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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 × | Uchinoura Space Center 🇯🇵 Japan Active · Last updated 2026-06-01Trust: Agency-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | New Mexico Spaceport Authority | NASA | JAXA |
| Ownership | Public-Private | Government | Government |
| Region | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| Launch pads | — | 2 active (LC-39A, LC-39B)as of [1] ↑ Most pads | 1 orbital (M-V pad, reconfigured for Epsilon-S)as of [1] |
| Annual launches | 5-10 ↑ Most active | ~40as of [1]Combined NASA + SpaceX cadence from LC-39A and LC-39B | 1–2as of [1] |
| Max payload (LEO) | — | 63,800 kg to LEO (Falcon Heavy expendable)as of [2] ↑ 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 | 2011 | 1967-11-09as of [1]SA-501 Apollo 4 — first Saturn V launch from LC-39A | 1970-02-11as of [1]Ohsumi — Japan's first satellite; first satellite launched by a non-superpower |
| Regulatory regime | FAA-AST Launch Site Operator License (vertical + horizontal) | NASA range safety + FAA-AST Part 450 for commercial users; co-managed with Eastern Range | MEXT / Cabinet Office Space Activities Act (2018, amended 2023) |
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