Spaceport Associates

Commercial Space Developments

Welcome to Spaceport Associates!

We have acted as a think tank developing policy initiatives related to commercial space, and also provide an educational resource to those interested in space tourism, commercial space exploration and eventual space settlement. We have proposed joint government/commercial activities to make possible a "Gateway Earth" outpost at the edge of Earth's gravity well. Space tourists would have a hotel there, with vistas of the whole Earth, and a regular taxi service from low Earth orbit using refuelable tugs. The space tourism revenues would help pay for the building and operation of the complex, which would provide a new start and end point for governmental interplanetary missions. Development of this concept continues on the associated website www.GatewayEarth.space, which is the home site for the Gateway Earth Development Group (GEDG), formed in November 2015. The Gateway Earth concept is described in Chapter 11 of Derek Webber's No Bucks: No Buck Rogers - Creating the Business of Commercial Space, and Appendix E of Afterglow — Reflecting with the Apollo Astronauts on their Missions and Lives, both available from www.curtis-press.com.

We have worked on protection of lunar heritage sites from potential damage from future robotic and/or human explorers arriving on the Moon, and have taken a leadership position to bring about necessary regulatory protections thru the "For All Moonkind" organization. Derek Webber was Co-Chair of a Working Group within the Moon Village Association – an NGO having Observer Status at the UN’s Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) – charged with developing The Lunar Commerce Portfolio of potential future businesses on the Moon.

Derek Webber at business end of Europa Launch Vehicle, Munich, Germany 2015
Derek Webber at business end of Europa Launch Vehicle, Munich, Germany 2015
Space Tourism Business book cover
New book on Space Tourism Business, published in 2020, and available from Curtis Press.
Derek Webber addressing delegates at UN in Vienna, June 2019, regarding the need for protection of lunar legacy sites.

The following papers and essays, and the FAQ, provide some insight into the relevant issues.

Results of Past Website Surveys

Should Lunar Mining and Resource Extraction be allowed? 22% say Yes, 33% say “under some circumstances”, and 44% say “No”.

When do you think the first lunar orbit space tourism flight will happen? 32% say before 2024, 47% say between 2025 and 2030, 21% say never

Will we ever be able to exploit the Moon and asteroids to make money? 89% say YES

When do you believe there will be humans living on Mars? 11% say within 10 years, 24% say within 20 years, 33% say within 50 years, 11% say never.

Do you believe potential space tourists would pay more to go to GEO instead of LEO? 81% say YES.

Should government or commerce lead in space exploration? 86% say Commerce