The establishment of a federal corporation is a means to do this. Federally backed commercial spaceports require a financial model that enables bond issuances for installation modernization and the ability to self-sustain based on service fees. With this, the local population’s opinion and political buy-in for spaceports and spaceport expansion are critical. Federal law and policy for spaceport licensing, operations, environmental compliance, and safety require simplification and unity of effort.The results and findings shaped several transformative opportunities, identifying several ideas worth additional exploration: Assuming transition, what does a transition roadmap look like? What investments must occur and demonstrate success for Space Force to end primary responsibility for the U.S.’s largest and busiest commercial spaceports?.Assuming federal ownership, what critical investments (policy, financial, technology, and design) must the Space Force and industry make to (a) increase launch capacity (b) increase spaceport resiliency and diversity and (c) maintain/exceed current safety and environmental performance?.commercial spaceports? Is it a continuation of federally owned and commercially supported, or is it like other multimodal methods characterized by low federal ownership, high state/local ownership, and high commercial operations? Is there a third option? What is the best ownership model for major U.S.spaceport success at a cadence of 300 launches per year based on the following meta-questions: The Thunderbird cohort assessed limitations to and opportunities for U.S. Seeing the significance of all this, executive students in the Masters of Global Management in Space Leadership, Business, and Policy at the Thunderbird School, Arizona State University, recently took on this challenge. This incident highlights the need for better planning, communication, collaboration, and evolution in commercial space policies and regulations. In one example from the Space News piece, we hear of delays associated with the Artemis 1 launch postponing facilities maintenance and compelling SpaceX to secure its own gaseous nitrogen for a national security launch. The third challenge is improving coordination between commercial operators and governmental agencies. In short, spaceports must maximize the utilization of their existing resources to handle increased launches. This includes a vital wildlife refuge that has long served as a buffer for both the NASA and the Space Force launch ranges. Any remaining developable acres are limited, and environmental impact must be considered. It can no longer accommodate the demand for dedicated facilities by launch providers. However, as Foust points out, Cape Canaveral has run out of physical space. Currently, the level of launch activity at the Cape is manageable. Secondly, simply upgrading dedicated launch pads will not suffice. While Jeff Bezos can simply drop a billion dollars into rebuilding Launch Complex 36 for Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, that is not an option for most firms looking to utilize the Cape today and into the future. To capture the value that commercial launch promises, will require billions of dollars in investment. These spaceports require upgraded pads, increased electrical power, better roads, and enhanced logistics for an expanding volume and variety of fuels, LOX, and other consumables. We must increase the productivity of our existing launch sites in a non-linear fashion to keep up.įirstly, getting more out of less will require significant upgrades to our aging spaceport infrastructure, particularly at the Cape. However, as multiple new rockets move towards testing and some to operations, America’s limited number of coastal spaceports have become the choke point. NASA, NRO, and Space Force can do more for less in a highly competitive market. That is good news for satellite operators, the broader commercial space industry, and the U.S. orbital launches has moved from monthly to weekly, with this trend accelerating upward on a non-linear curve. The number of orbital-capable launch firms has leaped from a couple to more than a dozen, and the cadence of U.S. There is no doubt that the commercial launch has experienced phenomenal growth over the last decade. In a recent article, “ Cape Congestion: World’s busiest spaceport stretched to its limits” (Jeff Foust, March 24), SpaceNews wrote about various factors impacting Cape Canaveral and U.S. Greg Autry is a professor of Space Leadership at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University.īryce Kennedy is a space law attorney and president of the Association of Commercial Space Professionals.
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