List of rocket launch sites
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.
A shorter list of spaceports for human spaceflight and satellite launches is available in the article Spaceport.
Table specification
Sorting order
- operational date;
- Countries in alphabetical order within a table;
- Launch sites within a country are sorted chronologically according to start of operations.
Column specification
- Country – territory of the site
- Coordinates – geographical coordinates
- Operational date – the period of years of launch activities
- Number of rocket launches – the total number of launches, including failed launches
- Heaviest rocket launched – total mass at lift-off
- Highest achieved altitude – height in km above launch site
- Notes – comments
Africa
Country | Location | Coordinates | Operational date | Number of rocket launches | Heaviest rocket launched | Highest achieved altitude | Notes |
French Algeria | Centre interarmées d'essais d'engins spéciaux, Hammaguir | 1947–1967 | 230 | 18 000 kg | Orbital | Operated by France. | |
Reggane | 1961–1965 | 10 | |||||
Shaba North, Kapani Tonneo OTRAG Launch Center | 1977–1978 | 3 | <50 km | German OTRAG rockets. | |||
Jabal Hamzah ballistic missile test and launch facility | 1962–1973 | 6 | Testing SRBMs Al Zafir and Al Kahir | ||||
Broglio Space Centre, Malindi | 1964–1988 | 27 | 20 000 kg | Orbital | Scout rockets, operated by ASI and Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. | ||
Libya | Sabha, Tawiwa OTRAG Launch Center | 1981–1982 | 50 km | German OTRAG rockets. | |||
Nouadhibou | 1973–1973 | 1 | During a solar eclipse | ||||
Overberg South African Test Centre | 1989–1990 | Launched test mission rockets only. |
Asia
Note that some Russian cosmodromes appear in this section, some in the Europe section.Country | Location | Coordinates | Operational date | Heaviest rocket launched | Highest achieved altitude | Notes |
Base 603, Shijiedu, Guangde | 1960–1966 | 1 000 kg | <60 km | |||
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center | 1970– | 464 000 kg | Orbital | Human spaceflight | ||
Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center | 1980– | Orbital | Polar satellites | |||
Xichang Satellite Launch Center | 1984– | Lunar | Geo-synchronous satellites, lunar probes. | |||
Wenchang Satellite Launch Center | 2016– | 879 000 kg | Orbital | New site on Hainan Island with pads for Long March 5 and Long March 7 rockets | ||
Jingyu | ||||||
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala | 1962– | |||||
Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Andhra Pradesh | 1971– | 690, 000 kg | Interplanetary | Satellites and lunar probes; | ||
Dr.Abdul Kalam Island, Bhadrak, Odisha | Military testing facility; | |||||
LAPAN Rocket Launcher Station, Pameungpeuk, Garut | 1965– | 765 kg | 100 km | |||
Qom Space Center | 1991 | Military testing | ||||
Emamshahr Space Center | 1998 | Military testing and sounding rockets for ISA. | ||||
Semnan spaceport | 2009– | Orbital | ||||
Al-Anbar Test Center | 1989 | Out of function | ||||
Palmachim Air Force Base | 1987– | 70 000 kg | Orbital | |||
Akita Rocket Range | 1956–1990 | 343 km | ||||
Uchinoura Space Center | 1962– | 139 000 kg | Interplanetary | |||
Tanegashima Space Center, Tanegashima Island | 1967– | 445 000 kg | Interplanetary | |||
Ryori | 1970– | |||||
1963–1965 | Eighteen launches of small rockets | |||||
Obachi | ||||||
/ | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Tyuratam | 1957– | 2 400 000 kg | Interplanetary | First satellite, first human. Operated by Russia. | |
/ | Sary Shagan | 1958– | ||||
Musudan-ri | 1998– | Military rockets; satellite launch | ||||
Sohae | 2012– | Military rockets; satellite launch | ||||
Anhueng | 1993– | |||||
Naro Space Center, Gohueng | 2008 | Orbital | Attempted satellite launches | |||
Gan Island | Several rockets of the Kookaburra type were launched from a pad at 0°41' S and 73°9' E | |||||
Sonmiani Satellite Launch Center, Las Bela, Balochistan | 1960s – | Sounding rockets, missile testing, for SUPARCO. | ||||
Tilla Satellite Launch Center, Jhelum District, Punjab | 1980s – | Sounding rockets, missile testing, for SUPARCO. | ||||
Kheysa | 1956–1980 | |||||
/ | Svobodny Cosmodrome, Amur Oblast | 1957–2007 | 47 000 kg | Orbital | ICBM base converted for satellites | |
Sovetskaya Gavan | 1963–1964 | 402 km | ||||
/ | Okhotsk | 1981–2005 | 1000 km | |||
Yasny Cosmodrome, Orenburg Oblast | 2006– | 211 000 kg | Orbital | ICBM base converted for satellites | ||
Vostochny Cosmodrome, Amur Oblast, Russia | 28 April 2016– | Facility on Russian territory to supplement Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan | ||||
Haiqian | 1988– | 10 000 kg | 300 km | Science and technology development |
Proposed or planned spaceports and rocket launch sites in Asia
- Morotai spaceport, Indonesia
- Kulasekarapattinam spaceport, Tamil Nadu, India.
