States are hitching their economies to the COMMERCIAL SPACE STARS going into 2012. The competitive spirit of launching rockets is embedded within the economies of Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico and Virginia. Each is making new investments in the New Year ahead.
Colorado already has the No. 2 space economy in the country - behind only CALIFORNIA - with a diverse industry comprised of commercial, private and military endeavors, reports the "DENVER POST", as the state advances a SPACEPORT LICENSE FROM THE FAA-AST.
The state's Gov. John Hickenlooper said in late October that the state will seek to designate Front Range Airport near Denver at a new commercial spaceport in the years ahead.
Alabama celebrates the end of 2011 of Paul Allen's recent announcement his latest space venture - STATOLAUNCH - will be based in Huntsville, followed by the announcement that Sierra Nevada will bring its "DREAM CHASER" mini-space shuttle for critical stress tests at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.
The Alabama rocket riches also include TIM PICKENS, the formidable leader of Rocket City Space Pioneers, the city's GOOGLE LUNAR X PRIZE TEAM and the millions in NASA contracts coming to build NASA'S HEAVY-LIFT BOOSTER, notes "THE HUNTSVILLE TIMES".
NEW MEXICO'S SPACEPORT AMERICA will embrace the start of the first first commercial VIRGIN GALACTIC flights to space probably in late 2012, if the Mojave, California testing proceeds as planned. It will also witness an expand launch manifest by UP AEROSPACE in 2012.
Florida and VIRGINIA WILL BE TOUTING their commercial spaceports at CAPE CANAVERAL and WALLOPS ISLAND, respectively in 2012. Launch pads in the two states will service commercial spacecraft boosters - SpaceX Falcon 9 and the Orbital Sciences Corporation's ANTARES - to make rendezvous with the INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION bringing the first commercial cargo payloads to the orbiting laboratory. Both states will be seeking MARKET POSITION WITH THE COMMERCIAL CREW program.
TEXAS continues to formulate plans for a commercial space launch pad in 2012, according to THE TEXAS SPACE ALLIANCE. The only privately-operated spaceport is operated at the CORN RANCH by Blue Origin. Operating booster testing facilities there now, SPACEX is expanding there.
Meanwhile, CHINA, EUROPE, INDIA, and RUSSIA are either building new or expanding their current spaceport facilities, as the global competition for space access continues to expand. BRAZIL, IRAN, ISRAEL, and SOUTH KOREA appear serious as to entering the private satellite launch market as well.
Origin: space-wanderers.blogspot.com
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