Europe is to gain more flexible access to space. The Bremen-based space technology group OHB has founded a subsidiary that is to build launch site infrastructure.
European Spaceport Company will build mobile and fixed launch pads on land and on ships, OHB announced. In addition to the pads themselves, the company will also build ground segments, control centers, and test facilities, as well as offer various services.
“Europe needs reliable and independent access to space,” says OHB CEO Marco Fuchs. In addition to rockets, this also includes launch sites.
OHB involved in Kourou
OHB has been developing and building launch pads for a long time. For example, the Bremen-based company has been involved in the European rocket launch site in Kourou for around 30 years through its Augsburg-based subsidiary MT Aerospace. With European Spaceport Company, OHB wants to bundle its activities in this area.
An expansion of the launch site in the French overseas department of French Guiana will also be one of the first projects of European Space Company, according to OHB. A new launch complex for various launch vehicles is to be built there. In addition, the company is to participate in the development of a European offshore spaceport.
OHB is one of the members of the German Offshore Spaceport Alliance (GOSA), which has been calling for its German spaceport for several years. However, a test planned for summer 2024 in the North Sea was cancelled due to a lack of approval from Great Britain. GOSA intends to launch a rocket from the North Sea for the first time next year.
(wpl)
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This article was originally published in
It was translated with technical assistance and editorially reviewed before publication.
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