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I have two questions:

  1. What is the hype about launching rockets from high latitude launch sites? For references: Andoya Space (Norway) and ESRANGE (Sweden) received grants of > 20 M EUR. Wouldn’t a launch site closer to the equator and ocean give a launch company much more flexibility in terms of launch directions/orbits, weather, etc.?
  2. What is the revenue model behind a launch side to justify such high incentives?
Fred
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ben
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  • Related: https://space.stackexchange.com/q/29487/38535 & https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/11986/if-a-rocket-launched-due-east-from-a-high-latitude-what-happens-to-its-path?rq=1 – PM 2Ring Oct 11 '21 at 18:39
  • Thanks, but this is not really what I am looking for. – ben Oct 11 '21 at 18:52
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    Same question https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/457/is-there-any-advantage-in-launching-spacecraft-from-a-high-latitude-or-why-was – A. Rumlin Oct 11 '21 at 19:00
  • Launch sites closer to the equator are more advantageous for prograde orbits, but are disadvantageous for retrograde orbits or very high inclination polar orbits. I these cases it is not an advantage to be moving at the speed and direction that the Earths equator moves. That said these orbits are very much in the minority. – Slarty Oct 11 '21 at 20:15
  • I am fully aware of orbital mechanics. And what is the revenue model behind a launch site in the North if only very high inclination satellites can be launched? If I would be a Lauch company I would rather pick one site to avoid doubling opex or even have a own launch pad. If I have the money to build a rocket a Lauch pad should be a minor concern, or am I wrong?! – ben Oct 11 '21 at 20:50
  • @ben +1 After reading all the answers to the linked questions I have to agree that I can't figure out either why a high latitude would be an advantage for a launch sight. There are some vague suggestions (e.g. this answer's "High latitude launch sites are better suited for accessing polar orbits or highly elliptical orbits (or HEO orbits).") but nothing is supported. – uhoh Oct 11 '21 at 22:07
  • @ben Sometimes people are too quick to say "this has been answered before" and the remedy is to add links to those questions into your question and explain "I've read the answers to the following and while it's suggested high latitudes have advantages in some cases, this has hot been clearly demonstrated nor any supporting link used to justify it. Perhaps there are no orbital mechanical advantages at all?" That said, you have not demonstrated that "the hype" is because of latitude. – uhoh Oct 11 '21 at 22:13
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    @ben Perhaps "the hype" is instead due to geography (polar launches over an expanse of water) and logistics easy payload and/or rocket transport options via land (rail, road) and by sea? I have a hunch that these may be strong factors. In the same way that Rocket Lab is finding its place in the launch business by carving out a section of the market rather than trying to do everything for everybody, a launch site can also have potential for economic success by doing so as well? Are there perhaps payload builders in Europe that would prefer a European launch site for high inc. orbits? – uhoh Oct 11 '21 at 22:22
  • Ground support systems are nothing to sneeze at in terms of money and effort! – BrendanLuke15 Oct 12 '21 at 11:10
  • @ben: "If I have the money to build a rocket a Lauch pad should be a minor concern, or am I wrong?!" – Elon Musk has pointed out many times that "Stage Zero" as he likes to call it is at least as complex as the rest of the rocket. Not only is it at least as complex, if not more, but also you can't iterate as fast and as much. If you're building hundreds or thousands of rockets, you can make slight improvements every time. But you're never building hundreds or thousands of launch pads, so you only have a few tries to get it right and only very little opportunity to iterate and improve. – Jörg W Mittag Oct 12 '21 at 12:13
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    @uhoh I fully agree with what you are saying; I just don't see the commercial viability in having so many European Launch sites in the north, especially when they are only restricted to higher latitude orbits. IMHO I think things will eventually converge towards an already well established site such as Kourou French Guiana (analogy: Cape Canaveral Space Launch Site, Kennedy Launch Site, etc.) which allows to launch in all orbits.

    My question was mostly about commercial viability of those high launch sites, but nobody seems to know much about those business models.

     – ben Oct 15 '21 at 12:04
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    I see, that makes a lot of sense! Since there are no answers posted yet, you are free to adjust your question; I think your comment here is more clear, concise and focused than your original question post about the "hype". Maybe you can consider revising/refining your question post to match your comment? – uhoh Oct 15 '21 at 14:19

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