Kodiak’s spaceport, the Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska, is one of eight spaceports across the world that signed an agreement this month on Oct. 13 to commit to international collaboration.
According to a press release from the Virginia Spaceport Authority, one of the signatories, the agreement calls for representatives of the spaceports to begin meeting to create international spaceport recommendations.
John Oberst is the head of the Alaska Aerospace Corporation, which oversees the spaceport on Kodiak Island. He told KMXT prior to signing this agreement that these facilities are trying to standardize their equipment and procedures; kind of like airports.
“Whether it be the returning of rockets, or just, maybe a customer that can launch anywhere in the world and they want the opportunity to be able to do that, so we have the same ability to launch out of any of our spaceports," Oberst said.
This group, with member spaceports located in the U.S., U.K., Peru and other countries, will share information, expertise and likely technology as part of this new agreement. The inaugural signatories to the MOU include:
• Esrange Space Center, Swedish Space Corporation, Sweden
• Hokkaido Spaceport, SPACE COTAN Co., Ltd., Japan
• Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (Virginia Spaceport Authority), USA
• Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska, Alaska Aerospace Corporation, USA
• SaxaVord Spaceport, Scotland, United Kingdom
• Space Centre Australia, Australia
• Stargate Peru S.A.C., Peru
• Sutherland Spaceport, Orbital Express Launch Limited, Scotland, United Kingdom
The agreement was initially developed by Space Centre Australia (SCA) and the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, two of the eight signatories. Peru’s spaceport, Stargate Peru S.A.C., is the newest of the eight commercial facilities that signed on. The spaceport’s representative at the signing ceremony said, “We are witnessing the laying down the foundations of a historic landmark in this so-called ‘new space economy’, where…us commercial spaceports come together as an emerging industry from all over the world to establish cooperation guidelines.”
Other interested commercial spaceports can still sign on to the MOU according to the press release.
