Start-ups plan rocket airport in the North Sea

A consortium of companies is planning to transport satellites into space from a ship. German and Dutch politicians support the idea. The first start-ups are now set to sign letters of intent.

Small satellites could be launched from a ship in the North Sea from 2023. The idea comes from the Federation of German Industries (BDI) and has been around since 2019; the "German Offshore Spaceport Alliance" (Gosa) consortium was founded last year. Now things are getting concrete: "several German and European rocket manufacturers" are to sign initial letters of intent with Gosa today, according to the world quotes from an invitation from the BDI. Federal Economics Minister Peter Altmaier, Dutch Ambassador Ronald van Roeden and people from the satellite industry will also be present.

According to Die Welt, the start-ups Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) and HyImpulse are among the first signatories. Gosa wants to launch smaller rockets from a special ship with a launch platform in the North Sea and thus compete with various other locations in Europe. There is a launch site in Norway, for example, from which the German company Isar Aerospace plans to send rockets into space from 2022. There are also plans for sites in Scotland. The advantage of the ship is that it is not tied to a specific location.

The ship is to be 169 meters long and rockets up to one ton and 30 meters long will be able to take off from the deck. The German government has not yet committed to the announced start-up funding of 25 to 30 million euros; the decision will probably not be made until the next legislative period.