The New Space Race: America Must Build a Global Network of Spaceports
By Sean Graham
The space industry is booming, with record launches and satellites filling our skies. In 2024 alone, we saw 259 orbital launch attempts globally – roughly one every 34 hours – a testament to surging commercial demand. Yet, our launch infrastructure is struggling to keep pace. The world's appetite for space access has outgrown our current capabilities, creating a critical bottleneck. To meet this challenge and maintain our strategic advantage, the United States must lead a disruptive push to develop spaceports globally, in partnership with industry and allied nations. This isn't just about commercial growth; it's about national security and a profound opportunity for a "return on inspiration" that transcends mere financial gain.
We are in a new space race, with China rapidly advancing its own ambitious lunar and orbital programs. As NASA Administrator Bill Nelson warned, we "better watch out that [China doesn't] get to a place on the moon [and say], 'Keep out, we're here, this is our territory.'" Establishing a sustained presence on the Moon before China is crucial for setting the terms of lunar development and ensuring a values-based, cooperative framework for space exploration. This requires an unprecedented operational tempo, which our current launch infrastructure cannot sustain alone. This is our generation's Sputnik moment, calling for a whole-of-nation and allied approach, harnessing the agility and innovation of the commercial sector.
To accelerate global spaceport development, a multi-faceted strategy is essential:
1. Mobilize Private Capital and Innovative Financing for a Return on Inspiration: Ambitious spaceport expansion demands significant investment beyond government budgets. A recent breakthrough, the Secure U.S. Leadership in Space Act, makes spaceport projects eligible for tax-exempt infrastructure bonds, similar to those used for airports. This lowers financing costs and unlocks private investment, attracting institutional investors into funding spaceport construction. This model, which has driven U.S. airport expansions for decades, shifts much of the funding burden off taxpayers and makes capital significantly cheaper. The Export-Import Bank of the U.S. (EXIM) is also actively supporting space industry deals, countering foreign subsidies and ensuring U.S. companies remain competitive. This isn't merely about financial returns; it's about investing in the future of humanity, fostering innovation, and inspiring the next generation of explorers and entrepreneurs. It's about a "return on inspiration" that fuels technological breakthroughs and expands our understanding of the universe. We must leverage these mechanisms, along with public-private partnerships, to fund a robust network of launch facilities, seeing each spaceport as a gateway to new possibilities.
2. Forge International Alliances and New Launch Sites: No single country can provide all the launch infrastructure the booming space economy requires. The U.S. is already laying the groundwork by signing Technology Safeguards Agreements (TSAs) with allies like Brazil and the UK, enabling American rockets to launch from foreign soil. These "win-win" agreements give allies a stake in the space economy and provide U.S. industry with more global launch options. We must fast-track TSAs with key partners like Australia, Japan, South Korea, and India, and explore new sites in Norway, Sweden, and France to create a diverse and resilient global network. This global coalition will standardize safety and licensing, provide technology transfer, and ensure an interoperable network of launch sites, denying adversaries a chance to dominate space access.
3. Embrace a Whole-of-Nation Approach: Expanding launch capacity requires coordination beyond any single agency. The U.S. Space Force is upgrading its ranges, but meeting national needs means expanding beyond the two main U.S. ranges. Closer coordination between Space Force, NASA, the FAA, Department of Transportation, and even the Department of Commerce is vital. We must encourage shared use of launch assets and leverage NASA's expertise and international partnerships. This includes exploring mobile sea-based launch platforms, a capability China has already demonstrated, to relieve onshore congestion and provide flexible launch options. This collaborative effort, akin to the Apollo era, will maximize overall throughput and ensure resiliency.
4. Secure Critical Minerals and Supply Chains: Building more rockets and space infrastructure at an accelerated pace will strain supply chains for critical materials like rare earths, titanium, and carbon fiber. The U.S. is currently too reliant on foreign sources, particularly China, for many of these. Initiatives like the Unearth America’s Future Act aim to boost domestic critical mineral production, and EXIM Bank is financing projects to reshore critical supply chains. We must prioritize hardening Earth-based supply chains, building stockpiles, fostering allied trade, and investing in alternatives to ensure our ambitious space goals are not derailed by material shortages. This also extends to long-term strategies, such as the utilization of lunar resources, which could one day supplement Earth-sourced materials and provide a strategic advantage.
5. Engage Key Commercial Partners: The commercial sector is at the heart of this strategy, driving innovation and investment. Companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, United Launch Alliance (ULA), Northrop Grumman, Rocket Lab, Relativity Space, and Firefly Aerospace are leading the way. The government must act as a catalyst, customer, and coordinator, providing regulatory and infrastructure support, and acting as anchor customers for new spaceports. By enabling numerous companies and allied entities to participate, we foster competition, reduce costs, and ensure a resilient, high-cadence launch ecosystem. This leverages America's greatest strength: entrepreneurial innovation, which will multiply our overall space access and ensure no single point of failure.
The new great-power competition in space is a race to build the infrastructure and norms that will govern cislunar space for generations. By launching a Global Spaceport Development Program, expanding domestic ranges, implementing financial incentives, fast-tracking TSAs, promoting public-private partnerships, enhancing sea launch capabilities, securing supply chains, and maintaining U.S. leadership in norms, we can create a global web of launch capabilities that is resilient, high-capacity, and aligned with democratic values. This will directly support the goal of putting American-led teams on the Moon before China and lay the foundation for a sustained lunar presence and eventual Mars missions.
America led in creating the global aviation network and the internet; now we are poised to lead in building the space infrastructure that will power the 21st century. With focused effort, adequate investment, and wise partnerships, we can ensure that the next giant leaps for humanity carry the imprint of American leadership and ideals, to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. This is not just a call to action; it is an invitation to invest in a future that inspires, innovates, and elevates all of humanity.
Sean Graham
CEO
Karman Line, Inc.
Karman Line is a pioneering development and technology company building the essential infrastructure and community ecosystem around spaceports globally. By combining real estate investment, advanced data intelligence, and national security partnerships, Karman Line builds sustainable, thriving communities that power the future of the space economy.