- Changi spaceport, Singapore
Europe
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 | |
Hungary | Muhi | 1241 | 1945–1964 | >110 km | ||||
Hespenbusch, Großenkneten | 1952–1957 | <10 km | ||||||
Zingst | 1970–1992 | 67 | 130 kg | 80 km | ||||
Koroni | 1966–1989 | 371 | 114 km | |||||
Vik | 1964–1965 | 2 | ||||||
Salto di Quirra | 1964– | |||||||
Andøya Space Center | 1962– | >1200 | 800 kg | Rockets to the upper atmosphere. | ||||
Marka | 1983–1984 | 16 kg | ||||||
SvalRak | 1997– | |||||||
Nazi-occupied Poland | SS-Proving Ground Westpreußen today Poland | 1944–1945 | Nazi-German V-2 rockets | |||||
Nazi-occupied Poland | Leba in Pommern since 1945 part of Poland | 1941–1945 | Nazi-German rockets | |||||
Łeba-Rąbka | 1963–1973 | 36 | Polish rockets | |||||
Nazi-occupied Poland | SS Proving Ground Heidelager near Blizna | 1943–1944 | 139 | Nazi-German V-2 rockets | ||||
/ | Kapustin Yar Cosmodrome, Astrakhan Oblast | 1957– | Orbital | Previously for satellite launches | ||||
/ | Nyonoksa | 1965–1997 | ||||||
/ | Plesetsk Cosmodrome | 1966– | >1000 | 760 000 kg | Orbital | |||
El Arenosillo | 1966– | >500 | 720 km | |||||
Nausta | 1961–1961 | 1 | 30 kg | <80 km | Arcas rocket for atmospheric research. | |||
Kronogård | 1961–1964 | 18 | 700 kg | 135 km | Arcas, Nike-Cajun and Nike-Apache rockets for atmospheric research. | |||
Esrange, Kiruna | 1966–1972 | 150 | 700 kg | 237 km | Operated by ESRO. | |||
Esrange, Kiruna | 1972– | 300 | 12 400 kg | 717 km | Operated by SSC. Major programmes: Maxus, TEXUS, Maser, stratospheric balloons. | |||
Highdown Test Site, Isle of Wight | 1956–1971 | 0 | This site was used for static tests of assembled rockets only prior to them being shipped to Australia for launch. | |||||
South Uist | 1959– | 1 | approx 1300 kg plus payload | First space launch from the UK took place from here in October 2015 as part of 'At Sea Demonstration 15'. The rocket was an American 'Terrier-Orion' sounding rocket. |
Proposed or planned spaceports in Europe
- Spaceport Sweden, Kiruna
- Newquay, Cornwall, England, UK
- Sutherland spaceport, Scotland, UK
- Santa Maria, Azores, Portugal
- Andøya Spaceport, Norway
- El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain
- Taranto-Grottaglie Airport, Italy
North America
Additional rocket launch sites in North America
Please delete items or move them to the table above with appropriate data and references.- Barbados,
- Barter Island
- Cape Parry
- Tonopah Test Range (United States,
- Yuma (United States,
Proposed or planned spaceports in North America
- Maritime Launch Services, Canso, Nova Scotia
- Cape Breton Spaceport, Nova Scotia
- Cape Rich, LFCATC Meaford, Ontario
- New England Spaceport - Portland, BluShift Aerospace Launch Site, Casco Bay, Brunswick, Maine
- Oklahoma Spaceport, Burns Flat,
- SpaceX South Texas Launch Site, Brownsville, Texas,
- Spaceport Washington, Moses Lake, Washington This project was proposed in 2005 by a small real estate brokerage firm operating from an office in Renton, Washington, and has since proven to have been a scam. The principal party - Mr. Andy Shin Fong Chen, CEO of ASPI Group, LLC - was charged with fraud by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on 15 March 2017. No licensing was ever issued by any local, state or Federal government agency, nor was any construction ever initiated.
