As companies such as SpaceX drive the growing commercial space industry, states and counties across the country are proud to be the perfect place to launch satellites and other cargo into space.
“The demand for launches is increasing,” said James Cozy, executive director of the Global Spaceport Alliance, a membership organization that supports the planning and operation of such launch sites. “The spaceport infrastructure needs to grow to meet the demands there.”
Some local leaders are proposing or supporting plans to establish a spaceport in their area, hoping to harness their economic potential. Some states have established space-focused institutions tasked with supporting the development of the industry.
However, the proliferation of spaceport proposals in Georgia, Maine, and Michigan, far from the long-established federal launch sites in California and Florida, has led to sensitive habitats, public safety, and even drinking water. There is growing opposition to what can even be harmful. Critics warn that noise and light from the launch site can harm wildlife, and failure to launch can spread toxic substances and debris and cause wildfires. doing.
“The spaceport has become a fashionable economic development tool,” said Brian Gist, senior lawyer at the Southern Environmental Law Center, who opposes efforts to establish a launch site in Camden County, Georgia. “But not all locations are suitable for spaceport sites. We need to balance economic development with risks to the general public and to natural resources.”
Space experts say that innovation has reduced the cost of launching rockets, even though the miniaturization of electronic components has enabled much smaller satellites. This means more companies will have access to space for a variety of purposes, including mapping, internet access, weather forecasts, agricultural monitoring, environmental detection, and vehicle fleet tracking.
“In the past, [building a local spaceport] The launch site was unreasonable because it meant a large, expensive and unreliable rocket, “said George Neild, Deputy Director of Commercial Spaceflight at the Federal Aviation Administration, who now runs his own consulting business. Says. “We are seeing a move towards smaller satellites, smaller rockets, and more reliable and potentially reusable Space Launch Systems.”
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is leading the commercialization of space, and many local officials want to attract the company’s Starbase production and launch site (more than 1,600 employees) in Bokachika, Texas. We consider it a type of economic engine. .. However, Starbase also represents the fear of some environmental groups.
According to a document released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last month, SpaceX’s activities could reduce endangered plovers in the habitat around the facility, which could also harm sea turtles and other plovers. .. Environmental groups cautioned against these findings and criticized the authorities for inadequate mitigation requirements. After more than a year of environmental review, FAA will announce a decision on its proposal to launch a large lift starship rocket later this month.
Jared Margolis, a senior lawyer at the Biodiversity Center of Biodiversity Center, a non-profit organization focused on endangered species, said the rocket explosion damaged habitats in the area and the company did more than originally proposed. He said he conducted many test flights and caused more environmental damage. Approval.
“The lesson from Bocachica is that the impact can be written on paper from the beginning, and what actually happens is much worse than expected, causing serious harm to untreated habitats and species. “He said. “I’m worried that I’m these local governments and the company is coming in and saying everything is okay.”
SpaceX did not respond to the request for comment.
However, many local leaders still see the potential for spaceport development. Camden County, Georgia received FAA approval for a spaceport proposed at the end of last year after spending more than $ 10 million on taxpayer money to drive the project and support the project over the years. I did. The county commissioner believes that the site, which has the potential to launch small commercial rockets, will diversify the local economy.
Several groups have challenged the decision, saying the launch is threatening the nearby Cumberland Island National Coast, a refuge for sea turtles and migratory birds. Environmentalists believe that small rockets are at high risk of failure and can blow up islands with debris and fuel, or even cause wildfires.
“If a particular rocket requires a certain amount of capacity, we need to launch them from the safest location, rather than simply licensing those who believe they can meet the minimum standards,” the environment said. Lawyer Gist said.
Earlier this year, residents of Camden County voted overwhelmingly in a referendum, blocking county authorities from buying land for spaceports. The county commissioner attempted to declare the referendum invalid in court, but failed, and then voted to proceed with the acquisition of property anyway. Camden County authorities did not respond to the request for an interview.
