Spaceports: CENTERS OF LEADERSHIP

spaceports succeed when built to lead & shape the industry.

The world’s spaceports are running out of capacity as demand for access to space is accelerating faster than their builders ever thought possible. Between the ever growing surge in satellite launches, new missions of exploration, defense, and on-orbit maintenance there is an urgent need for new launch facilities. Not just as pieces of launch infrastructure, but as centers of leadership that can shape the growth of the space economy.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket on left and NASA’s SLS rocket in background.
Credit: NASA

Understanding Spaceports

Spaceports are more than just specialized facilities designed to ensure the successful launch and return of spacecraft.Much like airports, these facilities are equipped with unique features to accommodate the nuances of space travel, including the storage, preparation, fueling, and launch of a variety of spacecraft¹, but also serve as centers for innovation, education & training, and public outreach. In effect, they are both the literal and figurative gateways to the stars, offering ordinary people a chance to connect to an industry and in many ways a culture with which they don’t normally interact.

Entrance to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center visitor Center in Florida

Credit: Ryan Crierie

The Leadership Role of Spaceports

As the space industry continues to grow, the rise of commercial spaceports worldwide spaceports are taking on a leadership role in the space industry.² They are not just the launch sites for satellites and eventual human missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond³,⁴.   They are also the nerve centers for space initiatives, providing command and control centers for launch, on-orbit operations, and long life cycle missions that require regular oversight from mission control. 

They are the stepping stones to making space tourism a reality, offering would-be space tourists not only a chance to interact with vehicles and company personnel during outreach events, but to serve as training centers and sites for zero-gravity parabolic flights. Further, successful spaceports play host to industrial parks and centers of innovation that often trump actual space launches as a source of revenue. Take the Mojave Spaceport; since its establishment there have been only a handful of actual flights that reached the edge of space launched from the site. However the local industrial park has hosted numerous startups and major aerospace & defense contractors over the years, while the spaceport has hosted air races, flight testing, and even zero-gravity parabolic flights. 

Researchers conducting an experiment on a parabolic flight
Credit: NASA

Sensible spaceport developers should bear in mind the successes of Mojave, Cape Canaveral, and Boca Chica as early as concept design: A spaceport must be more than just a launch site, it’s success will come from near-term revenue streams from industrial partnerships, hosting industry and public outreach events, and serving as a center of education and innovation while the admittedly laborious process of site certification plays out in the FAA. In short: spaceports succeed when they’re built to lead and shape the industry.

Opportunities

The building of new spaceports brings numerous opportunities for the operator, the industry at large, and neighboring municipalities:

1. Economic Expansion: Spaceports generate enormous economic activity and opportunity in their regions. For example, Spaceport America in New Mexico has created hundreds of aerospace jobs, “contributing $138 million to economic output, $60 million to value added production and $46 million in labor income to New Mexico’s economy.”⁵This stimulates technological innovation as companies test new systems. The Mojave Spaceport in California is now a bustling 400-acre industrial park, supporting thousands of aerospace jobs. Cape Canaveral's launch infrastructure and vast size has made Florida's Space Coast an economic powerhouse, contributing billions in economic output and providing high-paying technical jobs. Spaceports act as magnets for talent, investment, and facilities.

2. Space Tourism: Spaceports are enabling a burgeoning space tourism industry. Virgin Galactic already operates suborbital spaceflights for paying customers out of Spaceport America. Blue Origin plans to offer similar tourist launches from its expanding facility outside Van Horn, Texas. As space tourism ramps up, these spaceports will need to scale up their operations. This includes infrastructure for lodging, training, and all aspects of the customer experience. Spaceports will be where civilians first experience the exhilaration of spaceflight.

3. Satellite Deployment: Spaceports that provide low-cost, flexible launch capabilities that are revolutionizing the satellite industry. These are the most basic functions of a successful spaceport. Companies can now launch constellations of small satellites from spaceports around the world. This allows advanced communications networks, scientific platforms, and critical services like GPS and Earth observation. As launch costs fall, spaceports will help usher in a new era of ubiquitous satellite capabilities.

4. Educational Hub: Spaceports often serve as training centers for professional astronauts, engineers, and technicians, but they can also can inspire and educate the public as tourist destinations. They attract visitors who want to learn about rockets and the possibilities of space. Spaceport visitor centers, museums, and educational programs could help motivate younger generations to pursue studies and careers in STEM fields. As gateways to space, spaceports should foster dreams of exploring worlds beyond our own.

5. Extraterrestrial Missions: In the coming decades, spaceports will serve as the launch pads for missions of exploration and settlement beyond Earth. NASA and private companies plan to use spaceports as staging grounds for sending humans back to the Moon and later to Mars. Permanent outposts on other worlds will need to be supplied and supported via spaceports for many years before they can become fully sustainable habitats. Until then, they will continue to be used to send probes across the solar system, connecting Earth to the rest of the universe through robotic exploration.

Looking Ahead

Spaceports are set to evolve and lead in the rapidly changing landscape of the NewSpace industry. They will play a pivotal role in shaping a sustainable, multiplanetary future for humanity. From staging launches and landings, hosting innovation hubs and public outreach events, to potentially transforming into bustling centers of business and exploration, spaceports are on track to redefine our future.

As we script the future of space exploration, spaceports must be used to inspire the public, engage with strategic partners in business and government. In doing so, Spaceports will help dreams spark off into reality, demonstrating leadership in showing people that the universe is truly open for business.

1.https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/sites.html

2. https://explore.dot.gov/t/FAA/views/FAA_FactBook/CommercialSpace?%3Aembed=y

3. https://www.spaceportamerica.com/

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starbase

5.https://www.spaceportamerica.com/spaceport-america-releases-economic-impact-study-for-2022/

6. https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/inno/stories/inno-insights/2023/08/09/virgin-galactic-thursday-flight-importance.html

7.  https://spaceportcornwall.com/education/