Discussion Ominke Atoll (feasibility of a man-made launch site)

[ISProgram]

(Might work on this in the future...)

In my fictional space program, the titular agency operates a man-made island as a launch site, known as tentatively as Ominke Atoll.

Basically, I'm looking for a set of parameters for this island's proposed location. They are:
1) A location allowing for low-inclination (geostationary) launches.
2) A location in where high-inclination (polar) launches do not fly over inhabited areas.
3) Here's the problem, a location close to a mainland (or strategically placed similarly) so that rocket stages/payloads can be delivered.

Ominke is also very large; on a scale similar to the entire Cape Carnaveral area. It’s supposed to support launches of HLVs as well...

My current baseline is about 6.125781, 171.765587, which is the current location of Mili Atoll. Mili Atoll is the largest piece of land after Kwajalein Atoll, which as we all know [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omelek_Island"]is/was already a launch site[/ame].

If I put Ominke here, then very likely, it will be property of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, so some similar situation to the one that lets ESA use French Guinea will have to be applied if my agency uses it. It also fulfills all of my previous mentioned criteria, except for 3).


The ACTUAL questions are:

Is such an artificial island feasible with current technology?

What sort of location would it have to be to support the aforementioned launches? My Mili Atoll area is only a baseline, so it's not conclusive. If you have a better location proposal, or think Mili is a bad choice, please explain why (because I don't like Mili myself for a few reasons I won't explain yet).

The highlighted area is Mili.

 

[PhantomCruiser]

I don't see why it wouldn't function as a suitable site. Infrastructure and logistics might be a problem, but there is a neighborhood Army base nearby (or there was).

 

[Pipcard]

The near-equatorial spaceport in Negishima is also very remote from Hatsunia (which is where Japan is supposed to be).

I excused the potential logistics problems because there are a lot of "remote near-equatorial island spaceports" out there. Also, Japan once had planned to build a spaceport on Christmas Island.

 

[Loru]

You can go ~660km southeast and investigate Kuria Island and adjacent one (Part of Kiribati). Shallow lagoon there is suitable for artifcial island expansion if needed and you're closer to equator. You can fit 5000 meter runway there along with all needed equipement with less construction in water.

 

[ISProgram]

You can go ~660km southeast and investigate Kuria Island and adjacent one (Part of Kiribati). Shallow lagoon there is suitable for artifcial island expansion if needed and you're closer to equator. You can fit 5000 meter runway there along with all needed equipement with less construction in water.

Kuria is looking better at the moment. One reason I didn't like Mili was because it (and all atolls) are basically just coral rings around water; not a lot of land, and a lot of water (saltwater during storms would reek havoc on the metal).

Kuria is also a island, not a atoll. So that means no sediment filling to make dry land (and no killing coral reefs as a result!). Very attractive for my goals. The space facility might bring much needed tourism to the area, and the airport can serve as a hub to deliver payloads and relatively small rocket stages.

Only problem: How to transport >5m stages to Kuria, with a barge. Lot of island hopping to do if that barge wants to get to Kuria from a mainland. I don't even want to think about what would happen if the stages had to come from the US or Russia...

Overall, Kuria Island is MUCH better than Mili Atoll. :thumbup:

 

[Loru]

You can use semi floating docks or even dock anchored to bottom of the sea connected to island.

Just hire chinese engineers to make one for you.

Yangshan Port

 

[ISProgram]

You can use semi floating docks or even dock anchored to bottom of the sea connected to island.

Just hire chinese engineers to make one for you.

Yangshan Port

What for, exactly? I don't know the reason you're suggesting this...

 

[Loru]

You can bulid proper docks for rocket stages delivery. Instead of barge you can haul them using big ships but you'll need proper docks for it.

 

[ISProgram]

You can bulid proper docks for rocket stages delivery. Instead of barge you can haul them using big ships but you'll need proper docks for it.

When I said barge, I meant "Delta Mariner-ese ship".

Alternatively, there's the Pegasus barge.

Or perhaps a hybrid vessel...

And whaddayaknow, there's even a picture that has basically/practically everything I'm looking for/visualizing!

 

[ISProgram]

Okay. With the ongoing development of the Aquarius and Verseau, I thought it was also time to revive this thread, since I'm planning for Ominke to be a scenario location.

It's been about 9 months since my last post, primarily because I didn't have time to get to work on it, mainly because I was still thinking about locations. The real issue is that I can't find high-res images of Kuria, so I can't plot out the layout, etc. The image attached is the highest-res one so far.

Anyhow, Kuria ended up being a very nice logistical location, so Ominke Space Launch Station is now located on the Oneke islet of the island. The Buariki islet will probably receive some modest infrastructure improvements, such as a new 10 m bridge to replace the one that already connects the islands. I'm still trying to figure out a feasible way to ship rocket stages (5m +) to the island.

The POS of Ominke/Kuria is 173.4000000 0.2166670. Kuria is very close to the equator, so it probably could do both Polar and GEO flights, and with no major landmasses in the way, a rocket could take a southern or northern trajectory without any issues with flyovers.

@Loru: Why exactly did you choose Kuria all those months ago?

Also, did some test to see if Ominke would be visible to the Aquarius if it were to launch from Cape Carnveral, for telemetry and mission control purposes.

 

[Loru]

@Loru: Why exactly did you choose Kuria all those months ago?

Same reason I've chosen Banaba as my base of operations: Close to equator for GEO and ecliptic launches, in the middle of nowhere so no need to be worry about rockets gone wrong way and devastating populated areas, enough room for north and south polar launches and solid ground instead of coral.

 

[martins]

Won't the local population have something to say about bulldozing their paradise island? How are you paying them out?

 

[Loru]

Won't the local population have something to say about bulldozing their paradise island? How are you paying them out?

Had some good arguments:

 

[boogabooga]

Had some good arguments:

Pretty much how the U.S. cleared out Bikini...

 

[ISProgram]

Won't the local population have something to say about bulldozing their paradise island? How are you paying them out?

Ah, but Kuria is one of the least densely populated island in all of Kiribati. It had 980 in 2010, which amounted to just 0.3 people per hectare.

Also, most of the infrastructure for spaceflight operations would be located on Oneke, which is the least populated section of Kuria, though Buariki will get some improvements as well, since it has a runway for receive personnel or payload.

Negotiations would probably be the best thing. Tourist are actually welcomed to Kuria, and a spaceport would increase revenue (and property value).

 

[martins]

Had some good arguments:

Did I mention that the indigenous population is 4 meters tall, has blue skin and enjoys riding dragons?

Negotiations would probably be the best thing. Tourist are actually welcomed to Kuria, and a spaceport would increase revenue (and property value).

Definitely. I can't help thinking that a space launch facility in your backyard may be detrimental to house prices and tourist income, not to mention a laid-back lifestyle, so asking first would be polite: http://www.mfed.gov.ki/about-us/contact-us

 

[Urwumpe]

Definitely. I can't help thinking that a space launch facility in your backyard may be detrimental to house prices and tourist income, not to mention a laid-back lifestyle, so asking first would be polite: http://www.mfed.gov.ki/about-us/contact-us

The prominent listing of the public holidays in that country on the website is already pretty exotic.... I would not be surprised if even the website gets closed on a public holiday.

Why not just launching in international waters?

 

[jedidia]

Launch facilities... Kiribati... Negotiations... this starts to sound like a certain Ben Bova novel...

 

[PhantomCruiser]

That's why I just set up shop at Sagan and Polygon (and WideAwake).

 

[jedidia]

The prominent listing of the public holidays in that country on the website is already pretty exotic....

...they have Boxing day as official public holdiday?? :rofl: