Mapped: The World’s Rocket Launch Sites
From Sputnik 1 to today’s massive satellite constellations, every object in space was launched from just a handful of locations.
The map above, from BryceTech, is a comprehensive look at the world’s spaceports (both orbital and sub-orbital) as well as ballistic missile test sites.
The World’s Major Spaceports
Though the graphic above is a detailed list of many types of rocket launch sites, we’ll focus on major sites that are sending satellites and passengers into sub-orbit, orbit, and beyond.
| Launch Facility | Location | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Canaveral Space Force Station | Florida | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| Cape Canaveral Spaceport | Florida | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| Kennedy Space Center | Florida | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| Cecil Field Spaceport | Florida | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| Colorado Air & Space Port | Colorado | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| Vandenberg Air Force Base | California | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| Mojave Air and Space Port | California | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| Oklahoma Air & Space Port | Oklahoma | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| Poker Flat Research Range | Alaska | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| Pacific Spaceport Complex | Alaska | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| Spaceport America | New Mexico | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| Launch Site One (Corn Ranch) | Texas | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| Houston Spaceport | Texas | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| Midland Air & Space Port | Texas | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| SpaceX Development and Test Facility | Texas | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| SpaceX Starbase | Texas | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| Spaceport Camden | Georgia | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport | Virginia | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| Wallops Flight Facility | Virginia | ๐บ๐ธ U.S. |
| Reagan Test Site | Kwajalein Atoll | ๐ฒ๐ญ Marshall Islands |
| Naro Space Center | Outer Naro Island | ๐ฐ๐ท South Korea |
| Sohae Satellite Launching Station | North Pyongan Province | ๐ฐ๐ต North Korea |
| Kapustin Yar | Astrakhan Oblast | ๐ท๐บ Russia |
| Plesetsk Cosmodrome | Arkhangelsk Oblast | ๐ท๐บ Russia |
| Vostochny Cosmodrome | Amur Oblast | ๐ท๐บ Russia |
| Yasny Launch Base | Orenburg Oblast | ๐ท๐บ Russia |
| Arnhem Space Centre | Northern Territory | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia |
| Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex | South Australia | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia |
| Koonibba Test Range | South Australia | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia |
| Bowen Orbital Spaceport | Queensland | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia |
| Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 | Wairoa District | ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand |
| Baikonur Cosmodrome | Baikonur | ๐ฐ๐ฟ Kazakhstan |
| Space Port Oita | ลita | ๐ฏ๐ต Japan |
| Tanegashima Space Center | Kagoshima | ๐ฏ๐ต Japan |
| Uchinoura Space Center | Kagoshima | ๐ฏ๐ต Japan |
| Taiki Aerospace Research Field | Hokkaido | ๐ฏ๐ต Japan |
| Hokkaido Spaceport | Hokkaido | ๐ฏ๐ต Japan |
| Ryori Launch Site | Iwate | ๐ฏ๐ต Japan |
| Sonmiani Satellite Launch Center | Balochistan | ๐ต๐ฐ Pakistan |
| Integrated Test Range | Odisha | ๐ฎ๐ณ India |
| Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station | Kerala | ๐ฎ๐ณ India |
| Satish Dhawan Space Centre | Sriharikota | ๐ฎ๐ณ India |
| Guiana Space Centre | Kourou | ๐ฌ๐ซ French Guiana |
| Barreira do Inferno Launch Center | Rio Grande do Norte | ๐ง๐ท Brazil |
| Alcรขntara Space Center | Maranhรฃo | ๐ง๐ท Brazil |
| Stasiun Peluncuran Roket | West Java | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia |
| Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center | Gansu Province | ๐จ๐ณ China |
| Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center | Shanxi Province | ๐จ๐ณ China |
| Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site | Hainan Province | ๐จ๐ณ China |
| Xichang Satellite Launch Center | Sichuan Province | ๐จ๐ณ China |
| Palmachim Airbase | Central District | ๐ฎ๐ฑ Israel |
| Imam Khomeini Space Launch Terminal | Semnan | ๐ฎ๐ท Iran |
| Qom Lauch Facility | Qom | ๐ฎ๐ท Iran |
| El Arenosillo Test Centre | Huelva | ๐ช๐ธ Spain |
| Spaceport Sweden | Lapland | ๐ธ๐ช Sweden |
| Esrange Space Center | Lapland | ๐ธ๐ช Sweden |
| Andรธya Space | Nordland | ๐ณ๐ด Norway |
| SaxaVord Spaceport | Shetland Islands | ๐ฌ๐ง UK |
| Sutherland Spaceport | Sutherland | ๐ฌ๐ง UK |
| Western Isles Spaceport | Outer Hebrides | ๐ฌ๐ง UK |
| Spaceport Machrihanish | Campbeltown | ๐ฌ๐ง UK |
| Prestwick Spaceport | Glasgow | ๐ฌ๐ง UK |
| Snowdonia Spaceport | North West Wales | ๐ฌ๐ง UK |
| Spaceport Cornwall | Cornwall | ๐ฌ๐ง UK |
| Orbex LP1 | Moray | ๐ฌ๐ง UK |
| Spaceport Nova Scotia | Nova Scotia | ๐จ๐ฆ Canada |
Editor’s note: The above table includes all sites that are operational, as well as under construction, as of publishing date.
The list above covers fixed locations, and does not include SpaceX’s autonomous spaceport drone ships. There are currently three active drone shipsโone based near Los Angeles, and the other two based at Port Canaveral, Florida.
Two of the most famous launch sites on the list are the Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakhstan) and Cape Canaveral (United States). The former was constructed as the base of operations for the Soviet space program and was the launch point for Earth’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1. The latter was NASA’s primary base of operations and the first lunar-landing flight was launched from there in 1969.
The global roster of spaceports has grown immensely since Baikonur and Cape Canaveral were the only game in town. Now numerous countries have the ability to launch satellites, and many more are getting in on the action.
Wenchang Space Launch Site, on the island of Hainan, is China’s newest launch location. The site recorded its first successful launch in 2016.
Location, Location
One interesting quirk of the map above is the lack of spaceports in Europe. Europe’s ambitions for space are actually launched from the Guiana Space Centre in South America. Europe’s Spaceport has been operating in French Guiana since 1968.
Low altitude launch locations near the equator are the most desirable, as far less energy is required to take a spacecraft from surface level to an equatorial, geostationary orbit.
Islands and coastal areas are also common locations for launch sites. Since the open waters aren’t inhabited, there is minimal risk of harm from debris in the event of a launch failure.
As demand for satellites and space exploration grows, the number of launch locations will continue to grow as well.
