The competition over which state SpaceX will choose for launching its commercial rockets got more heated on Tuesday May 7 at a public meeting in Brownsville, Texas.
The vote at the Brownsville meeting concerned the launch of a new private launch complex on the Gulf Coast. Further east just five days ago, Florida's Volusia County voted in support of a commercial SpaceX spaceport in Florida, at the north end of the Kennedy Space Center and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
"Given the enthusiasm which Texas is showing SpaceX, it is essential that Florida show it, too, wants to be a player in commercial space," said Space Florida's Chief of Strategic Alliances Dale Ketcham.
A draft environmental review of a launch site in Texas has already been completed. Florida, however, is just getting started, with NASA recently allowing Space Florida to go ahead with an environmental impact statement for about 150 acres of land. Soon Florida will be taking bids from contractors to perform the environmental study.
Georgia has also thrown its hat into the ring, proposing a spaceport just north of the Florida border. The FAA is currently selecting contractors for environmental review in that area.
Meanwhile, back in Texas, SpaceX is already considering a 57-acre property surrounded by the Lower Rio Grande National Wildlife Refuge and Boca Chica State Park. Out of almost 600 public commentary submissions, over 90 percent supported the Texas spaceport. For this and other reasons, Texas considers itself the front runner.
"From our position, it looks like it's Texas' to lose, and that barring any unforeseen serious complications, that the Brownsville site at Boca Chica will be SpaceX's commercial launch facility," President of the Texas Space Alliance Bob Lancaster said. "We have seen no other similar level of activity like this at any of the other locations in any other states."
