Pick up to 4 launch sites to compare side-by-side. State lives in the URL — share the link and the comparison loads exactly as you left it.
Over 70 licensed launch facilities now operate globally — 20 commissioned since 2020.
| Attribute | Vandenberg Space Force Base 🇺🇸 United States Active · Last updated 2026-06-01Trust: Agency-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Oita Prefecture / NTT Communications consortium | United States Space Force | Highlands and Islands Enterprise / Orbex |
| Ownership | Public-Private | Military | Public-Private |
| Region | 🇯🇵 Japan | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| Launch pads | — | 3 active (SLC-4E Falcon 9, SLC-6 standby, SLC-2W Firefly)as of [1] ↑ Most pads | — |
| Annual launches | 0 | ~30as of [1]Primarily polar/SSO missions from Vandenberg; predominantly SpaceX ↑ Most active | 0 |
| Max payload (LEO) | — | 15,600 kg to polar orbit (Falcon 9 Block 5)as of [2] ↑ Highest capacity | — |
| First operational launch | 2020 | 1958-12-16as of [1]Thor-Able 1 — first orbital attempt from Vandenberg (failed); first success 1959-02-28 | 2023 |
| Regulatory regime | MEXT / Cabinet Office Space Activities Act (2018, amended 2023); Oita Airport operates under Japan Civil Aviation Bureau | U.S. Space Force Western Range + FAA-AST Part 450 for commercial users | UK CAA under the Space Industry Act 2018; planning consent granted Aug 2022 by Highland Council |
Pure URL state — no JavaScript, no localStorage, no cookies. Bookmark or share the URL and the comparison reproduces exactly. Top 20 entries have full CitedFigure attribution to primary agency sources (NASA, ESA, JAXA, ISRO, CNSA, KARI).