Public Workshops Could Happen As Early As Summer

The Federal Aviation Administration has granted the Jacksonville Aviation Authority approval to move ahead with the licensing process for construction of a spaceport at Cecil Field in Florida.

That process will require the FAA to review specific details about the site, including potential federal policy violations and safety issues, according to The Florida Times-Union. "It's all about safety of the uninvolved public," said FAA spokesman Hank Price.

The approval review process looked at environmental issues, such as noise. The noise problem at Cecil Field and the accompanying public complaint is the reason the Navy stopped using the former military base altogether.

Since the FAA started overseeing commercial space flight in 1989, it has licensed about 170 launches, Price said, and has never had a public casualty or significant property damage.

The next step will be public workshops that could occur as early as this summer.

The FAA will be handling that part of the process, said Todd Lindner, airport administrator of planning and development. He said he expects sessions to be conducted around the end of June or early July.

That Cecil Field would even be considered for such a venture didn't occur until last year when a Florida Space Authority report said Cecil Field is "the best airport for aircraft-like launch vehicles" because spacecraft used there could take off horizontally rather than vertically.

It appeared then as though the Space Authority was going to select a site to serve as the state's first public commercial spaceport, but that seems to have stalled. Cape Canaveral has long been the home of the nation's space-related enterprises, but its space center is laden with restrictions on private operations that limit its appeal to commercial operations.

New Mexico and a few other states have already taken steps get their own spaceports going. As ANN reported, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson recently announced the appointment of Rick Homans as executive director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority to ensure the program's ambitious schedule. The site, located in Upham, NM, also recently hosted its first successful launch.

But, Florida's commercial space efforts appear to have slowed due to major changes taking place in the state's space agency's infrastructure, including being combined with several other agencies last year. This is what led the Aviation Authority to strike out on its own rather than waiting for the state to lead them into space, according to the newspaper.

"That could have delayed the process," said authority spokesman Michael Stewart.

The state indicates it is still interested in Cecil Field, however. The director of the reforming space agency continues to visit the site.

The Aviation Authority will be poring over the FAA's comments on the environmental assessment for the next several weeks, Lindner said, and are shooting for licensure within the next year.

"There appears to be no deal breakers," Lindner said, "no major barriers. They indicated we should consider starting the formal licensing process."

FMI: www.jaa.aero/as/cf.asp, www.spaceflorida.gov