Spaceports selection and outfitting: a challenge for providing wide range opportunities and operating services to commercial space activities

The emerging new space economy and commercial spaceflight have to rely on suitable Spaceportsfeaturing the proper assets and infrastructures to support the ground and flight operations of the involvedplatforms. Selecting and outfitting a spaceport is a challenging process that involves investigations andanalyses to evaluate the capabilities of specific sites, the compliance to the applicable requirements and thepossible resulting infrastructural improvements to be implemented. This paper presents an assessment ofthe various operational aspects that have to be considered in selecting and outfitting a spaceport, includingthe proper operating processes and infrastructures that allow the achievement of maximum flexibilityin accommodating different types of sustainable activities. In the presented approach, the spaceport isregarded as instrument to achieve at the best different objectives and to fulfill various relevant stakeholderneeds and elicited requirements and constraints. Thus, the approach suggested for the selection of asuitable Spaceport does not focus on a specific mission but it considers a wide range of operating scenarios,such as suborbital flights, near space operations, small satellites launch as well as suborbital and orbitalmissions considered test bed for technologies development. Thanks to a Systems Engineering approach,the major functions required are identified together with technologies and skills that will progressivelyenable the Spaceport towards delivering effective services allowing over time growth of the business withspinoff to the industry and other areas such as research and development, education, training. Specialattention is also devoted to ground infrastructures, processes and support activities that a Spaceportmust feature to support the execution of the planned operations, such as tracking ground stations, controlcenters, operators processes for coordination with Air Traffic Control and compatibility with existing AirTraffic Management. This paper also provides an assessment of the main Safety guidelines, capabilitiesand processes whose analysis and implementation are imperative across all the Spaceport functions andin particular in case of commercial human spaceflight. Approaches to Spaceport business models are alsoevaluated, aimed at attracting investors and operators since the initial setup and, over the long haul, atconducting sustainable activities with evident advantages to economy and employment