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    [OC] 🚀 All Space Missions from 1957, Visualized
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    [OC] 🚀 All Space Missions from 1957, Visualized


    What patterns surprise you most? I'm happy to dig into the data further! Check out and edit the full visualization.

    I created an animated visualization tracking every space launch from 1957 to 2020, and the patterns that emerged tell a pretty cool story:

    • The Cold War space race was real: By 1991, the Soviet Union had launched 1,703 missions vs USA's 1,349. The USSR dominated the early decades with their relentless launch cadence.
    • China's quiet rise: Starting in the 1970s, China steadily climbed from zero to 268 launches by 2020, now firmly in the top tier of spacefaring nations.
    • The privatization revolution: In the 1950s-60s, 100% of launches were government-run. By 2020, private companies accounted for 34.6% of all launches – a dramatic shift in how we access space.
    • RVSN USSR remains the GOAT: The Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces still hold the all-time record with 1,777 launches – a testament to the scale of Cold War space operations.

    Tools: MOSTLY AI, Python (pandas, matplotlib), Plotly.js for the interactive version.



    Posted by SyllabubNo626

    View 10 Comments

    10 Comments

    3. pm_me_your_smth on

      * animation that should’ve been a simple static line plot
      * bad color coding. Really hard to distinguish among red/orange lines or blue lines. All the colors in the world and your chose this.
      * advertisement in a form of “organic” post

      I need a bingo card for this

    6. Itz_Raj69_ on

      I don’t think this is a good representation. Launching stuff into space really means nothing in terms of progress

    8. Ancient_Persimmon on

      Cutting it off at 2020 misses the insane increase in cadence we’ve seen since private space really democratised launch.

    9. Ok_Opposite_8967 on

      would have been good for the soviet/russia data to be combined, and maybe a color change at 1990 or so. It really is the same program, just change of government