A new SpaceX spaceport in Texas? could be - FAA involved

[Dr Mordrid]

The proposal is for a "NASA-style launch site" on the Gulf of Mexico in Willacy County, Texas.

There are only 2 companies that meet the sketchy profile mentioned by the official in the article: SpaceX and Blue Origin - both participants in the program to replace the shuttle's crew transportation duties.

Raymondville Monitor....

Talks heat up over private spaceport in Willacy County

July 03, 2011 7:28 PM

RAYMONDVILLE — Ready for a facelift, Willacy County?

It just might happen, officials say.

Negotiations to bring an aerospace company to Willacy County for commercial satellite launchings are intensifying, according to County Judge John F. Gonzales Jr.

If the high-tech company is successful in leasing two sites for a total of about 50 acres, “it will change the face of Willacy County,” the judge said.

The operation he hopes will locate in Willacy County “will be a NASA-style launch site,” he said.

He said he cannot yet release the name of the company. But he said, “They’ll be investing up to $50 million and hiring 100 to 200 full-time people, from low-end labor up to electrical engineers. Wages will be at least 30 percent above the local norm.”
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The new rockets were tested in December, and the private company that did the testing recovered a reusable container similar to 1960s-type space capsules, the county judge said.

He declined to name the company on Tuesday, however.

“I’m under a confidentiality agreement,” he said. He isn’t sure where the tests were conducted. But he said he thinks they were done at Cape Canaveral, Fla., or some other government installation.

“They’re the first private company to have successfully launched a low-altitude space flight and successfully recovered it,” he said of a reusable space capsule to deploy satellites.

The capsule would sit atop the rocket and open up to deploy the communications satellites and then fall back to earth to be recovered for reuse, he said.

Willacy County is an ideal spot for the launching operations, which are now being conducted on leased government property, such as Cape Canaveral, he said.
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“They have to be close to water, away from populated areas,” he said. “They have to have at least a 3-mile clear zone around the launch site.”
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Willacy County isn’t the only possible South Texas site, but the launch sites must be near water, he said.

“If it doesn’t work out here, there are a couple sites in Cameron County. But they would have to buy up some houses there,” he said.

Besides Willacy County’s ideal location as a launch site, the recent installation of fiber optic communications cable throughout the county is also vital to the launch operation, Gonzales said.

Willacy County officials should know if the deal has been closed within the next two weeks, Gonzales said.

RED DOT marks the spot

[MultimediaMan]

Only one of which has had a launch and recovery...

[Dr Mordrid]

Yup.

So Elon Musk does an NPR Marketwatch interview and adds fuel to the speculation about the proposed Texas spaceport being a SpaceX facility....

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/07/08/pm-elon-musk-on-the-future-of-space-travel-and-exploration/

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RYSSDAL: And how does it go from here to Florida?

MUSK: It goes from here to Texas to get test fired and then it goes to Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg, which is back to California, or we're considering establishing a third site as well which it might be in Texas or somewhere else.
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[Evildead666]

You can see the problem of cost there.
Shipping a rocket from CA to TX and then back to CA is a costly affair.
Ideally you'd only want one trip.

This has to be controlled by private interests rather than a Gov't body, it sounds waaaay too logical and sensible.

[Dr Mordrid]

It goes beyond halving the drive between their Texas test facility near Waco and KSC in Florida.

By being slightly further south they have better access to geosynchronous transfer orbits, meaning they can launch a larger payload there using any given booster. The next block of F9 goes from 10.4 MT to 16 MT to LEO from KSC, so GTO should increase significantly too.

It also means they won't have to deal with the KSC/USAF bureaucrats who can move your launch schedule around at will to the benefit of someone elses mission, change rules on the fly etc. This has caused SpaceX months of delays before, but at their own range it's a non-issue.

Of course they can't avoid it for NASA, military or NRO (spysat) launches - those will have to go up from KSC or Vandenberg in California.

OTOH: there is a very multi-sourced and persistant rumor that NASA wants SpaceX to also launch from the former Saturn V/Space Shuttle pad at LC-39B. This pad was rebuilt and configured for heavies and super-heavies, and access to the massive Vehicle Assembly Building would be part of the package. Make of this what you will, but there is a competition coming for at least part of a superheavy launcher....

