Ocean-based launchpads, an old cure for a new problem?

2/25/2023 - Written By Caleb Henry

Launching orbital rockets from a ship is a decades-old idea that keeps resurfacing in fits and starts. The latest champion of sea-based launch is a startup called The Spaceport Company, which plans four sounding rocket demonstration missions from a ship in the Gulf of Mexico this May, SpaceNews reports. The Spaceport Company could fill an interesting niche, particularly in the U.S. where the Space Force projects 87 orbital launch attempts from Florida this year alone – a 52% increase y/y. But maritime launches aren’t without their challenges.

See below for a mix of variables unique to offshore launch:

- The ability to relocate near coastlines, potentially augmenting spaceport capacity for multiple land-based sites (+)

- Mobility means the spaceport could relocate to access a wide range of orbital inclinations, providing more flexibility (+)

- Potentially less regulatory red tape in setting up operations compared to new land-based spaceports

- Massive fuel requirements to move ships and support infrastructure, plus costs associated with docking when not participating in a launch campaign (-)

- Maintenance costs due to wear and tear from the ocean (-)

- Complicated logistics of transporting payloads, personnel, launches, rocket fuel and equipment out to sea

SOURCE: https://spacenews.com/startup-developing-sea-based-launch-pads/