Road maintenance ends so beware of rough roads ahead.
Near the end of the road, this rocket launch facility is part of the Alaska Aerospace Corporation, a state-run enterprise specializing in satellite and missile technology as well as launches. At the very least, you can check out the launch tower from a distance. If you are lucky to be here on one of their annual launches, you can watch a rocket be sent into space!
Built in 1998 (and the reason for a paved road to here), the facility has had 16 launches, including the most recent scheduled for September 27, 2011—a satellite built by the Navy and launched on an Air Force Rocket. During launches, some roads may be closed, but there is viewing from both Pasagshak Point or nearer to the launch facility from the roads. Access is restricted to the site, but from the road you’ll be able to see the launch pad and launch tower. Several hundred residents and visitors turn out for most launches.
But why here? Kodiak is the perfect spot for polar launches, and due to its location on the earth’s curve, it can achieve all orbits, including the ones achieved by the Russians at a similar latitude. The facility is new and accommodating, able to get launches from plan to air in less than a year. Supporting this state-of-the-art facility requires roughly 30 workers; they live at the site as well as in Kodiak, or nearby in Chiniak and Pasagshak Bay.