Space Non-U.S. Launch Facilities

It was the former USSR which was the other country to develop a space program, hence launch facilities. U.S. allies like Japan and Italy are part of space activity too as France, along with other European countries which had space programs of their own, are now mainly included into the European ESA program. China entered the space age in 1970 as India is the latest of space powers

click to a chart of launch centers worldwide

USSR and Russia China Europe (ESA)

Miscellaneous Countries Others

USSR and Russia

Due to the fragmentation of the former USSR, Russia proper has now two space assets left on its territory as the famous Baikonur Cosmodrome is now part of the independent Kazakhstan. All of the former USSR launch facilities were located at high or very high latitudes. In terms of space programs, Russia owns a GPS system of its own, the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), which is operated by the Russian Aerospace Forces as it consists of 27 satellites, 24 of which are operational. Currently, there are eight Glonass stations located outside Russia, with four of them in Brazil, three in the Antarctic and one in South Africa. As of May 2014, Russia put forward a innovative space program of its own, contrarily to the ambient cooperative mood in the domain! The Moon turns into a location of geopolitical competition for natural resources as a inhabited Moon base with mining capabilities should exist by 2050. Robotic missions between 2016 and 2025 at Moon's south pole should test the terrain, with space round-trips in 2028-30, and manned lunar exploration about 2030-40. Then unmanned spacecraft to Mars, Venus and Jupiter should occur by 2030. A new rocket called Angara is to become Russia's workhorse launch vehicle by 2020, replacing the venerable Soyuz and Proton rockets as a new six-seat spaceship would be a upgrade to the three-passenger Soyuz spacecraft. Launches further should take place from the new spaceport in eastern Russia called Vostochny under construction since 2013 and bound to replace the old Baikonur facility by 2018. A space station of its own could be also built by 2030. By 2011 Russian space agency chief however conceded that current Russian spacecraft heavily depend on imported electronics. Moscow Mission Control is the primary Russian facility for the control of human space flight as located in Korolev, in a cavern, outside of Moscow. Russians also have turned specialists into long-duration, crew confinement experiments to gather data about a journey to Mars. The last such experiment was co-organized with the European ESA and took place between June 2010 and November 2011 at the Russian Institute of Medico-Biological Questions as located about Moscow. 520 days of confinement for a multinational crew of 6 allowed to simulate a journey to and from the Red Planet with also one month of work at the surface there. Even a delay of 40 mn for each communication was simulated. The Russian Federal Space Agency, or Roscosmos, the NPO Lavochkine Institute and the Russian Academy of Science are Russia's main space actors. Russians announced that they were to launch three new communications satellites by 2013 with orbits such to terminate 'blind spots' between their control centers and parts of the orbits and serve like relays. The move has been linked to statements by Russian officials that foreign countries, like the USA, might have used a powerful beam to disable the Phobos-Grunt spacecraft as it was out of control facilities' reach. That move seems to be back to the old Soviet used to blame foreigners for their own weaknesses. In terms of space, that consists nowadays into obsolete equipment and aging workforce. More setbacks affected Russian space in 2015 with a defense satellite failing to reach orbit -of two launched- or a Proton and a Soyuz rocket having troubles. The manufacture and assembly of Russian launchers, capsules and satellites has been organized, since the Soviet era, among several centers of which a one in Samara, a city West of the Ural

In June 2011, the head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roskosmos, had announced the Russian program in terms of space for the years 2006-2015, with standardized space platforms and small spacecraft which are to work in the following fields: a interferometry linked with groud radio telescopes, radio space telescope called 'Radioastron'), studies in the ultraviolet, X and gamma rays, dark matter, antimatter, cosmic rays, galaxies, celestial sphere coordinates system in the visual range (or 'Astrometriya'). Planetology of the solar system should also help to Earth science and warranting life continuation on Earth and installation on other planets like Mars and Venus, and look for exolife. As far as the Sun is concerned, solar plasma and the Earth-Sun connection are of interest. Eventually, Russians announced too that they will focus upon biology of long-duration manned spaceflight and space-made materials. By April 2013, Russia, atop a Soyuz 2 rocket, launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, the Contour-BM experiment involving Mongolian gerbils to be flown on the Bion-M1 mission, with snails, geckos, or mice for a duration of one month to study how space travel affects living creatures (the mission is meant to return the animals live back to Earth). Other Bion missions already had occurred in the past as a retrievable Russion Foton capsule launched by late July 2014, on a two-month mission, a package of live animals, plant seeds, and materials sample focusing on microgravity research into biological and physical sciences. Russians by 2017 are holding a 25 percent of the launch market

