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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 × | Plesetsk Cosmodrome 🇷🇺 Russia Active · Last updated 2026-06-01Trust: Operator-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | United States Space Force | Houston Airport System | Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) |
| Ownership | Military | Public-Private | Military |
| Region | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇷🇺 Russia |
| Launch pads | 3 active (SLC-4E Falcon 9, SLC-6 standby, SLC-2W Firefly)as of [1] | — | 4 active (Sites 43/3, 43/4 Soyuz-2; Site 35 Angara-1.2; Site 35/1 Angara-A5)as of [1] ↑ Most pads |
| Annual launches | ~30as of [1]Primarily polar/SSO missions from Vandenberg; predominantly SpaceX | 0 | ~10as of [1]Military-dominant cadence; exact figure varies; estimate from public manifests |
| Max payload (LEO) | 15,600 kg to polar orbit (Falcon 9 Block 5)as of [2] ↑ Highest capacity | — | 24,500 kg to LEO (Angara A5)as of [1] |
| First operational launch | 1958-12-16as of [1]Thor-Able 1 — first orbital attempt from Vandenberg (failed); first success 1959-02-28 | 2015 | 1966-03-17as of [1]Vostok-2 rocket — Plesetsk's first orbital launch |
| Regulatory regime | U.S. Space Force Western Range + FAA-AST Part 450 for commercial users | FAA-AST Launch Site Operator License (horizontal launch) | Roscosmos State Corporation + Russian Ministry of Defence; subject to ITAR / OFAC / EU sanctions post-2022 |
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