Alaska Aerospace

What Alaska Aerospace does

Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) is a State-owned corporation of the State of Alaska, established in 1991, that operates the Pacific Spaceport Complex–Alaska (PSCA), a 3,700-acre FAA-licensed commercial vertical orbital spaceport on Kodiak Island. PSCA is the first FAA-licensed commercial spaceport in the United States and the only commercial vertical orbital spaceport not co-located on a Federal range, and it provides the largest launch azimuth range of any US spaceport (59° to 110°) for high-inclination, polar, and sun-synchronous orbits. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary Aurora Launch Services LLC, AAC delivers end-to-end launch services for government and commercial customers.

The company's core product surface centers on PSCA's six operational launch pads and supporting infrastructure, including a Launch Control Center, Launch Weather Operations Center, Payload Processing Facility, Integration & Processing Facility, Spacecraft & Assemblies Transfer Building, and Rocket Motor Storage Facility. A differentiating proprietary technology is the mobile Range Safety, Tracking, and Telemetry System (RSTS), which has supported launches at PSCA and at other spaceports worldwide. AAC also partners with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute on the Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR), the most extensive land-based rocket research facility globally and the sole high-latitude rocket range in the United States. Auxiliary offerings include STEM education kits, Launch Day Experience tours, internship programs, and FAA Spaceport Design Challenge participation. AAC is expanding its footprint via the planned Pacific Test Range (PTR), targeted as the world's longest ground-instrumented test range, and via the in-development Moonshot Space electromagnetic launch partnership.

AAC's business model is a professional-services revenue structure with three streams: end-to-end launch services, spaceport development consulting for organizations establishing or expanding aerospace operations, and contract opportunities pursued through government RFIs/RFPs. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; contracts are awarded through direct enterprise field sales to federal, commercial, and research customers and through Alaska's state procurement portal. Since 2014, AAC has operated without state or federal programmed funding, generating the entirety of its revenue from launches and support services. The company maintains dual headquarters in Anchorage (corporate and Aurora Launch Services) plus the Kodiak Island operations site and the Fairbanks-affiliated PFRR, with a leadership team of CEO John Oberst and COO Maggie Minton.

Name

Alaska Aerospace

Legal name

Alaska Aerospace Corporation

Website

https://akaerospace.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alaska Aerospace Corporation is a State-owned Alaska corporation operating the Pacific Spaceport Complex–Alaska (PSCA), providing commercial vertical orbital launch services and range support to government, commercial, and research customers from Kodiak Island since 1998.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kodiak

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Launch Services: End-to-end launch services including site engineering, mission planning, regulatory compliance, security, range safety & instrumentation, payload processing, vehicle integration, weather support, range operations, emergency response and post-launch analysis. Revenue earned from launches and support services. Since 2014, AAC has operated without state or federal programmed funding, relying entirely on revenue from launch operations.
2. Spaceport Development Consulting: AAC provides expertise to companies and organizations looking to develop new spaceports or expand aerospace operations in Alaska.
3. Contract Opportunities: AAC partners with businesses and organizations to support spaceport operations, infrastructure projects, and aerospace services through RFIs and RFPs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) operates the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (PSCA), an FAA-licensed commercial vertical orbital spaceport on Kodiak Island, providing end-to-end launch services including site engineering, mission planning, regulatory compliance, range safety and instrumentation, payload processing, vehicle integration, weather support, range operations, and post-launch analysis. Services are delivered to government and commercial customers through its wholly-owned subsidiary Aurora Launch Services LLC and via partnerships such as the Poker Flat Research Range with the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Product overview

Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) is a State-owned corporation operating the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (PSCA) as its flagship FAA-licensed commercial vertical orbital spaceport facility on Kodiak Island. The company provides comprehensive end-to-end launch services for government and commercial customers through its wholly-owned subsidiary Aurora Launch Services LLC. PSCA features six launch pads with full launch support infrastructure including Launch Control Center, Launch Weather Operations Center, Payload Processing Facility, and Integration & Processing Facility. AAC also partners with University of Alaska Fairbanks to operate the Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR). Beyond core launch operations, AAC offers proprietary Range Safety, Tracking, and Telemetry System (RSTS), education programs including Education Kits and Launch Day Experiences, spaceport tours, and internship programs. The company is expanding infrastructure through new orbital and horizontal spaceports and the Pacific Test Range initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (PSCA) FAA-licensed commercial vertical orbital spaceport on Kodiak Island providing responsive, agile, low-cost access to space for small and light-lift vertical launch rockets, with six launch pads, Launch Control Center, Launch Weather Operations Center, Payload Processing Facility, and Integration & Processing Facility.
• Launch Services Comprehensive end-to-end launch services covering site engineering, mission planning, regulatory compliance, security, range safety and instrumentation, payload processing, vehicle integration, weather support, range operations, emergency response, and post-launch analysis for government and commercial customers.
• Aurora Launch Services LLC Wholly-owned subsidiary providing low-cost, highly reliable launch services on a contract basis to both government and commercial space launch customers worldwide. Headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska.
• Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR) The most extensive land-based rocket research facility in the world and the sole high-latitude rocket range in the United States, located beneath the auroral oval for arctic atmosphere and ionosphere research, with AAC working to license PFRR for orbital launch over land.
• Range Safety, Tracking, and Telemetry System (RSTS) Proprietary mobile range safety, tracking, and telemetry system that has successfully supported government and commercial launches at PSCA and spaceports worldwide.
• Spaceport Development Consulting Expertise provided to companies and organizations looking to develop new spaceports or expand aerospace operations in Alaska, including initiatives such as the Pacific Test Range (PTR) intended to become the world's longest ground-instrumented test range.

