Latitude
Latitude Sets the Free Speed and the GEO Penalty
A rocket launched due east starts with the ground speed of the pad: 465 m/s at the equator, falling with the cosine of latitude. The larger cost is the plane change. A satellite bound for geostationary orbit leaves at an inclination no lower than the site latitude and must burn that inclination away at apogee, so a GTO launch from Baikonur pays about 0.8 km/s more than one from Kourou. Polar and sun-synchronous orbits reverse the logic: high-latitude sites such as Plesetsk, Andoya and SaxaVord reach them directly, and Vandenberg and Taiyuan exist for them.
| Site | Latitude | Eastward boost from rotation | GTO to GEO burn, km/s | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kourou | 5.2 deg | 0.46 km/s | 1.49 | Modeled |
| Sriharikota | 13.7 deg | 0.45 km/s | 1.57 | Modeled |
| Wenchang | 19.6 deg | 0.44 km/s | 1.66 | Modeled |
| Cape Canaveral | 28.5 deg | 0.41 km/s | 1.84 | Modeled |
| Tanegashima | 30.4 deg | 0.40 km/s | 1.88 | Modeled |
| Baikonur | 45.9 deg | 0.32 km/s | 2.27 | Modeled |
| Vostochny | 51.9 deg | 0.29 km/s | 2.44 | Modeled |
| Plesetsk | 62.9 deg | 0.21 km/s | 2.74 | Modeled |
GTO to GEO burn: a single apogee burn that both circularizes and removes the launch inclination, from a 200 km perigee. Real missions often split it (supersynchronous transfer, stage burns), so the gap between sites is the useful number, not the absolute value.
Orbital sites
36 Orbital Launch Sites, by Country
Launch counts are orbital attempts in calendar 2025, successes and failures together.
| Site | Country | Operator | Latitude | Vehicles | Orbits | 2025 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowen Orbital SpaceportFirst launch Jul 2025; Eris failed after 14 s. Second flight targeted late 2026 | Australia | Gilmour Space | 19.9 S | Eris | LEO, SSO | 1 | Active |
| Alcantara Launch CenterHanbit-Nano (Innospace, South Korea) failed 22 Dec 2025, the first commercial orbital attempt from Brazil | Brazil | Brazilian Air Force | 2.4 S | Hanbit-Nano | LEO, equatorial | 1 | Active |
| Jiuquan Satellite Launch CenterIn Inner Mongolia, China; only Chinese crewed site; commercial pads for LandSpace, Galactic Energy, CAS Space. Zhuque-3 debut 3 Dec 2025 | China | PLA / CASC | 41.0 N | Long March 2C, 2D, 2F; Ceres-1; Kinetica-1; Zhuque-2E; Zhuque-3 | LEO, SSO, crewed LEO | 34 | Active |
| Xichang Satellite Launch CenterMain Chinese GTO and BeiDou site; inland, so spent stages fall on populated areas | China | PLA / CASC | 28.2 N | Long March 3B, 2C, 2D | GTO, MEO, LEO | 19 | Active |
| Taiyuan Satellite Launch CenterPolar and sun-synchronous workhorse | China | PLA / CASC | 38.8 N | Long March 6, 6A, 2C, 2D, 4B, 4C | SSO, polar, LEO | 12 | Active |
| Wenchang Space Launch SiteHeavy-lift and crewed-lunar site; first double-digit year in 2025 | China | PLA / CASC | 19.6 N | Long March 5, 5B, 7, 7A | GTO, LEO, escape | 12 | Active |
| Hainan Commercial Spacecraft Launch SiteNext to Wenchang; pads 1 and 2 active, pads 3 and 4 due end 2026. Launches Guowang and Qianfan | China | Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Co. | 19.6 N | Long March 8, 8A, 12 | LEO, SSO | 9 | Active |
| Haiyang Oriental SpaceportSea launch from barges off Shandong; latitude is the home port | China | Shandong / CASC and commercial | 36.7 N | Jielong-3, Ceres-1S, Gravity-1, Long March 11 | LEO, SSO | 7 | Active |
| Guiana Space Centre (Kourou)Ariane 6 four times and Vega C three times in 2025; Soyuz no longer flies here | France (French Guiana) | CNES / ESA / Arianespace | 5.2 N | Ariane 6, Vega C | GTO, SSO, LEO, escape | 7 | Active |
| Satish Dhawan Space Centre (Sriharikota)Only active Indian orbital site; PSLV-C61 failed May 2025 | India | ISRO | 13.7 N | PSLV, GSLV, LVM3 | SSO, GTO, LEO, escape | 5 | Active |
| Kulasekarapattinam SpaceportSSLV launch complex; can fly south to polar orbit without a dogleg | India | ISRO | 8.4 N | SSLV (planned) | SSO, polar | 0 | Building |
