launching vs beginning

launching and beginning both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
launching	Yes	No	No	No
beginning	Yes	Yes	No	No

As nouns, beginning is a hypernym of launching; that is, beginning is a word with a broader meaning than launching:

Other hypernyms of launching include commencement, start.

launching (noun)	beginning (noun)
the act of propelling with force	the act of starting something
the act of beginning something new	the first part or section of something
the act of moving a newly built vessel into the water for the first time	the event consisting of the start of something
	the place where something begins, where it springs into being
	the time at which something is supposed to begin

launching (adjective)	beginning (adjective)
	serving to begin