Launch Site Finder Map
This map helps find suitable rocket launch sites by visualizing aircraft traffic density and aviation infrastructure.
Map Layers
- Traffic Density Heatmap
- Historical aircraft flight paths aggregated into a heatmap. Data coverage runs from July 2016 to nearly the present (up to 60 days behind).
- Airports
- Commercial, military, public, and private airports (which includes heliports). Each includes a 5 nautical mile keepout zone as prescribed by FAA 14 CFR 101.25(e) for Class 2 and Class 3 Amateur Rockets.
- Airways
- Published air routes connecting navigation points used by instrument flight rules (IFR) air traffic.
- Navigation Aids
- VOR, NDB, and VORTAC ground-based radio navigation beacons.
- Fixes/Waypoints
- Named points in the sky used for navigation and air traffic control.
- Military Training Routes
- Low-altitude military flight corridors (IR and VR routes).
- Special Use Airspace
- Military Operations Areas (MOAs), Restricted, Warning, Alert, and Prohibited areas.
- ARTCC Boundaries
- Air Route Traffic Control Center en-route air traffic responsibility areas.
- Service Centers
- The FAA Air Traffic Organization Service Center coverage areas for FAA Part 101 certificate of waiver or authorization requests.
- Population Density
- US population from 2020 Census block data. Global coverage from Kontur Population 400m H3 hexagons.
- 3D Terrain
- Renders a real elevation model (AWS Terrain Tiles, Terrarium-encoded) two ways: shaded relief (hillshading, lit from the northwest) so terrain reads even on flat base maps, and a true-scale 3D mesh the base map drapes over. Toggle it with the mountain button in the top-right controls (or the T key). Look around (change bearing + pitch) by dragging with the middle mouse button, or — the convention on Macs and trackpads, which usually have no middle button — by holding Ctrl and dragging (a two-finger tap-drag on a trackpad works too); the compass in the top-right resets the view. When enabled, the terrain elevation also serves as a fallback ground height for launch analysis if the primary elevation lookup is unavailable.
- Topographic Contours
- Draws topographic contour lines in feet, generated on the fly from the same AWS Terrain Tiles elevation data. Index (major) lines are heavier than intermediate ones, and the interval tightens as you zoom in. An independent toggle from 3D Terrain — contours overlay the flat 2D map as well as the tilted 3D view.
- Nautical Chart
- NOAA ENC data rendered in paper-chart style by the Office of Coast Survey's Maritime Chart Service — depth shading and soundings in feet, buoys and lights, wrecks and obstructions, cables, and restricted/military areas. Drawn over water only, so land layers stay readable underneath it. US waters and territories; nothing renders below zoom 5. Its legend key is measured from the service's own output rather than transcribed. Not for navigation.
- Ship Traffic (AIS)
- NOAA/BOEM MarineCadastre vessel transit counts derived from AIS, as annual 100 m cells. The number is transits per cell per year. US waters only; AIS coverage stops near 51.6°N, so Alaska is blank.
- Measure Distance
- The ruler button in the top-right controls (or the D key) starts a measuring mode. Click the map to drop points; the readout shows the running total and last-segment length in nautical miles, kilometres, and statute miles. Distances are true WGS-84 geodesics (not a spherical approximation), and the drawn line follows the great-circle path so it matches the number. Right-click undoes the last point, Esc finishes a line, and finished measurements stay on the map with a midpoint label (right-click a label to delete it, or use Clear all).
- Drop Marker
- The map-pin button in the top-right controls (or the U key) arms marker placement — click or tap anywhere on the map to drop a marker with its coordinates. The button stays highlighted while armed; press it again (or U) to disarm. To delete a marker: right-click on desktop, or double-tap on mobile. Maximum 20 markers.
Layer Keyboard Shortcuts
| S | Service Center Boundaries |
| B | ARTCC Boundaries |
| L | Land Ownership |
| W | Airways |
| M | Military Training Routes |
| N | Navigation Aids |
| X | Fixes/Waypoints |
| A | Airports |
| K | Airport 5 NM Expansions |
| I | Class B/C/D Airspace |
| E | Class E Airspace |
| R | Special Use Airspace |
| H | Air Traffic Heatmap |
| P | Population Density |
| C | See Cursor Coordinates |
| U | Drop Marker (arm/disarm) |
| T | 3D Terrain |
| O | Topographic Contours |
| D | Measure Distance |
Software Used
Server Infrastructure
Inspiration
Data Source Last Updated
| Traffic data | ADS-B Exchange | |
| Aviation data | FAA NASR | |
| Land ownership | BLM SMA | |
| Special use airspace | FAA ADDS | |
| Population | US Census Bureau | |
| Kontur | ||
| Land cover | ESA WorldCover / Annual NLCD | |
| Nautical chart | NOAA Office of Coast Survey ENC (Maritime Chart Service) | Continuous |
| Ship traffic | NOAA/BOEM MarineCadastre AIS vessel transit counts | 2025 |
| Base maps | OpenStreetMap / Esri / FAA VFR Sectional | Continuous |
| 3D terrain | AWS Terrain Tiles (Tilezen Joerd) | Continuous |
| Reverse geocoding | Nominatim | Continuous |
| Ground elevation | AWS Terrain Tiles (Tilezen Joerd) | Continuous |
| Rocket motors | ThrustCurve.org | |
| If you know of a better data source, please contact me. | ||
About the Creator
Created by Logan Herrera. Please contact me with feedback or issues at reasons-spars7q@icloud.com