Launch Library Rocket Launches Scraper

Export launch library rocket launches from The Space Devs' official public Launch Library 2 API. Get current upcoming missions with stable launch IDs, No Earlier Than (NET) launch times, status, provider, rocket and launch site. Schedule repeat runs to compare snapshots; this Actor does not maintain historical changes or send alerts itself.

Who is it for?

Aerospace analysts build upcoming launch calendars, newsrooms check current mission times, and data teams export a recurring feed to a spreadsheet or warehouse. A launch time can change between runs: join snapshots on launchId and compare net and status.

Why use this Actor?

One typed row per launch rather than the API's deeply nested response. It handles pagination, caps results, allows inclusive UTC date bounds and a provider-name filter, and retains canonical source URLs and source-update timestamps. The default dataset works with Apify integrations.

Getting started

1. Run with {"maxItems":10} for the next ten records in the official upcoming endpoint.
2. Optionally set provider (for example SpaceX) or startDate and endDate (UTC, YYYY-MM-DD).
3. Download the default dataset as JSON, CSV, Excel, or connect a schedule and downstream integration.

Input parameters

Parameter	Default	Meaning
maxItems	50	Maximum accepted launch rows, 1–500.
provider	none	Case-insensitive partial launch-service-provider name.
startDate	none	Inclusive NET UTC day.
endDate	none	Inclusive NET UTC day.

The source's upcoming route determines which records are available; date filters do not turn this into a historical-launch archive. A provider filter can require multiple pages and is limited by the 100-page safety bound.

Extracted data

Field	Meaning
launchId	Stable launch UUID; primary key for snapshot comparisons.
missionId	Mission identifier when known; not a replacement for launch UUID.
name, mission	Launch and mission names.
net, windowStart, windowEnd	Planned launch time and available window, ISO UTC.
status, statusId	Source status at retrieval.
provider, rocket, pad, location	Provider and launch-site details.
sourceUrl, lastUpdated, retrievedAt	Upstream detail link, source update and export snapshot time.

Nullable detail fields stay null when the source does not supply them.

Sample output

The following is an abbreviated record from a local September 2026 run; live schedules change:

{
  "launchId": "18441371-8b2e-457c-afb5-1ec1b11ab630",
  "missionId": 6043,
  "name": "Falcon 9 Block 5 | Crew-13",
  "provider": "SpaceX",
  "net": "2026-10-01T15:10:06Z",
  "status": "Go for Launch",
  "sourceUrl": "https://ll.thespacedevs.com/2.3.0/launches/18441371-8b2e-457c-afb5-1ec1b11ab630/"
}

How much does it cost to export upcoming rocket launches?

Pay-per-event billing includes one start event per run and one item event for every saved launch. At BRONZE the price is $0.00005 per start plus $0.0018 per saved launch. Example estimates: 1 launch costs $0.00185; 10 cost $0.01805; 25 cost $0.04505; 100 cost $0.18005. FREE is $0.00207 per item; SILVER $0.001404; GOLD, PLATINUM and DIAMOND $0.00108 per item. Spend tiers reflect qualifying Apify Store spend, not per-run result volume. No item is charged for filtered-out rows. These are estimates; confirm active pricing in the Pricing tab. Platform usage, adjustments, refunds, fraud, disputes, taxes, corrections and clawbacks can affect final billing and publisher payouts.

Monitor schedule changes

Schedule a daily run using the same input. Save each run's default dataset to a spreadsheet or warehouse; compare launchId plus net/status between retrievedAt snapshots. Absence from an upcoming feed is not proof a mission was cancelled: inspect the canonical detail URL and source status before alerting.

Integrations

Export the dataset through Apify's Google Sheets integration for an editorial launch calendar, a webhook for downstream ETL, or the dataset API for a daily CSV archive. Each run is an independent snapshot; this Actor does not diff runs or send messages.

API: cURL

curl -X POST 'https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/automation-lab~space-devs-launch-library-upcoming-launches/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"provider":"SpaceX","maxItems":10}'

API: JavaScript

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('automation-lab/space-devs-launch-library-upcoming-launches').call({ maxItems: 10 });
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

API: Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient
import os
client = ApifyClient(os.environ['APIFY_TOKEN'])
run = client.actor('automation-lab/space-devs-launch-library-upcoming-launches').call(run_input={'maxItems': 10})
items = client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items
print(items)

MCP access

In Claude Code, add this Actor to Apify MCP:

claude mcp add --transport http apify \
  'https://mcp.apify.com?tools=automation-lab/space-devs-launch-library-upcoming-launches'

For Claude Desktop, Cursor, or VS Code, configure the HTTP MCP server with {"mcpServers":{"apify":{"url":"https://mcp.apify.com?tools=automation-lab/space-devs-launch-library-upcoming-launches"}}}. Example prompts: "Export the next ten upcoming rocket launches" and "List SpaceX launches with NET and status". This requires an Apify account and applicable MCP authentication.

Source and reliability

The Actor fetches ll.thespacedevs.com/2.3.0/launches/upcoming/ directly without a proxy, account, browser, images or video downloads. It uses no AI provider and stores only the run dataset under the user's Apify storage retention settings; no persistent custom cache. The Space Devs is an independent source and does not endorse this Actor. Transient timeouts, HTTP 429 and server errors are retried up to three times with bounded backoff. A malformed response or exhausted retry fails the run rather than returning a misleading empty dataset. A legitimately empty date/provider filter returns zero rows.

Limits and timestamps

The Launch Library API is maintained by The Space Devs. NET is a planned time, not a guaranteed liftoff. Some rows on the official upcoming endpoint may carry already-successful or outdated NET timestamps; this Actor does not rewrite upstream classifications. A current schedule is not an immutable historical record. API availability, update frequency and rate limits are upstream-controlled. Large or narrow filters can reach the 100-page safety limit and fail explicitly.

Legality and responsible use

Use public mission information in accordance with The Space Devs' API terms and attribution guidance. Do not present planned launch times as safety-critical operational data. Respect upstream source ownership when redistributing exports; this Actor does not grant rights to linked images or media.

Troubleshooting and FAQ

Why did I get no rows? Check date bounds in UTC and the provider spelling; verify that matching missions are currently present on the official upcoming endpoint.

Can I retrieve past launches? No. This product uses the source's upcoming feed; preserve scheduled dataset snapshots for comparisons.

Does missionId uniquely identify a launch? Use launchId (launch UUID) as the row key. missionId can be null or shared in source data.

What happens when the API rate-limits me? The Actor retries bounded transient failures, then fails visibly. Narrow the date range or reduce request frequency.

Related Actors

For unrelated source data, browse automation-lab on Apify. This Actor is specifically for Launch Library upcoming rocket launch records; it does not aggregate other launch providers.