• The Baikonur Cosmodrome was built in the 1950s, 250 miles (400 km) southwest of the city of Baikonur, near the city of Tyuratam. The city of Leninsk was further built to provide housing and administrative support for the people at the cosmodrome. Baikonur was the launch facility to nearly most of the USSR manned and unmanned programs, because it was able to launch any of the Russian launchers. Gagarin flight launched from Baikonur. Now part of the independent Kazakhstan, Baikonur is remaining the most active launch area of Russia due to agreements between both countries. Progress support missions to the International Space Station (ISS) are launching from there as continue to do satellites for Russia. The accident of the Shuttle Columbia, Feb. 2003, brought to a further use of the cosmodrome as the ISS has to rely on the Soyuz craft to ferry the crews to and back, until the Shuttle is back into service. The Baikonur Cosmodrome is located at 45.9°N of latitude, that is relatively high relative to the equator. Since 2006, Kazakhstan, who is the legal owner of the Baikonur Cosmodrone, leasing it to Russia, engaged into a space program of its own -albeit atop Russian rocket- like the way not to be solely the owner of a launch asset. A specific design bureau could be able to design small satelliites, a tighter control over Baikonur to provide launch services to varied nations, a control center to be built in the capital Astana and a center in the former Soviet Sary Shagan missile test site to monitor satellites overflying the national territory, along with a national team of cosmonauts. The Baikonur site should also develop a new launch complex for being used by the new Angara launchers, which are more environmentally friendly than the Soyuz rockets. As far as how the preparations of a manned launch are unfolding at Baikonur is concerned, the craft and launcher are prepared in a storage hangar. When readied, the ensemble of the spacecraft and the launcher, a Soyuz and a Soyuz rocket, for example, is settled on a flatbed train which then is journeying a slow trip to the launch site. The launch sites at Baikonur at typically featuring the platform under which are standing vast walls which are used to deflect the gas and pushes of the launch. The rocket is winched up vertically into place from the train to the platform, with supporting mechanical arms slowly raised into place and keeping the rocket secure until shortly before takeoff. In case of the launch of a unmanned satellite, the payload is integrated within the fairing cone inside the integration facilities of the cosmodrone. It is then loaded into the container of a specialised lorry, which is nicknamed the 'crocodile' as equipped with a container that is positioned vertically and opening like jaws to allow the load. The lorry journeys 4.3 miles (7 km) to the the underground launch silo where the payload is mated to the launch rocket. Over one hour is needed to perform the distance. The launch silo is restricted to the cosmodrome personnel only which powers up the satellite to test that everything is OK after the integration with the rocket. A launch dress rehearsal is performed about two days before launch. In case of the launch for a agency like the ESA, for example, the rehearsal also check for communication sequences and procedures between Baikonur and the agency's own operations center. Soyuz craft are under the responsability of state-run RKK Energiya (Rocket and Space Corporation-Energia) company which assembles those in Korolyov outside Moscow, as they are then transported by rail to Baikonur, Kazakstan. Roskosmos is the Russian space agency

A Soyuz mission transported to the launch pad by train at the Baikonur Cosmodrone, Kazakhstan. picture ESA

• Plesetsk, about 400 miles (650 km) northeast of St. Petersburg (former Leningrad), or the Archangel region in northern Russia, was founded in January 1963 like a -the world first- intercontinental ballistic missile base (and test area for those) as by the end of the 1950's, 4 launch complexes had been built there for the Semyorka R-7 Soviet launcher. At the time military used polar orbits were unavailable to Russians from their main launch site of Baikonur. The existence of Plesetsk remained a state secret until in 1983. Plesetsk was akin to the U.S. Vandenberg AFB, as it was mainly a military launch facility, although launching one third of all the orbital and planetary missions of the former USSR. The launch facility is at the very high latitude of 62.8°N, bringing expertise to the Russians in the domain of extreme cold weather launches and launchers design. Plesetsk is still in use today and still mostly launching military satellites albeit, since the end of the Cold War, Plesetsk was opened up for commercial launches as that trend developed since 2011 with the modernization of the site. Today, Soyuz, Cosmos-3M, Rockot and Tsyklon vehicles are launching from that site
• Kasputin Yar, at 48.4°N of latitude is located on the banks of the Volga River, about 75 miles (120 km) East from the city of Volgograd (the once Stalingrad). It's was USSR first launch facility with captured German V2 tested there since 1947. 70 missions were then fired until 1980, when Kasputin Yar became a lesser, sounding rockets, and small payload launch site. It's still in use today though its proximity to Kazakhstan needs approval of launches made eastwards
• The Svobodny Cosmodrome, by 51.7°N, 128°E, was inaugurated in 1997 by Russian President Boris Eltsine in Siberia, about 93 miles North of Blagovechtchensk, Russia. The site was meant to replace Baikonur which had turned into Kazakstan's sovereignty. Originally a missile military base since 1968, that site however did not allow easily to the geostationary orbit or the ISS. As Russia further could not afford enough funding, it kept since to rent the Baikonour Cosmodrome. Svobodny was only used to launch light rockets like the Start-1 launchers, which are mere modified balistic missiles only. Svobodny, after some launches, eventually was terminated by February 2007
• The Dombarovski site, which is located near Iasny, South of Ural mountains, is a launch base which is episodically used. It also hosts a base of intercontinental balistic missiles. 6 launches only occurred there between 2006 and 2014 with ballistic missile-type Dnepr launchers as they were managed by the ISC Kosmotras corporate
• Russia has build a new launch center, located in Vostochny, near the town of Uglegorsk in the Russian far eastern region of the Amur, as the development of the new cosmodrome is being phased between 2018 and 2028. The development of the Vostochny Cosmodrome will reduce Russia's dependency on Kazakhstan's Baikonur spaceport, which it is leasing until 2050. Vostochny Space Center is the first Russian civil cosmodrome. The complex includes a town, named Tsiolkovsky, for up to 30,000 people as it will be able to accomodate from the light to superheavy Russian civilian or military launchers. A technical complex is designed for rockets' preparations before the start, including refueling, with 121 buildings as the launch complex consists of 83 facilities. The launch tower may accomodate a launch in the most difficult climatic conditions. Russia envisions too a base on the Moon and a manned mission to Mars

