Utah might open a study to see if the state should open its own spaceport, a rather interesting idea given the state has no open oceans on either side of itself but does host a large number of aerospace professionals. Is there a way for this to make sense?
Utah’s thoughts on a spaceport
State Senator Jerry Stevenson introduced a bill to the committee that would commission a study and allocate $500,000 to research the usefulness of building a spaceport in the state of Utah. The state has one of the largest pools of aerospace companies and talent outside of probably LA or Denver. But does that warrant a whole spaceport?
What would a spaceport in Utah look like? Unlike California or Florida, the state doesn’t have an ocean to launch rockets over, as the FAA (and locals) usually frown on launching them over land, making attracting launch companies difficult.
However, space tourism has been all the buzz in the last few years, with Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic launching humans into suborbital space flights and Axiom and SpaceX flying private missions to orbit. Other commercial opportunities could arise as money continues to flow into the sector.
Non-spaceflight opportunities could create potential avenues, as not all spaceports need space launch capabilities. Adding dedicated space for scientific research, which could include suborbital sounding rockets and satellite manufacturing, could be welcome additions for the industry. This is especially true for local companies that might already be working on their own constellations.
Stevenson has suggested that the spaceport could be a mix of science and tourism use, bringing the stability of research and development but the added hope of the big bucks from the space tourism industry. What companies might set up shop in Utah? That is uncertain at this point, as most places have seemingly already established themselves elsewhere.
Space tourism might not be the best bet
One of the leading companies in alternative “space” tourism options is Space Perspective. While Virgin and Blue focus on the high cost and high intensity of powered flight, Space Perspective has been working on high-altitude balloon flights.
The gentle ascent and descent would have made for a more enjoyable ride up and down, allowing for a more leisurely travel to near space.
However, a recent report by Florida Today indicates that the company is on the brink of financial collapse as it owes almost $90,000 in back rent to Space Coast Regional Air and Spaceport. The company has also had issues in the past with paying contractors.
Pairing this news with mass layoffs last December, per employee posts on LinkedIn, the company is seemingly no longer in serious operations.
Space Perspective operated out of a building at Space Coast Regional and also had a launch and recovery boat stationed at Port Canaveral. The company hasn’t made any statements yet as to its future, which may seem shorter than expected.
