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 2026-06-12Trust: Agency-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | SaxaVord Spaceport 🇬🇧 United Kingdom Active · Last updated 2026-06-12Trust: Operator-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | United States Space Force | SaxaVord Spaceport Ltd | Sutherland Spaceport Ltd (wound up); Highlands and Islands Enterprise landlord |
| Ownership | Military | Private | Public-Private |
| Region | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| Launch pads | 3 active (SLC-4E Falcon 9, SLC-6 SpaceX conversion, SLC-2W Firefly)as of [3] ↑ Most pads | — | — |
| Annual launches | ~82 projected for 2026 (DAF cap raised to 100/yr)as of [3]Department of the Air Force May 2025 draft EIS approved up to 100 Falcon launches/year incl. SLC-6; primarily polar/SSO, predominantly SpaceX ↑ Most active | 0 | 0 |
| Max payload (LEO) | 15,600 kg to polar orbit (Falcon 9 Block 5)as of [2] ↑ Highest capacity | — | — |
| First operational launch | 1958-12-16as of [1]Thor-Able 1 — first orbital attempt from Vandenberg (failed); first success 1959-02-28 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Regulatory regime | U.S. Space Force Western Range + FAA-AST Part 450 for commercial users | UK CAA under the Space Industry Act 2018 + Space Industry Regulations 2021 | 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).