Rocket launch tests viability of offshore spaceports
Four small rockets have been launched from a ship in the Gulf of Mexico, testing a startup company’s plan for developing offshore spaceports that could avoid some of the environmental and public safety concerns that arise when building launch pads on solid ground.
The Spaceport Company, based in northern Virginia, launched on Monday 4-inch and 6-inch diameter rockets from a vessel about 30 miles south of Gulfport, Miss. The one-year-old company wanted to demonstrate its operations and logistics, which included getting approval from federal regulators, before developing larger floating platforms that would send satellites into orbit.
These platforms could accommodate the growing number of small satellites that are launched into space each year, said the Spaceport Company founder and CEO Tom Marotta. Demand for launch pads is increasing for both commercial and government uses, he said, but some launch sites are receiving backlash for their proximity to homes and sensitive areas.
“Spaceport projects have been delayed or just canceled outright because of environmental concerns, regulatory concerns and opposition from the local communities,” Marotta said.
SpaceX is developing the world’s most powerful rocket outside of Brownsville, and local residents have been frustrated by beach closures and damaged shorebird habitat. This was exacerbated last month when the company’s rocket exploded four minutes after liftoff.
But moving launches offshore doesn’t solve all environmental problems, said Christopher Basaldú, a Brownsville resident and member of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas. Propellant is still burned, and debris could still fall into the ocean, said Basaldú, who has a Ph.D. in anthropology focused on native people.
Marotta said offshore launches wouldn’t close beaches or affect wetlands.
“Launching offshore is the best way for any company to scale their cadence,” Marotta said. “There is higher capacity because the environmental impacts are lessened, and the community impacts are lessened.”
Monday’s launches were from a liftboat. This boat has strong legs that were lowered to the seabed and used to lift the ship out of the water, which created a stable platform.
The Spaceport Company had permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to launch its rockets up to 60,000 feet, but the company didn’t strive for those heights on Monday. It intentionally chose small rockets (too small to reach orbit) so it could focus on working with the FAA and Coast Guard, practice its responses to potential mishaps and test launch procedures while at sea.
The Spaceport Company is building a more capable platform that would use similar lift technology to get satellites into orbit. Rocket companies would assemble their launch systems on top of the platform while it’s at port, and then the ship would be moved offshore for liftoff.
This isn’t the first organization to pursue offshore launches.
Sea Launch, which was created by four companies from the U.S., Norway, Russia and Ukraine, conducted 36 launches between 1999 and 2014 from a converted oil rig and a command ship in the Pacific Ocean. But it wasn’t able to turn a profit — a situation exacerbated by the 2014 Russian invasion of Crimea, said Phil Smith, a space industry analyst at BryceTech.
Today, China uses a sea platform for some of its rocket launches, and a company in Denmark uses an offshore platform for its test launches, Smith said. SpaceX also pursued this idea when it purchased two oil rigs that it hoped to convert into offshore launch platforms. It has since sold the rigs, though Smith said the company indicated it will consider offshore launches in the future.
“It could indeed solve land-based problems like impact to populations and certain environmental concerns,” Smith said. “But the advantages are not a silver bullet, since launching from the sea has its own drawbacks.”
The benefits to offshore platforms include launching directly from the equator, where the Earth’s surface rotates faster and gives the rocket an additional boost to escape gravity and stay in orbit. The challenges could include additional maintenance, logistical complexity and difficulty managing hazardous materials, Smith said.
“The challenges of operating any sort of infrastructure at sea are significant,” Marotta acknowledged, adding that the oil and gas and maritime sectors have overcome such hurdles. “But the benefits exceed the costs. Our customers have indicated that they’re interested and willing to pay a premium just to be able to launch as frequently as needed.”
Angel investors have provided the company’s main source of funding to date, and Marotta said letters of intent from rocket companies suggest there could be $200 million in upcoming business for the Spaceport Company. Marotta is negotiating these contracts now.
The Spaceport Company plans to avoid the pitfalls of Sea Launch by staying closer to shore. Marotta said Sea Launch was too far offshore, and it took a month to get into position. The Spaceport Company plans to launch 5 to 10 miles offshore, which could support more frequent launches.
Its test on Monday marked the first time a rocket launched from a vessel in U.S. territorial waters and within the U.S. National Airspace System, Marotta said. It was an exciting day that went better than he expected.
“We launched four rockets in one day from a ship in the middle of the ocean,” Marotta said. “The team is super excited, but the best is yet to come.”