Quantifiable outcome

• 35 successful launches since first launch in 1998
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Moonshot SpacecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2026MOU signed at 41st Space Symposium in Colorado Springs to explore next-generation approaches to delivering payloads to orbit and beyond. Moonshot's innovative electromagnetic launch systems for orbital (and beyond) payload delivery present a potential new capability for AAC. The collaboration supports AAC's mission to lead the State in exploration and development of space.
• University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute (UAFGI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2025Strategic partnership to strengthen Alaska's role in the global aerospace landscape by aligning public and private capabilities to support launch operations, research, and workforce development. AAC is partnered through State statutes with UAFGI, which owns and operates the Poker Flat Research Range near Fairbanks. AAC is working with UAFGI to license the PFRR for orbital launch over land.
• Global Spaceport AllianceflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024Alaska Aerospace is a plank holder and one of the first eight signatories of the Global Spaceport Alliance MOU. Participated in inaugural International Spaceport Meeting hosted by FAA in Milan, Italy. The alliance brings together key industry leaders to discuss evolving landscape of commercial spaceflight, enhance regulations, strengthen partnerships, and ensure sustainable growth for spaceport infrastructure worldwide.
• NASA Wallops Flight Facility / Goddard Space Flight CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPoker Flat Research Range is managed by University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute through a contract with NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, a component of the Goddard Space Flight Center. This relationship supports sounding rocket research operations at PFRR.
• FAA STEM AVSED ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlaska Aerospace is a supporter of the FAA STEM Aviation and Space Education (STEM AVSED) Program's Spaceport Design Challenge. Students in grades K-12 design virtual spaceports in Minecraft based on guidance from FAA aerospace and engineering experts, using PSCA as the model.
• Alaska Space Grant ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting students majoring in STEM or STEM education and enrolled in postsecondary institutions in Alaska. Alaska Aerospace supports this internship program administered through Space Grant.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SpaceX: Dominant US commercial launch provider operating Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Starship from multiple Federal ranges and Starbase. Sets the price/cadence benchmark that AAC must compete against for small- and medium-lift tenants.
• Cape Canaveral Space Force Station: The largest US Federal launch range and the dominant site for national security and commercial launches. AAC's positioning as a non-Federal alternative is directly framed against Cape Canaveral's congestion and approval complexity.
• Blue Origin: Operates Launch Site One in Texas and is building additional orbital capacity. A broader incumbent in commercial launch with overlapping government and commercial customers.
• United Launch Alliance (ULA): Established US launch provider operating from Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg. Competes for the same government and commercial launch customers AAC serves, but with a far broader vehicle portfolio and customer base.
• Vandenberg Space Force Base: Federal launch range on the California coast that is the established workhorse for US polar and sun-synchronous launches. Represents the primary incumbent competition to PSCA's high-inclination azimuth advantage.
• Northrop Grumman (Space Systems): Operates the Minotaur and Pegasus launch programs from Federal ranges including Wallops/MARS. A key launch customer competitor and potential tenant for shared spaceport infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Rocket Lab: Operates dedicated launch sites at Wallops Island (US) and Mahia (New Zealand), and provides end-to-end small-launch services. Closest private-sector analog to AAC as a vertically integrated spaceport operator and launch services provider for small-satellite customers.
• Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS): Commercial vertical launch spaceport located at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Competes with PSCA for small-class orbital launches and serves overlapping customers including Northrop Grumman and emerging launch providers.
• Spaceport America: New Mexico-based FAA-licensed commercial vertical orbital spaceport. Most directly comparable US spaceport operator to AAC/PSCA, competing for the same small- and medium-lift vertical launch tenants and serving similar polar/sun-synchronous customers.

Emerging players

• Axiom Space: Emerging commercial space company focused on low-Earth-orbit infrastructure, with growing launch-related demand. Represents a next-generation customer/tenant profile that AAC could pursue as commercial LEO activity expands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Alaska Aerospace