Spaceports have been planned for the Moon, Mars, circling the Earth, at Sun-Earth and Earth-Moon Lagrange points, and elsewhere in the Solar System. The International Space University’s 2012 Space Studies Program investigated the economic benefits of establishing a network of spaceports across the solar system, starting with Earth and gradually spreading outward.
The first phase, which would place the “Node 1” spaceport with space tug services in low Earth orbit (LEO), would be financially feasible and would lower transportation costs to geosynchronous orbit by up to 44 percent (depending on the launch vehicle). The second phase would include a Node 2 spaceport on the lunar surface to offer services such as Helium 3 mining and rocket fuel delivery back to Node 1.
This would allow for lunar surface operations while also lowering transportation costs inside and out of cislunar orbit. Aside from propellant mining and refueling, the network of spaceports might offer services like power storage and distribution, in-space assembly and repair of spacecraft, communications relay, shelter, infrastructure development and leasing, spacecraft maintenance and logistics.
