Slashdot Mirror


A Spaceport In Ohio?

UglyTool writes to alert us to an initiative by the state of Ohio and the city of Columbus to lure Canadian rocketeers PlanetSpace to launch from an area airport (the former Lockbourne Air Force Base, now called Rickenbacker International Airport). A decision on the incentives could be made by January. From the article: "Such a package could include tax credits, financing programs and training grants amounting to millions of dollars... PlanetSpace's chairman, Indian-American entrepreneur Chirinjeev Kathuria, told MSNBC.com he expected the incentives to amount to 'somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 million.'" Five other states have spaceports approved or planned.

8 of 107 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Saddle Up! by antispam_ben · · Score: 5, Informative

    As the other poster said, it doesn't matter for a sub-orbital flight. But even for orbital flights, taxes are a lot larger percentage of a commercial entities expenses than the equator's speed is a percentage of orbital velocity.

    But it also depends on what orbit you want. For a polar orbit it doesn't matter where you launch from, as an east-west speed differential won't help you go north-south. The big problem with a polar launch for an equatorial orbit surely isn't the lack of equator velocity boost, but rather the fuel used to go from the pole to the equator and then making that 90-degree turn at the equator.

    --
    Tag lost or not installed.
  2. Re:Ohio story by Robot+Randy · · Score: 5, Informative

    Actually, the first man to orbit the Earth was the Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who orbited on April 12, 1961.

    John Glenn was the first AMERICAN to orbit the Earth, which he did on February 20, 1962.

    Alan Shepard was the first American into space. He was aboard Freedom 7 on a suborbital flight on May 5, 1961.

  3. Landing in Ohio, launching from unknown location by Andrew+Penry · · Score: 4, Informative

    The article mentions that the site for launching and landing could be different. Ohio seems to be bidding for a landing and manufacturing site, with launching as a possiblity only if it's approved by the FAA. The article even mentions the idea of launching off of a barge and landing in Ohio.

  4. You forgot by plopez · · Score: 2, Informative

    Devo, the coolest nerds ever!

    --
    putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
  5. Re:Strange ship, and why in Ohio? by Amazing+Quantum+Man · · Score: 2, Informative

    Actually, Vandenberg is a great place for polar launches. You launch south, and you're over ocean. None of those nasty populated landmasses to worry about dropping stuff on.

    --
    Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
  6. This is not for launching. by damiangerous · · Score: 4, Informative
    This proposal isn't for launching. It's for support facilities and landing.

    State and local officials in Ohio are considering an incentive package that would lead the Canadian-American rocket venture PlanetSpace to put the manufacturing and landing facilities for its suborbital spacecraft at a former military air base near Columbus
    The article does discuss that it's conceivable that at some point in the future this site could be used for suborbital launches, but that's even further off than this "very preliminary" plan.
  7. Spelling Error by wasted · · Score: 4, Informative
    Captain Kirk was born in Ohio. Go figure.


    I think it is spelled I O W A.
  8. Re:Rocket Science eludes Slashdot. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    In Norway, the launch platform comes to you