How Spaceports Can Enable the Space Economy

Abstract

After decades of space operations in which governments and government space agencies led the way, we are now seeing significant changes in how space activities are being conducted, with private industry playing a major role. This new way of doing business is resulting in lower costs, increased innovation, and a significant uptick in the number of launches taking place every year. Because everything that happens in space begins with a launch from Earth, spaceports are becoming more important every day as a key contributor to the global space economy. But spaceports are not limited to just being the locations from which rocket launches take place. Instead, they can also serve as focal points and technology hubs, with a wide range of aerospace activities that significantly benefit economic growth. With the appropriate changes to law, regulation, and policy, spaceports can enable and even accelerate the ongoing growth in the global space economy.