South America
Country | Location | Coordinates | Operational date | Number of rocket launches | Heaviest rocket launched | Highest achieved altitude | Notes |
Puerto Belgrano | TBA | Launch pad for Tronador II under construction | |||||
Punta Indio | 2014– | 3 | 7 076 kg | 2.2 km | Civilian Launch Test Site | ||
CELPA | 1962–1974 / 2011– | 100 | 933 kg | 550 km | Military Launch Test Site | ||
Serrezuela | 2009 | 1 | 500 kg | 40 km | Military test | ||
Las Palmas | 1966–1966 | 2 | 3 400 kg | 270 km | During a solar eclipse, with Titus rockets. | ||
Tartagal | 1966–1966 | During a solar eclipse | |||||
Mar Chiquita | 1968–1972 | 11 | |||||
Villa Reynolds | 1973–1973 | 2 | |||||
Pampa de Achala | 1961–1962 | 8 | 28 kg | 25 km | First Argentine launch site. | ||
Natal/Barreira | 1965– | 233 | 1100 km | ||||
Praia do Cassino | 1966–1966 | 27 | |||||
Alcântara Launch Center, Maranhão | 1990– | 35 | 6 737 kg | 956 km | Brazilian Air Force, Brazilian Space Agency. Planned satellite launches. | ||
Guiana Space Centre, Kourou | 1968– | <200 | 777 000 kg | Interplanetary | Operated by CNES for ESA; launch base for Arianespace. Commercial and governmental launches. | ||
Chilca Launch Range | 1974-1983 | <65 | 590 km | Sounding rocket launch location. | |||
Chilca PLOB, Punta Lobos Range | 1983 | 32 | 2 000 kg | 590 km | Sounding rocket launch location. Possibly part of, or identical to, Chilca Launch Range. | ||
Dutch Suriname | Coronie | 1965–1965 | 4 | 205 km |
Oceania
Country | Location | Coordinates | Operational date | Number of rocket launches | Heaviest rocket launched | Highest achieved altitude | Notes |
Woomera Test Range | 1950s– | 28 000 kg | Orbital | Australian government research facility. Missile testing, 2 satellite launches. | |||
Carnarvon | 1964–1965 | 12 | 120 km | ||||
Lancelin | 1974–1974 | 2 | During a total solar eclipse | ||||
Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex | 2020?- | Proposed | |||||
Reagan Test Site, Omelek Island, Kwajalein Atoll | 1950s- | 39 000 kg | Orbital | US-controlled ICBM base converted for satellites. SpaceX Falcon 1. Close to the equator. | |||
Birdling's Flat | Formerly proposed launch site for Rocket Lab, never developed. | ||||||
Mahia | 2017– | 2 | 10 500 kg | Orbital | First commercial spaceport in the southern hemisphere. |
Proposed or planned spaceports in Oceania
- Cape York, Proposed site for Ukrainian Zenit launches.
- Christmas Island, planned by Australia and Japan
- Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex, approved by Australia and to be build in 2019
Launches at sea
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 unmanned satellites into Earth orbit via converted SLBM missile Shtil from the Barents Sea. | |
MLP Sputnik | 2010– | 4 | 1 630 kg | 8.2 km | Mobile satellite launch platform operated by Copenhagen Suborbitals. |