Morotai Spaceport in Indonesia

BCFOS -- After studying the surrounding environment in 3 potential spaceport island sites (Enggano-Bengkulu, Morotai-North Maluku, and Biak-Papua), LAPAN (21/11) announced Morotai Island as a future spaceport site. Planning ensued starting in December 2012. The launch site's completion is expected in 2025. In 2013, Indonesian space agency LAPAN will launched an RX-550 experimental satellite launcher from some point in Morotai to decided.source

This island was selected according to the following criteria:

Morotai Island's location near the equator, which makes the launch more economical. The island has 7 runways, one of them 2,400 meters, easily extended to 3,000 meters. The ease of building on Morotai, which is not densely populated and little potential for social conflict with native inhabitants. Morotai Island's east side faces the Pacific Ocean directly, reducing downrange risks to other island populations.

As the 7 runways presently exist, the primary developments required are the lengthening of one runway to 3,000 m and building the command centre and test facilities for Skylon. In addition the spaceport will be developed to be a fully operational commercial spaceport. The cost to be disbursed is Rp.40 trillion (around $4.5 billion)[M] based on the price of a similar site in Indonesia. The cost will be spread over the next four years with an initial input of $2.3 billion in 2020 from the increased military budget that Indonesia has held in reserve ([M] forgot to spend), the remainder being funded by 4 equal payments of $555 million per annum

In the meantime Biak Spaceport is fully capable of providing facilities for test flight of Skylon.


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