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Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska

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The Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (PSCA), formerly known as the Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC), is a dual-use commercial and military spaceport for sub-orbital and orbital launch vehicles.[1] The facility is owned and operated by the Alaska Aerospace Corporation, a corporation owned by the Government of Alaska,[2][3] and is located on Kodiak Island in Alaska.

Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska
Athena I vehicle with Kodiak Star mission outside the Launch Service Structure in 2001
Map
LocationKodiak Island, Alaska
United States
Coordinates57°26′07″N 152°20′24″W / 57.43528°N 152.34000°W / 57.43528; -152.34000
OperatorAlaska Aerospace Corporation (Government of Alaska)
Launch history
Launches31
First launch6 November 1998
Last launch10 January 2023
Associated
rockets		Athena I, Minotaur IV, Astra Rocket, RS1
Launch Pad 1 launch history
Launches4
First launch30 September 2001
Athena I
Last launch21 October 2021
Unknown
Associated
rockets		Athena I
Minotaur IV
Launch Pad 3B launch history
Launches5
First launch12 September 2020
Rocket 3.0
Last launch15 March 2022
Rocket 3.3
Associated
rockets		Rocket 3
Launch Pad 3C launch history
Launches1
First launch10 January 2023
RS1
Associated
rockets		RS1

The spaceport opened in 1998 and has supported 31 (up to January 2023) launches, most of those for the U.S. government. The site was closed for two years following a launch failure that caused significant damage to parts of the spaceport. It reopened in August 2016.

History

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Following the incorporation of the Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation in 1991 by the Alaska state legislature, plans were begun for the spaceport, known during development as the Alaska Orbital Launch Complex. Construction on the site began in January 1998, and the first launch took place in August 1998 from temporary accommodations at the site.[4]

After a launch failure in August 2014 damaged the launch tower, payload processing facility and integrated processing facility,[5] Alaska Aerospace made plans to repair and upgrade the facilities to support larger rockets, but Governor Bill Walker stopped work in December 2014 as part of an order to address a state budget shortfall.[6] Repairs to the facility were funded by state insurance at a cost of US$26–29 million.[7] During efforts to repair the facilities, the spaceport was formally renamed to "Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska" in an announcement made on 14 April 2015.[8] The facility was formally re-dedicated on 13 August 2016, to celebrate the completion of repairs.[1]

In mid-2016, the Alaska Aerospace Corporation "signed a multi-year contract with the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) for multiple launches from the PSCA through 2021". The arrangement includes a sole-source contract for two flight tests of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. Two private companies, Rocket Lab and Vector Space Systems, were considering using the spaceport for commercial launches as early as 2019.[1] Another private company, Eclipse Orbital, was working with the Alaska Aerospace Corporation to prepare for flight operations of their "Corona" launch vehicle in 2020. As of 2022, however, none of these companies have launched anything from Alaska.

Indian private space company Agnikul Cosmos signed a memorandum of agreement with Alaska Aerospace Corporation to test launch their Agnibaan rocket from the Pacific Spaceport Complex. The launch from Alaska was expected to take place from 2022 onwards. Under the agreement, Alaska Aerospace and AgniKul will work together to secure several regulatory approvals including US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launch licensing, US export control, and will comply with export laws & regulations in India to receive necessary clearances from the Indian authorities as well. The aim is to define launch vehicle-spaceport interfaces, related procedures and conduct at least one test launch from PSCA.[9]

On 19 November 2021, Astra's LV0007 rocket achieved orbit from the Pacific Spaceport Complex.[10]

Launch facilities

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The Kodiak spaceport has two launch pads with a mission control center that includes 64 workstations with high-speed communications and data links. There is a clean room for preparing satellites for launch, a fully enclosed 17-story-tall rocket assembly building and two independent range and telemetry systems. The complex sits on 3,700 acres (15 km2) of state-owned land. Launch pad 1 is designed for orbital launches, while launch pad 2 is intended for sub-orbital launches.[3]

In 2010, Alaska Aerospace Corp. developed a concept plan for a third launch pad, which would allow the facility to support quick launches of satellites: under 24 hours to launch from "go ahead".[3][needs update]

Launch history

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The first orbital launch from the PSCA was an Athena I rocket which carried out the Kodiak Star mission for NASA and the Space Test Program, launching Starshine 3, Sapphire, PCSat, and PICOSatS on 30 September 2001.[11]