China

China entered the unmanned space age on April 24th, 1970. It's using three launch facilities. As China is partly a tropical country, some of its launch facilities are well South. In terms of space programs, China has a GPS system of its own, the 'Beidou' ('compass,' or 'Great Bear') system, with 30 satellites to launch until 2015 as by early 2012, that GPS system already was functional for the whole of the China territory. Closest concurrent to China in the domain of space are Japan and India. As far as the lunar program of China is concerned, the Chang'e-2 lunar orbiter launched by October 1st, 2010, being China's second lunar mission after the the Chang'e-1, in October 2007, which had been deliberately crashed on the Moon's surface. The Chang'e is named after a mythical Chinese goddess who flew to the Moon. The Chang'e-4 by Jan. 3, 2019 landed on Moon's far side, a feat never realized in the history of the space program (China had first launched a orbital satellite around our satellite so to relay communications between the Earth and the lander). Other Chinese endeavours consist into a space station. On September 29th, 2011, China successfully launched, from Jiuquan, a first, 8.5-ton module, the 'Tiangong-1,' or 'Heavenly Palace' in Chinese. A unmanned Shenzhou 8 craft as launched by a Long March 2F rocket docked there on November 2nd, 2011 to practice rendez-vous before a definitive docking. The Tiangong module is orbiting at a altitude of 213 miles. The Shenzhou 8 also carried 17 science experiments in micogravity (Chinese ones) and life science (those both Chinese and German, a première in the history of Chinese space). The docking was to have ground-directed maneuvers to close the ship down to 30 miles (50 km) from the module then automatic sensors to perform the docking proper after some two and a half hours of autonomous flight, with a additional 15 minutes to lock both. Two missions, the Shenzhou 9 and 10, one of those manned, should dock at the module in 2012 (the Shenzhou-10 manned spacecraft indeed automatically docked with the orbiting Tiangong-1 space module in June 2013). That station should have a lifetime of 2 years only and serve like a trainer to the heaftier, 60-tons, three-modules Chinese space station, due to be completed around 2020 as a cargo spaceship to transport supplies would also be developed. 2020 being too the date when the ISS should be retired that would left China the sole nation then with a permanent presence in space! For comparison, USA's Skylab was of that size as USSR's Mir Space Station was weighing 137 tons. Of note is that the idea of a Chinese space station originated as soon as by 1992 under the name 'Project 921' and that rendez-vous and docking techniques which will be used might altogether be used aboard military, unmanned craft that could either destroy, or closely inspect foreign ones. China's launch mostly occur by late summer and early autumn, with Chinese weather usually clear, which matches too China's National Day. China, by 2011, had a 21-member astronaut corps, of them two female 'taikonauts' believed to be on active duty as it also targets a lunar rover by 2012 and a man on the Moon sometime after 2020. The nature of the Chinese regime with a planned economy allows for a step-by-step approach for its space program and a gradual improvement towards, eventually, a very capable space industry. Chinese may have economic reasons to explore the Moon which contains minerals or helium-3, a possible source of nuclear fusion energy. China, with no doubt, have also well understood the highly symbolic weight of manned spaceflights to such targets at a time when the USA are now faltering from their usual leadership in that field

