First-Ever Private Spaceport Nears Final Approval

bobhagopian writes "According to the article on Space.com, the Federal Aviation Administration is nearing the final stages of certifying the Mojave Airport as the first-ever private spaceport. Both Scaled Composites and XCOR Aerospace (the two leading competitors in the X-Prize competition) currently fly out of Mojave Airport. The approval of a commercial spaceport will certainly facilitate the creation of even more private-sector space technologies."

Comments

Re:Now all we need...

[AKAImBatman]

Usually you're talking only a few miles off shore. That way, the rocket can launch toward the rest of the ocean (making for plentiful abort options) and any rockets that are destroyed don't land on people's heads. That's pretty much the same reason why NASA launches from Florida. Although I've never quite understood why they don't manufacture fuel on site. Probably has something to do with special additives and/or purity levels that improve the fuel combustion. A private venture might be slightly less concerned with the same levels of fuel efficiency.

The necessity of privatization

[the_meager]

I think we can all agree that privatization is key for /affordable/ civilian spaceflight. However, I sincerely hope that those pursuing privately pursuing spaceflight settle for heavily regulated and subsidized government regulation (control) of "private spaceflight". /We/ will never reach maturity in spaceflight as long as government is involved. Government just waists too much money and is too sluggish and inefficient. Any sort of [government] planning of capital and resources going into private/civilian spaceflight will have a negative effect. If government and NASA would stop with the Mars nonsense and the Impending Asteroid Impact bullcrap and completely privatize space, we'd be much further along --- technologically and financially.