Launches from Kodiak Launch Complex
No. Date (UTC) Vehicle Payload Pad Orbital/Suborbital Result Remarks
1 6 November 1998
01:32		 First stage: Aerojet SR-19-AJ-1
Second stage: Hercules M57A1		 ait-1[12] LP-2 Suborbital Success[13] Mission for the U.S. Air Force. Carried various experiments and instruments, including a "Global Positioning System antenna, Honeywell GPS Measure Unit, Electromagnetic Radio Tomography experiment, Langmuir probe and an Air Force nosetip".[13]
2 15 September 1999
21:00[14]		 First stage: Castor 4B
Second stage: Hercules M57A1		 ait-2[15][16] LP-2 Suborbital Success[17] Mission for the U.S. Air Force. Carried various experiments and instruments, including a Langmuir probe, the Boston Rocket Ionospheric Tomography Experiment, an interceptor seeker, and calibration equipment.[15]
3 22 March 2001[18] Aries 47[19] QRLV-1 LP-2 Suborbital Success[18] Mission for the U.S. Air Force.
4 30 September 2001
02:40[11]		 Athena I (LM-001)
LP-1 Orbital Success Kodiak Star mission for Lockheed/NASA; first orbital launch from Kodiak.
5 9 November 2001
18:12		 Polaris A-3 STARS-1[20] LP-2 Suborbital Failure West Coast Risk-Reduction Flight (WCRRF) for the U.S. Army.[20] Rocket exploded 56 seconds after launch.[5]
6 24 April 2002[21] Aries 49[19] QRLV-2 LP-2 Suborbital Success[21] Mission for the U.S. Air Force.
7 15 December 2004
04:45[22]		 Polaris A-3 STARS-1[20] LP-2 Suborbital Failure IFT-13c mission for Missile Defense Agency (MDA). Target successfully launched from Kodiak, but interceptor failed to launch from Kwajalein.
8 14 February 2005
06:22[22]		 Polaris A-3 STARS-1[20] LP-2 Suborbital Failure IFT-14 mission for MDA. Target successfully launched from Kodiak, but interceptor failed to launch from Kwajalein.
9 23 February 2006
16:09		 Polaris A-3 STARS-1[20] LP-2 Suborbital Success FTX-01 mission for MDA.
10 1 September 2006
17:22		 Polaris A-3 STARS-1[20] LP-2 Suborbital Success FTG-02 mission for MDA. Both the target at Kodiak and interceptor at Kwajalein successfully launched.[23]
11 25 May 2007
14:15		 Polaris A-3 STARS-1[20] LP-2 Suborbital Failure FTG-03 mission for MDA. Target missile from Kodiak flew off course and interceptor was not launched.
12 28 September 2007
20:01		 Polaris A-3 STARS-1[20] LP-2 Suborbital Success FTG-03a mission for MDA. Successful intercept.
13 18 July 2008
22:47[24]		 Polaris A-3 STARS-1[20] LP-2 Suborbital Success FTX-03 mission for MDA. Target launched from Kodiak was tracked by land-based, sea-based and space-based tracking systems. Navy and Air Force units simulated interceptor shootdowns.[25]
14 5 December 2008
20:04		 Polaris A-3 STARS-1[20] LP-2 Suborbital Success FTG-05 mission for MDA. Successful intercept of a target launched from Kodiak by an interceptor launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base.[26]
15 20 November 2010
01:25[27]		 Minotaur IV
LP-1 Orbital Success STP-S26 mission for the U.S. Air Force. Included a Hydrazine Auxiliary Propulsion System (HAPS) to move vehicle to a secondary orbit after ejecting payloads.
16 27 September 2011
15:49[28]		 Minotaur IV TacSat-4 LP-1 Orbital Success Mission for the U.S. Air Force.
17 25 August 2014
~08:00		 Polaris STARS IV[29] Advanced Hypersonic Weapon LP-2 Suborbital Failure Flight Test 2 for the U.S. Army's AHW program. Flight terminated by range safety four seconds after launch due to rocket anomaly.[5][30] Kodiak's LP-1 launch tower, payload processing facility, and integrated processing facility suffered damage due to the termination.[5]
18 June 2017 Unknown Unknown Unknown Suborbital Unknown FTT-18 mission for the MDA[31]
19 July 2017 Unknown Unknown Unknown Suborbital Unknown FET-01 mission for the MDA[31]
20 20 July 2018 Astra Rocket 1.0 Unknown LP-2 Suborbital Failure P120 mission for a commercial sponsor[31] Astra
21 29 November 2018 Astra Rocket 2.0 Unknown LP-2 Suborbital Failure Private commercial mission [32] for Astra
22 26 July 2019 Arrow III LP-2 Suborbital Success In a joint Israeli-American test conducted by the Israeli Air Force and Missile Defense Agency, the Arrow 3 system successfully intercepted 3 "enemy" rockets, one of them outside the atmosphere. The tests demonstrated Arrow 3's ability to intercept exo-atmospheric targets.[33][34]
23 26 July 2019 Arrow III LP-2 Suborbital Success In a joint Israeli-American test conducted by the Israeli Air Force and Missile Defense Agency, the Arrow 3 system successfully intercepted 3 "enemy" rockets, one of them outside the atmosphere. The tests demonstrated Arrow 3's ability to intercept exo-atmospheric targets.[33][34]
24 26 July 2019 Arrow III LP-2 Suborbital Success In a joint Israeli-American test conducted by the Israeli Air Force and Missile Defense Agency, the Arrow 3 system successfully intercepted 3 "enemy" rockets, one of them outside the atmosphere. The tests demonstrated Arrow 3's ability to intercept exo-atmospheric targets.[33][34]
25 12 September 2020
03:19		 Rocket 3 LP-3B[35] Orbital Failure First test mission for the Astra Rocket 3.[36]
26 15 December 2020
20:55		 Rocket 3 LP-3B Orbital Failure Second test mission for the Astra Rocket 3, reaching all planned objectives (count and liftoff; reaching Max Q; nominal first-stage engine cutoff) but not making it into orbit.[37]
27 28 August 2021
22:35		 Rocket 3 STP-27AD1 LP-3B Orbital Failure First commercial Rocket 3 launch, and first of two demonstration launches for the U.S. Space Force. The rocket was terminated at main engine cut-off due to anomalies during flight.[38]
28 21 October 2021 Unknown FT-3 LP-1 Suborbital Failure Hypersonic Flight Test-3. Launch failed due to booster failure.[39]
29 20 November 2021
06:16		 Rocket 3 STP-27AD2 LP-3B Orbital Success Second of two demonstration launches for the U.S. Space Force and first Rocket 3 successful launch.[10]
30 15 March 2022
16:22		 Rocket 3 S4 CROSSOVER, OreSat0, SpaceBEE × 16 LP-3B Orbital Success S4 CROSSOVER remained attached to the second stage, which was intended.[40]
31 10 January 2023
23:27		 RS1 VariSat-1A, 1B LP-3C Orbital Failure Maiden flight of RS1 and first launch from LP-3C. The launch resulted in a failure.[41]
  • Additional sources: Center for Defense Information,[42] Missile Defense Agency[43]

