A rocket launch site is a facility for the launch of rockets. It has usually one or more launch pads or suitable sites to mount a transportable launch pad. For rockets with liquid propellant, suitable storage facilities and in some cases for the production are necessary.

A rocket launch site is built as far as possible away from settlements in order to keep the dangers for people as low as possible, if a rocket explodes. In most cases a rocket launch site is close to the sea, because the sea is a very good watchable area for the undangerous drop of rocket parts.

Rocket launch sites for he launch of satellites and interplanetary probes are called spaceports. The best known spaceports are Cape Canaveral in the USA, Baikonur in Russia and Kourou in French Guyana.

In Europe there are only launch sites for suborbital rockets. Esrange and Salto di Quirra are the most important.

Germany has nowadays no rocket launch site, but had after 1936 three times a rocket launch site. These were from 1936 to 1945 Peenemünde (inclusive the Greifswalder Oie) for testing (but not for military use!) of the A4-rocket, from 1957 to 1964 the mud-flats near Cuxhaven , where the Hermann Oberth society and the Berthold-Seliger-Forschungs- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft launched many rocket types as the Kumulus and the Cirrus and in Zingst, where there was from 1988 to 1992 a launch site for Russian rockets of the type MMR06-M Poland launched in the 70ies soundng rockets of the type Meteor from military training camps near Leba and Ustka.

Launch sites for orbital rockets

• Alcantara (Brasilia)
• Baikonur (Kasachstan)
• Cape Canaveral (USA)
• Gando (Spain, Gran Canaria)
• Hammaguir (Algeria, no longer operational)
• Jiuquan (China)
• Uchinoura Space Center near Kagoshima (Japan)
• Kapustin Yar (Russia)
• Kodiak Launch Center (USA, Alaska)
• Kourou (French Guyana)
• Kwajalein (USA, Atoll in the Pacific)
• Palmachim (Israel)
• Plesetsk (Russia)
• Point Arguello (USA)
• San Marco Platform (Italy, in the Indian Ocean)
• Sea Launch Plattform (USA, in the Pacific Ocean)
• Sriharikota (India)
• Swobodny (Russia)
• Taiyuan (China)
• Tanegashima (Japan)
• Vandenberg (USA)
• Wallops Island (USA)
• Woomera (USA)
• Xichang (China)

Launch sites for suborbital rockets in Europe

• Esrange (Sweden)
• Andoya (Norway)
• Biscarosse (France)
• Ile de Levant (France)
• Aberporth (UK)
• South Uist (UK)
• El Arenosillo (Spain)
• Salto di Quirra (Italy)
• Nenoksa (Russia)
• SvalRak (Spitzbergen)

Abandonded launch sites in Europe

• Cuxhaven (Germany)
• Peenemünde/Greifswalder Oie (Germany)
• Zingst (Germany)
• Blizna (Poland)
• Tuchola Forest (Poland)
• Leba (Poland)
• Ustka (Poland)
• Kronogard (Sweden)
• Marka (Norway)
• Vik (Iceland)
• Karystos (Greece)

Launch sites for suborbital rockets in Asia

• Al Anbar (Iraq)
• Akita(Japan)
• Anhueng (South Korea)
• Balasore(India)
• Emamshahr (Iran)
• Haikou (China)
• Hama-Allepo (Syria)
• Harbin (China)
• Jingyu (China)
• Kheysa (Russia)
• Musudan-ri (North Korea)
• Negev (Israel)
• Niijima (Japan)
• Obachi (Japan)
• Qom (Iran)
• Ryori (Japan)
• Sary Shagan (Russia)
• Shijiedu (China)
• Sonmiani (Pakistan)
• Thumba (India)
• Tilla (Pakistan)

Launch sites for suborbital rockets in Africa

• Overberg (South Africa)
• Reggane (Algeria)
• Seba Oasis (Libya)
• Shaba North (Zaire)

Launch sites for suborbital rockets in Australia

• Birdling's Flat (New Zealand)

Launch sites for suborbital rockets in North America

• Arecibo (Puerto Rico)
• Black Mesa (USA)
• Charlestown, Rhode Island (USA)
• Datil (USA)
• Eareckson (USA, Aleut islands)
• Eglin (USA)
• Fort Bliss (USA)
• Fort Churchill (Canada)
• Fort Greely (Alaska)
• Fort Wingate (USA)
• Gilson Butte (USA)
• Green River (USA)
• Holloman (USA)
• Keweenaw (USA)
• Mercury (USA)
• NAOTS (USA)
• Nevada Test Site (USA)
• North Truro (USA)
• Point Barrow(Alaska)
• Point Mugu (USA)
• Poker Flat (Alaska)
• Primrose Lake (Canada)
• Ramey (Puerto Rico)
• Red Lake (Kanada)
• Resolute Bay (Canada)
• San Clemente (USA, California)
• San Nicolas Island(USA, California)
• Sierra de Juarez (Mexico)
• Tonopah Test Range (USA)
• White Sands (USA)

Launch sites for suborbital rockets in South America

• CELPA (Peru)
• Chilca (Peru)
• Mar Chiquita (Argentinia)
• Natal (Brazil)
• Punta Lobos (Peru)
• Villa Reynolds (Argentinia)

Launch sites for suborbital rockets in Antarctica and island far away from continents

• Ascension (Atlantic island)
• Barking Sands (Pacific island)
• Bikini Atoll (Atoll in the Pacific, launches in conjunction with nuclear bomb tests)
• Eniwetok (Atoll in the Pacific, launches in conjunction with nuclear bomb tests))
• Johnston Atoll (Pacific island)
• Kerguelen (South Pacific island)
• Kindley (Bermuda islands)
• Molodezhnaya (Antarctica)
• Sondre Stromfjord (Greenland)
• Syowa Base (Antarctica)
• Wake Island (Pacific island)

External links

• Übersicht über alle Raketenstartplätze (auch inzwischen geschlossene) der Welt
• Beschreibung und Karte von Cape Canaveral
• Beschreibung und Karte von Baikonur
• Beschreibung und Karte von Kourou
• Raketenstartplatz Kiruna
• Homepage von Esrange
• Raketenstartplatz Salto di Quirra
• Beschreibung und Karte von Peenemünde
• Die Raketenversuche von Cuxhaven
• Die Raketenstarts in Zingst