 attempted have failed, one with fatal results. Orbital
launch remains riskier than most believe.
Hopefully others will take up the task of reporting the sometimes sobering
facts about launch reliability, letting numbers stand against hype.
My thanks to those who contributed to this effort over the years!
- *Ed Kyle, March 20, 2022*
*Of course I know aR is intended for amateur rocketry, but there’s enough
space interested folks here that should be made aware.Depending on the
hosting costs, I’d really hope it can be archived “in-place” and kept
live. Or the community might find a way to archive as much of it as
possible. Either way, this is a significant historical resource at threat
of loss.Thank you for your hard work, Ed.*