China generally, is aiming to use a space program for its independence, to cooperate internationally, mostly with developing countries in the Asian-Pacific area, to develop itself and the human civilization through a peaceful use. Space in China works upon state direction and the encouragement of the private sector. A roadmap released by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation by late 2017 is heralding what the Chinese space could be by 2017-2047. The family of Long March rockets, with the Long March 8 expected to complete its first test flight in 2019, will be modernized. The Long March 9 super-heavy-lift rocket then (over 100 tons on orbit and crewed missions to the Moon and possibly unmanned ones to Mars) will make its maiden flight by 2030. Relatively cheap and fail-proof multiple commercial launch services will be implemented by 2020 as a Chinese reusable space plane will be operational by 2025 and Chine will make all of its space vehicles reusable by 2035, helping, among others, to develop the suborbital space tourism industry with a first space shuttle to fly in 2020. A new-generation of two-stage reusable rockets and nuclear-powered space shuttles will be developed to prospect and develop mineral resources on small planets and asteroids and build space-based solar power stations. China is now aiming to land on the dark side of the Moon by 2018 -- as it will also return samples of lunar soil meanwhile -- and reach Mars before the end of the decade. In 2020 at last, Chinese scientists plan to use a Long March 5 rocket to send a probe to the intermediary orbit between the Earth and Mars to study the Red Planet. Since 2003, China sent five crews into space

   
• Jiuquan Space Launch Center -or 'Shuang Chengtzu', or the 'Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center'- is located in the Gobi Desert, 1,000 miles (1,600 km) West of Beijing. It's China primary launch site. It holds two primary launch pads, it's launching southeast, and it's located at 40.6°N latitude. The launch center was founded in 1958 as it's the first space center that China founded. It's located near Jiuquan City, in the Gansu Province. It's used to launch scientific experimental satellites and 'retrievable satellites' into 'lower, medium-range and higher' orbits
• Xichang Satellite Launch Center, at 28°N, 102°E, in China's southwestern Sichuan province, began launches in 1984 and is used for communications satellites in geostationary orbits. The Xichang center has launched too the lunar Chang'e-3 lunar mission
• Taiyuan -or Wuzhai- opened in 1988. Since then it has been dedicated to polar orbiting weather satellites. Taiyuan is located 38°N, 112°E
• Wenchang Satellite Launch Center is located in Wenchang, by 19.6°N and 110.8°E. The Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, located in the southern Chinese Hainan island, after a extension beginning in 2007, was completed in 2014, and inaugurated by June 2016, will serve like the main launch center to the Chinese space station. Being the closest site to the equator, Wenchang boasts a considerable advantage as launches from there are saving fuel in terms of maneuvering from transit to geosynchronous orbit. Rockets launched from Wenchang may have their payload increased by more than 7.4 percent compared to launched from other Chinese centers, which also represents a saving in terms of cost

Europe (ESA)

The European Space Agency (ESA) is a consortium of 13 European countries launching commercial and scientific satellites, at the exception of military payloads. ESA launches are provided by Arianespace, a private French company in which the French government owns a 32 percent stake. ESA proliferated in the mid-1980s due to the development of the U.S. Shuttle program bringing to a U.S. investment drop in expendable launch vehicles. Hence Europe could take an appreciable part of commercial launches. Europe is now controling 60 percent of them as USA 30 percent

A view of the ESA Kourou space center, in French Guiana. picture ESA

• Arianespace is launching from Kourou, French Guiana. The European ESA spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, a overseas department of France, began in 1964, when the French Government chose the site, among 14 other sites, as a base from where to launch its own satellites. That became -and still is- the 'Centre Spatial Guyanais', or 'CSG'. In 1975, when the European Space Agency (ESA) came into being, France offered to share Kourou with the agency. ESA, as far as it was concerned approved funding for the upgrade of the launch facilities at the CSG at the effect of being able to accomodate the new, European Ariane launchers. Kourou keeps nowaday to be funded for the two thirds by the ESA. Kourou, as it is lying by the textbook latitude 5° 03" North, just 310 miles (500 km) North of the equator, is the ideal launch site into a geostationary transfer orbit, with few changes have to be made to satellites' trajectory, or is providing a slingshot effect of 1500 ft per second (460 meters per second). Kourou at last provides from eastwards to northwards a ocean, free launch angle of 102 degree, providing for varied orbits, polar orbits included. Albeit near the equatorial regions, the site is not subject to cyclones however. ESA now is the owner of the special infrastructures which have been built for the Ariane series of launchers, including the launcher and satellite preps buildings, the launch operation facilities, or a solid-propellant producing plant

A launch process at Kourou is unfolding with three facilities, a one for the integration of a satellite with his fuel, which is then transported into a nitrogen-pressurized fairing pulled through a truck, to be mounted atop the launcher by 5 miles from the facility. The launcher itself meanwhile has been integrated atop a 'launch table' with its two solid-fuel boosters in its dedicated facility. When ready, the launch table is then moved on rails, truck-pulled to the launch pad with a 90-minute, 2.5-mile journey. A countdown rehearsal occurs which allows to check whether the flight plan to the orbit will work, as the real countdown starts 12 hours before launch, from the Jupiter control room. At launch, sound waves are evacuated through tunnels from below the launch pad. As far as telemetry is concerned, the first station is located on the Isle Royale and Isle du Diable, two small islands off the coast of Guiana. After that a launch rocket fired from Kuru and taken in charge by the center self, a series of control stations are following then: Natal, Brazil, the island of Ascension in the Atlantic Ocean (at about 13 minute after takeoff), Libreville, Gabon (18 mn), and Malindi, Kenya (23 mn). A specificity of the launch process at ESA's Kourou resides in that a strong army presence is extant, securing the perimeter against any land, or airborne attack!

