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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 × | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | NASA | French Military / CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique) (historical) | Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) |
| Ownership | Government | Military | Military |
| Region | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇩🇿 Algeria | 🇷🇺 Russia |
| 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 |
| Annual launches | ~40as of [1]Combined NASA + SpaceX cadence from LC-39A and LC-39B | 0 | ~10as of [1]Military-dominant cadence; exact figure varies; estimate from public manifests |
| 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 |
| First operational launch | 1967-11-09as of [1]SA-501 Apollo 4 — first Saturn V launch from LC-39A | 1960 | 1966-03-17as of [1]Vostok-2 rocket — Plesetsk's first orbital launch |
| 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 |
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