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Satellite launch sites

Satellite launch data from 1957 to March 6th, 2022. The data relating to satellites launched from the Eastern Test Range do not specify from which exact location of departure. Since the range area is very long, and most of the old bases are no longer active, the number of satellite launches has been equally distributed between Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center.

A map of spaceports and rocket launch sites

A spaceport is a place for launching (or receiving) satellites and spacecraft. As much as a seaport or an airport, it is a logistic hub designated to control spaceflight activity. Today, 27 locations in the world are categorized as spaceports but several satellites have also been launched from missile test sites, from aircraft, submarines, and sea launch platforms. The map showcases satellite launch sites collected from a dataset of 11,972 payloads that successfully reached Earth’s Orbit between 1957 and March 6th, 2022.

Historically, orbital space launch operations have been usually located close to or within missile test facilities, taking advantage of the existing infrastructure and environmental factors. With the constant development of technology, it became natural to construct dedicated sites for satellite and spacecraft launch, considering geopolitical factors such as former colonies, land on lease, or alliances among nations.

Spaceports (or cosmodromes) can be designed for horizontal or vertical launches, for human or unmanned missions, and for launching large or small rockets. The chosen location has a direct impact on the propellent and velocity needed to successfully reach space. Rockets can enter much more easily in their designated orbit if launched at lower latitudes (near the equator) and pointed towards the East to maximize Earth’s rotation and speed. On the other hand, locating spaceports on the South or North of the planet is more optimal for launches to polar or near-polar orbits.

Source: “Spaceports of the World” by T.G. Roberts, for the CSIS Aerospace Security Project (2019).

The datasheet with the satellite launch sites can be found here

Locations

AFRICA
→  Hammaguira Space Track Range
→  Luigi Broglio Space Center (San Marco)

AMERICA
→  Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
→  Guiana Space Centre
→  John F. Kennedy Space Center
→  Kodiak Launch Complex
→  Pegasus launched from Eastern Range Air Space
→  Pegasus launched from Western Range Air Space
→  Sea Launch (Odyssey Platform)
→  Vandenberg Space Force Base
→  Wallops Flight Facility

EUROPE
→  Base Aerea de Gando
→  Kapustin Yar Missile and Space Complex
→  Plesetsk Missile and Space Complex
→  Submarine Launch from Barents Sea
→  Svobodny Cosmodrome
→  Tyuratam Missile and Space Complex
→  Vostochny Cosmodrome
→  Yasny Launch Base

OCEANIA
→  Reagan Test Site
→  Rocket Lab Launch Complex
→  Woomera Range Complex

EASTERN ASIA
→  Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
→  Naro Space Center
→  Sohae Satellite Launching Station
→  Tanegashima Space Center
→  Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center
→  Uchinoura Space Center
→  Wenchang Satellite Launch Center
→  Xichang Satellite Launch Center
→  Yellow Sea Launch Area

WESTERN/SOUTHERN ASIA
→  Palmachim Airbase
→  Satish Dhawan Space Centre
→  Semnan Space Center
→  Shahroud Space Center

Images

The following satellite imageries are taken from Copernicus Sentinel-2 constellation of two polar-orbiting satellites, placed in the same sun-synchronous orbit and phased at 180° to each other. Each image has been downloaded via Sentinel Hub EO Browser. The resolution is not as crisp as a screenshot from Google or Apple Maps: that's because Sentinel-2 gives the latest image available, while the other two platforms import data from satellites owned by Maxar Technologies and Airbus. Therefore, Google and Apple Maps show a result obtained by combining images of the past with the highest visibility (less clouds).

AFRICA

satellite image showing hammaguira air base

HAMMAGUIRA SPACE TRACK RANGE
Hammaguir, Algeria

LOCATION: 30.8832839 -3.0375914
OPERATED BY: France
BUILT IN: 1947
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 4

Multiple launch complexes and nuclear weapons tests sites were built in the Sahara desert in Algeria, a former French colony, between the 40s-60s. The first facility was a rocket launch site at Hammaguir, near Colomb-Bechar, in 1947. The first French satellite Astérix was launched from here in 1965, followed by multiple launches over the next two years. After the establishment of Algerian independence in 1967, France was forced to abandon the facility. French missile test activities moved to Biscarosse, in France, and orbital launches to Kourou, in French Guiana.

