Examining the Underlying Causes of Space Launch Failures

The purpose of this study is to identify and examine the space launch vehicle failures recorded between January 2000-July 2014 and classify them according to four different methods to acquire improved understanding of underlying causes and trends of unmanned launch vehicle failures. In the first method, the failures are classified according to the phase of launch in which they occurred. The second method sorted the failures with respect to the malfunctioning subsystem. The third classification investigated the failure patterns and trends within launch vehicle families. Finally, the fourth classification aims to reveal the underlying causes of the failure. It is our hope that this study will help the space launch community to better understand the causes of space launch failures and to implement practices that will lead to safer and successful future launch activities.