Loading AI tools
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article constitutes a list of rocket launch sites. Some of these sites are known as spaceports or cosmodromes. A single rocket launch is sufficient for inclusion in the table, as long as the site is properly documented through a reference. Missile locations with no launches are not included in the list. Proposed and planned sites and sites under construction are not included in the main tabulation, but may appear in condensed lists under the tables.
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2016) |
A shorter list of spaceports for human spaceflight and satellite launches is available in the article Spaceport.
Major/active spaceports are shown in bold.
Country | Location | Coordinates | Operational date | Number of rocket launches | Heaviest rocket launched | Highest achieved altitude | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
Centre interarmées d'essais d'engins spéciaux (CIEES), Hammaguir | 31.09951°N 2.83581°W | 1947–1967 | 230 | 18,000 kg | Orbital | Operated by France.[1] |
![]() |
Reggane | 26.71895°N 0.27691°E | 1961–1965 | 10 | |||
![]() |
Shaba North, Kapani Tonneo OTRAG Launch Center | 7.92587°S 28.52766°E | 1975–1979 | 3 | <50 km | German OTRAG rockets.[2] | |
![]() |
Jabal Hamzah ballistic missile test and launch facility | 30°07′32.7″N 30°36′18.5″E | 1962–1973 | 6 | Testing SRBMs Al Zafir and Al Kahir[3][4] | ||
![]() |
Broglio Space Centre (San Marco), Malindi | 2.94080°S 40.21340°E | 1964–1988 | 27 | 20,000 kg | Orbital | Scout rockets, operated by ASI and Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.[5] |
![]() |
Sabha, Tawiwa OTRAG Launch Center | 26.99392°N 14.46425°E | 1981–1987 | 2 | 50 km | German OTRAG rockets after site in Zaire closed.[6] | |
![]() |
Nouadhibou | 20.92856°N 17.03153°W | 1973–1973 | 1 | During a solar eclipse | ||
![]() |
Overberg South African Test Centre | 34.60265°S 20.30248°E | 1986–1993, 2000s– | Launched test mission rockets only.[7] |
Note that some Russian cosmodromes appear in this section, some in the Europe section.
Note that some European countries operate spaceports in Africa, South America, or other equatorial regions. These spaceports are listed in this article according to their geographical location. Some Russian-controlled launch sites are listed as being in Asia. Note that some Russian cosmodromes appear in this section, some in the section Asia.
Country | Location | Coordinates | Operational date | Number of rocket launches | Heaviest rocket launched | Highest achieved altitude | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
Churchill Rocket Research Range, Manitoba | 58.73430°N 93.82030°W | 1954–1998 | 3500+ | Canadian Army[55] | ||
![]() |
Resolute Bay, Nunavut | 74.6870°N 94.8962°W | 1966–1971 | 17 | National Research Council Canada[56] | ||
![]() |
Hall Beach, Nunavut | 68.77607°N 81.24346°W | 1971–1971 | 7 | 270 km | ||
![]() |
Southend, Saskatchewan | 56.20°N 103.14°W | 1980 | 2 | 1,200 kg | ||
![]() |
Maritime Spaceport, Canso, Nova Scotia | 45.30688°N 60.98767°W | 2019– | 0 | Launch site for Cyclone-4M[57][58] | ||
![]() ![]() |
Pituffik Space Base | 76.4240°N 68.2936°W | 1964–1980 | Former US Air Force launch site[59] | |||
![]() |
Clark University Physics Laboratory, Worcester, Massachusetts | 42°15′04″N 71°49′23″W | 1914–1920s | ≈10 | Robert H. Goddard's first experimental rockets, starting with powder-based fuels. Was also site of liquid rocket engine tests before being launched in nearby Auburn.[60]: 74 | ||
![]() |
Goddard Test Site, Auburn, Massachusetts | 42.21882°N 71.81194°W | 1925–1930 | 5 | Open field chosen as rocket test site in 1925; launch site of Robert H. Goddard's first liquid fuel rockets beginning on 16 March 1926.[60]: 143 | ||
![]() |
