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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 × | Starbase Boca Chica 🇺🇸 United States Active · Last updated 2026-06-28Trust: Operator-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Israel Defense Forces / Israel Aerospace Industries | Southern Launch / Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation | SpaceX |
| Ownership | Military | Public-Private | Private |
| Region | 🇮🇱 Israel | 🇦🇺 Australia | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Launch pads | 1 active (classified IAF facility)as of [1] | — | 2 (Pad A and Pad B/OLP-2 both operational)as of [3] ↑ Most pads |
| Annual launches | 1–2as of [1] | 2-5 | Up to 25 Starship flights/yr (FAA cap)as of [3]FAA approval May 2025 raised cap from 5 to 25 flights/yr; 12 integrated flights flown total through Flight 12 (2026-05-22, V3 debut) |
| 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 | — | 100,000+ kg to LEO (Starship target, fully reusable)as of [1]150,000 kg expendable; fully reusable figure TBC pending HLS missions ↑ Highest capacity |
| First operational launch | 1988-09-19as of [2]Ofeq-1 — Israel's first satellite; first nation ever to launch into retrograde orbit from a dedicated national site | 2020 | 2023-04-20as of [1]Starship IFT-1 — first integrated flight test; vehicle lost at stage separation |
| Regulatory regime | Israel Space Agency (ISA) civil oversight; Ministry of Defense controls dual-use launches and Ofeq reconnaissance program | Australian Space Agency under Space (Launches and Returns) Act 2018 | FAA-AST Part 450 vehicle operator license + site-specific Environmental Assessment / PEA |
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