Spacecraft & Vehicles

Launch Locations

Launch locations are critical sites where rockets and spacecraft are launched into space. These facilities are equipped with advanced infrastructure to support various types of launches, including manned and unmanned missions, satellite deployments, and interplanetary explorations. Examples include the Kennedy Space Center in the USA, Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and Tanegashima Space Center in Japan.

Tanegashima Space Center, Japan

Managed by JAXA, this location is Japan’s largest rocket-launch complex and is used for launching H-IIA and H-IIB rockets.

Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center: Launch Vehicle Vertical Assembly Building.

Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China

One of China’s major launch sites, it is used for launching crewed missions, including the Shenzhou spacecraft, and various satellites.

Guiana Space Center: Vega launch pad in 2017.

Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

Operated by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Arianespace, it is a major launch site for European missions and satellite launches.

A Soyuz rocket is erected into position at the Baikonur Cosmodrome's Pad 1/5 (Gagarin's Start) on 24 March 2009.

Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan

The world’s first and largest operational space launch facility. It is the launch site for Soyuz missions to the International Space Station.

NASA’s Moon rocket on the move at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Kennedy Space Center (Cape Canaveral)

Located in Florida, this is NASA’s primary launch center and has launched numerous space missions, including Apollo and Space Shuttle.

More Space Exploration Locations

Each of these locations plays a critical role in advancing our understanding of space, fostering international collaboration, and pushing the boundaries of human achievement. Explore them using the images below.