Editing Spaceport (section)

== Beyond Earth ==
Spaceports have been proposed for locations on the [[Moon]], [[Mars]], orbiting the Earth, at Sun-Earth and Earth-Moon [[Lagrange point]]s, and at other locations in the [[Solar System]].  Human-tended outposts on the Moon or Mars, for example, will be spaceports by definition.<ref>[{{Cite book |title=Lunar bases and space activities of the 21st century |first=Wendell W. |last=Mendell |publisher=Lunar and Planetary Institute |year=1985 |isbn=0-942862-02-3}}]</ref> The 2012 Space Studies Program of the [[International Space University]] studied the economic benefit of a network of spaceports throughout the solar system beginning from Earth and expanding outwardly in phases, within its team project Operations And Service Infrastructure for Space (OASIS).<ref name="OASIS">http://www.oasisnext.com/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224165156/http://www.oasisnext.com/ |date=24 December 2014 }}, OASIS official website{{Dead link|date=February 2025}}</ref> Its analysis claimed that the first phase, placing the "Node 1" spaceport with space tug services in [[low Earth orbit]] (LEO), would be commercially profitable and reduce transportation costs to [[geosynchronous orbit]] by as much as 44% (depending on the launch vehicle).  The second phase would add a Node 2 spaceport on the lunar surface to provide services including [[Lunar water|lunar ice]] mining and delivery of rocket [[propellant]]s back to Node 1.  This would enable lunar surface activities and further reduce transportation costs within and out from [[cislunar space]]. The third phase would add a Node 3 spaceport on the Martian moon [[Phobos (moon)|Phobos]] to enable refueling and resupply prior to Mars surface landings, missions beyond Mars, and return trips to Earth. In addition to propellant mining and refueling, the network of spaceports could provide services such as power storage and distribution, in-space assembly and repair of spacecraft, communications relay, shelter, construction and leasing of infrastructure, maintaining spacecraft positioned for future use, and logistics.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://isulibrary.isunet.edu/opac/doc_num.php?explnum_id=419 |title=OASIS Executive Summary Operations And Service Infrastructure for Space |access-date=7 December 2012 |archive-date=25 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125070228/http://isulibrary.isunet.edu/opac/doc_num.php?explnum_id=419 |url-status=live }}</ref>