• Hammaguira: Astronautix
• Internet Archive: Le CIEES (Centre Interarmées d'Essais d'Engins Spéciaux)

satellite image showing Luigi Broglio Space Center (San Marco)

LUIGI BROGLIO SPACE CENTER (SAN MARCO)
Ngomeni, Kenya

LOCATION: -2.9957377, 40.194845
OPERATED BY: Italian Space Agency
BUILT IN: 1964
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 9

The Luigi Broglio Space Centre (BSC) is an Italian-owned spaceport near Malindi, Kenya, developed in the 60s through a partnership between the University of Rome La Sapienza's Aerospace Research Centre and NASA. Italian and international satellites can be launched from a main offshore launch site, known as the San Marco platform (a former oil platform). The center is currently governed by a fifteen-year renewable agreement, signed for the first time in 1995, which allows to carry out launch, data acquisition from satellites, remote sensing and training activities both on the spot and in Italy. On its part, Italy commits to equip and manage the center, to provide the logistics and training, and to employ local workforce, while Kenya provides the site upon payment of a fee. The last satellite launch took place on March 25th, 1988. Currently the sea platform is not in use; the ground station is active but only to track satellites.

• Italian Space Agency

AMERICA

AIR FORCE EASTERN TEST RANGE

The range, consisting of a chain of shore and sea-based tracking sites, starts at the launch pads at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and John F. Kennedy Space Center and extends eastward over the Atlantic Ocean to 90° East longitude  in the Indian Ocean, where it meets the Western Range. The US Air Force required an area for over-water flight trajectories, which make long-range missile flights possible over an area relatively free of world shipping lanes and inhabited.



satellite image showing Cape Canaveral space force station

CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION
Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA

LOCATION: 28.4886723, -80.5728241
OPERATED BY: United States Space Force
BUILT IN: 1949
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 1746*

America's largest launch center, used for all manned launches. Today only three of the 40 launch complexes built here remain in use. The area had been used by the United States government to test missiles since 1949, when President Harry S. Truman established the Joint Long Range Proving Ground at Cape Canaveral, an optimal location to test launches over the Atlantic Ocean. The US Air Force began testing sub-orbital rocket flights in 1956. Human spaceflight programs Gemini and Apollo were developed between this site and the Kennedy Center. The first Apollo crewed mission (Apollo 1) was planned departing from here in 1967 but never flew: a cabin fire during a launch rehearsal test at the Launch Complex 34 killed all three crew members and destroyed the command module.

• Astronautix: Cape Canaveral
• Wikipedia: Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

satellite image showing Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA

JOHN F. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER
Merritt Island, Florida, USA

LOCATION: 28.5728722, -80.6489808
OPERATED BY: NASA
BUILT IN: 1962
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 1746*

The Kennedy Space Center is a spaceport used both by national agencies and commercial companies. President John F. Kennedy's 1961 goal of a crewed lunar landing by 1970 required an expansion of the Cape Canaveral Space Center (in use since 1956). The area was inadequate to host the new launch facility designed to launch the Saturn V rocket. A new launch operation center was then built on a site adjacent to Cape Canaveral on Merritt Island. Since December 1968, The Kennedy Center has been NASA's primary launch center of human spaceflight: Apollo 11, the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon in 1969, was launched from here.

• NASA: History of the Kennedy Space Center
• Wikipedia: Kennedy Space Center

* The data relating to satellites launched from the Eastern Test Range did not specify from which exact location of departure. Since the range area is very long, and most of the old bases are no longer active, the number of satellite launches has been equally distributed between Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center.

AIR FORCE WESTERN TEST RANGE

The Western Range supports space launches held at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Managed by the Space Launch Delta 30 (an American Space Force responsible for all launch operations from the west coast), the WR extends from the West Coast of the United States to 90° East longitude in the Indian Ocean where it meets the Eastern Range.



satellite image showing VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE
Vandenberg, California, USA

LOCATION: 34.7420267, -120.5724404
OPERATED BY: United States Space Force
BUILT IN: 1958
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 1225

Vandenberg was originally established as Camp Cooke in August of 1941 and used for army tank, infantry, and artillery training during World War II. In 1957, the installation property was transferred to the recently established U.S. Air Force and was soon transformed into the West Coast space and missile facility that is now Vandenberg SFB. The location, used by both civil and commercial companies such as NASA and SpaceX, is optimal for polar orbit launches.

