Spaceport America welcomes Japanese startup as new tenant

Spaceport America welcomed a new tenant this week, announcing a two-year lease with a Japanese space startup aiming to achieve orbital flight.

Tokyo-based Innovative Space Carrier and its Boulder, Colorado-based subsidiary, Sirius Technologies, plan to test reusable vehicles along with launch and landing techniques, ultimately aiming to fly a single-stage-to-orbit vehicle, which would not require jettisoning sections of the rocket.

Currently, the Sierra County facility cannot host orbital launches, which are limited to coastal areas due to safety considerations, a spokesperson for the Spaceport said.

“The current ISC/Sirius lease focuses on the organization’s early-stage build, launch and landing systems in preparation for a proposed (single-stage-to-orbit) vehicle,” the spokesperson said. “It’s estimated any inland orbital launch sites are years away from becoming a reality due to the combination of safety protocols and infrastructure needed.”

Moreover, when the prospect of an orbital launch does arrive, the Spaceport said it would follow planning agreements regarding the use of restricted airspace over the adjacent U.S. Army installation, White Sands Missile Range.

“Our aim is to begin with a small-scale takeoff and landing test and steadily build up a track record toward the realization of a round-trip space transportation system that can travel between Japan and the United States,” Innovative Space Carrier CEO Kojiro Hatada said in a written statement.

In the meantime, ISC/Sirius will construct a rocket processing building, a test-and-launch stand and storage facilities in advance of a future flight demonstration of the company’s ASCA 1.0 reusable rocket. Sirius CEO Kei Shimada said the mission “represents a landmark achievement in advancing U.S.-Japan collaboration in the aerospace sector.”

ISC/Sirius announced a deal last month with Denver-based rocket manufacturer Ursa Major to purchase 10 of its Hadley engines and collaborate on a medium-stage launch engine, referring to a stage of the rocket that drives a payload to orbit after the initial liftoff reaches its target altitude.

Spaceport America Executive Director Scott McLaughlin welcomed the new tenant as a demonstration that the facility can attract new customers. Best known for its anchor tenant, Virgin Galactic, the Spaceport also counts HAPSMobile/AeroVironment, UP Aerospace, Prismatic Ltd., Swift Engineering, Isotropic and SpinLaunch among its long-term lessees, in addition to customers using its facilities for test launches, training and other events.

Earlier this month, Venus Aerospace successfully flew a rocket with a new hypersonic system that might be used in future point-to-point passenger travel at up to six times the speed of sound.

“As we continue to make the Spaceport site ready, we are able to attract customers like Sirius who can quickly take advantage of the new infrastructure,” McLaughlin said.

It also follows the Spaceport inking a new 40-year lease with the New Mexico State Land Office in March, permitting it to begin and renew long-term subleases on the trust lands it occupies in the Jornada del Muerto desert basin outside of Truth or Consequences.

“The tests by Sirius are a first for Spaceport America, in terms of a multi-year sublease, specifically focused on reusability,” McLaughlin said, “and we are excited by the single-stage-to-orbit possibilities, which are ideal for an inland launch site like Spaceport America.”