| Imam Khomeini Spaceport (Semnan)Zuljanah failed 18 Sep 2025 | Iran | Iranian Space Agency | 35.2 N | Simorgh, Zuljanah | LEO, retrograde | 1 | Active |
| Shahroud Space CenterLast orbital launch 14 Sep 2024 | Iran | IRGC Aerospace Force | 36.2 N | Qaem-100, Qased | LEO | 0 | Active |
| Palmachim AirbaseLaunches westward over the Mediterranean only | Israel | Israeli Air Force / IAI | 31.9 N | Shavit-2 | Retrograde LEO | 1 | Active |
| Luigi Broglio Space Center (Malindi)Italian-run; no orbital launch since 1988, ground station still active | Kenya | ASI | 2.9 S | None | Equatorial LEO (historic) | 0 | Dormant |
| Tanegashima Space CenterH-IIA retired in 2025; H3 failure Dec 2025 | Japan | JAXA / Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 30.4 N | H3, H-IIA | GTO, SSO, LEO, escape | 4 | Active |
| Uchinoura Space CenterNo orbital launch since the Epsilon-6 failure, Oct 2022 | Japan | JAXA | 31.3 N | Epsilon S (grounded) | SSO, LEO | 0 | Dormant |
| Spaceport KiiKairos 0 for 3; flight 3 failed 5 Mar 2026 | Japan | Space One | 33.5 N | Kairos | SSO, LEO | 0 | Active |
| Baikonur CosmodromeLeased from Kazakhstan; only Russian crewed site | Kazakhstan | Roscosmos | 45.9 N | Soyuz-2, Proton-M | Crewed LEO, GTO, escape | 6 | Active |
| Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 (Mahia)Privately owned orbital site with two pads | New Zealand | Rocket Lab | 39.3 S | Electron | LEO, SSO, polar | 17 | Active |
| Sohae Satellite Launching StationLast attempt May 2024, failed; pad expansion through 2025 | North Korea | NATA | 39.7 N | Chollima-1 | LEO, SSO | 0 | Dormant |
| Andoya SpaceportFirst orbital attempt from continental Europe, Mar 2025; Isar Spectrum reached orbit on flight 2, 5 Sep 2026 | Norway | Andoya Space | 69.3 N | Spectrum | SSO, polar | 1 | Active |
| Plesetsk CosmodromeMainly military launches | Russia | Russian Aerospace Forces | 62.9 N | Soyuz-2, Angara | SSO, polar, Molniya | 9 | Active |
| Vostochny CosmodromeRussia's newest civil site | Russia | Roscosmos | 51.9 N | Soyuz-2, Angara-A5 | SSO, LEO, escape | 2 | Active |
| Kapustin YarMissile tests only; last orbital launch Jun 2008 | Russia | Russian Aerospace Forces | 48.6 N | None | LEO (historic) | 0 | Dormant |
| Yasny Launch BaseSilo site; no orbital launch since Dnepr retired in 2015 | Russia | Strategic Rocket Forces | 51.1 N | None | SSO (historic) | 0 | Dormant |
| Naro Space CenterNuri flight 4, Nov 2025 | South Korea | KARI | 34.4 N | Nuri | SSO, LEO | 1 | Active |
| Esrange Space CenterSounding rockets now; first orbital launch targeted 2028 with Firefly Alpha | Sweden | Swedish Space Corporation | 67.9 N | Firefly Alpha (planned) | SSO, polar | 0 | Building |
| SaxaVord SpaceportRFA One licensed Jan 2025; maiden flight targeted from Aug 2026, not yet flown | United Kingdom | SaxaVord Spaceport Ltd | 60.8 N | RFA One (planned) | SSO, polar | 0 | Building |
| Cape Canaveral Space Force StationBusiest launch site in the world in 2025 | United States | US Space Force | 28.5 N | Falcon 9, Atlas V, Vulcan, New Glenn | GTO, LEO, MEO, escape | 82 | Active |
| Kennedy Space CenterCrew Dragon pad; Starship pad under construction at LC-39A | United States | NASA (LC-39A leased to SpaceX) | 28.6 N | Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy | Crewed LEO, GTO, escape | 27 | Active |
| Vandenberg Space Force BaseMain US polar site; Firefly Alpha failure Apr 2025 | United States | US Space Force | 34.7 N | Falcon 9, Minotaur IV, Firefly Alpha | SSO, polar, retrograde | 66 | Active |
| SpaceX StarbaseOnly site that has flown Starship; first orbital flight 28 Sep 2026 | United States | SpaceX | 26.0 N | Starship | LEO | 5 | Active |
| Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport and WallopsThe 2025 launch was Electron from Rocket Lab LC-2, 18 Dec 2025 | United States | Virginia Spaceport Authority / NASA | 37.8 N | Electron, Minotaur, Antares | LEO | 1 | Active |
| Rocket Lab Launch Complex 3 (Wallops)Neutron debut slipped to late 2026 after a Jan 2026 tank rupture | United States | Rocket Lab | 37.8 N | Neutron (planned) | LEO | 0 | Building |
