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Top 10 Tallest Rockets Ever Launched [2025 Update]

As of 2025, SpaceX Starship with Super Heavy boosters is the tallest rocket ever launched.
As of 2025, SpaceX Starship with Super Heavy boosters is the tallest rocket ever launched.

To be able to reach space, we need rockets. Rocket engines work by action and reaction (“To every action, there is always opposed an equal reaction”, see notes 1) and push rockets forward simply by expelling their exhaust in the opposite direction at high speed and can, therefore, work in the vacuum of space. Space rockets are usually enormous in size because the bigger the rocket is, the more thrust can be produced by its engine and can carry more weight into orbit. Here are the top 10 tallest rockets ever launched in the history of space exploration.

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Space Exploration Astronomy Earth from Space Mars Solar System

Budget of NASA, Year by Year [1980-1989]

The first Space Shuttle launch: April 12, 1981
The first Space Shuttle launch: Just seconds past 7 a.m. on April 12, 1981, Space Shuttle Columbia carries astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen into an Earth orbital mission scheduled to last for 54 hours, ending with unpowered landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

From 1980 to 1989, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) experienced one of its most eventful and transformative decades. During these years, NASA’s budget reflected the agency’s evolving priorities and the challenges it faced. This era was defined by significant milestones, including the launch and regular missions of the Space Shuttle program, which revolutionized space transportation. However, it was also marked by the tragic Challenger disaster in 1986. Through highs and lows, NASA’s funding patterns during this decade provide insights into the U.S. government’s commitment to space exploration and its response to unforeseen events. This article will detail the year-by-year budget of NASA throughout the 1980s, juxtaposed against the backdrop of its achievements and challenges.

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Space Exploration Earth from Space Mars Moon Landing Solar System

Budget of NASA, Year by Year [1970-1979]

Apollo 15 Lunar Roving Vehicle
Image from Apollo 15, taken by Commander David Scott at the end of EVA-1. Lunar Module Pilot Jim Irwin is seen with the Lunar Roving Vehicle, with Mount Hadley in the background. Seen on the back of the Rover are two SCBs mounted on the gate, along with the rake, both pairs of tongs, the extension handle with scoop probably attached, and the penetrometer. Note that the TV camera is pointed down, in the stowed position. Image source: Apollo 15 Map and Image Library on the NASA History website

The budget of NASA from 1970 to 1979 marks a decade of transition and continued exploration in space science. Building on the success of the Moon landing, this period saw the development and execution of significant missions such as the Viking landings on Mars, the launch of Skylab, America’s first space station, and the inception of the Space Shuttle program. The funding during these years played a vital role in maintaining America’s leadership in space exploration and technology. In this article, we will examine the year-by-year budget of NASA that enabled these groundbreaking achievements and shaped the direction of human spaceflight and planetary exploration.

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Space Exploration Earth from Space Mars Moon Landing Solar System

Budget of NASA, Year by Year [1958-2024]

Buzz Aldrin on the Moon (cropped)
Moon Landing: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot, stands on the surface of the moon near the leg of the lunar module, Eagle, during the Apollo 11 moonwalk. Astronaut Neil Armstrong, mission commander, took this photograph with a 70mm lunar surface camera. While Armstrong and Aldrin descended in the lunar module to explore the Sea of Tranquility, astronaut Michael Collins, command module pilot, remained in lunar orbit with the Command and Service Module, Columbia.
This is the actual photograph as exposed on the moon by Armstrong. He held the camera slightly rotated so that the camera frame did not include the top of Aldrin's portable life support system ("backpack").
A communications antenna mounted on top of the backpack is also cut off in this picture. When the image was released to the public, it was rotated clockwise to restore the astronaut to vertical for a more harmonious composition, and a black area was added above his head to recreate the missing black lunar "sky" (Related: Why there are no stars in space photos?). The edited version is the one most commonly reproduced and known to the public, but the original version, above, is the authentic exposure. This image was cataloged by NASA Headquarters of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under Photo ID: AS11-40-5903. Image: Wikipedia

Have you ever wondered what is the budget of NASA? Charting the course of human history, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has turned science fiction into reality since its establishment on July 29, 1958. With an array of incredible feats, from Moon landings to Mars rovers, NASA has continually pushed the boundaries of space exploration. This journey hasn’t been without its costs, however, and the exploration of NASA’s annual budget from its inception to the present day offers a compelling insight into the financial fuel behind these momentous accomplishments. Here’s the budget of NASA, year by year between 1958 and 2024.

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Space Exploration Earth from Space Mars Moon Landing Solar System

Budget of NASA, Year by Year [1958-1969]

Apollo 11: Buzz Aldrin on the Moon
Probably the most iconic event in the 20th century: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the surface of the moon near the leg of the lunar module Eagle during the Apollo 11 mission. Mission commander Neil Armstrong took this photograph with a 70mm lunar surface camera. While astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin explored the Sea of Tranquility region of the moon, astronaut Michael Collins remained with the command and service modules in lunar orbit.

