launch pad

American  

Or launchpad

noun

1. the platform on which a missile or launch vehicle undergoes final prelaunch checkout and countdown and from which it is launched from the surface of the earth.

2. something that serves to launch or initiate.

   He used his legal experience as a launch pad for his career in politics.

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launch pad British  

noun

1. a platform from which a spacecraft, rocket, etc, is launched

2. an effective starting point for a career, enterprise, or campaign

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Etymology

Origin of launch pad

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

At the moment of liftoff, Catherine was with her children and the other astronauts' families near the launch pad in Florida.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Nasa is rolling out its giant Moon rocket to the launch pad for a second time, ahead of a mission to send astronauts around the Moon – something not attempted in more than 50 years.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

In that case, parents should think of their 2025 income-tax return as the launch pad.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 28, 2026

Traveling at a top speed of just 0.82 mph, the crawler moved the massive Moon rocket steadily toward the launch pad.

From Science Daily • Jan. 19, 2026

That night, in a cottage near the launch pad, a twenty-seven-year-old fighter pilot named Yuri Gagarin lay still in a wooden bunk, pretending to be asleep.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• launching pad