It was released in the Netherlands in April 1999 and reached number one on the Dutch Top 40.

In the United Kingdom, the song was released on 30 August 1999, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart the following month.

British electronic dance and clubbing magazine Mixmag included "The Launch" in their list of "The Biggest Drops in Dance Music" in 2020, writing, "Get ready for the launch advises a vocal near the start of this track.

The sage words follow a sample of NASA comms, which come back around as a space shuttle countdown (5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1..) as the track builds towards its momentous drop.

When those bouncing trance notes rush in, dancefloors always hit the stratosphere.