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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 × | Starbase Boca Chica 🇺🇸 United States Active · Last updated 2026-06-01Trust: Operator-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | JAXA | Andoya Space | SpaceX |
| Ownership | Government | State Enterprise | Private |
| Region | 🇯🇵 Japan | 🇳🇴 Norway | 🇺🇸 United States |
| 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 (Orbital Launch Mount A); second pad under constructionas of [1] |
| Annual launches | 1–2as of [1] | 6–10 suborbitalas of [1]Orbital launches pending; sounding rocket campaigns only through 2026 | 6–8 IFTs (2025 rate target)as of [2]IFT-1 through IFT-7 conducted 2023–2025; production cadence increasing ↑ Most active |
| 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 | 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 | 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 | 2023-04-20as of [1]Starship IFT-1 — first integrated flight test; vehicle lost at stage separation |
| 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 | FAA-AST Part 450 vehicle operator license + site-specific Environmental Assessment / PEA |
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