仕掛ける (shikakeru) means “launch” | MotiTan Japanese Dictionary

More examples

友達にいたずらを仕掛けました。tomo dachi ni i ta zu ra o shi ka ke ma shi ta

I played a prank on my friend.

Describes deliberately putting an action into motion, often by directing it toward a target, purpose, or result.

攻撃するkōgekisuru: To act against a person or group with the aim of causing harm.
襲うosou: To make a sudden attack on a person or place.

相手に対して攻撃などを始める。ai te ni tai shi te kō geki na do o haji me ru

仕掛ける (shikakeru) is built from 仕 (shi, "do") and 掛ける (kakeru, "put or apply"), expressing an action applied toward a target.

In conversational Japanese, 仕掛ける (shikakeru) can describe starting an action against a person, while English launch more often introduces products, projects, or attacks.