SPACEPORTS - FAIRBANKS
POKER FLAT RESEARCH RANGE - ALASKA
Location Advantage
Discover the unparalleled Poker Flat Research Range, the most extensive land-based rocket research facility on the globe and the sole high-latitude rocket range in the United States.
Nestled in the heart of Interior Alaska, Poker Flat offers an ideal launch site where rockets soar across the vast, uninhabited tundra to the north, with launches conducted under the auspices of federal, state, and tribal landowners. The range's unique position beneath the auroral oval, a zone notorious for its frequent and vivid auroral displays, presents scientists with exceptional opportunities to study the aurora borealis. The peak period for sounding rocket launches is from January to March, attracting a global community of researchers eager to leverage the range's cutting-edge facilities for their scientific endeavors.
Poker Flat stands out as the only scientific rocket launching site worldwide that is owned by an academic institution. Managed by the University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute through a contract with NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, a component of the Goddard Space Flight Center, Poker Flat is more than a launch pad. It is a hub for a plethora of scientific instruments meticulously designed to probe the mysteries of the arctic atmosphere and ionosphere.