Most main European countries, like France or Germany, had a space program of their own or the lineaments of one, but those nations are now mainly operating inside the integrated European Space Agency (ESA). Each of the agency 13 members is providing parts of the Ariane launchers, and of the payloads. Some of these European countries may be better categorized U.S. Allies however, like Italy. Taking effect by April 1st, 2010, a new UK space agency has been created, assuming all space policies and budgets which until now were taken in charge by government departments and science funding councils. The central space activities hub for Britain should be located by Harwell, Oxfordshire at the International Space Innovation Centre (ISIC). French CNES policy is holding numerous cooperation operations with NASA, Russia and other countries. France began developing a space program since 1946, from the Hammaguir base, in Algeria. After Algeria turned independent by 1962, France, between that date and 1967, turned to French Guiana and Kourou chosen in 1964. The first launch from Kourou was that of the Veronica rocket, by April 1968

The 'European Spaceresearch RANGE' or 'Esrange' is a launch base of balloons and sounding rockets which is located by 64 miles of Kiruna, Sweden by 124 miles from the Northern Polar Circle. It was built by 1966 as it features 4 launch pads and 20 telecom antennas. The site also allow to track and operate satellites. Originally the property of the European ESO until by 1972, it then passed to the 'Swedish Space Corporation' (SSC) corporate

A view of the new, Soyuz-abled ESA launch pad at the Kourou space center in French Guiana. picture ESA

The site of Kuru is also capable, since October 2011, to launch too two types of Russian launchers like the Soyuz ST-B, the most powerful of all Soyuz rockets, a one which launched the Sputnik and Gagarin), and the Vega (beginning by 2012). From such a site lying under the equator, the Soyuz now may launch up to 3 tons in a geostationary orbit, instead of 1.7 from Kazakhstan, which means intermediary payloads compared to the ones launched by a Ariane. The Vegas will carry smaller loads in the order of 1.5 tons in the low orbit than the ESA rockets. Vegas are mostly built by the Italian ASI space agency and likely to bypass the shortage now of Rockot and Dniepr Russian rockets which had been issued from former missiles of the Cold War era. That new possibility to launch Russian rockets also allow to that the new launch pad be used to launched manned flights to the International Space Station. The construction and first use of that new launch pad highlights a deepening into the cooperation between the ESA and Russia, with a fundamental committment of French CNES (French General de Gaulle, by 1966, is the one who inaugurated any relationship in terms of space between Russia and France). A commemorative plaque was affixed for the occasion, which make a link between the installation of the new launch pad and the first manned flight of Yuri Gagarin 50 years ago as a stone was sealed which came from the Baikonur's launch pad used in 1961. The Kuru Soyuz launch pad began to be built since 2005 as since mid-2008 a Russian team came to assemble the launch table, mobile gantry, fueling systems and test benches. The pad also comes with a new launchers and payloads preparation and integration building. The launch pad is mostly identical to the ones used in Baikonur, for example, albeit adapted to European regulations. The sole, main difference consists into the 150-foot high mobile gantry allowing to payloads installation in a protected environment as its mobile inner working platforms to the varied levels of the Soyuz. The gantry also to protect a launcher from the moist tropical climate. Soyuz launchers are shipped from St-Petersburg, Russia down to the harbour of Kuru as they are transported by train to St-Petersburg from Samara where they have been built. The ship may belong to Arianespace, like the MN Colibri. As far as the launch procedures are concerned, they mostly are the ones used in Baikonur with the Soyuz assembled and prepared (some of the upper stages may be already stocked in Kuru, or shipped too from Russia). The assemblage also is quite Russian, and made horizontally as the launcher then is transported -horizontally too- to the launch pad where it is erected. The gantry is then used to install the payload. The payload, generally, is linked to a final stage which will place it into orbit as it was prepared in the 'Payload Preparation Building S3B.' A 'Launcher Flight Readiness Review" occurred after that which ends with a authorization to launch. The time is ready for the payloads ground equipements and launch teams to settle in. The ESA is aiming to electrically-propelled satellites the alleviated weight of will yield a decrease in launch costs

