While 2020 was a challenging year for spaceports around the world, commercial and government activity remains a great opportunity for these space-faring locations – although certain risks must be mitigated, a set of new reports says.
It’s difficult to get a sense of how many spaceports there are worldwide, as the list continues to evolve, but a map provided to SpaceQ from Bryce Space and Technology (dating from September 2019) shows dozens of spaceports in every major continent except Antarctica. As one would expect, most spaceports are in the United States, Europe and Asia with a few also available in South America, Australia and Africa.
Traditionally, spaceports were built for government or military purposes – a famous example being the two complexes on coastal Florida that includes the NASA Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (formerly for the Air Force). But the growth of private spaceflight has created many new opportunities for private companies to build or rent spaceport space. As a single example, Kennedy has grown into a major purveyor of facilities for companies (such as SpaceX). And of course, many companies have struck out on their own and created their own launching sites in places such as New Zealand.
Canada could be among future launching states, as after the Canadian Space Strategy was released in 2019, Transport Canada began working towards a framework for figuring out to launch rockets from our own soil. Public discussions continued at the CASI ASTRO 2020 virtual series in October 2020, and Maritime Launch Services has expressed continued interest these last few years in building a spaceport in Nova Scotia. That said, these discussions remain at an early stage and more government commitment is likely required before anything moves forward.
The United States is clearly one of the forefronts of commercial space development, and it is continuing to consider new activities for spaceports. In June, Global Spaceport Alliance sent a National Spaceport Network plan to the Office of Spaceports at the Federal Aviation Administration to consider next steps. SpaceQ reviewed a copy.
The report points to 12 FAA-licensed commercial spaceports, with another 12 in application. The goal is to have these locations serve as spots for space tourism and technology creation, as well as to continue to assist with NASA launches for the International Space Station and other destinations. The new U.S. Space Force is also anticipated as a big customer once it matures.
Market growth is anticipated in cargo, commercial crew, satellite servicing, education, tourism, and a little further in the future, moon base and lunar resource extraction. (The report, however, was written when 2024 was the stated deadline for NASA to put humans back on the moon; the new Joe Biden presidential administration has not yet committed to a deadline, although it stated it will support the Artemis program that Donald Trump’s administration began.)
Whatever the customers or needs for these various spaceports, a national spaceport network will act as a coordinator for organizing and distributing funding to the various sites, which will be licensed and regulated by the FAA. This standardization will allow the various ports to keep to national security requirements and also to remain competitive vis-a-vis international locations, among other applications for business, the report stated.
The issue, however, is moving jurisdiction of these various spaceports more into the national sphere of the United States and outside of individual state oversight. The report points to issues with spaceport development including the lack of cohesive U.S. federal coordination, competition with other priority infrastructure projects, and a bit of a discussion gap as the spaceports today straddle a line between space-related and aviation-related infrastructure.
Some of the recommendations include updating FAA spaceport regulations to continue staying current as new private and government entrants come into the market, expediting licensing to make it easier for spaceport regulations, streamlining the environmental reviews for new spaceports, and integrating commercial space systems into national airspace.
The Global Spaceport Alliance also provided its 6th commercial spaceport summit report in November, pointing to numerous orbital and suborbital opportunities expected in the next few years. NASA is interested in suborbital initiatives and willing to provide funding, and more revenue streams will be coming soon for spaceports in the United States and worldwide, it said in a copy obtained by SpaceQ.
As space tourism comes to the fore, spaceports will need to start planning for a new generation of astronauts not trained in traditional government facilities. The announcement of a bone cancer survivor Monday (Feb. 22) who will fly on the SpaceX Inspiration4 flight points to a pioneering case of space participants who may be flying with disabilities (in her case, prosthetics.) Health data collection, medical concerns and continuing to stay current in a presidential administration focused on Earth observation and climate change are some of the concerns raised in this report.
The report essentially summarizes two approaches to continue making spaceports relevant to the industry. The first is to create a consensus process for politicians to show them the ongoing economic value of spaceports to their communities. This would include approaching space-friendly Congresspeople in the United States to build alliances, creating a common story or vision for “consistent voice” among the spaceports, and creating alliances and relationships to simplify requests to Congress.
For passengers, the report urges that U.S. spaceports should agree upon risks to disclose to the passengers (to reduce fear and liability), and find constructive ways to discuss the so-called “unknown unknowns” that arise from risky activities such as spaceflight and can lead to fatalities. The newer generation of space tourists are likely to fall outside the data available from the few hundred government astronauts who flew in space, who are largely (but not completely) between ages 35 to 50 with few or no health conditions. Medical events and databases from such events should be maintained with appropriate privacy precautions, the report urges.
While these reports largely consider the environment in the United States, the lessons learned can be implemented for jurisdictions in other countries. Commercial spaceflight is becoming ever more popular in countries ranging from China to Canada. Finding and funding the appropriate facilities to fly these various missions, and disclosing the appropriate risks to space tourists, are just some of the challenges spaceports will face as they climb into prominence during the 2020s and beyond.