Selection of Launch Sites: An Ensemble of MCDM Methods with Discrete Single-Valued Neutrosophic Number Evaluation

Space economy involves all activities and resource allocations that generate additional economic and societal benefits through space exploitation. The development of space infrastructure enables a wider range of economic activities. Regarding economic sustainability and national security, the possession of the launch site within national territory is of utmost importance. This paper presents a methodology for selecting launch sites based on linguistic term evaluation using a Discrete Single-Valued Neutrosophic Number (DSVNN) representation. The existence of support makes the DSVNN interpretable, which is not possible in the case of Single-Valued Neutrosophic Number (SVNN) with only specific values of truth, indeterminacy, and falsity degrees. An ensemble of five widely well-known MCDM methods, namely TOPSIS, CODAS, COPRAS, EDAS, and MOORA, are used in the decision-making process. The whole procedure is then applied to the launch site selection in Thailand. All MCDM methods result in the same top priority location, U-Tapao Rayong–Pattaya International Airport, Chonburi. The weight sensitivity analysis and the method cross-validation are applied to test the robustness of the result.