Sustainable site planning for new launch facilities at spaceports

Abstract

The New Space industry not only demands expanded spaceport capacity but also careful consideration of the environmental impact of ground infrastructure development. Focusing on the Alcântara Space Center in Brazil (CEA - Centro Espacial de Alcântara), a data-driven site selection framework is presented, emphasizing cost-effectiveness and environmental compliance. When applied to the CEA case, this framework incorporates expert preferences and aligns Geographic Information System-Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (GIS-MCDA) with the development of launch site infrastructure and the assessment of environmental impact. The real case application results in robust ranking outcomes, despite some level of divergence amongst the experts. Contributions include expert clustering for sensitivity analysis, insights into spaceport impact on surrounding communities, and the proposal of an easily deployable decision-making process. The framework exhibits flexibility and can be adapted to different variations of the spaceport locational problems. Recommendations include the implementation of advanced geotechnical assessment protocols, enhanced quantification methodologies for environmental variables, and the utilization of comprehensive risk assessment techniques. These measures hold the potential to provide valuable insights for research and regulatory efforts within this rapidly evolving domain.