The list above contains all launches, orbital and suborbital, up to January 2023.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Chambers, George (25 August 2016). "Kodiak Island spaceport reopens following 2014 launch failure". NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
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  3. ^ a b c "Kodiak Readies for Quick Launch". Aviation Week. April 2010. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  4. ^ Waite, Arthur C.; DeLuna, Alan T. (2012). Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC) – aka – Alaska Orbital Launch Complex (AOLC) History and Lessons (PDF). SpaceOps 2012. 11–15 June 2012. Stockholm, Sweden. doi:10.2514/6.2012-1295313. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d Mauer, Richard; Andrews, Laurel (25 August 2014). "Army rocket blown up during failed launch in Kodiak". Alaska Dispatch News. Archived from the original on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  6. ^ Brooks, James; Griffiths, Melissa (28 December 2014). "Gov. Walker halts megaprojects". Juneau Empire. Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
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  19. ^ a b Krebs, Gunter. "M-56 family". Gunter's Space Page. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
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  22. ^ a b Wilke, Gregory D. (2006). An Overview of Kodiak Launch Complex Operational Weather Support for the Missile Defense Agency's Integrated Flight Test 13 and 14 Launches (PDF). 12th Conference on Aviation Range and Aerospace Meteorology, 86th AMS Annual Meeting. 28 January – 3 February 2006. Atlanta, Georgia. Boston, MA: American Meteorological Society. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
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  28. ^ Graham, William (27 September 2011). "Orbital Minotaur IV launches with TacSat-4". NASA Spaceflight. Archived from the original on 18 July 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  29. ^ Hubbs, Mark (July 2014). Advanced Hypersonic Weapon Flight Test 2 Hypersonic Technology Test: Environmental Assessment (PDF) (Report). U.S. Army. p. 2-1. SMDC Release #4044. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 August 2014.
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  32. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  33. ^ a b c Judson, Jen (28 July 2019). "US, Israel's Arrow-3 missile put to the test in Alaska". Defense News. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  34. ^ a b c Ahronheim, Anna (29 July 2019). "Israel, U.S. carry out successful test of Arrow-3 missile over Alaska". Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  35. ^ "Rocket 3.1 And Astra's Path To Orbit". Astra. 2 August 2020. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  36. ^ Berger, Eric (14 September 2020). "Astra finally launches its first orbital rocket, and it flew for 30 seconds". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 14 September 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  37. ^ "Launch startup Astra's rocket reaches space". Tech Crunch. 16 December 2020. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  38. ^ Burghardt, Thomas (28 August 2021). "Astra's third orbital launch attempt ends with LV0006 mishap". NASASpaceFlight. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  39. ^ Trevithick, Joseph (21 October 2021). "U.S. Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon Test Fails (Updated)". The Drive. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  40. ^ Davenport, Justin (14 March 2022). "Astra successfully returns to flight with mission for Spaceflight Inc". NASASpaceFlight. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  41. ^ Foust, Jeff (11 January 2023). "First ABL Space Systems launch fails". SpaceNews. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  42. ^ Samson, Victoria; Black, Sam (18 June 2007). "Flight Tests for Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) System" (PDF). Center for Defense Information. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 February 2012.
  43. ^ "Ballistic Missile Defense Intercept Flight Test Record" (PDF). Missile Defense Agency. 14 October 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 September 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
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