Sarah Gaines Bermeier, Senior Managing Director of the National Parks Conservation Society’s Conservation Program, said Florida’s Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is also emerging as a potential spaceport location. Launches from sites within the shelter send rockets to the Canaveral National Seashore, unlike launches at the nearby Kennedy Space Center. She said that proposals for launch sites that need to avoid residential areas to meet federal safety guidelines are likely to continue to threaten protected coastal parks.
“The exact same attributes that attract visitors to these national parks are the same as what commercial spaceports see because of less human development nearby,” she said.
In Michigan, in 2019, state officials awarded the Michigan Aerospace Manufacturers Association a $ 2 million grant to study the feasibility of spaceports on the Upper Peninsula. The proposal includes a vertical launch facility for conventional rockets, a site for horizontal launch where an airplane takes off with a rocket, is released into the air, and launches into space, and a command and control center. Proponents say the project can benefit from manufacturing expertise in the state’s automotive industry, helping the state to attract and retain talent.
Gavin Brown, executive director of the Aerospace Group, said the spaceport will utilize the still emerging environmentally friendly launch technologies. He said infrastructure development is expensive, but the benefits can be enormous.
“We are not trying to enter the current space business, we are aiming to play a leading role where space is advancing,” he said. “In the testing phase, there are some things we’re waiting to see if it makes sense to us so we can share with people what it is.”
However, this plan has led to a backlash against environmental problems. Dennis Ferraro, Citizen’s Chairman of Safe & Clean Lake Superior, a community group that opposes the project, pointed out the failure of launches at other spaceports that damaged or contaminated nearby ecosystems.
“Lake Superior supplies drinking water to Marquette and other communities and is one of the cleanest lakes we have,” he said. “Once you start industrializing Katie’s coastline on the shores of Lake Superior, close the door. What’s next for the rocket launch site?”
A spokesperson for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, who awarded the grant, said staff were unable to respond to interview requests due to schedule conflicts.
Other states, including Alabama, Florida, and Maine, have established institutions or public-private partnerships tasked with the growth of the space industry. Earlier this year, Maine legislators voted in favor of the establishment of Maine Space Port Corp., a public-private partnership aimed at creating complex hosting launches, R & D operations, and data analytics companies. Proponents say the main location is ideal for launching into polar orbit.
Terry Shehata, Executive Director of the Main Space Grant Consortium, a non-profit organization funded by NASA’s funding program, said: Support aerospace research.
However, some parts of Maine are wary. The town of Jonesport voted at the end of last year to temporarily ban the launch of commercial rockets after the company announced plans to build a launch site. Portland Press Herald reported that locals in the fishing industry, led by opposition, were worried that launch operations on nearby islands would interfere with their work and damage their equipment.
In 2017, Alabama State Assembly members established the Alabama Space Agency to drive the growth of the industry. Republican Senator Steve Livingston, the group’s chairman, said he supported a successful bid to make Huntsville International Airport a spaceport that would allow it to become a re-entry site for the Dream Chaser spaceplane in Sierra Space. .. Authorities may consider other spaceport sites, including conventional rocket launches, in the future, he said.
“We are at the tip of the iceberg (in demand for commercial space),” says Livingston. “Someone is trying to meet that demand, whether in Georgia, Michigan, or Alabama. That’s something we still need to consider.”
Some analysts are challenging the economic feasibility of spaceports. They say that the country’s existing spaceports have a lot of unused capacity and building more launch sites is a dangerous proposal.
“There are 14 licensed spaceports in the United States, most of which do not see traffic,” said Phil Smith, program manager and senior analyst at BryceTech, an analytics and engineering company. “Taxpayers want to see the return on investment, but they don’t.”
According to Smith, much of the space industry’s growth is due to large batches of small satellites on board large rockets, meaning that the number of launches is unlikely to require a spaceport surge. To do.
In Michigan, the IQM Institute conducted a survey of the proposed spaceport proposal on the Upper Peninsula and concluded that the plan was “uneconomical.”
“For now, the spaceport is probably not the place to invest money,” said Michael Duzik, director of the institute.
Cozy, along with the Global Spaceport Alliance, argued that skeptics underestimate how fast the commercial space industry is ready to grow.
“It’s the time it takes to build a spaceport until it’s actually ready for launch, and demand will be there,” he said.
A story by Alex Brown.