Space Florida has an update on its efforts to lure “more than 50 different space-related firms” to the state. The list includes Bigelow Aerospace, XCOR, Rocketplane Corporation, Orbital Sciences Corporation, and an unnamed team competing for the Google Lunar X Prize.
“The involvement of entrepreneurs and private corporations in the United States’ launches is creating new economic opportunities for our state’s aerospace industry,” Gov. Charlie Crist said. “This rapid shift is opening doors for new companies and technologies that are blurring the previous separations between aviation and spaceflight - and between civil, military and commercial industries.”
Meanwhile, a Florida Senate committee has passed a package of four bills aimed at helping Florida attract commercial space companies. The bills include $15 million to refurbish a launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, the extension of tax credits to space companies that are presently limited to defense contractors, and a measure encouraging co-operation between universities on research and development.
Florida Today reports that committees in the House of Representatives have approved similar measures. The full Senate and House must approve the measures, which would then be sent to Gov. Crist for approval.
0 Responses to “Florida Wooing More Than 50 Space Companies; Measures Advance in Legislature”
Leave a Reply