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Over 70 licensed launch facilities now operate globally — 20 commissioned since 2020.
| Attribute | Palmachim Airbase 🇮🇱 Israel Active · Last updated 2026-06-01Trust: Operator-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Houston Airport System | Israel Defense Forces / Israel Aerospace Industries | CIEES (Centre Interarmées d'Essais d'Engins Spéciaux), France (historical) |
| Ownership | Public-Private | Military | Military |
| Region | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇮🇱 Israel | 🇩🇿 Algeria |
| Launch pads | — | 1 active (classified IAF facility)as of [1] ↑ Most pads | — |
| Annual launches | 0 | 1–2as of [1] ↑ Most active | 0 |
| Max payload (LEO) | — | ~350 kg to retrograde LEO (Shavit-2)as of [1]Launches westward over Mediterranean due to geopolitical overflight constraints; unusual retrograde orbit ↑ Highest capacity | — |
| First operational launch | 2015 | 1988-09-19as of [2]Ofeq-1 — Israel's first satellite; first nation ever to launch into retrograde orbit from a dedicated national site | 1947 |
| Regulatory regime | FAA-AST Launch Site Operator License (horizontal launch) | Israel Space Agency (ISA) civil oversight; Ministry of Defense controls dual-use launches and Ofeq reconnaissance program | — |
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