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Over 70 licensed launch facilities now operate globally — 20 commissioned since 2020.
| Attribute | Kennedy Space Center 🇺🇸 United States Active · Last updated 2026-06-01Trust: Agency-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | Plesetsk Cosmodrome 🇷🇺 Russia Active · Last updated 2026-06-01Trust: Operator-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | Uchinoura Space Center 🇯🇵 Japan Active · Last updated 2026-06-01Trust: Agency-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | NASA | Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) | JAXA |
| Ownership | Government | Military | Government |
| Region | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇷🇺 Russia | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| Launch pads | 2 active (LC-39A, LC-39B)as of [1] | 4 active (Sites 43/3, 43/4 Soyuz-2; Site 35 Angara-1.2; Site 35/1 Angara-A5)as of [1] ↑ Most pads | 1 orbital (M-V pad, reconfigured for Epsilon-S)as of [1] |
| Annual launches | ~40as of [1]Combined NASA + SpaceX cadence from LC-39A and LC-39B | ~10as of [1]Military-dominant cadence; exact figure varies; estimate from public manifests | 1–2as of [1] |
| Max payload (LEO) | 63,800 kg to LEO (Falcon Heavy expendable)as of [2] | 24,500 kg to LEO (Angara A5)as of [1] ↑ Highest capacity | 700 kg to SSO (Epsilon-S target)as of [1]Epsilon-S return-to-flight following 2022 failure under investigation |
| First operational launch | 1967-11-09as of [1]SA-501 Apollo 4 — first Saturn V launch from LC-39A | 1966-03-17as of [1]Vostok-2 rocket — Plesetsk's first orbital launch | 1970-02-11as of [1]Ohsumi — Japan's first satellite; first satellite launched by a non-superpower |
| Regulatory regime | NASA range safety + FAA-AST Part 450 for commercial users; co-managed with Eastern Range | Roscosmos State Corporation + Russian Ministry of Defence; subject to ITAR / OFAC / EU sanctions post-2022 | MEXT / Cabinet Office Space Activities Act (2018, amended 2023) |
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