• Vanderberg Spaceforce: History

satellite image showing Vanderberg airport

PEGASUS LAUNCHED FROM WESTERN RANGE AIR SPACE
Vandenberg, California, USA

LOCATION: 34.7314253, -120.5725191
OPERATED BY: United States Space Force
LAUNCHED IN: 1994
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 36

Pegasus is an air-launched orbital launch vehicle developed by Orbital (later Orbital ATK and Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems (NGIS). Capable of carrying small payloads of up to 443 kg into low Earth orbit, Pegasus first flew in 1990 and remains active as of 2021. It is usually carried by a modified Lockheed Tristar airliner, named Stargazer. The first launch of Pegasus from Vandenberg Base was actually a failure: the control of the vehicle was lost 35 seconds into flight. But the following have all been a success: Pegasus launched in LEO weather, experimental, and military satellites.

• Gunter’ Space: Pegasus
• Wikipedia: Pegasus Launch History

satellite image showing Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip

PEGASUS LAUNCHED FROM EASTERN RANGE AIR SPACE
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA

LOCATION: 28.467066, -80.566036
OPERATED BY: United States Space Force
LAUNCHED IN: 1993
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 38

Pegasus is an air-launched orbital launch vehicle developed by Orbital (later Orbital ATK and Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems (NGIS). Capable of carrying small payloads of up to 443 kg into low Earth orbit, Pegasus first flew in 1990 and remains active as of 2021. In its first launch from the Space Force Station Skid Strip (a Cape Canaveral military airport) in 1993, Pegasus carried SCD 1, an environmental satellite, and Orbcomm-CDS 1, a satellite for experimental communication.

• Gunter’ Space: Pegasus
• Wikipedia: Pegasus Launch History

satellite image showing GUIANA SPACE CENTRE

GUIANA SPACE CENTRE
Kourou, French Guiana

LOCATION: 5.263251, -52.792406
OPERATED BY: European Space Agency, CNES
BUILT IN: 1964
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 660

The Guiana Space Center, also known as Europe’s Spaceport, is situated in the northeast of South America in French Guiana, an overseas region of France. In 1964 Guiana was selected to become the spaceport of France, replacing France's first launch site in Hammaguir, Algeria. When the European Space Agency came into being in 1975, the French Government offered to share its spaceport with ESA. The optimal location (just 500 km north of the Equator) facilitates the launch of satellites in Geostationary orbit operated by the European Space Agency, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme, the French space agency CNES (National Centre for Space Studies), and the commercial companies Arianespace and Azercosmos.

• ESA: Europe’s Spaceport
• Wikipedia: Guiana Space Center

satellite image showing KODIAK LAUNCH COMPLEX

KODIAK LAUNCH COMPLEX
Kodiak Island, Alaska, USA

LOCATION: 57.4353084, -152.3395783
OPERATED BY: Alaska Aerospace Corporation
BUILT IN: 1998
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 16

The Pacific Spaceport Complex is a dual-use commercial and military spaceport for sub-orbital and orbital launch vehicles. The spaceport opened in 1998 and has supported about 30 launches (16 successful), mainly for the U.S. government. The site was closed for two years following a launch failure that caused significant damage to parts of the spaceport. On 25 August 2014, a weapon test failed 4 seconds into the flight, causing damage to Kodiak’s LP-1 launch tower, and payload processing facility. Two years later, the complex reopened.

• Nasa Space Flight: Kodiak Spaceport
• Wikipedia: Pacific Spaceport Complex

satellite image showing SEA LAUNCH (ODYSSEY PLATFORM)

SEA LAUNCH (ODYSSEY PLATFORM)
Long Beach, California, USA

LOCATION: 33.754185, -118.216458
OPERATED BY: Seven Space company
LAUNCHED IN: 1995
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 33

“Sea Launch” is a multinational spacecraft launch company founded in 1995, providing orbital launch services from a floating platform. The mobile maritime launch complex (a former oil drilling rig) was constructed in Long Beach, California, and pulled to the Equatorial Pacific Ocean for launch by a dedicated ship. The platform was active between 1999 and 2014, sending payloads by custom-built rockets. In September 2016, a group of Russian companies called “7Space Companies” purchased the platform and brought it to Russia’s Slavyanka port, where currently resides, waiting to be equipped with GLONASS technologies.

