Mark Roman of Solon is a fine woodworker and member of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space.

I read with interest the Sept. 17 op-ed by Thom Moore, “Maine should vie to be the next US spaceport,” arguing for Maine to become a place where rocket launches occur regularly.

It’s not surprising that a retired NASA scientist who is not from Maine feels our state would be improved by toxic industrial activity of the sort Texas and Florida have to deal with regularly. Moore writes: “… a space industry could make beneficial contributions to Maine’s economy and to the national supply of viable launch sites.”

Let’s examine those claims. 

Claims of benefit to Maine’s economy must be weighed against the harms to our traditional economy. Maine’s economy is highly dependent on commercial fishing on the one hand and tourism on the other. Even with the government shutdown, tourists are still flocking to Acadia National Park from all over the world. It’s a uniquely beautiful spot where one can witness the first rays of dawn light in the continental U.S.  

Residents of nearby Steuben earlier this year rejected a bid to build a rocket launch site offshore of their village, citing the threat to environmental health of waters where food is harvested and also significant noise pollution. And as far as optics, who wants to see a rocket launch facility within sight of Acadia? Not locals. 

Previously, Jonesport rejected a launch site after passing a moratorium to halt development while local residents had time to study the proposal. Which town will be next to say it does not want to hear or see rockets launching from its coast?

At present there is almost no regulatory oversight of such potentially harmful uses of Maine’s shoreline. Look what SpaceX has done to Boca Chica, Texas, over local objections: littered bird nesting grounds with debris from rocket explosions and prevented local residents from access to their beach. 

“National supply of viable launch sites” is a backhand acknowledgement of the central role of the Space Force branch of the Pentagon in pushing for launch sites to be constructed. No rocket launch site would be financially viable without military spending, and the U.S. military plans to benefit from the investments of private industry as much as it can with so-called public-private partnerships.

At least two rocket firms in Maine have acknowledged they’ve already received funding from the U.S. Space Force: bluShift Aerospace in Brunswick and VALT Enterprizes in Presque Isle. 

But when the Maine Space Corporation was established, legislators were told that its purpose was research and development for civilian and educational purposes. They were explicitly told by the bill’s sponsor that there would be no military use.

This is also what locals in Kodiak, Alaska, were told when a rocket launch site was built there more than 20 years ago. Now, the site has expanded to multiple launch facilities and is most often used for Israeli military satellites and Pentagon payloads. Personnel are brought into Kodiak to oversee these launches, and the only local jobs generated are for custodians and security guards. 

Wealthy people looking to profit from using Maine’s natural resources is nothing new. The CMP corridor is being built through the North Woods — over the objections of a majority of Maine voters — in order to enrich CMP and Hydro Quebec.

As you and your neighbors struggle to fund schools and heat your homes amid soaring inflation, ask yourself who would really benefit from building a rocket launch site on the coast of Maine.