The Midland Spaceport Development Corporation accepted a $2 million grant at a special meeting on Tuesday morning.
The Texas Governor’s Office of Aerospace and Aviation recently announced that Midland’s newly-formed Spaceport Development Corporation was awarded $2 million from the state’s Spaceport Trust Fund, which was created by the Texas Legislature as a tool to assist local spaceport development corporations with infrastructure costs. The goal is to support the creation of quality jobs and investment for activities that will strengthen the economic future of the state and support the 50-year history of the space industry in Texas.
The Midland Spaceport Development Corporation must now finalize a formal Spaceport Trust Fund Agreement with the state. Officials will continue discussion over the next few weeks to prioritize possible projects that could benefit from the grant money.
Midland International Airport (MAF) is currently in the process of obtaining its spaceport license, a process that began in fall 2012 and is expected to be complete by this summer. MAF will be the only commercial service airport to also have a spaceport license upon approval by the Federal Aviation Administration Office of Commercial Space Transportation. Two space companies have already committed to bringing their organizations and employees to Midland: XCOR Aerospace, a private rocket engine and spaceflight development company, and Orbital Outfitters, which primarily develops space and pressure suits and fabricates full-scale vehicle mock-ups for developers and other space companies.
###Media Contact: Director of Airports Marv Esterly