• S7 Space: History
• Wikipedia: Sea Launch

satellite image showing WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY, Virginia, USA

WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY
Wallop Island, Virginia, USA

LOCATION: 37.8339343, -75.4877606
OPERATED BY: Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA
BUILT IN: 1945
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 142

Wallops Flight Facility is a rocket launch site on Wallops Island on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, United States. It primarily supports science and exploration missions for NASA and other Federal agencies. The facility (named Wallop Station) was built in 1945 by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics to test rocket launches and conduct high-speed aerodynamic research. In 1958 the US Congress established the NASA space agency, which adsorbed all the other space federal agencies and acquired the Wallop Station. The site was active until 1985, the year of the last orbital launch; it fell into disuse until 2005, when the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport was established. Orbital launches resumed in 2010.

• Nasa Space Flight: Kodiak Spaceport
• Wikipedia: Pacific Spaceport Complex

EUROPE

satellite image showing kapustin air base

BASE AEREA DE GANDO
Gran Canaria, Spain

LOCATION: 27.9359807, -15.3750059
OPERATED BY: Spanish Air Force
BUILT IN: 1997
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 1

On 21 April 1997, Gando Air Base was used to launch the Minisat 01 satellite, developed to kickstart Spain space program. The satellite was launched from an American Lockheed airliner with a Pegasus-XL rocket, an air-launched orbital launch vehicle developed by Orbital (later Orbital ATK and Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems (NGIS). In his mission it also carried the first Celestis payload with human remains.

• Paper Session III-C - Pegasus: History of the First Successful AirLaunched Space Vehicle
• Pegasus - Gunter’s Space Page

satellite image showing Kapustin Yar Missile and Space Complex, Russia

KAPUSTIN YAR MISSILE AND SPACE COMPLEX
Kapustin Yar, Russia

LOCATION: 45.729444, 48.665556
OPERATED BY: Russian Aerospace Forces
BUILT IN: 1946
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 91

Far from populated cities but still accessible to the Soviet industrial base in Volgograd via railway, the site was selected in 1947 to develop and test the earliest Soviet-built rocket systems as well as for launching meteorological research rockets. The nearby village Kapustin Yar was used as operations base in the early days of the testing site. However, due to the proximity of the cosmodrome to Kazakhstan (50km from the border), the Kazakh government had to approve all eastward launches from the spaceport. On 3 November 1957, the spacecraft Sputnik 2 was launched into low orbit carrying the Soviet dog Laika, one of the first animals sent in space. Today, the territory carries an auxiliary function.

• Spaceports of the World, CSIS Aerospace Security Project
• How many cosmodrome does Russia have?

satellite image showing PLESETSK MISSILE AND SPACE COMPLEX, Russia

PLESETSK MISSILE AND SPACE COMPLEX
Mirny, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia

LOCATION: 62.9278549, 40.5748409
OPERATED BY: Russian Space Agency
BUILT IN: 1957
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 2147

Plesetsk was the Soviet Union's northern cosmodrome, used for polar orbit launches of mainly military satellites. The complex was built in 1957 by the Soviet Union as a launch site for intercontinental ballistic missiles; in 1963 it started to be used also as a facility for launching spacecraft. Until 1983, the Plesetsk Cosmodrome was not formally acknowledged by the Soviet government: its coordinates were first announced by a group of students from the United Kingdom who tracked the signals of early satellites in 1966. Today it remains the only active cosmodrome in Europe, mainly used for launching smaller spacecraft and testing rocket complexes.

• Spaceports of the World, CSIS Aerospace Security Project
• How many cosmodrome does Russia have?

satellite image showing SUBMARINE LAUNCH FROM BARENTS SEA, Russia

SUBMARINE LAUNCH FROM BARENTS SEA
Barents Sea, Russia

LOCATION: 74.988392, 37.1063683
OPERATED BY: Russian Navy
FIRST LAUNCH IN: 1965
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 3

The Barents Sea is a secluded part of the Arctic Ocean divided between Norway and Russia. Since the 60s, the Russian Navy has often used the location to test ballistic missiles launched from ships or submarines. There have also been several tests of submarine-launched satellites, with three successful ones: the first was a German miniaturized communication satellite. The advantage of launching a satellite from a submarine compared to from land is that the launch vehicle can reach different inclinations.

