The state of commercial spaceports in 2017

About two years ago the FAA gave Houston the "go-ahead" to build America's 10th commercial spaceport. Yes, the US already had nine spaceports designated for commercial operations.

One must ask, "Why do we need 10 spaceports for so little commercial space activities?" This represents a great deal of investment and ongoing expense for an industry still in its infancy.

One reason for all this excitement among several states and entrepreneurs is space tourism, a "killer" space application that has yet to become reality. Yes, the media has expended a great deal of energy and newsprint on the topic.

So much so, that a lay person might think we are launching tourist spaceships every hour on the hour. In fact, this industry is still taking "baby" steps toward the future objective of populous orbiting resorts and theme parks.

The first step of sending passengers on suborbital flights is still in the development and testing phase. While it is true that when Richard Branson first launched the Virgin Galactic Mothership II he predicted a steady flow of launches that carried wealthy tourists to the edge of space by 2009.

That schedule has been stretched some eight years already. The 2014 crash of SpaceshipTwo has increased the delay and caused some customers to ask for refunds on deposits.

One additional casualty of this situation is Spaceport America, a $200 million facility investment that is gathering dust, and not much more. Virgin Galactic was its anchor tenant.

It is hardly a surprise that Spaceport America has had to readjust its business model and is looking for new clients. The New Mexico site has become an elaborate events space, hosting everything from school trips and corporate events to product launches.

Thanks to the early hype, spaceport projects have attracted international attention, and countries around the globe have announced plans for building such facilities.

Sweden and the UK are both hoping to build spaceports that may dominate the European space tourism business. In addition, Space Ventures announced interest in building spaceports in Singapore and the UAE.

There appears to be little doubt that space tourism will become reality. It is simply a matter of time. The market for commercial space transportation and human space travel will likely grow exponentially, and the demand for spaceport services will grow with it as well.

Launchspace has anticipated such new space support activities and has created a new course for spaceport operators and users. It is "Spaceport Operations for Commercial Clients," and it is available for live presentation at your facility.

Orbital ATK launches eighth cargo mission to space
Washington DC (AFP) Nov 12, 2017
An unmanned cargo ship packed with 7,400 pounds (3,350 kilograms) of food and supplies for the astronauts living at the International Space Station blasted off Sunday from Wallops Island, Virginia. Orbital ATK's barrel-shaped Cygnus cargo ship launched atop an Antares rocket at 7:19 am (1219 GMT), a day after a last-second delay due to an unexpected aircraft in the area. "Five, four, ... read more

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