Eden Valley Test Site, Roswell, New Mexico | 33.62600°N 104.50000°W | 1930–1941 | >30 | Used for Goddard's later rocket tests. | ||
![]() |
Wallops Flight Facility, Delmarva Peninsula, Virginia | 37.84621°N 75.47938°W | 1945– | 1600+ | Now operated by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.[61] | ||
![]() |
White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico | 32.56460°N 106.35908°W | 1945– | 7500+ | Military and civilian flights. Served as alternate landing site for the Space Shuttle.[62] | ||
![]() |
Nevada Test and Training Range (formerly Nellis Air Force Range) | 36.77150°N 116.11374°W | 1946–1960s | 2000+ | [63] | ||
![]() |
Poker Flat Research Range, Alaska | 65.12599°N 147.47894°W | 1949– | 5000+ | Sounding rocket launch site | ||
![]() |
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida | 28.46675°N 80.55852°W | 1949– | 1000+ | Interstellar | Commercial and U.S. Government uncrewed missions. Adjacent to NASA KSC. | |
![]() |
Vandenberg Space Force Base, California | 34.77204°N 120.60124°W | 1958– | 500+ | Interplanetary | Satellites, ballistic missile tests. Government and commercial launches.[64] Also launches SpaceX rockets. | |
![]() |
Kennedy Space Center, Florida | 28.6082°N 80.6040°W | 1962– | 151 | 3,000,000 kg | Interplanetary | Launched each NASA crewed mission. Adjacent to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. |
![]() |
Pacific Missile Range Facility, Hawaii | 22.02278°N 159.785°W | 1963– | Used for testing of antiballistic missile and missile tracking by the US Navy. | |||
![]() |
Keweenaw, Michigan | 47.42980°N 87.71443°W | 1964–1971[65] | 50+ | 770 kg | <160 km | Sounding rocket launch site. Currently inactive. |
![]() |
Pacific Spaceport Complex, Kodiak, Alaska | 57.43533°N 152.33931°W | 1991– | 26 | 86,000 kg | Orbital | Ballistic missile interceptor tests, satellite launches. Alaska Aerospace Corporation.[66] |
![]() |
Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), Delmarva Peninsula, Virginia | 37.833378°N 75.483284°W | 1995– | 22 | 89,805 kg | Lunar | Operates in partnership with NASA, adjacent to Wallops Flight Facility. Designed for both commercial and government launches.[67] In 2019, Rocket Lab built their first US launch facility here.[68] |
![]() |
Mojave Air and Space Port, California | 35.05910°N 118.14880°W | 2003– | 20+ | 112 km | Adjacent to Edwards AFB. Privately funded, horizontal-launch spaceport. Xoie, Xombie, Xodiac (Masten Space Systems); SpaceShipOne, SpaceShipTwo (Scaled Composites, Virgin Galactic); Launcher One (Virgin Orbit). | |
![]() |
Spaceport America, Upham, New Mexico | 32.88943°N 106.99945°W | 2006– | 50+ | Sub-orbital commercial and planned space tourist launches. Operated by the state of New Mexico with Virgin Galactic as the anchor tenant.[69][70][71][72] Adjacent to White Sands Missile Range. | ||
![]() |
Corn Ranch, Van Horn, Texas | 31.2524°N 104.4532°W | 2006– | 20 | ~105 km | Used by Blue Origin for suborbital launches and engine tests. | |
![]() |
Spaceport Camden, Camden County, Georgia | 30.5539°N 81.3053°W | 2016–2019 | 2 | ~10 km | Originally Thiokol rocket testing facility. Used by Vector Space for testing and launching. Project and site abandoned in 2023 due to local pushback and financial issues. | |
![]() |
SpaceX Starbase Spaceport, Boca Chica, Texas | 25.996°N 97.154°W | 2018– | ~10 | ~5,000,000 kg | Orbital | Site originally planned for Falcon rockets, now used exclusively by SpaceX for Starship/SuperHeavy testing and launching. |
![]() |
Maine Spaceport Complex, Washington County, Maine | 44.4444°N 67.6000°W | 2020– | 1 | ~2 km | Launch site to be used for suborbital and polar low-Earth orbital launch on the east coast by companies BluShift Aerospace and VALT Enterprises[73][74] and funded by Maine Space Grant Consortium. |
Please delete items or move them to the table above with appropriate data and references.
