// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Launch Pad
A launch pad is the specific platform or structure from which a rocket is launched. It includes the necessary infrastructure to hold the rocket, fuel it, and manage its exhaust.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
A Launch Pad (LP) is the fixed or mobile ground facility within a launch complex designed to physically support, fuel, and provide umbilical connections to a launch vehicle prior to and during liftoff, managing exhaust and providing structural stability.
BACKGROUND
As of May 27, 2026, the SpaceX Starship has been launched 12 times, with 7 successes and 5 failures. SpaceX has developed Starship with the intention of lowering launch costs using economies of scale. It aims to achieve this by reusing both rocket stages, increasing payload mass to orbit, increasing launch frequency, creating a mass-manufacturing pipeline and adapting it to a wide range of space missions. Starship is the latest project in SpaceX's reusable launch system development program and plan to colonize Mars, and is one of two landing systems selected by NASA for the Artemis program's crewed Lunar missions.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Launch Mount
- Pad
- Rocket Pad
- Launch Platform
USAGE NOTE
The rocket was rolled out to the launch pad days before the scheduled liftoff.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Launch Pad.
Designs, builds, and operates its own launch pads at Cape Canaveral, Kennedy Space Center, and Starbase in Texas. The company has pioneered reusable launch infrastructure and is developing the 'Stage Zero' integrated launch tower and catching system for its Starship vehicle.
As a government agency, NASA develops and modernizes launch infrastructure at its primary spaceport, the Kennedy Space Center. This includes the extensive rebuild of Launch Complex 39B to support the super heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for the Artemis missions, featuring a mobile launcher and upgraded flame trench and sound suppression systems.
Operates a private launch site in West Texas for its New Shepard suborbital rocket and is constructing a large-scale orbital launch complex (LC-36) at Cape Canaveral for its New Glenn rocket. The development includes significant investment in new propellant storage, lightning protection, and vehicle integration facilities.
Owns and operates private launch pads, including Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand and Launch Complex 2 in Virginia, USA. The company has developed its own transportable launch mounts and support equipment tailored for the rapid and high-frequency launch cadence of its Electron small-lift rocket.
Operates several launch complexes at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg for its Atlas V and Delta IV rockets. ULA has invested in significant upgrades for its new Vulcan Centaur rocket, including a new mobile launch platform and modifications to ground systems at Space Launch Complex-41.
Develops a containerized, deployable launch system known as GS0. This technology allows their RS1 rocket to be launched from any flat concrete pad, minimizing the need for traditional, fixed launch pad infrastructure and enabling rapid deployment to various launch sites.
In partnership with the French space agency CNES, ESA develops and operates the launch pads at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. Recent developments include the new ELA-4 launch complex for the Ariane 6 rocket, which features a mobile gantry and horizontal vehicle integration, a departure from previous vertical integration methods.
Developing launch infrastructure at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 16 for its 3D-printed Terran rockets. The company leverages its additive manufacturing expertise to build not only the rocket but also elements of the ground support equipment and launch pad systems.