WASHINGTON — Firefly Aerospace has signed an agreement to study potential launches of its Alpha rocket from a new Japanese commercial spaceport.
Space Cotan, the Japanese company that operates Hokkaido Spaceport, said Aug. 18 it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Firefly to explore the feasibility of launches from the spaceport.
The spaceport, also known as HOSPO, is located in Taiki Town in southeastern Hokkaido, and can support launch azimuths from due east to south, supporting mid-inclination and polar orbits. It currently has a pad for suborbital launches, including one by jtSpace, the Japanese affiliate of Taiwanese launch company tiSpace, on July 12. The rocket malfunctioned shortly after liftoff.
HOSPO has plans to develop additional launch complexes for orbital rockets. Interstellar Technologies, which has launched suborbital rockets from the facility, signed a “foundational agreement” with Space Cotan in June to develop a pad there for its Zero small launch vehicle.
“By taking advantage of the ideal location of Taiki Town in Hokkaido, we will support various launch service providers and contribute to the revitalization of the space industry in the region,” Yoshinori Odagiri, president and chief executive of Space Cotan, said in a statement.
For Firefly, the MOU potentially further expands the spaceports that it can use for Alpha rockets, capable of placing up to one ton of payload into orbit. The company has, to date, exclusively launched Alpha from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California but announced plans last year to use the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia, as well as Esrange Space Center in Sweden. First launches from both sites are projected for 2026.
“We look forward to exploring the opportunity to launch our Alpha rocket from Japan, which would allow us to serve the larger satellite industry in Asia and add resiliency for U.S. allies with a proven orbital launch vehicle,” Adam Oakes, vice president of launch at Firefly, said in the statement.
The announcement did not state when Firefly launches from HOSPO might begin. A company spokesperson told SpaceNews the timing of any launches there would depend on the results of a feasibility study now underway as part of the MOU.
Oakes said in January that Firefly planned five Alpha launches in 2025, all from Vandenberg. The vehicle, though, has been grounded after the first of those, in April, failed to reach orbit. An anomaly during stage separation caused the loss of the nozzle of the upper stage engine, preventing it and its payload, a Lockheed Martin technology demonstration satellite, from reaching orbital velocities.
The company has provided few public updates on the status of the investigation into the failed launch, overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration, or plans for the vehicle’s return to flight.
“The Firefly team is working closely with our customers and the FAA to finalize the investigation and has made significant progress,” the company told SpaceNews. “We will provide more information on the findings and corrective actions once the investigation is complete.”