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Alaskan Space Port Prepares for First Launch

Posted by michael on from the space-port-has-a-nice-ring-to-it dept.

dlkf writes: "The Kodiak Launch Complex on the Alaskan coast, run by the Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation is scheduled, weather permitting, to send an Athena-1 booster with 4 NASA and Air Force science experiments into orbit tonight. If successful, Alaska will become just the fourth state (California, Florida and Virginia are the others) to send rockets into earth orbit. For more info, read this."

7 of 64 comments (clear)

  1. Alaska? by Dyolf+Knip · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Are they trying for polar orbits or what? I had thought the launch bonus you get from launching near the equator made it much less economical to head towards the poles.

    --
    Dyolf Knip
  2. I am glad to see a private company by jjr · · Score: 2

    Getting into the Space Race. Let us see if they get into the space travler business.

  3. Impressive dedication to education by dbolger · · Score: 2, Interesting

    While I was reading the start of this article, I couldn't figure out why Alaska would be chosen as a launch site for a rocket, considering the 90% chance of weather too poor for launch. If, like the article says, it was chosen specifically for the deployment of the Starshine 3 satellite, I am very impressed with the dedication to the education of the nations (and the worlds) young people in space-science this shows. Hopefully, its projects like this that will kids interested while we gradually make our way to Mars and beyond.

  4. Re:Just wondering...... by dbolger · · Score: 2, Informative

    Wallops Island, Virginia

    Latitude 37.8o N Longitude 75.5o W

    Wallops Flight Facility became America's third space launch site in 1961 with the launch of the Explorer 9 balloon on an solid-fuel Scout rocket. Today, WFF is a part of Goddard Space Flight Center. Although the facility is still available, the Scout rocket was retired in 1994. Some 19 rockets have reached orbit from Wallops, most recently in 1985. Today, WFF conducts NASA's sounding rocket program using Super Arcas, Black Brant, Taurus-Tomahawk, Taurus-Orion and Terrier-Malemute rockets. About 30 launches are made annually. An orbital attempt was made in 1995, but the commercial Conestoga rocket failed. Virginia Space Flight Center is a commercial launch facility on the south end of Wallops Island.

  5. This is actually the second rocket range in Alaska by nels_tomlinson · · Score: 2
    The first rocket range in Alaska is at Poker Flats. Poker Flats hasn't launched any orbital rockets, but they have launched a good many ``sounding rockets'' which carry instrument packages into the upper atmosphere.

    The range is operated by the University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute, which studies Space Physics and Aeronomy among other things.

    One of the neatest things about having a rocket range affiliated with the University is that students can design and launch a suborbital rocket in the ASRP.

    --
    See what I've been reading.
  6. Kodiak is an island by T1girl · · Score: 2

    Not to put too fine a point on it, but Kodiak is an island about 87 miles off the mainland coast of Alaska, and while it has plenty of coastline, it isn't exactly "on the Alaskan coast," although I suppose you could argue that as an island Kodiak has plenty of coastline. It was the capital of the Russian settlement in Alaska from 1783 to 1799, long before U.S. westward expansion into the Oregon territory and California.

    If you take a picture of the launch, will it be a Kodiak Moment?

  7. Make that 5: Michgian has put a rocket into space! by Balrogg · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Not orbit, but space.... REALLY!

    On 1/29/1971, a rocket was launched into space from the tip of the Keweenaw peninsula!

    http://www.gt.org/keweenaw-rocket-base/index.htm l

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    --==>>BobT>