Skip to content

EVERYLAUNCH
PLAY
National Center of Space Research logo

Operator file · FR-46

National Center of Space Research

France · Government · EST. 1961

National Center of Space Research is a government launch operator based in France, founded in 1961. It has flown 14 launches under its own name. 12 succeeded and 2 failed, a success rate of 85.7%. Its next launch is Callisto | Flight 1, from Diamant Launch Area, set for 2027.

SourceLAUNCH LIBRARY 2
Window reaches2039-12-31 00:00:00Z
Page generated2026-11-11 11:11:33Z

Flight record

Launch statistics

ON RECORD
Total launches14
Successful12
Failed2
Success rate85.7%
Consecutive successes3
Scheduled1
AdministratorCEO: François Jacq
Founded1961

These are launches under CNES’s own name in The Space Devs’ Launch Library. They don’t count missions or payloads. A spacecraft that flew on someone else’s rocket counts for the operator that flew it.

Operator or customer

An operator owns the rocket and runs the count, and the launch schedule filters by operator. A customer pays for the mission, supplies the payload and buys the ride. Some organisations are both. Below, CNES is counted in whichever role the current schedule gives it.

Manifest role

LIVE COUNT
Flying as operator1
Named as customer0
Window reaches2039-12-31 00:00:00Z
Scheduled (register total)1

No scheduled flight names CNES with someone else flying it.

How we count it: a scheduled launch counts as a customer flight when this organisation’s name or abbreviation is in the launch name, mission name or programme, and someone else is flying it. We don’t search mission descriptions, and we only see the schedule as far as it goes, which is 2039-12-31 00:00:00Z. So treat both counts as a minimum.

About CNES

The National Center of Space Research, or CNES, is a French National Agency in charge of France's space program. In partnership with the US and Russia, they have put 10 people in space. CNES works in tandem with the larger ESA to develop the Ariane 5 and work on other probes and satellites. They are working with Germany to develop a cheaper and more efficient reusable rocket, which hopefully will be ready to fly by 2026.

Upcoming launches

The label on each flight says how exact its launch time is. If the date is only known to the month, you’ll see the month and no countdown. A weather go-probability only shows when Launch Library has one for that flight. EveryLaunch doesn’t work it out.

CNES in the archive

From NASA's public image library and Wikimedia Commons. Each photo shows the credit its licence asks for and links back to where it came from.

Space Shuttle Projects
Space Shuttle ProjectsNASA / MSFC · public domainNASA ↗
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese astronauts and other personnel in the Space Station Processing Facility observe sensors during a Multi-Equipment Interface Test (MEIT) on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) developed the laboratory at the Tsukuba Space Center near Tokyo. It is the first element, named "Kibo" (Hope), to be delivered to KSC. The JEM is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese astronauts and other personnel in the Space Station Processing Facility observe sensors during a Multi-Equipment Interface Test (MEIT) on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) developed the laboratory at the Tsukuba Space Center near Tokyo. It is the first element, named "Kibo" (Hope), to be delivered to KSC. The JEM is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.NASA / KSC · public domainNASA ↗
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, personnel observe sensors during a Multi-Equipment Interface Test (MEIT) on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) developed the laboratory at the Tsukuba Space Center near Tokyo. It is the first element, named "Kibo" (Hope), to be delivered to KSC. The JEM is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, personnel observe sensors during a Multi-Equipment Interface Test (MEIT) on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) developed the laboratory at the Tsukuba Space Center near Tokyo. It is the first element, named "Kibo" (Hope), to be delivered to KSC. The JEM is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.NASA / KSC · public domainNASA ↗

Orbitburn is a gravity lander game. It's free on Android, and you can play it in your browser.Get it free on Google Play

Common questions

How many launches has National Center of Space Research flown?
National Center of Space Research has flown 14 launches under its own name. 12 succeeded and 2 failed. That counts launches it flew itself, not missions or payloads it contributed to.
What is National Center of Space Research's success rate?
85.7%. That's 12 successful flights out of 14 attempts. Its last 3 launches in a row have succeeded.
When is National Center of Space Research's next launch?
Callisto | Flight 1, set for 2027 from Diamant Launch Area. Launch Library files only the year, so the date is a placeholder. Launch times are no-earlier-than targets and can move.
Does National Center of Space Research fly its own rockets, or buy launches from another operator?
National Center of Space Research has flown 14 launches under its own name. It's the operator on 1 scheduled flight. An operator owns the rocket and runs the count. A customer pays for the mission, supplies the payload and buys the ride. The operator filter on the launch schedule only lists operators, so a well-known agency can own a mission and still not show up there.
Where is National Center of Space Research based?
France. Launch Library lists it as a government operator, founded in 1961.