launchpad

noun

launch·​pad ˈlȯnch-ˌpad 

ˈlänch-

variants or launch pad or less commonly launching pad

plural launchpads or launch pads also launching pads

1

: a nonflammable platform from which a rocket (such as a missile or a launch vehicle) can be launched

… a launchpad for smallish research rockets …

—David Quammen

… engineers weren't able to immediately troubleshoot the issue. Eventually the capsule had to be rolled back from the launch pad.

—AirGuide Business

It [an unmanned aircraft] requires no infrastructure, such as runways, launching pads or recovery devices.

—Sam Davis

(figurative) Keep tree branches pruned back at least 4 feet from the nearest adjacent tree or structure—8 feet if the squirrel's potential launchpad (including power lines) is higher than the tree.

—Sunset Magazine

2

: something (such as a place or event) that is suitable or favorable for growth, development, etc : springboard

… the [book's] extensive references provide a good launchpad for additional research.

—Daniel Grassam

Success at the Olympic Games has long been the launch pad for a professional career …

—Gareth A Davies

Another function of the farmers' market within the town is serving as a launching pad for new businesses.

—Danielle Sottosanti

Examples of launchpad in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Executives: Make logistics a boardroom conversation, not a back-office line item. Technologists: Prioritize coordination over control. Investors: Ask yourself: What’s the more scalable bet for humanity—a launchpad, or a logistics layer that works? Because Maya didn’t need a miracle. —Shekar Natarajan, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025

Most dramatic was an April 20, 2023, test of the SpaceX Starship, which melted the launchpad and showered the region as far as Port Isabel in a fine cement powder. —Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2025

The spacecraft blasted off a total of 135 times from one of two launchpads in Florida, returning to Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral at the end of 78 of those trips. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 May 2025

The fellowship is for unpublished diverse women and non-binary individuals, seeking to provide a launchpad for more diverse stories in publishing. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 14 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

launchpad

noun

launch·​pad ˈlȯnch-ˌpad 

ˈlänch-

: a nonflammable platform from which a rocket can be launched

called also launching pad