This is right next door to their existing LC-40 pad, which is also going to get upgraded to handle prepping a Falcon 9 and a Falcon Heavy simultaneously for bang-bang launches

[Dr Mordrid]

MSNBC Cosmic Log story as a lead-in to a whole series on new technologies

Link.....

The interesting part are quotes from an upcoming interview with Musk about their proposed new spaceport. Previously we had rumors centered around a Texas location, but now it sounds like other locations are also under consideration; another location in Florida, Puerto Rico (a US territory so no ITAR export control issues), Hawaii and un-named others.

(Update on their upcoming ISS flights)
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Another base ... in Texas?

Musk has already said that SpaceX is thinking about establishing an additional base for launching Falcon rockets, to supplement its facilities at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and the pad that's currently being renovated at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The Vandenberg pad is planned as the home base for SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket, which is designed to go after the Air Force's satellite launch business.

Last month, local officials in Texas hinted that SpaceX was ready to invest up to $50 million in the Gulf Coast Regional Spaceport, south of Houston. Musk told me that he hadn't yet decided where the third base would be located, but he made it sound as if he was firmly set on expanding operations. He also explained why an extra space base was on SpaceX's agenda:

"We have our main launch facility, which is Cape Canaveral in Florida. Then we are in the process of developing our second launch facility, which is Vandenberg in California. And we do intend to develop a third launch facility. Texas is one of the possible states. But we're also looking at a number of other locations: Puerto Rico, potentially another location in Florida, potentially Hawaii. And there are a few other locations that could work. So we're trying to make the right decision for the long term.

"The third launch site would open early, in perhaps three or four years. So we want to make sure we make the right decision. But we do think we need three launch sites in order to handle all of the launch demand that we have been able to get. ...

"It would be a purely commercial launch site, whereas Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg are actually Air Force bases — in the case of Cape Canaveral, it's sort of a joint NASA-Air Force activity. So it makes sense to have NASA and Defense Department launches occur from Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg, but then probably shift most of our commercial launches to a purely commercial launch site that's really aimed at being the best customer for a commercial launch provider. Just as there are Air Force bases and commercial airports ... there's some logic to separation."

So at a time when a lot of folks are wondering whether America's aerospace industry is heading toward atrophy, Musk is bullish about his company's future. SpaceX's work force has already risen to 1,500 employees, and that's just one company. Other new players in the spaceflight industry, such as Sierra Nevada Corp. and AdamWorks, are talking about expansion as well.

In the coming weeks, we'll be presenting a package of videos and stories about the future of spaceflight as part of msnbc.com's "Future of Technology" special report. What you're reading today is just a little taste from my wide-ranging interview with Musk. We also talked about his Red Planet ambitions, his perspectives on electric cars and other technological frontiers, and how he manages to wedge in a personal life as well. Stay tuned for much more to come, not only from Musk, but also from other leading figures in the spaceflight revolution.

[Dr Mordrid]

And the saga continues....

Rumors are indicating Puerto Rico, Texas, Hawaii, or Florida, but all US territories and protectorates are possible. I tend to think on the mainland or Puerto Rico. There is a former US Naval Air Station there that's up for sale and comes with an 11,000 ft runway.

Musk -

Our growing launch manifest has led us to look for additional sites. We're considering several states and territories, I envision this site functioning like a commercial Cape Canaveral.

SPACEX SEARCHES FOR NEW COMMERCIAL LAUNCH SITE

Hawthorne, CA – Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is searching for a new launch site to meet increasing demand from commercial customers.

SpaceX already has an active launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and is currently developing a new launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The company also operates a rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas.

“Our growing launch manifest has led us to look for additional sites. We're considering several states and territories,” said SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. “I envision this site functioning like a commercial Cape Canaveral.”

SpaceX is the fastest growing launch services provider in the world, having received 14 new orders for its Falcon 9 rocket within the last year alone. The company has over 3 billion dollars of revenue on the books through 2017, and has sold over 40 missions for the Falcon 9, over half of which are for commercial customers.

