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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 2026-06-12Trust: Agency-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | Etlaq Spaceport 🇴🇲 Oman Active · Last updated 2026-06-12Trust: Operator-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | United States Space Force | Oita Prefecture / NTT Communications consortium | National Aerospace Services Company (NASCOM) |
| Ownership | Military | Public-Private | Private |
| Region | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇯🇵 Japan | 🇴🇲 Oman |
| 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 | 1-5 (experimental) |
| 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 | 2020 | 2024-12-04as of [1]Duqm-1 experimental suborbital launch — first from a MENA commercial spaceport |
| Regulatory regime | U.S. Space Force Western Range + FAA-AST Part 450 for commercial users | MEXT / Cabinet Office Space Activities Act (2018, amended 2023); Oita Airport operates under Japan Civil Aviation Bureau | Oman Civil Aviation Authority — Civil Aviation Directive CAD 5-01 (October 2025): evidence-based safety case, launch-window approvals in as little as 45 days, no annual cap per provider or spaceport |
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