Wed, Jun 15, 2011
Designation At Cecil Airport Means Opportunities For Space
Tourism, Other Activities
The Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) announced that it
received support from the State of Florida in its efforts to
transform Cecil Airport into a 21st century commercial spaceport
when Space Florida officially designated Cecil as a "Space
Territory" on June 9. The Space Territory designation affords a
number of opportunities. The Florida Department of Transportation
(FDOT) now has legal authority to fund spaceport-related
transportation facilities within Cecil to better accommodate
horizontal launch space travel.
Cecil Airport ANN Staff Photo
Cecil recently received grant funds
from the FAA for the development of a Spaceport Master Plan.
Combined with Space Florida's decision, JAA will now be able to
pursue funds to design and construct new roadways, taxiways, and
assembly and payload facilities.
"The JAA's strategic development of Cecil Airport received a major
boost when the Space Florida Board, under the leadership of
Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll, approved the resolution
designating it as a Space Territory," said Michael Stewart, JAA's
Director of External Affairs. "This designation places Cecil on the
map to be a catalyst for job creation, and positions northeast
Florida to carve out a niche in the aerospace industry. We are
optimistic about horizontal lift commercial space opportunities at
Cecil upon completion of our Spaceport Master Plan later this
fall."
In conjunction with being named a space territory, JAA was also
notified by the FDOT that Cecil Spaceport has been approved as a
planned Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) facility. SIS facilities
are instrumental in linking multiple modes of transportation
throughout the state. SIS allows the state to fund portions of
infrastructure projects which are instrumental in connecting modes
of transportation.
"As a space territory, additional
funding sources are available for the continued development of
Cecil spaceport as a facility for the operation of
horizontal-reusable launch vehicles (RLVs)," said Todd Lindner,
JAA's Senior Manager of Aviation Planning and Development. "With
space programs developing in places such as the United Arab
Emirates, China and India, the use of these RLVs is expected to
increase dramatically."
The design and construction of additional support facilities at
Cecil Spaceport will also bring a much needed economic boost to the
region in the form of jobs and aerospace businesses. The space
program at Cecil will be able to support civil, military, and
commercial launches and accommodate space tourism.
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