Mojave spaceport okay expected this month
Restaurant nearing completion
BY BILL DEAVER
MOJAVE - Mojave Airport could become the nation's first inland spaceport this month, East Kern Airport District General Manager Stuart Witt told EKAD board members Tuesday.
Witt said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is reviewing the district's application to have Mojave Airport certified a spaceport for horizontal launches of reusable spacecraft.
"They say they hope to finish their review and issue the certificate the middle of this month," Witt said at Tuesday's EKAD board meeting.
Pointing to a copy of the district's application, Witt said "this tells a compelling story of why this is the best place for a spaceport. We're the best place in the United States for horizontal launch and glider landings."
Air Force, NASA diagrams
Airspace diagrams developed by the Air Force for its flight test operations and by NASA for Space Shuttle landing at Edwards are an important part of the EKAD application, Witt told the board. The diagrams help make the case that Mojave has access to airspace for the kinds of launches it hopes to do.
"We're not interested in vertical launches," Witt said, although not ruling them out completely. The kinds of launches that can best be done here are like those planned by Scaled Composites SapceShipOne and vehicles being developed by XCOR Aerospace.
Witt said seven airport tenants are involved in some sort of space ventures and the district is receiving regular inquiries from firms interested in locating here. Many of the inquiries result from contacts firms have had with existing tenants, he added.
Witt said the FAA is paying the estimated $600,000 cost of processing the application, with the cost to the district limited to some $5,000.
Restaurant construction
In other business, EKAD board members approved spending an additional $28,000 to complete the new restaurant at the airport, which Witt said could be open within a couple weeks.
The board also voted to seek about $240,000 in matching funds from Caltrans to help pay the district's share of building a new taxiway at the airport, and approved a contract for engineering services associated with the construction project.
Seeking bids
EKAD will seek bids for all the professional services it currently contracts for to provide services for the coming year. Witt said existing vendors and others will be asked to submit bids for services including legal, accounting, engineering, environmental, and other professional services.
"We'll make a decision around the first of the year on who to contract with," Witt said.
Later this year, Witt said he plans to propose that the south wing of the airport administration building be converted into a meeting room that can be used by the community, and to provide two offices for film crews and other firms that need temporary quarters. The meeting room can be serviced by the nearby restaurant, and the offices should quickly pay for themselves, Witt said.
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