A “spaceport” is the loose name for a launch facility. The orbital-launch club is small. Putting a payload into orbit requires a long-range range-safety zone, specialised infrastructure, and either a state actor or a heavily licensed commercial operator. The number of countries with active orbital pads as of 2026 sits in the low double digits.
Orbital-launch countries
The unambiguous list of states that have launched something to orbit from their own territory (or sovereign overseas territory):
- United States: Cape Canaveral, Kennedy Space Center, Vandenberg, Wallops, Kodiak (Pacific Spaceport Complex), Boca Chica (Starbase), Mojave (suborbital with orbital ambition)
- Russia: Baikonur (leased in Kazakhstan), Plesetsk, Vostochny
- China: Jiuquan, Taiyuan, Xichang, Wenchang
- India: Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota
- Japan: Tanegashima, Uchinoura
- France / ESA: Guiana Space Centre at Kourou
- Iran: Imam Khomeini Spaceport, Semnan
- Israel: Palmachim
- North Korea: Sohae
- South Korea: Naro
- New Zealand: Mahia (Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1)
- United Kingdom: SaxaVord, Spaceport Cornwall (commercial, partially active)
The expanding map
The 2020s saw a surge of new orbital sites under construction:
- Sweden: Esrange Space Center transitioned from sounding-rocket to small-orbital infrastructure
- Norway: Andøya Spaceport
- UAE: pursuing crewed launch via partnerships
- Australia: Bowen, Whalers Way, Arnhem Space Centre in various stages
- Brazil: Alcântara, hosting commercial launches under bilateral safeguard agreements
Why the count fluctuates
A site is sometimes called “active” if it has launched recently, sometimes only if it’s fully commercial, sometimes only if a launch is scheduled within twelve months. Sites can go dormant (Sea Launch and Kodiak both went years between flights) and re-activate. Suborbital sites (white sands, blue origin’s launch site one, various australian sounding-rocket ranges) outnumber orbital ones by an order of magnitude but rarely make news.
For the companies operating these sites and the launches they host, see the /insights/launches live rollup and the /sectors/launch-services directory.