Brief Overview

WHAT

A spaceport is a facility for launching spacecraft. Space-X and NASA's Kennedy Space Center are large famous spaceports. Many smaller spaceports also exist around the world. The smaller spaceport proposed for Marquette County, MI would launch rockets vertically from launch pads on the ground.

Initially it was advertised that there might be 6 launches annually at the Marquette spaceport. Then Gavin Brown, Executive Director of Michigan Aerospace Manufacturing Association, stated an average year will bring “anywhere from 20 to 36.” But the 2020 reports claim “as many as 60.” Given weather, it’s fair to assume that most will be in the spring and summer. So that might mean a launch every 3 days.

WHERE

Granot Loma is the site of the proposed spaceport in Marquette County, MI.

It is an estate located on County Road 550 north of Marquette, Michigan and it is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The estate of Granot Loma sits on 5,180 acres of woodland located along the Lake Superior shore.

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Rockets launching from Granot Loma would disrupt recreation along the 550 corridor. The following public recreational sites are within close proximity to Granot Loma:

Donnelly Preserve, Eagle's Nest Coastal Preserve, Echo Lake Preserve, Harlow Lake Preserve, Hogback Mountain, Hiawatha Water Trail, Little Garlic River, Little Presque Isle Beach, Noquemanon Trails at Saux Head Point, North Country Trails, Sugarloaf Mountain, Wetmore Landing, Yellow Dog River.

Why are we Concerned?

The pristine and ecologically sensitive lakeshore at Granot Loma will require creation of an extremely intense industrial use zone:

which will be built on fragile wetlands and hydric soil within 500 feet of the lakeshore.
where risk of explosion at launch will require evacuation of at least six nearby family residences.
where risk of explosion at launch will require road closure on County Road 550 for up to 6 hours at a time.
where, after even successful launches, rocket nose cones, 1st and 2nd stages, and large battery packs will fall to the lake and ground, causing both hazard and pollution below.
where lightning and water towers will pollute the day and nighttime sky views.
where extensive clear cutting will strip crucial habitat for many plant and animal species.
where, at each launch, a water deluge shockwave suppression system will draw large amounts of water from fragile groundwater tables and/or the already eroding lakeshore.
where each explosive launch blast will be seen and heard for miles around, just like the Wallops Island VA launch site, where the Washington Post describes that flights of rockets, just like those planned for Granot Loma, “are visible up and down the Atlantic Coast.”

A heavy industrial rocket launch zone within pristine wilderness and coastline would damage the ecosystem, endanger public safety, and adversely impact our regional recreational-based economy.

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WHO

Who came up with the spaceport idea?

MAMA - Michigan Aerospace Manufacturing Association. MAMA is the organization leading the Michigan Launch Initiative and the concept of a spaceport in Marquette County.
MLI - Michigan Launch Initiative
Marquette County Commission - MCC announced the proposed spaceport in July 2020. Click the name to read their explanation and answers to FAQ's about the spaceport.
Tom Baldwin - Owner of Granot Loma, the site of the proposed spaceport in Marquette County.

Who will make the decision?

Powell Township Board - Because Granot Loma is in Powell Township jurisdiction, it now falls to the Powell Township Board to decide if they will grant heavy industrial permitting for a spaceport.
FAA: Federal Aviation Administration.

What's the Process?

Click here to read Marquette County's explanation for this proposed spaceport.

Click here to read an in-depth article we wrote about the intentionally misleading way this spaceport was proposed.

The next steps in the process:

Feasibility Study released (we are here).
Powell Township Board votes on giving heavy industrial permitting to Granot Loma to build the spaceport.
MAMA and Granot Loma apply to the FAA for a spaceport permit.

What's next and How Can you Help?

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