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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."
There will finally be a place for *visitors* to land
and visit!
That they'll change all the signs to the Mojave Airport to the Mojave Spaceport? That would be really cool and I bet those signs 'll disappear every week or so:)
is mojave a proper locale for a wretched hive of scum and villainy?
But when the aliens land there, how will Homeland Security be able to verify the required government issued ID?
Probably not a real issue; once aliens sample what passes for food in an Earth airport, err, I mean SPACEport the word will travel quickly and they will all stop coming.
"The bigger the lie, the more they believe." - Det. Bunk
The Mojave Airport is a really cool place... you drive by it and there's nothing but random planes, everything from jetliners to fighter jets. They're mostly an aircraft storage yard. Picture of their storage yard Link to their main site
Space is big. Space is dark. Now we have a place to park
Think of it as a sign of confidence and commitment. It means even the government is beginning to realize that the private sector has a better chance of making space exploration a going concern. Sort of an approving nod. Official recognition is usually a good thing. With all the red tape involved, making the efort main stream is absolutely necessary. This is a start.
I don't think civilians will go to space merely for the wow factor. I mean, space tourism will have a small niche, but I don't see it getting big just yet. However, getting civilian companies into the business of launching satellites, hiring private astronauts, and other such things seems (to me, anyway) the future of the business. We need to stop relying on NASA and the Europeans to launch our satellites. We all know that governments are ridiculously bad at spending more than need be. Civilians companies are much, much better at it (though not perfect). And that's the whole idea, right? To lower the cost of getting into space? NASA and government-backed space agencies don't have the same impetus to lower costs and raise productivity.
What is your penile percentile?
What about the Green River Intergalactic Spaceport in Wyoming?
The reason there was a mass influx unto the New World is because there was money in it. And that is the same way you'll see an influx into space from the private sector : once there is money in it. And yes, I know 15 quadrrillion dollars worth of minerals on each asteroid, the moon is a giant lump of He-3, and we can beam down solar energy from microwave stations.
Make the harvesting of asteroids feasible and profitable. Find a present-day use for He-3, and then find a way to collect it that is feasible and profitable. Make the microwave-beaming-thing feasible and profitable, too. Then you will see people enter space.
There is a reason for everything. Sometimes that reason just sucks.
It remains to be seen whether Mojave will in fact get approved. Either way, Southwest Regional Spaceport near Las Cruces NM had already been announced by Ansari/X-Prize, as the spaceport site chosen for at least an annual X-Prize event, and expecting the X-Prize contenders who (win or lose) continue on and offer services to the public. Plus, according to the articles which may or may not be accurate, Mojave is being considered for horizontal launched craft. SRS is not being restricted to horizontal launch. My money says SRS will become a regular gathering place for the next step in rocketry, those growing out of amateur/hobbyist rocketry ($100 gets you a model that goes Mach 1 and a mile up) and those following hot on the jets of Ky "Rocketman" Michaelson and CSXT's recent first private rocket into space.
"I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." -- Bishop 341-B
Err, there's already one out there in Oklahoma, called, funnily enough;
SpacePort, Oklahoma.
Google it up, there's alot of good info about it, and makes a pretty good site too. Just enough out the way.
Waiting for an amusing sig.
... a mission to Mars could be bit pricy for a car owner.
That's why iTunes works so well!
Both Scaled Composites and XCOR Aerospace (the two leading competitors in the X-Prize competition) currently fly out of Mojave Airport.
Scaled Composites is taking part in the X-Prize competition, but XCOR is not. They are developing their products to break into a market of suborbital payloads and microsatellites, as well as the passenger market (they are currently under contract with Space Adventures to provide the space travel experience to "adventure travelers" for $98,000 when the technology is ready). You can read more about their goals on their website.
The X-Prize website hosts a list of the teams competing for the X-Prize.