Alaska Aerospace is considering a barge landing and an airstrip to expand cargo access and launch options at Kodiak’s Pacific Spaceport Complex–Alaska. The state-owned corporation has provided launch services from the island since 1998.
Representative Nick Begich’s FY2027 community-project requests include $3,518,817 for the Pasagshak Bay Barge Landing Study–PSCA. The proposed funding would pay for planning and engineering of a marine logistics facility serving the spaceport.
The request identifies large rocket components and bulk materials as prospective cargo. Its stated objectives include reducing heavy-haul traffic on local roads and improving transportation safety. The amount is a study-funding request, rather than a construction award.
Marine Access Near the Launch Site
Cargo arriving in Kodiak currently travels approximately 50 miles by road to the spaceport, according to KMXT’s October 30 reporting. Alaska Aerospace CEO John Oberst said the landing study would consider Narrow Cape as well as Pasagshak Bay.
Oberst described a landing with a hardened surface where a vessel could lower its ramp and unload wheeled cargo. This arrangement would transfer equipment from water to land close to the launch facilities.
An Airstrip for Aircraft-Based Launches
The proposed airstrip would support aircraft-based launches. Oberst told KMXT that Fenix Space was interested in a Kodiak tow-launch attempt by the end of 2027.
In response to KMXT, Coast Guard spokesperson Omar Faba said Air Station Kodiak had no defined operational requirement for the proposed airstrip and no formal agreement, contract, or financial commitment to its development or use.
Fenix Space’s tow-launch approach uses an aircraft to pull a glider carrying a rocket. The glider separates from the towing aircraft before releasing the launch vehicle. This places the initial departure on a runway and the rocket’s release in flight.
NASA’s description of the system explains the technology behind that sequence. A business jet-class aircraft tows a remotely piloted glider with a rocket beneath it. After separating at approximately 40,000 feet, the glider uses a small rocket motor to climb and release the launch vehicle at an elevated flight angle. The glider then returns to the airfield. NASA reported that Fenix Space had licensed the technology.
