After months of weighing competing bids, Orbital Science Corporation has decided to launch its new Taurus II rocket from Wallops Island, Virginia, instead of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Virginia Gov. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine made the announcement on Monday, ending months of uncertainty. The rocket will be launched from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport located at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.
Orbital Sciences, based in Reston, Virginia, is developing the Taurus II rocket to deliver cargo to the International Space Station under NASA’s COTS program. It will serve as an alternative to the space shuttle, which is due to be retired in 2010.
NASA’s decision to award the COTS contract to Orbital set off a competition between the two American states, which are promoting rival launch facilities. The decision is a setback for Florida, which is hoping to attract commercial companies in order to offset job losses resulting from the space shuttle’s retirement.
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Orbital Sciences Corp. seems to be taking its time in making a decision about where it will launch its new Taurus II rocket. WNDT-TV reports that officials at Wallops Island on are anxiously awaiting a decision on whether Orbital will stay in its home state of Virginia or go south to Florida.
Meanwhile, 20 members of Florida’s Congressional delegation have released a statement urging Orbital to locate its new launch facility at the Kennedy Space Center.
In other news:
- Russia and Kazakhstan have signed an agreement concerning joint cooperation in space exploration and the continued use of the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
- Officials in New Mexico are moving ahead with plans to create a tax district to support development of Spaceport America.
Florida Today has a roundup of what the Florida Legislature has done during its current term to attract and keep aerospace companies. These measures include:
- $14.5 million to upgrade a launch complex for commercial flights;
- $1.25 million for space workforce retention and training programs;
- tax refunds for companies that retain workers; and,
- a measure limiting the liability of space tourism companies.
Ironically, the Legislature passed a budget that severely cuts funding for Space Florida, the organization that develops and promotes the state’s aerospace industry. Space Florida will receive $4 million this year, a reduction from its current $7 million budget. Gov. Charlie Crist had requested an increase to $8.5 million.
The cutback was apparently part of a general belt tightening effort in the midst of an economic downturn. A spokeswoman said Space Florida would cut back on trade shows and other promotional activities but does not anticipate any staff cutbacks.
Florida Today also reports that Space Florida is in negotiations with the U.S. Air Force over the use of Launch Complex 36, a deactivated Atlas rocket launch facility at the Cape Canaveral Air Station. The story does not indicate how the state would use the complex, but it could be related to efforts by Florida to lure Orbital Sciences Corporation to the state. The company is expected to make a decision soon on whether it will launch its new NASA-funded rocket from Virginia or Florida.
The Spaceports blog reports that Orbital Sciences Corporation is expected to make a decision this week on whether to fly its COTS rocket out of Virginia or Florida.
Both states have been heavily lobbying the Reston, Virginia-based company, which is developing commercial transportation to the International Space Station under the NASA program. The company will choose between the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island or Cape Canaveral in Florida.
SPACEHAB PRESS RELEASE
Houston, Texas, April 21, 2008 – SPACEHAB Incorporated, a provider of commercial space services, along with Florida Governor Charlie Crist, recently announced the Company’s partnership with the state of Florida to establish a space-based, biotech corridor that stretches from the International Space Station (ISS) to Earth-based Florida facilities and resources such as the Space Life Sciences Lab at NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC).
The announcement was made at NASA’s Future Forum at the University of Miami Bank United Center on April 18, 2008, marking the establishment of a new “Space Age” industry to produce valuable products in space that show great promise to save and enhance lives on Earth.
“Florida is committed to fostering a thriving aerospace industry and is quickly becoming known as one of the nation’s top biotech centers,” said Governor Crist. “The partnership reinforces our dedication to the biotech industry. This is an exciting opportunity to stimulate progress in this new market and in Florida’s economy.”
Continue reading ‘Spacehab, Florida Announce New Biotech Initiative’
A bill exempting space tourism companies from liability if they injure or kill their customers sailed through the Florida Senate on Thursday without objection or debate, Florida Today reports.
The measure exempts businesses from lawsuits as long as customers sign a consent agreement recognizing the inherent dangers in space travel. The exemption would not apply in cases of gross negligence.
The Florida law is similar to one approved in Virginia, which is also hoping to attract commercial space tourism firms.
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.
The State of Florida is considering creating a $40 million prize to be awarded to the private company or individual who provides “the most significant advancements within the reusable space vehicle industry” between January 1, 2009 and January 1, 2014.
The prize, which would be funded equally by Florida’s government and private contributions, is based on the Ansari X Prize. The state’s lieutenant governor would serve as the effort’s chairman and appoint a committee to establish the prize’s criteria.
The incentive is part of new legislation now being considered by the Florida House and Senate. The identical bills would allow the State Board of Administration to invest up to 1 percent of net assets from the Florida Retirement System Trust Fund in “economically targeted investments” likely to create high-end, high-tech jobs. These areas include aerospace, aviation, computer technology, renewable energy, and medical and life sciences.
You can read the complete bills here.
The editors of the Orlando Sentinel believe that Florida is in danger of losing its “long-standing and lucrative title as the nation’s space capital” and that state leaders need to do more to attract space business.
In an editorial, the newspaper supported efforts by State Senator Bill Posey and Representative Thad Altman to attract commercial space businesses. Their proposals include an investment incentive fund, joint R&D programs involving NASA, DOD and universities, and making tax incentives for space projects that are similar to the ones the defense industry investments already enjoy.
The editors prefer these efforts over a NASA proposal to build a commercial spaceport at the Kennedy Space Center. The idea has generated significant public opposition because one of the proposed locations would be in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
The Florida Space Coast is facing the loss of about 5,000 jobs as the space shuttle program winds down. It also faces increased competition from other states and nations for a piece of the growing commercial launch industry.
The Orlando Sentinel has a story about the challenges faced by Florida’s Space Coast with the wind down of the shuttle program and potentially long gap before the Constellation program replaces it.
“According to Washington insiders, NASA — which until now has refrained from putting numbers on work-force losses — will announce in two weeks that 4,000 jobs will disappear with the shuttle in 2010,” the paper reports. “Experts anticipate another few thousand associated jobs will follow suit.”
The new Constellation program will require far fewer jobs than the space shuttle. In addition, Florida also is facing competition from Virginia, Texas and other states and countries.