• Astronautix: Barents Sea
• Wikipedia: Submarine-launched satellites

satellite image showing SVOBODNY COSMODROME, Russia

SVOBODNY COSMODROME
Svobodny, Russia

LOCATION: 51.709281, 127.9736256
OPERATED BY: Russian Space Agency
BUILT IN: 1997
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 5

Svobodny was a Russian rocket launch site originally constructed to test intercontinental ballistic missiles. The main Soviet spaceport was the Baikonour cosmodrome, located in the Kazakh region. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union at the end of the 80s, the site lost Russian control since Kazakhstan became an independent country. Because the Plesetsk cosmodrome was located too much in the north, The Svobodny missile base was then chosen as a new spaceport, becoming officially a cosmodrome in 1996. However, the costs for implementing launch pads, training and center, tracking station, airport, and hospital were very high: following issues with financing, the project was completely shut down in 2007 by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

• ESA: Permanent Mission in Russia
• Astronautix: Svobodny

satellite image showing TYURATAM MISSILE AND SPACE COMPLEX, Russia

TYURATAM MISSILE AND SPACE COMPLEX, BAIKONUR COSMODROME
Kazakhstan (leased to Russia)

LOCATION: 45.9645851, 63.3052427
OPERATED BY: Roscosmos, Russian Aerospace Forces
FIRST LAUNCH IN: 1955
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 2287

The Tyuratam Missile and Space Complex, commonly known as Baikonur Cosmodrome, is the first and, to this day, largest cosmodrome in the world. Built in 1955, it was originally the base of operations for the Soviet space program. Both Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, and Vostok 1, the first human spaceflight, were launched from here. The origin of the name is mysterious: for the Americans, the site was named Tyuratam Missile and Space Complex after a reconnaissance plane found and photographed the missile test range in 1957. In the 60s, the Soviets started to call it Baikonur to mislead the Western bloc. After the breakup of the USSR, the Baikonur cosmodrome ended up on the territory of sovereign Kazakhstan, which now leases it to Russia - at least until 2050. Under the current Russian management, Baikonur remains a busy spaceport, with numerous commercial, military, and scientific missions being launched annually.

• Astronautix: Barents Sea
• Wikipedia: Submarine-launched satellites

satellite image showing VOSTOCHNY COSMODROMEE, Russia

VOSTOCHNY COSMODROME
Tsiolkovsky, Amur Oblast, Russia

LOCATION: 51.8500694, 128.3553044
OPERATED BY: Roscosmos
BUILT IN: 2011
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 279

The Vostochny Cosmodrome, built close to the Svobodny Cosmodrome, is Russia's newest spaceport. The Russian space agency announced its decision to build the new spaceport in 2007, the same year the Svobodny Cosmodrome saw its final launch. The location was optimal because positioned at lower latitudes than the Baikonur cosmodrome, well connected to transportation routes and supply sources, and with a scarcely populated area. The first launch at the complex occurred on 28 April 2016, when a Soyuz-2 rocket carried a gamma-ray astronomy satellite.

• Spaceports of the World, CSIS Aerospace Security Project
• How many cosmodrome does Russia have?

satellite image showing YASNY LAUNCH BASE, Russia

YASNY LAUNCH BASE
Yasny, Orenburg Oblast, Russia

LOCATION: 51.0943657, 59.8424006
OPERATED BY: Russian Air Force
FIRST LAUNCH IN: 2006
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 89

The cosmodrome is situated in the Orenburg region, close to the city of Yasny. Also known as Dombarowsky or Orenburg cosmodrome, the facility was developed upon a military base operated by the Soviet Air Forces and later by the Russian Air Force. It hosts fighter jet and commercial satellites, which have been launched between 2006 and 2015, destined for polar orbits. Now it doesn’t seem much action.

• Spaceports of the World, CSIS Aerospace Security Project
• How many cosmodrome does Russia have?

