Article and News Archive

Here is a list of the last 30 articles from GSA. 

Powering Launch
All

Powering Launch

JUNE WEBINAR: Powering Launch: Nuclear Systems, Testing, and Safe Operations June 17 at 11:00 AM

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Alaska Spaceport
Feature

Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska USA

Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska stands as a defining example of how bold decisions can reshape an industry. Established in the 1990s as the Kodiak Launch Complex, it became the first FAA-licensed U.S. launch site independent of federal ranges, opening new pathways for commercial flexibility and innovation.

Positioned at the nation’s northernmost orbital launch site, PSCA provides unmatched access to a wide range of orbital inclinations, supporting missions from small satellite deployment to advanced defense testing. Its state-owned, self-sustaining model has driven continuous evolution, enabling cost efficiencies, new capabilities, and diversified revenue streams.

From a greenfield concept to a thriving economic engine, PSCA’s legacy reflects independence, adaptability, and forward-thinking leadership. Its story continues to guide the next generation of spaceports as they build for a more dynamic and commercially driven future.

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Future-Proofing the Spaceport: Designing for Growth, Flexibility, and Long-Term Success
Not officially published

Future-Proofing the Spaceport

Spaceports are being built for a future that continues to evolve. Long-term success depends on designing infrastructure that can adapt to new vehicles, providers, and mission demands. This article explores how flexibility, modular growth, and standards-based systems enable spaceports to scale efficiently and remain competitive over time.

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Designing for Cadence
Not officially published

Designing for Cadence

As launch frequency increases, success depends on more than completing a single mission. It requires systems and processes designed for repeatability. This article explores how standardized workflows, automation, and scalable infrastructure enable spaceports to support consistent, efficient launch cadence and sustained operations.

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The Infrastructure You Think You Can Delay… Until You Can’t
Not officially published

Don’t Delay

Some of the most critical spaceport systems are often the easiest to delay. Power stability, secure communications, cybersecurity, and environmental monitoring may seem secondary during development, yet they become essential when operations begin. This article explores how deferring these foundational elements introduces risk and delay, and why addressing them early enables smoother, more reliable launch execution.

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Build What Matters First: Infrastructure That Actually Supports Launch Providers
Not officially published

Build What Matters First

Spaceport success depends on more than visible infrastructure. Behind every efficient launch campaign are the systems that quietly enable operations from arrival through liftoff. This article explores how prioritizing reliable power, communications, and integrated mission systems creates a foundation for faster, more flexible, and repeatable launch operations.

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Where Spaceports Lose Time: The Hidden Friction Points in Launch Operations
Not officially published

Enable Faster and Smarter Launch Operations

Launch delays often begin long before liftoff, rooted in the systems, processes, and coordination that support operations on the ground. This article explores the hidden friction points that slow momentum at spaceports and reveals how consistency, integration, and operational alignment can enable faster, more reliable launch campaigns.

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Site Selection - BRPH
Feature

Spaceport Site Selection

As the commercial space industry accelerates, the race to build the next generation of spaceports is reshaping the ground infrastructure that makes it all possible. No longer limited to government launch sites, spaceports are emerging as strategic hubs driven by private investment, regional growth ambitions, and national priorities.

Success begins with a clear mission. From orbital launches that require expansive safety corridors to suborbital testing and technology hubs, each spaceport must align its purpose with geography, infrastructure, and market demand. Factors such as trajectory, recovery logistics, weather, transportation access, and community support all influence long-term viability.

Looking ahead, increasing launch cadence and reusable systems are shifting the focus toward integrated ecosystems rather than standalone sites. The spaceports that thrive will connect operators, manufacturers, and missions into a cohesive, scalable network, reinforcing that in the race to space, where you start matters just as much as where you are going.

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Tall City Cyber
Members

Defending the High Ground

Joining Forces, Achieving Wins, and Securing Space Dominance Defending the High Ground: Integrating Mission-Critical Cybersecurity

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Merrick and Goddard
SI Feature

Goddard Launch Site, Massachusetts - USA 

In 1926, rocket pioneer Robert H. Goddard launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket from Asa Wood Farm in Auburn, Massachusetts. Over the next three years, he conducted eight experimental launches using gasoline and liquid oxygen, demonstrating the propulsion systems that would shape modern spaceflight.

Public concerns about noise, fires, and falling debris eventually halted operations at the farm, ending what might have become the world’s first dedicated launch site. Goddard later moved his work to New Mexico with support from the Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics.

Today the historic launch site rests quietly within the Pakachoag Golf Course, recognized as a National Historic Landmark and remembered as an early chapter in the story of spaceports.

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NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Launch
Feature

A Workforce Ready for Lift Off

Florida is turning classrooms into gateways for the space economy.
During a recent GSA Academic Advisory Group session, Space Florida’s Michael Miller and workforce partner Karin Hoffman described how the Space Florida Academy Program is aligning existing career and technical education with real industry needs. By rebranding familiar skills as space pathways and building clear routes from school to high-wage aerospace jobs, the state is creating a talent model that strengthens local economies and offers a practical template for other launch regions.

