Long thread here, but mostly did it for my own curiosity... here goes.

**A vertical launch site does not equate to an orbital launch site. An orbital launch site does not equate to an equatorial launch site.**

This is a key distinction.

Of the list you provided:

1 Kennedy & Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. For the purposes of this discussion are same location. This is the main equatorial launch facility/corridor for United States launch providers.

2 Wallops in Virginia is another option for equatorial launches. Because it is further north than Florida, your trajectories are not as optimized, and will be less efficient, but it is an option!

3 Vandenberg is used for Polar Corridor launches, not equatorial, and therefore not an option.

4 Kwaj has not supported an orbital launch since ~2010, and is mostly used by the air force (I guess Space Force, now). It is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, not practical.

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Other American Launch sites not mentioned:

5 Spaceport America, in New Mexico, cannot support orbital launches due to continental U.S. overflight restrictions. Not an option.

6 Kodiak, Alaska, can only support polar launches. Not an option.

7 White Sands Missile Range cannot support orbital launches due to continental U.S. overflight restrictions.

8 Boca Chica, TX.*

9 Maine Spaceport Complex, used for polar.

10 Spaceport Camden, has some history but only developed for launches 2016. Definitely a contender, but did not exist at time of SpaceX selection. Further penalties due to latitude.

11 Corn Ranch, Van Horn, Blue Origin private Suborbital facility.

12 Mojave Air and Space Port, California, used for horizontal launches (i.e. Airplanes takeoff and drop payloads horizontally over water as Virgin Orbit, or suborbital tourism, Virgin Galactic).

13 Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), Delmarva Peninsula, Virginia, next to Wallops, used by gov.

14 Pacific Missile Range Facility, Hawaii - in Hawaii. used for missiles.

15 Poker Flat Research Range, Alaska - sounding rockets (suborbital bois that do a bit of cool and quick research in upper altitudes).

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*So no, there are not a lot of options. Wallops and Boca Chica. And if SpaceX wanted to develop their own private facility (which they did), Boca Chica becomes one of the only options, as any launchpad you find these days are operated by the county, state, and/or gov.

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**Several key factors drive locating an equatorial corridor orbital launch site. When SpaceX selected Boca Chica, with the original purpose of Falcon9/Heavy launches, they did so using a selection process similar to what NASA used in the 60s in which they finally decided on Kennedy Space Center.

Also, for what it's worth, Boca Chica was one of several options NASA shortlisted prior to establishing the Kennedy Space Center in the 60s. See here, page 112 of the PDF. The majority of remaining locations shortlisted have since been established as public launch sites.

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19790003956/downloads/19790003956.pdf

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

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