What is it about?

As more countries and companies build rocket launch sites, there is no shared system to coordinate them. This paper proposes INCS. A voluntary global network that lets spaceports share scheduling tools, safety standards, and logistics so launches become smoother and more accessible for all.

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Why is it important?

The commercial spaceport industry is at an inflection point. As of 2025, more than 30 active or planned commercial spaceports exist globally, with new facilities emerging in Africa, Latin America, and Oceania. Yet there is no coordinating framework to ensure these facilities can interoperate, share best practices, or collectively respond to disruptions. The consequences of this fragmentation are already visible: a single Kennedy Space Center launch in 2013 caused 563 flight delays and forced aircraft to fly an additional 34,841 nautical miles due to manual airspace closure via Notices to Airmen. As launch cadences accelerate (with U.S. orbital launches projected to reach nearly 160 per year) this ad hoc approach becomes untenable. What makes the INCS proposal unique is its deliberate positioning as a voluntary, non-regulatory, consensus-driven consortium rather than a new international bureaucracy. It does not seek to replace the Global Spaceport Alliance, ICAO, UNOOSA, or CCSDS. Instead, it fills a specific niche: operational and logistical harmonization for the commercial sector. The paper proposes concrete technical components, including an AI-powered "SpaceSync" platform for dynamic launch scheduling (modeled on AI-driven port operations at Rotterdam and Busan), blockchain-enabled payload and supply-chain tracking (building on work by Moog's VeriPart and Rolls-Royce), and standardized protocols across five domains: infrastructure, safety, logistics, data exchange, and environmental sustainability. The inclusivity dimension is equally significant. Drawing on UNOOSA's KiboCUBE program, which has enabled 30 awardees from 15 countries to deploy CubeSats from the ISS, the INCS proposes guaranteed launch opportunities, advanced training fellowships, legal advisory services, and technology transfer partnerships for emerging space nations. The three-phase implementation roadmap (charter development, pilot projects, and ecosystem scaling) is modeled on successful consortia like W3C and ORCID, demonstrating that a lightweight, value-driven organization can achieve global impact without top-down mandates. This work matters for spaceport operators seeking efficiency, launch providers navigating fragmented regulations, emerging space nations seeking equitable access, and policymakers looking for pragmatic coordination models.

Perspectives

I wrote this paper because I kept encountering the same problem from different angles. In my work on the Omega Spaceport in Kenya, I saw how a new facility in an emerging market would struggle without shared standards and digital tools. In my research on interplanetary logistics, I saw how the absence of coordination frameworks on Earth would compound into chaos on the Moon and Mars. INCS is my attempt to solve the problem at its root, on the ground, where it is still manageable. What excites me most is the SpaceSync concept. Today, launch scheduling is largely manual, bilateral, and reactive. A single weather delay at one spaceport can cascade across an entire week of planned missions because there is no system-wide visibility. SpaceSync would change that by integrating real-time weather data, range availability, airspace schedules, and vehicle health into a single AI-optimized planning cycle. The maritime analogy is direct: the port of Rotterdam handles millions of containers annually using AI-driven berth allocation and predictive maintenance. The space industry, with far fewer "ships," should be able to do at least as well. I am also deeply committed to the inclusivity pillar. Nearly a quarter of all space agencies were founded since 2010, and the demand for space services is growing fastest in regions that currently have the least infrastructure. If INCS only serves established operators in the United States, Europe, and Australia, it will have failed. The capacity-building initiatives (modeled on UNOOSA's proven programs) are network effects. Every new spaceport that adopts shared standards makes the entire network more resilient and more valuable. I want to be transparent about limitations. INCS is a framework proposal, not an operational system. The blockchain logistics component, for instance, faces real challenges around oracle reliability and smart contract limitations. But the phased roadmap is designed to deliver tangible value early (a standardized spaceport capability database, a pilot supply-chain tracking project) before attempting full-scale integration. Credibility comes from demonstrated results.

Wanjiku Chebet Kanjumba
University of Florida

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Integrated Network for Commercial Spaceports: A Framework for Global Launch Accessibility and Multinational Collaboration, January 2026, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
DOI: 10.2514/6.2026-0935.
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