Piura’s Spaceport: Promising Astronomy, Tourism and Education

The ancient Peruvians were known to observe the stars for both religious and practical purposes, including creating calendars and planning cities. Now, a new opportunity for the advancement of astronomy has arisen with the planned construction of a spaceport in Piura.

The project, known as Spaceport, is gaining attention as one of the designated locations for its establishment is the El Pato air base in Talara. The Private Investment Promotion Agency (Porinversión), along with the Peruvian Air Force (FAP) and the Ministry of Defense, are responsible for defining the management plan to make this spaceport a reality.

The spaceport will enable rocket launches for orbital and suborbital flights, offering a 30% fuel saving due to its location near the equator. This translates to a 30% increase in cargo capacity for these flights. The facility will include ground platforms, a control center, preparation hangars, and runways all located away from populated areas.

In addition to facilitating space exploration, the spaceport is expected to contribute to space tourism. Companies like Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, and SpaceX offer suborbital flights while World View Enterprises specializes in balloon travel that allows passengers to view the curvature of the Earth from high altitudes.

Education and technology are also set to benefit from this project as it provides an opportunity for students to learn about satellite assembly and ground station operations through initiatives like “CubeSats in Peru”. Collaboration with NASA and the United States Space Command Commission will further enhance technological research and development in Peru.

Young Peruvian researchers have already made their mark on international space exploration by winning first place in NASA’s International Space Apps Challenge with their innovative tool promoting space tourism and education called Space Odyssey Planner. This tool aims to engage the public in astronomy and space exploration.