FAA Issues Oklahoma Launch Site Operator License June 12, 2006

It seems we are acclerating at an enormous pace to get commercial flights into space. Virgin Galactic is set to go in a few years at a 200 million dollar spaceport in New Mexico, for a mere $200,000.00 a ride, much cheaper than the 20 million that Russia charges..

PASSENGER SERVICE

But this article really caught my eye. The FAA is all set to handle all this new activity and have issued a licence to operate in Oklahoma... And this is the 6th such license issued.

FAA ISSUES LICENSE FOR OKLAHOMA SPACEPORT
June 13, 2006

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today that it has issued its sixth non-federal commercial launch site operator license to the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority (OSIDA) to operate a commercial launch site.

The license allows OSIDA to ensure the safe and efficient take-off and landing of suborbital, reusable launch vehicles at the Clinton-Sherman Industrial Airpark launch site, near Burns Flat.

Welcome to the homepage of the
FAA Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation (AST)

AST's mission is to ensure protection of the public, property, and the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States during a commercial launch or re-entry activity and to encourage, facilitate, and promote U.S. commercial space transportation. Our vision is to be recognized as the world's foremost authority on commercial space transportation.

FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation

Its nice to know that a framework has been set up to help regulate/control (which ever way you want to take that!) future space projects

Oh yeah the framework....

But it says something else too...it says we are ready to take it to the next step... space flight as routine as flying to Europe.


One needs to develop the infrastructure before the reality.

The infra structure is HERE NOW, so the reality is a few years away.

Last night on local news Robert Bigalow, of Bigalow Aerospace announced the succesful [Riussian] launch of his test space project. An inflatable module.

He made his fortune with Budget Suites hotel/apartments here. He plans to eventually use these modules for a hotel in space.

Last night they announced that they have had a secret work plant here in Las Vegas with their own mission control. They are now hiring rocket scientista and other support staff and he plans to spend hundreds of millions on the project in the next decade.


What better place than Las Vegas for a hotel chain in Space?


Now that FAA source says its the sixth such license, and that doesn't even list the New Mexico project that Virgin Galactic is working on.


[I better start getting in shape....... packing a suitcase......]

[edit on 13-7-2006 by zorgon]

This is going to be so great for Oklahoma. I'm from Tulsa, which is pretty far away from the site, but Im a Unix Admin for a company on a specific airline maintenance base the deals flight reservations systems and such, if we picked this contract up, WOW!

I'd love to do that kind of thing with Space Travel.

Originally posted by Drewsillac
I'd love to do that kind of thing with Space Travel.

Yeah I just found out that Bigalow has a hugh assembly plant and mission control out here in Vegas He announced it the other day after his successful russian launch of his module. Step One in a space hotel system.

He is hiring scientists and support staff. Plans to spend 500 million in the next few years

Space Port Las Vegas... I like the sound of that Where else would you launch the first hotel in space from?

Wonder if he will have a casino? Tax man doesn't have jurisdiction out there

LoL you brought up the tax man not having jurisdiction in space...

This is an interesting question... and one I hope the UN isn't allowed to even speak about EVER.

you can tax and regulate launches and landings but space is already considerred a free zone... so how is that going to work?

Sounds like a good topic for a new thread


NEW THREAD

[edit on 19-7-2006 by zorgon]