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Dawn and OK
Feature

Dawn Aerospace Visits Oklahoma Air and Space Port

The Dawn Aerospace team on their first visit to Oklahoma standing at the south end of the massive 13, 503’ runway (17L/35R) at the Oklahoma Air & Space Port at Clinton-Sherman Airport (CSM) in Burns Flat. (L-R): Craig Smith, Oklahoma Director of Space Industry Development; Aleisha Draper, Dawn Aerospace Account Manager / Spaceplane; Chris Wadsworth, ODAA CoS; Nick Young, ODAA, Airports Division Manager; Will Austin, Dawn Aerospace Flight Operations Team Lead; Grayson Ardies, ODAA Executive Director; Ralph Huijsman, Dawn Aerospace, Spaceplane Programs Manager.

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Launching tomorrow
SI Feature

Launching Tomorrow: Yuma’s Spaceport Partnership with ASU, Industry, and Community

In Yuma, Arizona, a new kind of partnership is taking shape where a university, a design firm, and a community are working side by side to build the future of space infrastructure. The Yuma Spaceport initiative brings together Arizona State University, HDR, and local leaders to design a sustainable, community-driven model for spaceport development. Through ASU’s ∆V Studio, students and professionals are transforming ideas into action, creating a launchpad for innovation that reaches from the classroom to the stars.

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Ocean Launch
Feature

Webinar Series: Ocean Launch

Recording Now Available: Ocean Launch: Ocean-Based Spaceports & Future Mobile Access to Orbit
The Global Spaceport Alliance brings together an incredible panel of experts to explore what it takes to launch from the sea — and how ocean-based spaceports could shape the next era of access to orbit.

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The Business of Launch: Why Spaceport Design Requires Business Strategy By BRPH
Building Economics

The Business of Launch

Building a spaceport takes more than steel and launch pads—it takes strategy. BRPH’s Steve Lloyd and Derek Nolek reveal why the future of spaceports depends on business models as much as engineering in The Business of Launch.

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Harnessing Digital Twins, AI, and Cyber for Smarter Spaceport Operations
Building Function

Harnessing Digital Twins, AI, and Cyber for Smarter Spaceport Operations

Discover how emerging technologies like digital twins, artificial intelligence (AI), and advanced cybersecurity are transforming spaceports into intelligent, efficient, and sustainable hubs. From optimizing multimodal transportation and launch scheduling to enhancing safety, sustainability, and community engagement, these innovations enable spaceports to operate seamlessly while preparing for future growth in the global space economy. Learn how integrating AI, digital twins, and robust cyber defenses is driving smarter, scalable, and secure spaceport operations for the next generation of space exploration.

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Newsletters (2019-2024)

  • December: Space Rescue Service
  • November: Dr. Nield reports on his trip to Starmus Festival held in Yerevan, Armenia
  • August: GSA Participation at the Farnborough International Airshow a Success!
  • July: Announcing Farnborough International Airshow GSA Partnership
  • June: Identifying potential options for the funding of spaceport infrastructure.
  • May: “I recently went on a very interesting trip,” Dr. George Nield on his trip to space with Blue Origin
  • April: Don’t miss Dr. George Nield debrief on his trip to space
  • March: GSA Chairman Dr. George Nield to fly to space with Blue Origin
  • February: GSA Membership Caucus Report and Keynote Videos Now Available
  • December
  • November
  • October
  • September: Remembering former FAA-AST Associate Administrator Patti Grace Smith
  • August: The dawn of a new era of commercial human spaceflight is underway
  • July: Congressional hearing on commercial space transportation and the FAA’s responsibility to oversee and regulate the industry
  • June: Pandemic did not slow down space economy growth
  • May: SpaceX Makes a Historic Nighttime Splashdown
  • April: Improving prospects for point-to-point space travel
  • March: Advanced weather systems are critical to spaceport operations
  • February: Year begins with successful launches of Astra and Blue Origin
  • December: Another successful Commercial Spaceport Summit
  • November: GSA 2020 Commercial Spaceport Summit Details
  • October: FAA Approves Rocket Lab’s Operator License
  • August: Spaceport at Vandenberg Signs Landmark Agreement
  • July: Space Hub Southerland Signs Deal with Orbex Prime
  • June: Norway Stakes Claim to Spaceport Opportunities
  • May: Rocket Lab Tests Electron at Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport
  • April: Air Liquide Boosts Ventilator Production for COVID-19 Relief
  • January: GSA Issues Report: Spaceport: Enabling the Space Economy
  • October: Announcement of 2019 Commercial Spaceport Summit
  • September: Canadian Spaceport Gets Environmental Approval
  • August: UAE Promotes Multi-Mode Super Port as a Model for Spaceports
  • July: Houston Spaceport Breaks Ground for Suborbital Vehicles
  • June: DoD to Examine Use of U.S. Commercial Spaceports
  • May: Infrastructure Funding Available to Spaceports
  • April: UBS Predicts $20 Billion Market for Spaceports
  • March: Portugal Looking for Spaceport Partners
  • February: Colorado Air and Space Port Gets FAA Approval

Press Release

  • Feb 14, 2024: Global Spaceport Alliance Hosts Successful 9th Annual GSA Spaceport Summit
  • Nov 7, 2023: Jim Bridenstine Named Keynote Speaker for GSA Spaceport Summit, Part of Commercial Space Week
  • April 2022: Dr. George Nield Reflects on Trip to Space
  • March 2022: Dr. George Nield, Chairman of Global Spaceport Alliance & SpaceCom Advisor, Is Heading to Space 
  • July 2021: A New Era Begins at Spaceports

Summit Report

National Spaceport Network Development Plan

Research Reports

Legislative Reports