BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — The new spaceports are part of a larger plan to bolster Florida’s aerospace industry.
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Governor Ron DeSantis signed off on a bill that, as of Monday, will add South Florida’s Homestead Air Reserve Base and the panhandle’s Tyndall Air Force Base to Florida’s growing spaceport territories.
Space Florida’s president and CEO, Rob Long, told Channel 9 that the move will only strengthen the state’s standing as a global hub for aerospace commerce.
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“We want to look at the entire life cycle or the supply chain and everything that’s included in space transportation, and that starts with satellite manufacturing.” Long said. " We really wanted to diversify options for companies as they look to grow in the state of Florida.”
According to Space Florida, employment in the state’s aerospace sector has increased by 41% in the past decade.
“We have what’s called a spaceport system master plan, and that plan is intended to help coordinate activities across the state.” Long said, “We’re in the midst of starting a new update to that plan, and that’s exactly what we’ll take into account, making sure that all of these hubs across the state are all working together in ways that will help everybody grow.”
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A lot of what Long said will focus on normalizing what he would call “space transportation”.
“We’re a significant portion, if not the global leader of launches worldwide.” Long said, “That gives us that an advantage in terms of leading, and not only space transportation, but in the aerospace industry at large”.
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