Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index A spaceport is a site for launching spacecraft, by analogy with airport for aircraft. Typically the site is large enough that should a rocket explode it will not endanger human lives or adjacent launch pads. It is believed that future hypersonic aircraft will require a very long runway rather than a vertical launch pad. Such hypothetical spaceports will present unique challenges in noise abatement, zoning, and passenger access, with as much as a 5 mile wide corridor surrounding a 30 mile long runway. A dedicated mass transit system from the nearest public access point to the aircraft boarding area will be required. Some of the main spaceports are: Alcantara space base, Maranhao, Brazil Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan Centre Spatial Guyanais at Kourou, French Guiana Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China Kennedy Space Center, Florida Plesetsk cosmodrome, Russia Tanegashima Space Center, Tanegashima Island, Japan Vandenberg AFB, California This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.