OCEANIA

satellite image showing REAGAN TEST SITE in Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands

REAGAN TEST SITE
Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands

LOCATION: 8.716667, 167.733333
OPERATED BY: NASA, ARPA
BUILT IN: 1962
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 4

The Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Test Site—also known as the Kwajalein Missile Range—is a U.S. Army-operated spaceport on the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. After the American capture of the atoll during World War II, the Navy made Kwajalein a base. During the 1950s, atomic testing was conducted at nearby Bikini and Enewetak Atolls. The site has been used by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory since 1962, when the first instrumentation radar, Target Resolution and Discrimination Experiment (TRADEX), became operational. Its near-equatorial location in the mid-Pacific is ideal to perform space and missile tests.

• MIT: History of Lincoln Laboratory at the Reagan Test Site
• Astronautix: Kwajalein

satellite image showing Kapustin ROCKET LAB LAUNCH COMPLEX, New Zealand

ROCKET LAB LAUNCH COMPLEX
Māhia Peninsula, New Zealand

LOCATION: -39.261628, 177.865655
OPERATED BY: Rocket Lab Space Company
BUILT IN: 2016
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 105

The Rocket Lab Launch Complex is a commercial spaceport located at the southern tip of Māhia Peninsula, New Zealand. It is owned and operated by private spaceflight company Rocket Lab and only supports orbital launches of Rocket Lab's Electron rocket. The facility officially opened on 26 September 2016.

• Spaceports of the World, CSIS Aerospace Security Project
• Wikipedia: Rocket Lab Complex 1

satellite image showing WOOMERA RANGE COMPLEX

WOOMERA RANGE COMPLEX
Wirraminna, Australia

LOCATION: -30.9448063, 136.5306269
OPERATED BY: Royal Australian Air Force
BUILT IN: 1946
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 2

After World War II, the British government needed a large range to test the array of long-range missile systems then planned. Australia met the projected needs. The Long Range Weapons Establishment was created on 1 April 1947 as a joint British/Australian enterprise; a town named in Woomera was built to become its administrative center. Most of the WTR operational area is under pastoral lease or Indigenous ownership. In the past decades, the complex has also been used for testing rockets, unmanned vehicles, aircraft and satellites. The very first Australian satellite ever sent to space was launched from here, in 1967.

• MIT: History of Lincoln Laboratory at the Reagan Test Site
• Astronautix: Kwajalein

EASTERN ASIA

satellite image showing JIUQUAN SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER, China

JIUQUAN SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER
Ejin, Alxa, Inner Mongolia, China

LOCATION: 40.960054, 100.294969
OPERATED BY: China National Space Administration
BUILT IN: 1958
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 254

Located in the Gobi Desert, about 200 km from the Mongolian border, the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center was established in 1958 with support from the Soviet Union. China's first ballistic missile and satellite launch center was constructed close to an already existing airport, with a dedicated railway to protect the access. The first Chinese satellite Dong Fang Hong I was launched from here in 1970, as well as the first crewed space mission Shenzhou 5 in October 2003. The site was originally used to launch scientific and recoverable satellites into medium or low earth orbits at high inclinations; in recent years, private companies and rocket startups also executed launches from here.

• Astronautix: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre
• Spaceports of the World, CSIS Aerospace Security Project

satellite image showing Kapustin NARO SPACE CENTER

NARO SPACE CENTER
Outer Naro Island, South Korea

LOCATION: 34.4417301, 127.5341107
OPERATED BY: Korean Aerospace Research Institute
BUILT IN: 2009
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 1

The Naro Space Center—the country's only spaceport—was established in June 2009. After pursuing financial support from Ukraine and the United States with no success, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) partnered with Russia's Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center in 2004 for both the use of a Russian rocket engine and the establishment of a Korean spaceport. The space center became an active spaceport on January 30, 2013, with the launch of the nation's Naro-1 launch vehicle, a Korean rocket built using a Russian first stage component.

