Spaceports

Survey of U.S. Government, Commercial, and Foreign Launch Sites for Assured Access to Space

The Aerospace Corporation | Global Partnerships

Note: All information is open source.

Glossary of Terms

  • Spaceport: This tool uses the terms "spaceport" and "launch site" interchangeably; however, clicking on the launch site's information will delineate whether the launch site has launched (or has plans to launch) orbital or suborbital launches. Missile launch sites are included for situational awareness. Only ground-based launch sites are noted in this map.
    • Developing: The launch site has not launched anything to date or the major facilities and/or space pads are being developed.
    • Active: The launch site has launched a vehicle and continues to be operational.
  • Payload class: NASA has classified launch vehicles based on the mass of a payload that the vehicle can lift to LEO  1  
    • Small-lift launch vehicle: less than 2 tons
    • Medium-lift: 2 - 20 tons
    • Heavy-lift: 20 - 50 tons
    • Super-heavy lift: greater than 50 tons
  • Pads and Runways: Vertical launches take off from launch pads; horizontal launches employ airplanes that take off from a runway and drop the rocket, which then ascends into space (i.e., Air Launch to Orbit)
  • Orbits:
    • LEO: Low-Earth Orbit; orbital period less than 128 minutes and apogees less than 2,000 km 97 
    • MEO: Medium-Earth Orbit; falls within LEO and GEO categories
    • GEO: Geostationary / Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit; orbital period of 1 sidereal day
    • HEO: High Earth Orbit
    • SSO: Sun-Synchronous Orbit; a nearly-polar orbit
    • Polar: The satellite passes over both poles each revolution
  • Launch Azimuth: The direction a space vehicle takes once launched, measured as the angle between North direction and the vehicle's trajectory on the horizon
  • FAA Protocols: Refers to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration

Sources