By Fred Johnson, Texas Aerospace Commission Three sites in Texas are currently seeking to be a major hub for Commercial Space Transportation. Narrowed down from 13 other Texas sites, these three sites (Brazoria, Kenedy, and Pecos Counties) offer unique capabilities for the establishment of a home base for building and operating the next generation commercial launch vehicle – Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV). Both the Brazoria and Kenedy groups have created spaceport authorities and corporations for preparing for the next phase of development, which includes establishing the engineering requirements and obtaining FAA certification. The House Committee on Economic Development has established a subcommittee on spaceports to help ensure that Texas can attract the RLV companies to conduct their space launch operations in Texas. This is in light of competition from Florida, California, New Mexico, Nevada and Virginia.
Only the U.S. currently has the technology to develop RLVs. Texas provides additional unique capabilities that are complimented by the aerospace expertise of the Clear Lake area. RLVs can significantly reduce the cost and increase the reliability of commercial space transportation which is currently dominated by foreign competition – France, Russia, and China. With NASA Administrator Dan Goldin’s imperative to create more reliable and safer transportation systems, the private sector is progressing. A major hurdle is raising the large amounts of money in the private sector. Before the private sector will invest in RLVs, the U.S. government must agree not to compete against the private RLV market. One means of doing this is by passing federal loan guarantee legislation.
A Texas spaceport would create quality, high-paying jobs for Texans. The establishment of RLV operations in Texas could create 4,000 quality, direct jobs. A commercial spaceport would also have the potential of fostering education in engineering and the sciences and to become another Texas tourist destination point. An interface with Kelly USA – The Center for Global Business – to the spaceport has the potential to make Texas the intermodal transportation center of the world.
For more information, visit www.tac.state.tx.us or call toll free (888) 844-4822.