| Pacific Spaceport Complex - Alaska (Kodiak)Supports 59 to 110 degree inclinations; defense tests | United States | Alaska Aerospace | 57.4 N | None orbital in 2025 | Polar, SSO | 0 | Active |
China
Six Chinese Sites Flew 93 Orbital Launches in 2025
China launches from three inland military centers (Jiuquan, Taiyuan, Xichang), a coastal heavy-lift site at Wenchang, a separate commercial site beside it on Hainan, and sea platforms out of Haiyang in Shandong. The inland sites drop spent stages on populated areas, which is one reason Long March 10, the crewed lunar vehicle, flies from Wenchang. Commercial launchers (LandSpace, Galactic Energy, CAS Space, Space Pioneer) fly from Jiuquan pads and from the sea, and the Hainan commercial site adds two more pads at the end of 2026 for the Guowang and Qianfan constellations.
Suborbital and horizontal
Eight US Suborbital and Horizontal Spaceports
FAA-licensed sites with no orbital launches; most host flight test, industry campuses or tourism flights.
| Site | Location | Operator | Latitude | Class | Vehicles | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch Site One (Corn Ranch)New Shepard flights paused for at least two years from Jan 2026 | Van Horn, Texas | Blue Origin | 31.4 N | Suborbital vertical | New Shepard | Dormant |
| Spaceport AmericaVSS Unity retired; Virgin Galactic Delta first flight now Feb 2027 | Truth or Consequences, New Mexico | New Mexico Spaceport Authority | 33.0 N | Horizontal and vertical | UP Aerospace SpaceLoft | Active |
| Mojave Air and Space PortFlight-test and engine-test site; no current launch service | Mojave, California | East Kern Airport District | 35.1 N | Horizontal | Flight test | Active |
| Cecil Air and Space PortFAA license active to 2030; no launches | Jacksonville, Florida | Jacksonville Aviation Authority | 30.2 N | Horizontal | None | Active |
| Colorado Air and Space PortLicensed 2018; limited spaceflight use | Watkins, Colorado | Adams County | 39.8 N | Horizontal | None | Active |
| Houston Spaceport (Ellington)Industry campus for Axiom Space and Intuitive Machines; no launches | Houston, Texas | Houston Airport System | 29.6 N | Horizontal | None | Active |
| Midland SpaceportAnchored by AST SpaceMobile manufacturing; no launches | Midland, Texas | Midland International Air and Space Port | 31.9 N | Horizontal | None | Active |
| Infinity One Oklahoma SpaceportFormerly Oklahoma Air and Space Port, Burns Flat; FAA license renewal not confirmed | Burns Flat, Oklahoma | Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority | 35.3 N | Horizontal | None | Planned |
Contested
Deliberately Not Claimed
The load-bearing uncertainties, tagged with the confidence they actually earn.
Launch totals depend on counting rules. The world total for 2025 is 330 attempts by one count, 325 and 329 by others, depending on how failures before orbit and test flights are treated. Site counts here follow the 330 tally.
Sea launches are grouped. All seven Chinese sea launches are counted under Haiyang; some may have flown from other waters. Wenchang's 21 launches are split 12 state and nine commercial using Chinese site figures.
Record
Provenance and Data Sources
- Confidence
- Observed for flown, fielded or measured - Building for hardware and programs in development - Projected for announced plans - Modeled for original analysis
- Status date
- Q4 2026
- Launch counts
- 2025 in spaceflight (by-site table, 330 attempts); BryceTech Orbital Launches 2025 (325); Payload Space (329)
- Sites
- FAA Spaceports by State; operator and agency sites; China Daily and Capital FM for the Wenchang split; Spaceflight Now for Neutron; ESA and Isar Aerospace for Andoya
- Method
- Rotation boost = 465 m/s x cos(latitude); GTO to GEO burn from a 200 km perigee with the full launch inclination removed at apogee
- China
- Jiuquan, Taiyuan, Xichang, Wenchang, Hainan commercial site, Haiyang sea launch
- Weakest link
- Latitudes are site coordinates to one decimal; vehicle lists for some Russian and Chinese sites are from operator histories, not a 2025 manifest