Miscellaneous Countries

1. Japan recently streamlined its space agencies. Japan is licensing U.S. launchers since 1969 and is tending to autonomous launchers. Japan space program has reached some major successes albeit it is underfunded, as focusing on small-scale science projects and with no military budget or projects to support. Japan failed to put a planetary mission in orbit around Venus by November 2010 as Japan efforts have been lately shadowed, like a Asian power, with the strides of China, or India into space. Japan had put its first satellite in orbit around the Earth in 1970 as 40 more followed. In addition to the JAXA headquarters in Tokyo and other field centers throughout the country, Tsukuba Space Center and Tanegashima launch Facility are JAXA’s primary ISS facilities

• The Tanegashima Space Center, in Uschinura, is Japan's main launch facility. It's located 600 miles (1,000 km) of Tokyo on the Tanegashima Island, at 30°N
• The Kagoshima, or Uchimoura, Space Center is located on the Kyushu Island (31°N, 131°.E). It's mainly used for science payloads. Both Japanese centers are restricted to some period of activity to minimize the impact on the local fisheries
• A diminutive Tsukuba Space Center is dedicated to the management of the Kibo module Japan holds aboard the International Space Station (ISS)

->Next Japan's Space Moves
Japan, according to a new impetus brought to its space programs is to stress the research in the matter of an early, ballistic warning system through military satellites, an advanced satellite to predict and monitor natural disasters, as space research should be used like a diplomatic tool. Moon too is a target for Japan with a joint exploration by two-legged robots and men. The Japanese space programs now are under the supervision of the 'Strategic Headquarters for Space Development' since 2008

2. Australia launched its first satellite in 1967 using an U.S. Redstone rocket. It was maintaining the space facility of Woomera (31.1°N, 136.8°E). Woomera mostly was scraped in the 1970s due to a lack of further Australian activity

3. Italy, although is has no launcher of its own, is owning the San Marco launch facility since 1966. The site is made of two platforms located off the East coast of Kenya, at 2.9°S latitude. 8 satellites launched there until 1976 as a small scientific payload was launched with a Scout rocket in 1988

4. Israel is aiming has an independent, limited, satellite and launchers-making capability. The 'Israel Space Agency' is the space agency for Israel. The Offeq1 and 2 satellites were launched in 1988 and 1990. The series is now reaching the Offeq9 mark. A Israeli spy satellite launched from India in 2008 as Israel too has a number of communications satellites in orbit

• Israel secretive launch facility is at Palmachim AB, South of Tel Aviv, along the Mediterranean coast, which limits the launches to inclined, power ineffective, retrograde orbits

5. South Korea is endeavouring to become another space power in the Far East as it launched 11 satellites from overseas sites, all on foreign-made rockets since 1992. Lately that country is trying to built a launcher of its own, the two-stage KSLV-1 (Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1), or Naro rocket, with the help of Russian experts. The first stage of the rocket is designed and built by Russia and the second by South Korea. Moscow-based Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center has provided the rocket's first stage and its RD-151 engine, which is a modified, less-powerful version of one of the engine Khrunichev plans to use for Russia's Angara rocket, now in development. A first launch attempt was performed in August 2009 with the launch a success but the fairing opening a failure. A second launch attempts in June 2010 has seen the failure of the launcher that time, likely caused by a explosion two minutes after takeoff. A third attemps also failed by late October 2012 when a gas link between the launcher and launch pad occurred. South Korea also is building its own satellite, the STSAT-2C (Science and Technology Satellite 2C). It took until January 30th, 2013 that South Korea successfully launched the STSAT-2C aboard a KSLV-1, making South Korea the 11th space power

• South Korea is launching from the Naro Space Center. The Naro Space Center is a space launch center which is located in Goheung, about 300 miles South of Seoul. It features one launch pad, a control tower, a landing field, rocket assembly and test facilities and varied other facilities. It serves like South Korea main launch center. South Korean space activities are managed by the state-run Korea Aerospace Research Institute

Others

1. Worth of note, Argentina, through its 'Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales', is owning its own satellite integration facility for satellites it has launched by other nations. The facility is located in the Bariloche city

2. Brazil is using the Alcantara Launch Center, on the Atlantic coast (2.3°S, 44.4°W) for sounding rockets. Alcantara is valued internationally for being the closest launch center to the equator. Brazil also possesses functional performance test facility at its National Institute for Space Research (Laboratório de Integração e Testes – Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, or LIT-INPE) in Sáo José dos Campos. The Barreira do Inferno Launch Center or the 'Centro de Lançamento da Barreira do Inferno' (CLBI) in Portuguese, the 'Hell's Barrier' is located in the city of Parnamirim, near Natal, Brazil, and created by 1965. 233 launches of mostly sounding rockets occurred there 1965-2007. It also provides tracking support for launches from the Alcântara Launch Center and ESA's Guiana Space Centre too

