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Over 70 licensed launch facilities now operate globally — 20 commissioned since 2020.
| Attribute | Uchinoura Space Center 🇯🇵 Japan Active · Last updated 2026-06-01Trust: Agency-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | Andoya Spaceport 🇳🇴 Norway Active · Last updated 2026-06-01Trust: Operator-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | Alcantara Launch Center 🇧🇷 Brazil Active · Last updated 2026-06-01Trust: Operator-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | JAXA | Andoya Space | Brazilian Air Force (FAB) / Agência Espacial Brasileira (AEB) |
| Ownership | Government | State Enterprise | Government |
| Region | 🇯🇵 Japan | 🇳🇴 Norway | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Launch pads | 1 orbital (M-V pad, reconfigured for Epsilon-S)as of [1] | 2 sounding rocket rails; 1 orbital pad under developmentas of [1] ↑ Most pads | 1 (CLA mobile launch vehicle; VLM-1 pad under development)as of [1] |
| Annual launches | 1–2as of [1] | 6–10 suborbitalas of [1]Orbital launches pending; sounding rocket campaigns only through 2026 | 0–1 (first orbital launch pending)as of [1]Sounding rockets operational; VLM-1 orbital debut targeted 2027 |
| Max payload (LEO) | 700 kg to SSO (Epsilon-S target)as of [1]Epsilon-S return-to-flight following 2022 failure under investigation | suborbital only (< 1,000 kg payload to apogee)as of [1]Orbital LV commercial contracts under negotiation as of Q1 2026 | ~150 kg to SSO (VLM-1 target)as of [1]Near-equatorial location (2.3°S) provides ~460 m/s velocity bonus for GTO missions ↑ Highest capacity |
| First operational launch | 1970-02-11as of [1]Ohsumi — Japan's first satellite; first satellite launched by a non-superpower | 1962-08-18as of [1]First sounding rocket from Andøya Island; orbital capability planned late 2020s | 1990-11-21as of [1]VS-30 sounding rocket; first orbital attempt VLS-1 1997 (pad explosion); new era with VLM-1 |
| Regulatory regime | MEXT / Cabinet Office Space Activities Act (2018, amended 2023) | Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry & Fisheries + Norwegian Space Agency (NOSA); aligned with EASA airspace coordination | AEB regulatory framework; 2019 U.S.–Brazil Technology Safeguards Agreement enables U.S.-origin payload launches |
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