Maven Return to Space Challenge — Space Missions Analysis (1957–2022)

This project is my submission for the Maven Analytics Return to Space Challenge (Oct–Nov 2025). Using the global dataset of space missions from 1957 to 2022, I developed a one-page Power BI visualisation that tells the story of humanity’s journey to space.

The dashboard is designed to answer three Big Space Questions:

1. What is the golden era of space travel
2. Which rocket is the champion of space travel
3. What is the winning team (Country/Company) and its strategy?

The Big Space Questions

1. The Golden Era of Space Travel

The 1970s stand out as the golden age of spaceflight, with 1,012 missions and a 92.7% success rate. Russia led this era, with RVSN USSR emerging as a launch powerhouse:

• 814 missions
• 94.2% success rate
• An astonishing launch pace of one mission every 5 days

2. Champion of Space Travel

Using only Total Launches and Success Rate, I ranked rockets based on their operational history and reliability. The visualisation highlights top performers like Cosmos-3M, Voskhod, and Molniya-M, showing how launch frequency and success rate together define rocket excellence.

3. The Winning Team and Its Strategy

Although the United States launched slightly more missions (1,467) than Russia (1,416), Russia emerged as the long-term leader with a 93.4% success rate — the highest among major spacefaring nations. Key to this dominance:

• RVSN USSR sponsored nearly 1,200 missions
• Maintained an average mission interval of just 9 days
• For comparison, the next fastest program averaged 57 days per mission Their strategy? High-frequency, high-reliability launches that sustained momentum over decades.

Data & Structure

Source: Provided by Maven Analytics

Files Included:

• space_mission.csv
• space_mission_data_dictionary.csv

Model Structure - Star Schema

• Fact: Missions
• Dimensions: Company, Location, Date, Rocket

Key DAX Measures

1. Total Launch

Total Launch = 
COUNTROWS(
    missions
)

2. Success Rate

Success Rate =
DIVIDE(
    CALCULATE(COUNTROWS('Missions'), 'Missions'[Status] = "Success"),
    COUNTROWS('Missions')
)

3. Average Mission Interval (Days)

Avg Mission Interval =
VAR PrevMissionDate =
    CALCULATE(
        MAX('Missions'[Date]),
        FILTER(
            'Missions',
            'Missions'[Company] = EARLIER('Missions'[Company]) &&
            'Missions'[Date] < EARLIER('Missions'[Date])
        )
    )
VAR MissionInterval =
    IF(
        NOT ISBLANK(PrevMissionDate),
        DATEDIFF(PrevMissionDate, 'Missions'[Date], DAY)
    )
RETURN
    AVERAGEX(
        VALUES('Missions'[Mission ID]),
        MissionInterval
    )

Visuals Included

• Total Mission by Country
• Mission Success Trend
• Rocket Launch v Success rate (rocket performance)
• Country and Company ranking