New Spaceport Announced In Nova Scotia - Operational In 2023

Slashdot reader boudie2 writes: Maritime Launch Services has secured financing it says will allow it to begin construction on a spaceport facility this fall and get its first launch off the ground in 2022. The first Cyclone 4M medium-class launch vehicle would take off in 2023.

The company wants to construct a rocket-launching site in Canso, Nova Scotia to send satellites into orbit for use in near-earth imaging, communications and scientific experiments. President and CEO Steve Matier stated the company has been approached by small satellite launchers, and MLS is considering hosting one of them for a first flight to orbit from the launch site as the facility scales up its operations. The company is expecting additional funding for the project will be secured through equity, debt and launch contracts.

Lame

[backslashdot]

Nova Scotia is boring. Call me when somebody builds one on Mars or the moon. Or even in deep space.

Re:

[fustakrakich]

Nova Scotia is boring.

Not anymore. Soon it will be brimming with scum and villainy, better than Vegas...

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[rikkards]

So Trudeau is moving there?
The wrong brother moved to BC

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[tlhIngan]

Yeah, you'd think they'd go for Vulcan, AB [wikipedia.org].

Then again, Alberta generally discourages anything that might diversify its economy and of late has been discouraging anything that isn't oilsands related.

Pretty far from the equator

[Shag]

What sort of orbital inclinations would this location be advantageous for?

Re: Pretty far from the equator

[RightwingNutjob]

Polar orbits for earth observing satellites.

Student science projects.

That's about it.

Re:Pretty far from the equator

[ytene]

The decision to launch at or near the equator isn't simply one of being able to easily reach equatorial orbits, although that's certainly going to be a significant consideration.

In addition, there is the "assist" that a rocket gets based on the "orbital velocity" of the point on the Earth's surface from which it launches. Canso, Nova Scotia is at a latitude of almost exactly 45 degrees north, which puts it at approximately a 500km/h disadvantage compared with an equatorial launch.

Nice little explanation can be found here. [northwestern.edu]

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[rikkards]

Is the Federal government subsidizing this venture? They seem like they want to blow money looking at the gun ban and how much that will cost rather than investing it in border services directly. Course that may interfere with the people who are flying back across the border and introducing the variants but you know they bought off the elderly with Pfizer so they should be fine next election

Too far North?

[NFN_NLN]

I thought Florida and "near equator" locations were optimal because they were "closer to space" due to the bulge of the earth?

Nova Scotia doesn't sound very optimal.

Re:Too far North?

[jwhyche]

I never thought about them being closer to space at the equator. The reason the equator is is optimal is because the faster spin rate of the Earth at that point gives the rocket a extra boost in speed.

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[larwe]

It's the same thing, stated different ways. Remember, going to orbit isn't about flying high - it's about flying fast.

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[larwe]

It _is_ the same thing.The equator is better, as I said, not because it is "further out" but because it is moving faster. What you said about oblate vs prolate is true, of course.

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[larwe]

And by "better" I mean "closer to space" in the energy-expenditure-to-get-to-orbit sense.

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[Calinous]

You have the small disadvantage of a slightly "higher" atmosphere though. Not that this impact would be in any way comparable to the Earth rotation speed (which is the Equator every 24 hours at the Equator, and basically zero at the geographic North and South poles).
Nuclear missile submarines have the possibility to launch Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles from the North Pole (ICBMs are the closest thing to satellites).

Space planes?

[goombah99]

Perhaps the Branson style space planes can launch from anywhere?

Re: Too far North?

[aRTeeNLCH]

To be precise, it is not the extra speed of movement at the equator, which is sideways/lateral and not vertical, but the reduced gravity.

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[Calinous]

If you have ever flown a commercial airplane, "Space" is just ten times higher (the definition mentions something around 100 km or 60 miles).
Unfortunately, a commercial planes fly slower than 250 m/s.
The SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest plane to ever fly, flies at almost 1 kilometer a second (so one mile per 1.6 seconds).
Meanwhile, orbital velocity (the International Space Station for example) is 7.66 km/s at 400 km height - almost 5 miles a second at 250 miles high.

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[CaptainLugnuts]

Polar orbits.

You need to lose the rotational velocity if you want the craft to see everywhere every 12 hours.

Re:Too far North?

[boudie2]

Found this about why the location was chosen. "Remember there are different types of orbits. You don’t just have to go around the equator, although if you do, then yes it’s a major advantage to launch from near the equator. But polar orbits, including the related “sun synchronous” orbits (SSO), loop in a polar direction, 90 degrees away from the equator. If you want to provide communication satellites at the poles, you’re going to have to put a series of satellites up there that give you continuous coverage." "Sun synchronous orbits are particularly interesting for remote sensing, i.e. looking down at the Earth. Those orbits pass the same point on the equator at the same time of day. That means you can get consistent images with the same Sun angle. Useful if you want to judge how healthy crops or forests are by their reflectance of sunlight." "For these types of orbits you can launch from north or south of the equator without a significant penalty, and in some cases significant advantages. Launching from Canso would mean a due south flight path which doesn’t go over any populated areas. It’s perhaps one of the best places in N. America to launch from for polar and SSO orbits."

It must be expensive

[ZaxbyChicken]

150 minerals and 100 gas, to be exact.

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[G00F]

150 minerals and 100 gas, to be exact.

What's this in reference too?

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[ZaxbyChicken]

Starcraft starport cost

Been there. It never happens.

[louzer]

"It is planned to have Britain's spaceport in operation by 2018" [archive.org]

Anywhere near Sunnyvale Trailer Park?

[AmazingRuss]

https://external-preview.redd.... [external-preview.redd.it]

A that latitude?

[OneHundredAndTen]

It's going to make it attaining most orbits of interest quite a bit more expensive. Even the Russians go as close to the Equator as they can.

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[Ol Olsoc]

It's going to make it attaining most orbits of interest quite a bit more expensive. Even the Russians go as close to the Equator as they can.

And yet, Astra is launching rockets from Alaska https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/1... [cnbc.com]

Definitely go to the link, they have an image of a launch and it's against snowcapped mountains and evergreen trees. Seems strange. I wonder how the winter launches will go?

While it is true that higher latitude launch sites pay a penalty when going into non polar orbits, rocket engines are now pretty capable, and much of the orbital insertion point can be attained by adjusting burn time. Unless you are trying to run the ca

Does this make any sense?

[argStyopa]

Isn't there a massive launch energy cost to putting your pad at 45 deg N vs the equator?

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[groobly]

Maybe their market is only for polar orbit.

Another smallsat launcher?

[Dereck1701]

I'm a bit dubious as to their economic viability given the number of smallsat launchers already active and the ones ones in development. Add to that the limitations of smallsats and decreasing launch costs and I would guess you'll see a lot less of these dedicated smallsat launchers and a lot more medium to large satellite launches with a few ride-share smallsats. No doubt there will still be a market for dedicated smallsat launchers well into the future but I doubt enough to sustain the dozens of current/