Asia’s first ‘horizontal spaceport’ readies for liftoff

J-STORIES - Asia’s first horizontal launch spaceport is close to liftoff. It will be located at Oita Airport on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, with plans to launch a satellite within the year. It is hoped this new space initiative will boost local space-related industries, as well as attract tourists.

Horizontal launches offer a significant advantage over "vertical" launch methods that have traditionally been used to put satellites into space. Vertical rocket launches use vast amounts of fuel, are noisy, cause damage to launchpads and are vulnerable to changing weather conditions.

But the “horizontal launch” method, in which a rocket carrying the satellite is attached to the underside of a specially adapted Boeing 747, overcomes these issues by releasing the rocket and satellite into space mid-flight.

A Boeing 747 specially adapted for horizontal launches. The rocket is released at an altitude of 10,000 meters.      Source: Virgin Orbit/Greg Robinson — A Boeing 747 specially adapted for horizontal launches. The rocket is released at an altitude of 10,000 meters. Source: Virgin Orbit/Greg Robinson

Oita Prefecture's airport was chosen because of its 3,000-meter runway, which is needed for a Boeing 747 aircraft to take off. Also in its favor as a candidate was a good balance of partner companies offering the technology needed for checking and maintaining rockets and satellites, such as makers of automobiles, steel, and precision machinery.

Oita Prefecture has partnered with two space companies to create the spaceport. One is Spaceport Japan, which promotes the construction of spaceports in Japan and the development of related industries. The other is Virgin Orbit, part of space entrepreneur Richard Branson’s Virgin Group. Virgin Orbit has successfully conducted horizontal rocket launches from New Mexico in the United States and recommended Oita Airport as Asia’s first horizontal spaceport.

In February, Oita Prefecture also announced a partnership with Sierra Space in the United States and major Japanese trading company Kanematsu Corp. They plan to use Oita Airport as an Asia base for Sierra Space’s reusable manned space plane, the Dream Chaser.

Various regional authorities in Japan are keen to boost their economies through space development, including Hokkaido, Fukui, Ibaraki and Fukuoka prefectures. The national government is also giving support.

But some of those same regions face challenges regarding infrastructure, Oita included. For example, in order to accommodate the large number of anticipated visitors once the spaceport launches, Oita Airport wants to improve access to the airport from the city of Oita. Currently, this is limited to buses that take a one-hour route around Beppu Bay. To solve this, Oita Prefecture has decided to reintroduce a previously existing hovercraft service that can cross the bay in around 30 minutes.

A hovercraft service from the city of Oita to the spaceport across Beppu Bay is planned for 2023.      Source: Oita Prefecture — A hovercraft service from the city of Oita to the spaceport across Beppu Bay is planned for 2023. Source: Oita Prefecture

If such problems are solved, Oita Prefecture expects an estimated 10.2 billion yen economic boost in the five years following the first satellite launch. This consists of 3.1 billion yen from running the spaceport facilities, 1.5 billion yen from construction investment and 5.6 billion yen from tourism.

“We want to expand the options for space use in Asia and, at the same time, be a hub for space business as an Asian spaceport,” Oita Prefecture official Masahiro Hori told J-Stories.