These photos summarize seven decades of space vehicle launches.

The enthusiasm for space exploration and rocket launching has gained momentum in recent years, especially after the arrival of private companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin in the industry. But the history of these instruments is much older, with the first sounding rocket dating from the 1950s.

The list of photos below, all originally published by NASA or SpaceX, show the evolution of this technology over the years, starting with the US-built Bumper 8 from technology developed by Germany during World War II and coming in. to the present day, with Elon Musk's Tesla that was put into orbit to the sound of David Bowie.

1. Photographers positioned to capture the launch of Bumper 8, launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in the US state of Florida.

2. Little Joe 6 was a launching system test that was part of the Mercury program, created by the US government with the aim of taking a person into space before the Soviet Union. It was released in 1959.

3. The Challenger was just the second NASA-built space shuttle, making its first flight in 1983. Three years later, it was marked by an accident that resulted in the deaths of all seven crew members.

4. Launched for the first time in 1983, the Discovery bus has been in service for nearly 30 years, shutting down only in 2011. Among dozens of satellites placed in space, it stands out for carrying the Hubble Telescope.

5. The Lunar Prospector spacecraft was launched in 1998 to completely map the moon's surface.

6. Expedition 1 left Earth in November 2000, taking the first human mission for a long-term stay at the International Space Station. The group of three stayed at the station for 136 days.

7. SpaceX's Falcon Heavy impresses with its size. It is the fourth largest rocket ever built in the world in terms of capacity.

8. Elon Musk's famous Tesla image that was taken to space as a result of Falcon Heavy's first successful mission.

These photos summarize seven decades of space vehicle launches via TecMundo.