The budget of NASA from 1958 to 1969 represents a crucial period in the history of space exploration. During these transformative years, NASA’s funding saw significant fluctuations, reflecting the national priorities and ambitions of the time. This period marked the inception of the Apollo program, leading to the landmark achievement of putting a human on the Moon in 1969. Additionally, other pioneering missions such as the Mercury and Gemini programs laid the groundwork for human spaceflight. This era also witnessed the launch of various scientific and exploratory satellites. In this article, we will delve into the year-by-year budgetary allocations and how they shaped these historic milestones.

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Mars Space Exploration This Day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration History

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was launched on August 12, 2005

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launch
August 12, 2005: The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), launched from Cape Canaveral on top of an Atlas V launch vehicle. The mission embarked on an ambitious quest to scrutinize the Martian environment from its orbit. Tasked with observing Mars' climate, studying its geological activities, scouting future landing zones, and serving as a data relay from Martian missions to Earth, the MRO is equipped with an array of advanced instruments, including three cameras, two spectrometers, and a radar. As of July 29, 2023, it has transmitted over 450 terabits of invaluable data. Notably, the MRO has identified safe landing spots for other NASA missions, detected pure water ice in fresh craters, and unearthed further signs of past liquid water flow on Mars' surface. Image: NASA

On August 12, 2005, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was launched from Cape Canaveral, as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program. MRO is a multipurpose spacecraft designed to conduct reconnaissance and exploration of Mars from orbit. The orbiter played a crucial role in advancing our understanding of the Red Planet, both in terms of current conditions and its history.

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Mars Space Exploration

Breathtaking photo of Deimos and Mars captured by UAE’s Hope Probe

Photo of Deimos and Mars from the United Arab Emirates Hope Probe
Photo of Deimos and Mars from the United Arab Emirates' Hope Probe

United Arab Emirates’ Hope Probe (Arabic: Misbar Al-Amal, al-amal means “hope” in English), which entered Mars’ orbit in February 2021, has captured a breathtaking photo of Mars and its tiny moon Deimos.

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Space Exploration Mars This Day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration History

Opportunity landed on Mars on January 25, 2004

Opportunity Mars rover - artist conception
This artist conception portrays Opportunity on the surface of Mars. Opportunity was launched on July 7, 2003, 28 days after its twin, Spirit, which launched on June 10, 2003, as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover program. It landed in Meridiani Planum, a plain located 2 degrees south of Mars’s equator on January 25, 2004, three weeks after Spirit touched down on the other side of the planet. Both rovers had a planned 90-sol (Martian day) duration of activity (slightly more than 90 earth days). Spirit functioned until getting stuck in 2009 and ceased communications in 2010, while Opportunity was able to stay operational for 5353 sols after landing. By June 10, 2018, when it last contacted NASA and sent it last photo (the image in the right-hand-side above) to Earth, which shows the intensity of the dust storm, Opportunity had traveled a distance of 45.16 kilometers (28.06 miles) and exceeded its operating plan by 14 years, 295 days (in Earth Time), 55 times its designed lifespan. Image source: NASA

On January 15, 2004, NASA’s Opportunity rover landed on Mars (in Meridiani Planum), three weeks after its twin, Spirit, touched down on the other side of the red planet on January 4.

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Mars Space Exploration

Spirit Rover landed on Mars on January 4, 2004

Artist imagination of Spirit Rover on the Martian surface
Spirit was a robotic Mars exploration vehicle, and with its twin Opportunity, studied the history of climate and water at sites on Mars where conditions may once have been favorable to life. Operational from January 4, 2004, to March 22, 2010, Spirit far outlasted her planned 90-day mission. Image: Artist imagination of Spirit Rover on the Martian surface. Source: NASA

On January 4, 2004, NASA’s Spirit Rover landed on Mars. It was a robotic Mars exploration vehicle, and with its twin Opportunity, studied the history of climate and water at sites on Mars where conditions may once have been favorable to life. Operational from January 4, 2004, to March 22, 2010, Spirit far outlasted her planned 90-day mission.

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Mars Space Exploration This Day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration History

Mars Pathfinder was launched on December 4, 1996

Mars Pathfinder Lander and the Sojourner Rover on Mars
NASA's Mars Pathfinder Lander and the Sojourner Rover on Mars. Image source: NASA Solar System Exploration website

On December 4, 1996, Mars Pathfinder, a robotic spacecraft that was designed primarily to demonstrate a low-cost way of delivering a set of science instruments and a free-ranging rover (Sojourner) to the Martian Surface was launched from Cape Canaveral on top of a Delta II rocket.

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