Definition of launchpad. : a nonflammable platform from which a rocket, launch vehicle, or guided missile can be launched.
Terrain is defined as the specific physical features of an area of land. An example of terrain is a rocky and jagged coastline. ground or a tract of ground, esp. with regard to its natural or topographical features or fitness for some use.
A frontier represents uncharted territory. It could be a remote piece of land or a new field of study, but if someone calls it the frontier, you are challenged to explore it. The noun frontier has several meanings. It can refer to the wilderness at the edge of a settled area (picture covered wagons pushing westward) or it can mean a field of study that has not yet been explored (picture genetically engineering pet dinosaurs).