Country | Location | Coordinates | Operational date | Number of rocket launches | Heaviest rocket launched | Highest achieved altitude | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
Pampa de Achala | 31.5833°S 64.8333°W | 1961–1962 | 8 | 28 kg | 25 km | First Argentine launch site |
![]() |
CELPA | 30.12737°S 66.34082°W | 1962–1991, 2010– | 100 (approximately) | 933 kg | 550 km | Military Launch Test Site (CITIDEF) |
![]() |
Las Palmas | 27.09531°S 58.75352°W | 1966–1966 | 2 | 3,400 kg | 270 km | During a solar eclipse, with Titus rockets. |
![]() |
Tartagal | 22.76158°S 63.82381°W | 1966–1966 | During a solar eclipse | |||
![]() |
Mar Chiquita | 37.72427°S 57.40512°W | 1968–1972 | 11 | |||
![]() |
Villa Reynolds | 33.72460°S 65.37730°W | 1973–1973 | 2 | |||
![]() |
Serrezuela | 30.6333°S 65.3833°W | 2009 | 1 | 500 kg | 40 km | Military test (Gradicom I) |
![]() |
Punta Indio | 35.523889°S 57.183889°W | 2011– | 3 | 7,076 kg [84] | 2.2 km | Civilian Launch Test Site (CONAE) |
![]() |
Puerto Belgrano | 38.9628°S 61.715°W | 2014– | Launch pad for Tronador II under construction (CONAE) | |||
![]() |
Natal-Barreira do Inferno | 5.86600°S 35.38300°W | 1965– | 233 | 7,270 kg | 1100 km | |
![]() |
Praia do Cassino | 32.08338°S 52.16725°W | 1966–1966 | 27 | |||
![]() |
Alcântara Launch Center, Maranhão | 2.3160°S 44.3676°W | 1990– | 47 | 6,737 kg | 956 km | Brazilian Air Force, Brazilian Space Agency. Planned satellite launches. |
![]() |
Guiana Space Centre, Kourou | 5.23739°N 52.76950°W | 1968– | <200 | 777,000 kg | Interplanetary | Operated by CNES for ESA; launch base for Arianespace. Commercial and governmental launches. |
![]() |
Chilca Launch Range | 12.50477°S 76.79849°W | 1974-1983 | <65 | 590 km | Sounding rocket launch location.[85] | |
![]() |
Chilca PLOB, Punta Lobos Range | 12.50000°S 76.8000°W | 1983 | 32 | 2,000 kg | 590 km | Sounding rocket launch location. Possibly part of, or identical to, Chilca Launch Range. |
![]() |
Coronie | 5.87241°N 56.28908°W | 1965–1965 | 4 | 205 km |
Country | Location | Coordinates | Operational date | Number of rocket launches | Heaviest rocket launched | Highest achieved altitude | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
Woomera Test Range, SA | 30.95875°S 136.50366°E | 1950s– | 28,000 kg | Orbital | Australian government research facility. Missile testing, 2 satellite launches. | |
![]() |
Carnarvon, WA | 24.48564°S 113.40866°E | 1964–1965 | 12 | 120 km | ||
![]() |
Lancelin, WA | 30.98309°S 115.31774°E | 1974–1974 | 2 | During a total solar eclipse | ||
![]() |
Koonibba Test Range, SA | 31.885558°S 133.448686°E | 2019– | 4 | 85 km | Used by Southern Launch for suborbital launch tests | |
![]() |
Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex, SA | 34.934°S 135.6523°E | 2020– | Used by Southern Launch for orbital polar launches | |||
![]() |
Arnhem Space Centre, NT | 12.378021°S 136.821402°E | 2021– | 2 | 327 km | First NASA launches outside USA. Australia's first commercial launches | |
![]() |
Reagan Test Site, Omelek Island, Kwajalein Atoll | 9.048167°N 167.743083°E | 1950s– | 39,000 kg | Orbital | US-controlled ICBM base converted for satellites. SpaceX Falcon 1. Close to the equator. | |
![]() |
Birdling's Flat | 43.81700°S 172.68300°E | 1980s– | 10< | Used for sounding rockets. Formerly proposed launch site for Rocket Lab, never developed. | ||
![]() |
Great Mercury Island | 36.35511°S 175.46006°E | 2009 | 1 | 60 kg | 120 km | Used for the first launch by Rocket Lab of their Atea 1 suborbital rocket. |
![]() |
Mahia Peninsula | 39.26044°S 177.86431°E | 2017– | 42[88] | 13,000 kg[89] | Lunar | Launch site built and operated by Rocket Lab. First commercial spaceport in the southern hemisphere. |
Country | Location | Coordinates | Operational date | Number of rocket launches | Heaviest rocket launched | Highest achieved altitude | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ocean Odyssey complex | Mobile | 1999– | 30 | 462,000 kg | Orbital | Mobile satellite launch platform operated by Sea Launch. Uses a converted oil platform that plies between Long Beach, California, where a Zenit-3SL rocket is collected, and the equator, where the rocket is launched. | |
![]() |
Russian Delta class submarines | Mobile | 1998– | 2 | 30,000 kg | Orbital | Launch of uncrewed satellites into Earth orbit via converted SLBM missile Shtil from the Barents Sea. |
![]() |
MLP Sputnik | 55°02′57″N 15°36′11″E | 2010– | 4 | 1,630 kg | 8.2 km | Mobile satellite launch platform operated by Copenhagen Suborbitals. |
Please delete items or move them to the table above with appropriate data and references.
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.