The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced<\/a> on Tuesday it was seeking public input on the possibility of using the submerged land formations and existing offshore facilities of the Outer Continental Shelf for space-related activities<\/a>, including the \u201coperation of offshore space launch platforms and potential identification of re-entry sites.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Outer Continental Shelf presents a significant opportunity to support the future of America\u2019s space economy,<\/a>\u201d Matt Giacona, acting director of BOEM, said<\/a> in a statement.<\/p>\n The agency, which oversees offshore developments including oil platforms and wind projects in these areas, argues the potential space launches<\/a> will advance priorities for the sector laid out in a 2025 Trump executive order.<\/p>\n \u201cOffshore launch, re-entry, and recovery infrastructure could expand operational flexibility, increase capacity, reduce constraints on growing launch demand, and strengthen the nation\u2019s commercial and national security space capabilities<\/a>,\u201d he added in his statement.<\/p>\n Some have questions about using these coastal zones for space activities.<\/p>\n \u201cSpace junk and rocket explosions have already been trashing our coastal wildlife refuges and now Trump wants to expand that destruction farther into our oceans,\u201d Miyoko Sakashita, oceans program director at the Center for Biological Diversity, told The Hill<\/a>.<\/p>\n Demand for regular space launches remains high, as companies such as SpaceX and Amazon pursue satellite-based internet networks and AI companies clamor for a future of data centers in space. <\/p>\n Companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin have further driven down launch costs, and Lockheed Martin, Firefly Aerospace and Seagate Space are seeking to used sea-based platforms for national security missions.<\/p>\n One such mission could include supporting the Trump administration\u2019s Golden Dome defense initiative<\/a>, a space-based missile defense system.<\/p>\n Coastal areas are already used for launches, including Vandenberg Space Force Base in central California, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and SpaceX\u2019s Starbase facility in southern Texas.<\/p>\n SpaceX also lands certain stages of its rockets on autonomous \u201cdrone ships<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\nThe Trump administration is exploring using submerged offshore lands and oil platforms for space launches, part of the White House push to expand the American presence in space (Getty)<\/p>\n
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Demand for space-based internet systems, exploration projects, AI data centers and national security missions is driving rocket launches, and firms are exploring using offshore platforms to conduct them (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n