3. North Korea space program, generally, is suspected of dissimulating its efforts in terms of ballistic missiles under a space program hence the country is at odds with the international community, on a other hand, since illegal nuclear tests performed in 2006 and 2009. North Korea made its first ride into space by December 12th, 2012, sending a satellite of its own into orbit, by the eve of the anniversary of Kim Jon-il death the previous year. A failed attempt had occurred in April 2012 with a launcher exploding at takeoff. That first satellite had been named Kwangmyongsong 3, and the laucher rocket a Unha 3. The Unha 3, a three-stage rocket was launched amidst rigourous North Korean winter and the first stage was jettisoned offshore, West, the Republic of Korea, some debris in the Chine Sea and the second stage northeast of Philippines. U.S.A. experts however doubted that a launch really occurred, like a false announcement by 2010 as the reality of 2012 launch was that the satellite had been launched indeed, but that it did not work. The Unha 3 rocket is a derivation from the ballistic missile Taepodong 2 as North Korean space program is helped by Russia and Iran as the People's Republic of China is supporting the Korean efforts as soon as that country abides by the UN decisions. 'National Aerospace Development Administration' (NADA, 'Kukgaujugaebalkuk' in Korean) became the name of the North Korean space agency in 2014 as the Big Dipper is part of the agency's emblem. Another claim of a successfull launch took place on Feb. 6, 2016. One remains unsure whether North Korea masters atmospheric reentry or the miniaturization of its nuclear weapons

4. India is an emerging actor on the space market. It's now heading to an autonomous satellite and launchers-making capability. India began a space program in 1963, with its first satellite launched in July 1980 and launchers developed. India is now mostly aiming to take a part of the commercial space-launch business. It plans for a manned flight in 2015, with the help of Russia (and even a manned Moon mission by 2020, with a unmanned one in 2013) as a climate and geological mission in Earth's orbit will also occur. India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C30) launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, South India, on Sep. 28, 2015 had among other tasks to launch Astrosat, India's space observatory satellite. Dubbed the 'mini-Hubble,' the Astrosat observatory works in both visible, ultraviolet light and the X-rays, studying black holes and star magnetic fields from a low earth orbit of approximately 400 miles for the next five years. The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III launcher, the heavy Indian carrier, was launched by June 2017, capable of carrying a payload of 4 tons into the geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) and 10 tons into the lower earth orbit (LEO) at around 500 miles of altitudes. The Indian space program is ran by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

• The SHAR center, or 'Satish Dhawan Space Centre', is located on the Sriharikota Island (13°N, 80°E) on the East coast of India, launching over the Bay of Bengal. Polar launches are possible from there
• ISRO's Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) is at Bangalore whence it take control of satellites launched
• The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) is a major space research centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), focusing on rocket and space vehicles for India's satellite program. It is located in Thiruvananthapuram, in the Indian state of Kerala. Originally the 'Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station' (TERLS) in 1962, it was renamed in honour of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space program. Thiruvananthapuram was picked in 1962 for sounding rockets for meteorological and upper atmospheric research due to its location on the Geomagnetic Equator. It is now a centre for the design and development of satellite launch vehicles and associated technologies as it also work in miscellaneous domains like aeronautics, avionics, etc. VSSC has a large workforce of about 4500 employees as it has established a campus at Thumba and varied facility in other locations, providing for a integrated set of institutions and programs to India's space program. VSSC, for example, made significant contribution to India's maiden mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan-1. First Indian step in space occurred by November 1963 with a launch of a two-stage, US-built Nike Apache sounding rocket from there as the sounding rocket RH-75, the first Indian built rocket launched in November 1967, followed by numerous other types, with a total of 2,200 launches. India, when dedicating the center to the U.N by 1968, has since opened it to scientists from varied countries like USA, the USSR, France, Japan, Germany or UK. In the early 1980s, VSSC was instrumental in the development of India's Satellite Launch Vehicle program, SLV-3. This was followed in the late 1980's with the Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) as eventually, in the 1990's, VSSC contributed to the development of India’s workhorse launcher, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)
• India's manned program, scheduled with a first manned flight by 2015, will need that a new launch pad be built at the SHAR center and an astronaut training center built in Bangalore
• India entered the restricted club of deep-space explorers (U.S.A, Russie, ESA) by September 2014 when its Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM, or Mangalyaan -Hindi for 'Mars craft') reached Mars' orbit. The 6-month mission had been launched by November 2013 atop a PSLV C25 rocket and is meant to study Mars in terms of surface and atmosphere with five instruments. A rocket fire of 24 minutes slowed the craft into orbit