• Spaceports of the World, CSIS Aerospace Security Project

satellite image showing SOHAE SATELLITE LAUNCHING STATION, north korea

SOHAE SATELLITE LAUNCHING STATION
Tongch'ang-ri, North Pyongan Province, North Korea

LOCATION:39.6600743, 124.7050429
OPERATED BY: Korean Committee of Space Technology
BUILT IN: 1990
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 2

The Sohae Satellite Launching Station—also known as Tongch'ang-dong Space Launch Center—is a spaceport on the western coast of North Korea. Signs of construction were visible during the early 1990s and became clear by the early 2000s, thanks to the constant monitoring of the open source intelligence agency Jane. Sohae is the only spaceport in North Korea to have achieved orbital launch: in 2016, North Korea successfully launched a long-range rocket, carrying the reconnaissance satellite Kwangmyongsong-4. The site still seems under use.

• MIT: History of Lincoln Laboratory at the Reagan Test Site
• Wikipedia: Sohae Satellite Launching Station

satellite image showing Kapustin TAIYUAN SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER

TAIYUAN SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER
Kelan, Xinzhou, Shanxi province, China

LOCATION: 38.8485775, 111.607983
OPERATED BY: China National Space Administration
BUILT IN: 1968
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 179

The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center is China's second-oldest spaceport. Established in 1966, the spaceport first launched a payload into orbit successfully in September 1988. The site is used primarily to launch meteorological satellites, Earth resource satellites and scientific satellites in polar and near-polar orbits, most of the times carried by a Long March rocket. The facility is also used to test intercontinental ballistic missiles and overland submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

• Spaceports of the World, CSIS Aerospace Security Project
• Wikipedia: Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center

satellite image showing TANEGASHIMA SPACE CENTER, japan

TANEGASHIMA SPACE CENTER
Kagoshima, Kukinaga, Japan

LOCATION: 30.374865, 130.9576461
OPERATED BY: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
BUILT IN: 1966
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 142

First constructed in 1966, the Tanegashima Space Center is Japan's second spaceport after the Uchinoura Space Center. Located on an island, it is largest site for large-scale satellites. The center supports heavy-lift space launches, including all those launching to Geostationary Earth Orbit. The first orbital launch happened in 1975, with the launch of a N-1 rocket.

• JAXA: Overview of the Tanegashima Space Center
• Spaceports of the World, CSIS Aerospace Security Project

satellite image showing Kapustin UCHINOURA SPACE CENTER, Japan

UCHINOURA SPACE CENTER
Kimotsuki, Tokyo, Japan

LOCATION: 31.2512669, 131.0761271
OPERATED BY: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
BUILT IN: 1962
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 45

The Kagoshima Space Center was built in 1962 to launch large rockets with probe payloads. After the establishment of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 2003, it was renamed to Uchinoura Space Center. From here, sounding rockets and scientific satellites are launched into space, including the first-ever Japanese satellite Ohsumi in 1970.

• Spaceports of the World, CSIS Aerospace Security Project
• JAXA: Uchinoura Space Center

satellite image showing WENCHANG SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER

WENCHANG SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER
Wenchang, Hainan Island, China

LOCATION: 19.614354, 110.951057
OPERATED BY: China National Space Administration
BUILT IN: 2014
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 24

The site, located on the island of Hainan, is a former suborbital test center. Chosen because of its position at the lowest land latitude in China and its proximity to the equator, two favourable conditions to reach geosynchronous orbit. The first launch was a Long March 7, which took place successfully in 2016. One year later, the Long March 5, the current most powerful Chinese rocket, performed its maiden flight. Delivered via port, the Long March 5 can only be launched from here due to its enormous size (5m diameter and 60m height), otherwise difficult to transport via rail tracks.

• Wikipedia: Wenchang Satellite Launch Center
• Spaceports of the World, CSIS Aerospace Security Project

satellite image showing XICHANG SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER

XICHANG SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER
Xichang, Sichuan, China

LOCATION: 28.2469746, 102.0283611
OPERATED BY: China National Space Administration
BUILT IN: 1984
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 213

The spaceport was constructed in the 1970s and first used to launch a payload into orbit in January 1984. Since then numerous civil, scientific, and military payloads have been launched annually. In 1996, a fatal accident occurred when the rocket carrying the Intelsat 708 satellite failed on launch and crashed 1200 meters away from the launch pad in a nearby mountain village, destroying 80 homes. In 2007, China conducted its first anti-satellite missile test targeting a Chinese weather satellite: the impact caused about 2,000 thousand space debris, a number growth over time due to further collisions among the pieces.

