Technology Review, the magazine of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, published one of those all-the-rage-now "infographics" in their Autumn issue.
It shows over 7,000 space launches, noted annually by nation and payload purpose: military, government non-military, commercial or amateur, including universities.
Click to Download Full-Sized PDF
Unsurprisingly, Russia and America dominate the visual field, with steady streams of launches interspersed with explosions of activity in particular eras. The remaining 50 countries hold some well-knowns as well as many surprises... (Really? Mauritius launched commercial payloads??)
Well done, I say. Even if they do have an ink-blot-versus-totem-pole sort of feel.
Space data from 1959 through the summer of 2011 was compiled by Harvard-Smithsonian Center astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, and arranged graphically by MIT Research Engineer Mike Orcutt and Tommy McCall, founder of Infographics.com.
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