United States, Commerical Payloads in 2012: 3
Private companies and state governments are establishing spaceports across the United States that directly or indirectly support the satellite launch industry. For example, SpaceX is looking at building its own launchpad in Texas, Florida is planning a private spaceport near Cape Canaveral, and Indiana hopes companies will arrive to flight-test space-bound hardware.
Russia, Commerical Payloads in 2012: 15
The leader in commercial space launches, Russia operates several spaceports. The nation pays Kazakhstan $115 million a year for use of its most active launch site, the Soviet-built Baikonur cosmodrome. The emergence of new players is forcing the Russians to look for opportunities elsewhere. For example, they collaborate with the European Union to launch satellites on Soyuz rockets from a dedicated, Russian-built pad in French Guiana.
European Union, Commercial Payloads in 2012: 12
France built its launch facilities in French Guiana in the 1970s, using Earth's equatorial spin to sling hundreds of additional pounds of payload into orbit. The European Union spaceport is now one of the planet's most active, and it's growing. Since 2012 Italian-made rockets have been launching from French Guiana; the mix of Russian, EU, and Italian rockets provides flexibility and some redundancy to customers. The EU is designing new rockets to improve reliability and reduce prices; the tried-and-tested spaceport operation in South America is a major selling point.
China, Commerical Paylods in 2012: 5
The Chinese are now a leading commercial launch provider, blasting cargo to orbit inside Long March rockets from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
India, Commerical Payloads in 2012: 1
India is in the midst of a major push to strengthen its spaceflight capabilities. The nation has, within the past six years, become competitive in the commercial launch market, lofting customers' sats (and its own) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in southeastern India.
Switzerland, Commercial Payloads in 2012: 0
Sea Launch, headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, launches satellites from a 660-foot ship. The vessel leaves Long Beach, Calif., for launch sites in the Pacific Ocean. In 2010 a Russian launch company bought a controlling interest in Sea Launch as it came out of bankruptcy. The company, which launched three sats in 2012, offers competitive prices but has a low capacity.
Japan, Commericial Payloads in 2012: 0
A May 2012 launch of a South Korean satellite marked more than a successful mission; it initiated the official privatization of the satellite launch business of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Brazil, Commercial Payloads in 2012: 0
Brazil's tough entry into the launch industry is a reminder of how technically difficult—and dangerous—this business can be. Two prototypes of its four-stage satellite launch vehicle failed to launch. The third exploded on the launchpad in 2003, killing 21 people. The agency expects to launch a new version in 2013.
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Joe Pappalardo is a contributing writer at Popular Mechanics and author of the new book, Spaceport Earth: The Reinvention of Spaceflight.