• Wikipedia: 2007 Chinese anti-satellite missile test
• Spaceports of the World, CSIS Aerospace Security Project

satellite image showing YELLOW SEA LAUNCH AREA, China

YELLOW SEA LAUNCH AREA
Yellow Sea, Shandong Province, China

LOCATION: 31.4314809, 122.3107517
OPERATED BY: China National Space Administration
BUILT IN: 1982
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 9

On 5 June 2019,for the first time, China launched a rocket from a mobile maritime platform at the Yellow Sea, following sea-launches already performed by Russia and the US. The Long March 11 launch vehicle carried two technology-experiment satellites and five smaller commercial satellites. The venture was replicated on 15 September 2015, this time sending nine satellites into orbit.

• Space.com: China Aces Its 1st Rocket Launch at Sea, Puts 7 Satellites in Orbit
• Space.com: China launches 9 satellites into space from ocean platform

WESTERN/SOUTHERN ASIA

satellite image showing PALMACHIM AIRBASE, ISRAEL

PALMACHIM AIRBASE
Central District, Israel, Israel

LOCATION: 31.89777778, 34.69055556
OPERATED BY: Israeli Air Force, Israel Space Agency
BUILT IN: 1970
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 9

Palmachim Air Force Base was built in the 1970s as a test site for missiles and as helicopter base, located on the coast of Israel south of Tel Aviv. The facility is also sometimes referred to as Yavne, which is the urban area near the Soreq nuclear research center. In the 80s, satellite launch tests were carried on, with the first Israelian satellite ever launched to space in 1987. The following launches were mainly regarding the Ofeq family of Earth observation satellites designed and built by Israel Aerospace Industries for the Israel Ministry of Defense. Due to range safety restrictions, Israel has pursued prograde orbits launches (from west to east) for its satellites by placing payloads on Russian, Chinese, Indian, and European launch systems.

• Global Security: Palmachim Air Base
• Spaceports of the World, CSIS Aerospace Security Project

satellite image showing SATISH DHAWAN SPACE CENTRE

SATISH DHAWAN SPACE CENTRE
Sriharikota Island, Andhra Pradesh, India

LOCATION: 13.7258653, 80.2265545
OPERATED BY: Indian Space Research Organisation
BUILT IN: 1971
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 421

India's primary (and only) space launch center is located on the east coast of the peninsula. The site was chosen in 1969 for building a satellite launching station, which became operational in 1971, with the launch of a suborbital rocket. Two failures in 1987 and 1988—including a catastrophic dive into the Bay of Bengal less than three minutes into the first launch attempt—led to a four year pause in Indian space launch until 1992. The Satish Dhawan Space Centre has been used to launch objects to all major orbital regimes, including LEO, MEO, GEO, and orbits around the Moon and Mars.

• Wikipedia: Satish Dhawan Space Centre
• Spaceports of the World, CSIS Aerospace Security Project

satellite image showing SEMNAN SPACE CENTER, Iran

SEMNAN SPACE CENTER
Semnan province, Iran

LOCATION: 35.2387536, 53.9495762
OPERATED BY: Iranian Space Agency
BUILT IN: 2004
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 4

The Imam Khomeini Space Center—also known as the Semnan Spaceport—is Iran's main orbital space launch facility. The construction began in 2003, a year before the Iranian Space Agency was founded. The first successful orbital launch occurred in 2009 with the Safir, the first Iranian expendable launch vehicle built with North Korean technology.

• Spaceports of the World, CSIS Aerospace Security Project
• Wikipedia: Semnan Space Center

satellite image showing SHAHROUD SPACE CENTER

SHAHROUD SPACE CENTER
Shahroud, Semnan province, Iran

LOCATION: 36.2007478, 55.3338493
OPERATED BY: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force
BUILT IN: 1980
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: 1

Iran constructed the Shahroud missile test facility in the late 1980s with Chinese and North Korean assistance, and it has remained the main test facility for the Shahab missile series (a medium-range ballistic missile based on the North Korean Nodong-1). Today, the Shahroud Space Center is a military facility under control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force (IRGCASF). It is used to orbit military satellites for Iran's military space program, opposed to the civil space program run by the Iranian Space Agency in the Semnan Space Center.

• NTI: Shahroud Missile Test
• Wikipedia: Shahroud Space Center




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