->More about India's manned-spaceflight program!
Russia as another case of it melding into space programs of other nations, is helping Indians to be manned-spaceflight capable by 2016. Russians will help in crew selection and training and in construction of the capsule. The Indian manned capsule should weigh 3 tons, and orbiting at an altitude of 248 miles (400 m) for up to 7 days with a crew of two, as the capsule will be designed to carry a crew of three, as an upgraded version will have rendezvous and docking capabilities. The move has been confirmed by early 2010 by India as the first flight should occur in 2016, with two astronauts flying during 7 days in a low Earth orbit. The Indian manned program, on the other hand, will need a new, third launch pad at the Indian Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh state, with an astronaut training center to be installed in Bangalore. India already launched and recovered a 1,200-pound (600-kg) space capsule in January 2007, demonstrating its ability to develop heat-resistant materials. The main hurdle for India, now, is to develop a new, safe man-rated launcher and new mission-management and control systems. As far as the launcher is concerned, India seems to be developing a modified version of India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark 2 (GSLV Mark 2), featuring an indigenous cryogenic upper-stage engine (the currently used Mark 1 is using a Russian upper stage engine) as it's scheduled to be tested in 2009. The India space program dates back to 1963 as it was mainly relying upon foreign agencies
In a unforecast move, India launched a low-cost Martian mission on Nov. 5, 2013, the Mangalyaan ('Mars craft' in Hindi) aboard a PSLV C25 launcher (its 'Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle' originally used for polar orbits), with Mars scheduled reached about Sep. 21, 2014 and a 6-month missions on a 227-49,700 miles orbit. India already successfully launched a Chandrayaan-1 probe to the Moon's orbit by September 2008 (it worked until in August 2009). India also performed a successful mini-space shuttle test on May 22nd, 2016, with the Reusable Launch Vehicle –Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD). It was launched on a HS9 booster rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Sriharikota. After a burn of 91.1 seconds, the booster and RLV-TD coasted to a height of about 35 miles before the shuttle separated from the rocket and ascended to about 41 miles. After reaching its peak altitude, RLV-TD began its descent, followed by a atmospheric re-entry at around Mach 5, as the Navigation, Guidance and Control system accurately steered the vehicle during this phase. The Thermal Protection System helped the craft cross the atmosphere and the spacecraft glided down to land in the Bay of Bengal. Total flight duration from launch to landing was 770 seconds. RLV-TD is a scale model of India’s planned space plane expected to come to life in the next 10 to 15 years

5. After a first announcement of a rocket launch by March 2007, Iran gradually developed a space program, making these advances despite having an extremely modest space budget. A new launch center was announced by April 2008 and located in the desert of Iran's northern Semnan province, East of Tehran. Three tracking, telemetry and command stations along with 4 ranging stations and a flight control center are also scheduled. Iran eventually launched its first domestic satellite, the 60 pounds (30kg) 'Omid' ('Hope') by Feb. 2, 2009 as it had been developed since 2005-2006. A locally produced, 34-pound satellite, called Rassad-1, or 'observation', was launched on June 15th, 2011 by a Safir launcher with the purpose of yielding high resolution maps through a orbit at 160 miles (260 km) of altitude and 15 revolutions a day, with a generally 2-month life cycle. The first Iranian launcher was the Safir-2 rocket ('Safir' for 'Ambassador'), with 72-ft (22-meter) long and a weight of 53,000 pounds (26 tons), which had been first flight-tested by August 2008. Varied satellites and capsules ensued with civilian, telecoms or science purposes. Iran also uses a light launcher, the 'Simorgh' as it lately developed the Kavoshgar series ('Kavoshgar' for 'Explorer') with a Kavoshgar-3 in February 2010 and a Kavoshgar-4 by March 2011. Russia is lending a strong hand to Iran space program, transferring technology there, as Iranian space scientists themselves came to help North Koreans to their first satellite launch attempt. Space activities in Iran might also be linked to the country's Revolutionary Guards via Malek Ashtar University in Tehran. By early 2011, Iran announced that it was aiming to manned spaceflight by 2020 and a man on Moon by 2025. Iran's manned program has a goal of sending a human into space by 2018. Iran eventually confirmed a launch, in late 2013, that brought a monkey named Pishgam (or Pioneer) to a 20-minute flight to a altitude of 72 miles and returned it safely. The country likely already had flewn in space a mouse, a turtle and a worm by 2010 as the next step should be to launch a capsule carrying a Persian cat by about March 2014 as a rabbit our a mouse could also be under consideration. That launch should use a larger, liquid-fueled rocket, a move aiming to ease international concern about solid-fueled launchers technology of which can be used with ballistic missiles. Iran in March 2011 successfully launched a Kavoshgar-4 with a 630-pound test capsule similar to one who housed the monkey. As of June 2012 Iranian space is governed by the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) and is possessing a major satellite launch complex near Semnan, 125 miles East of Tehran, and another space center -a satellite monitoring facility- in Mahdasht, about 37 miles West of Tehran. Iran in June 2012 also announced the country is finishing construction of a new space center, the location of which has not been disclosed, that will allow to launch more home-made satellites. The first satellite to launch from there would be the 'Tolo' atop a Simorgh light launcher. The new launch facility has named been after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran

6. It's few known that Iraq launched its own satellite on Dec. 5, 1989 (from Al-Anbar, with a three-stage rocket)