Four U.S. states – Virginia, California, Alaska, and Florida – have active launch sites. Given the complexity of developing a rocket launch site, SpaceX will be pursuing several options concurrently in order to fully understand the pros and cons of each location.

[Dr Mordrid]

SITE SELECTED - 5 miles South of Port Isabel, Texas, and the FAA has started the permitting process.

Link to FAA PDF....

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

Office of Commercial Space Transportation; Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Open a Public Scoping Period, and Conduct a
Public Scoping Meeting

AGENCY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the lead Federal agency.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS, Open a Public Scoping Period, and
Conduct a Public Scoping Meeting

SUMMARY: This Notice provides information to Federal, State, and local agencies,
Native American tribes, and other interested persons regarding the FAA’s intent to
prepare an EIS for Space Exploration Technologies’ (SpaceX’s) proposal to launch the
Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy orbital vertical launch vehicles from a private site located in
Cameron County, Texas. Under the Proposed Action, SpaceX proposes to construct a
vertical launch area and a control center area to support up to 12 commercial launches
per year. The vehicles to be launched include the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy (up to two per
year), and a variety of smaller reusable suborbital launch vehicles. SpaceX would be
required to apply for the appropriate launch licenses and/or experimental permits to be
issued by the FAA. The FAA will prepare the EIS in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA; 42 United States Code [U.S.C.] 4321 et seq.),
the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural
Provisions of NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] parts 1500-1508), and FAA
Order 1050.1E, Change 1, Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures, as part of its
licensing and permitting process.
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Proposed Action
The Proposed Action is for the FAA to issue launch licenses and/or experimental permits
to SpaceX that would allow SpaceX to launch the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy orbital
vertical launch vehicles and a variety of reusable suborbital launch vehicles from a
launch site on privately-owned property in Cameron County, Texas. The Falcon 9 orbital
vertical launch vehicle is a medium-lift class launch vehicle with a gross lift-off weight of
approximately 1,000,000 pounds (lbs) with a maximum length of 230 feet (ft). The
Falcon 9 uses liquid oxygen (LOX) and highly refined kerosene, also known as rocket
propellant-1 or refined petroleum-1 (RP-1), as propellants to carry payloads into orbit.
The Falcon Heavy is similar to the Falcon 9, except it has an additional two boosters
“strapped on,” each booster being almost identical to the Falcon 9 first stage core. The
Falcon Heavy is a heavy lift class launch vehicle with a gross lift-off weight of
approximately 3,400,000 lbs. It has an overall maximum length of approximately 230 ft.

A reusable suborbital launch vehicle could consist of a Falcon 9 Stage 1 tank with a
maximum propellant (RP-1 and LOX) load of approximately 6,900 gallons.
As part of the Proposed Action, SpaceX proposes to construct a vertical launch area and a
control center area. The proposed vertical launch area site is currently undeveloped and
is located directly adjacent to the eastern terminus of Texas State Highway 4 (Boca Chica
Boulevard) and approximately 3 miles north of the Mexican border on the Gulf Coast. It
is located approximately 5 miles south of Port Isabel and South Padre Island. At the
vertical launch area, the new facilities required would include: an integration- and
processing-hangar, a launch pad and stand with its associated flame duct, propellant
storage and handling areas, a workshop and office area, and a warehouse for parts
storage.

The control center area would be located inland to the west of the vertical launch area and
would include: a control center building and a payload processing facility; it might also
include a launch vehicle preparation hangar and satellite fuels storage. All facilities
would be constructed on private land owned or leased by SpaceX. The development of
access and supporting utility infrastructure for the vertical launch area and the control
center area may occur on lands outside that which is owned or leased by SpaceX.
Operations would consist of up to 12 launches per year with a maximum of two Falcon
Heavy launches. All Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches would be expected to have
commercial payloads, including satellites or experimental payloads. In addition to
standard payloads, the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy may also carry a capsule, such as the
SpaceX Dragon capsule. All launch trajectories would be to the east over the Gulf of
Mexico.
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