Planned Facility Will Start As Airport With Extended Runway

The FAA has approved an amended airport plan for Las Vegas Executive Airport in Clark County, Nevada, also known as the Las Vegas Spaceport. The amended plan includes a longer runway extended from 4,000 to 5,001 feet to accommodate spaceplanes in development by Boeing, Virgin Galactic, and others.

Spaceplanes are able to take off and land horizontally to fly and reach orbit rather than needing vertical launch and recovery.

Robert Lauer, CEO of the private spaceport project, said a decision was made to extend the runway at the planned airport 31 miles west of Las Vegas near Pahrump, and his company submitted the necessary documents to the FAA and Clark County about three months ago.

With the amended application approved the company can finish the drainage study for the property and obtain a grading permit to begin work on the runway.

Lauer said he envisions the project being accomplished in three phases. The first phase include infrastructure, the runway, and taxiways. The second phase would be hangars and an FBO terminal, and then licensing the spaceport, a hotel and an academy in the final phase.

Lauer wants to initiate air taxi service between the airport and Las Vegas with a service such as UpWin. UpWin would establish a network of vertiports or landing sites across Las Vegas making air travel accessible for short trips. He sees those trips averaging only three minutes and transporting thousands of people daily at competitive pricing.

The company, Las Vegas Spaceport, Inc., is looking to be publicly traded on the Nasdaq exchange.

FMI:  www.clarkcountynv.gov/