Lamu Spaceport
More actions
| Project | |
| Theme | Industry |
| Pillar | Economic Development |
Lamu Spaceport is a project within the Industry theme.
What it is
Describe the project in a few sentences, and cite where each fact comes from.
A 2024 conference paper by Kurt Gugelev-Shapiro sets out the drivers for a spaceport on the Kenyan coast, though it focuses on the existing Broglio Space Center at Malindi. It argues that the coast's equatorial position and eastward-facing ocean improve fuel efficiency and satellite deployment trajectories.[1] It also says the eastward orientation of the coastline provides a naturally safe crash zone over the ocean for launch accidents or staging jettisons.[2] On cost, the paper gives a rough estimate of a mass saving of roughly 151 kg per Soyuz launch compared with Cape Canaveral, or $755,000 per launch, and notes that the calculation makes some assumptions.[3] It names the deep-water port of Lamu, less than 120 km from Malindi, and the LAPSSet Corridor highway project as links to the launch location.[4]
Status and timeline
Who is involved
Sources
- Terms of Reference for the PPP tender for the Lamu Space Port, Government of Kenya (The National Treasury, State Department for Public Investments and Assets Management), issued 16 December 2025.
- Unlocking New Horizons: The Role of Kenya's Broglio Space Center in the Commercial Space Era, Kurt Gugelev-Shapiro, AIAA Region 2 Conference manuscript, 5 March 2024.
References
- ↑ AIAA Region 2 Conference 2024 Manuscript - March 5 - Kurt Gugelev-Shapiro.pdf, page 1.
- ↑ AIAA Region 2 Conference 2024 Manuscript - March 5 - Kurt Gugelev-Shapiro.pdf, page 3.
- ↑ AIAA Region 2 Conference 2024 Manuscript - March 5 - Kurt Gugelev-Shapiro.pdf, page 3.
- ↑ AIAA Region 2 Conference 2024 Manuscript - March 5 - Kurt Gugelev-Shapiro.pdf, page 5.