Commercial Spaceports 2018

About three 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 nine 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.

Related Links
Launchspace
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Chinese private space company to launch first carrier rocket
Beijing (XNA) Aug 24, 2018
China will launch its first solid-propellant carrier rocket developed by a Chinese private company late this year. The ZQ-1 rocket was developed by Landspace, a Beijing-based rocket-maker. Its technicians are former state-owned aerospace industry workers. Carrying a small satellite, the rocket will be launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, the company said Thursday. "If the launch mission can go well, the ZQ-1 will become China's first private carrier rocke ... read more