Maine's Space Race: Lawmakers consider development of Maine Spaceport, NASA plans to launch first Maine-made satellite

Recent developments highlight the opportunities Maine has to benefit from the burgeoning space industry. Here’s a recap.

On Thursday, a legislative committee in Augusta unanimously approved a bill to create a leadership council to research the viability of siting a commercial spaceport in Maine. That news came on the heels of an announcement by NASA in late February that it would launch the first Maine-made research satellite into space within three years.

NASA to launch Maine satellite by 2023

A trio of CubeSats pictured shortly after deployment from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory module. (Photo/NASA)

NASA’s announcement that it would send a Maine-made satellite to space by 2023 was the result of a call last year for proposals from nonprofit and educational organizations for small research satellites, known as CubeSats, to be sent into space. Maine’s CubeSat, known as MESAT1, is one of 18 research satellites from 11 states that NASA has selected to fly as auxiliary payloads aboard rockets launching in 2021, 2022 and 2023, according to the announcement. The University of Maine led the effort, in collaboration with the University of Southern Maine.

MESAT1 will carry three payloads developed by students at Saco Middle School, Fryeburg Academy and Falmouth High School. Saco Middle School’s will investigate the impact of albedo (fraction of solar irradiation reflected back into space) on local temperature, Fryeburg Academy’s will study the application of a low-cost remote sensing tool to take images of shallow, coastal waters to distinguish water quality properties such as turbidity and phytoplankton concentration, and Falmouth High School’s will study harmful algal blooms to see if they increase atmospheric temperature and water vapor levels in the atmosphere above them.

NASA awarded $300,000 to the University of Maine to support the project. The Maine Space Grant Consortium also provided $150,000 to the project.

The pursuit of a Maine Spaceport

Could Maine benefit from developing a spaceport complex that includes a research center and rocket-launch site to send CubeSats into space? Sascha Deri, CEO of bluShift Aerospace in Brunswick, thinks so.

“The future Maine Spaceport complex has the potential to shift not only what others outside of the state think we’re capable of, but what we ourselves, our children believe we can achieve,” Deri said in testimony in support of a bill, LD 2092, which would create a group to explore the development of a Maine Spaceport. “The future of space exploration will have the words ‘Made in Maine.'”

On March 12, the Maine Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business unanimously voted the bill “ought to pass” and sent it to the full Legislature. The bill, introduced by Sen. Shenna Bellows, would create the Maine Spaceport Complex Leadership Council with the task of researching the development of a Maine Spaceport complex that would act as a hub for future space-related activities, from research to rocket launches and mission control. The bill calls for the council to create a strategic plan and present a plan to the governor by Dec. 31, 2021.

The pursuit of a Maine Spaceport is being spearheaded by the nonprofit Maine Space Grant Consortium, which is funded by NASA.

Maine is well positioned to host a spaceport because of a variety of factors, from its latitudinal position to its existing aerospace industry players, including two companies—VALT Enterprises and bluShift Aerospace—that are developing small launch vehicles, according to Terry Shehata, the consortium’s executive director.

“This information suggests that Maine is poised for a leadership role in the emerging and fast-growing market for nanosatellites, by launching nanosatellites using small, low cost launch vehicles into low polar orbits,” Shehata said in testimony before the committee during its March 5 public hearing on the bill.

Currently, there are only 10 FAA-approved spaceports in the United States, with several others being pursued. Maine has a five-year window of opportunity before it loses the advantage it currently has to become a leader in the new space economy, Shehata said, citing a market feasibility study commissioned by the Maine Space Grant Consortium, and funded by the Maine Technology Institute. He said the state is competing with Michigan and Halifax in the pursuit of a spaceport with polar launch capabilities.

The opportunity is real. Revenue from small-satellite launch services is estimated to surpass $69 Billion by 2030, according to a report from research firm Frost & Sullivan.

In Maine, the new space economy could contribute $500 million to $2.5 billion per year to the state’s GDP by 2040 and provide between 3,400 and 6,700 good paying jobs per year by 2040, while providing a significant source of tax revenues across the state, according to a study the Maine Space Grant Consortium commissioned from USM’s Center for Business and Economic Research.

The promises of a Spaceport in Maine are not for certain, though, which is exactly why Maine needs to be proactive about researching the possibility, according to Derek Webber, a former space engineer who know operates a consulting firm, Spaceport Associates, in Damariscotta.

“That is why I support the bill. It essentially costs us nothing, is bi-partisan, and the potential benefits could be substantial,” he said in testimony delivered March 5 before the committee. “The leadership council can potentially point us to a future which could provide a renaissance within the state, with sustainable long term employment opportunities, significantly diversifying our current economic base. Or, at the end of the study period, we might conclude that the cost-benefit just does not work out. We need to do the work, so that the state can make an informed decision.”