DocM Posted September 11, 2014 Author Share Posted September 11, 2014 Correction: meant to type Astrotech Corporation in above post. News from Aviation Week Paris, https://twitter.com/AvWeekParis/status/509369986851549184 Shotwell: Brownsville launch site groundbreaking Sept 21-22, will take 2 yrs to build in parallel w/Pad 39A; both to launch F9 and Heavy. https://twitter.com/AvWeekParis/status/509370657088753665Shotwell: Brownsville to give more flexibility w/launch dates. Texas to launch mainly commercial GTO sats; Air Force likes Cape, Vandenberg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 Media are invited to attend SpaceX?s official groundbreaking ceremony for the world?s first private commercial orbital launch facility on Monday, September 22, 2014. The facility will be built near Boca Chica Beach, Texas and expected to be complete by 2016. Following the groundbreaking ceremony in Boca Chica, media are also welcome to attend a reception in Brownsville honoring local community officials from across South Texas, whose support has made the construction of the launch facility possible. WHAT: SpaceX Commercial Launch Facility Groundbreaking Ceremony & Reception WHO: SpaceX representatives and state and local officials. WHERE: Brownsville Event Center 1 Event Center Boulevard Brownsville, Texas 78526 WHEN: September 22, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beittil Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 The event is about to start I believe, several journalists whom are also very active on Twitter are reporting: From Stephen Clark: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 Yup. The world's first private orbital spaceport is a really big deal, and it won't be the last one from SpaceX ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beittil Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Not only launches are delayed from time to time it seems... So are festivities! Musk and Gov. Perry reported to be almost half an hour late :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 They just got there. Hoping the post updated concept images as the land purchases the last couple of months could make for an impressive mission control and integration area west of the launch site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 https://twitter.com/StephenClark1 "Musk says commercial crews (meaning non-NASA crew flights) may also launch from South Texas. Makes sense to launch NASA crews from KSC." "Musk: first launch from South Texas site could be in late 2016 or 2017. Plan to focus on GTO missions." "Elon Musk: plan to finish work at KSC's pad 39A before building out South Texas launch site." https://twitter.com/StarEmmaPT "#SpaceX: "This will be quite a significant endeavor," Elon Musk, noting that approximately $100 million will be... http://t.co/febWJP3NBO" [at FB:] "...invested in developing the facility" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 @TyJohnson1 "Musk, @SpaceX founder mentioned possibility of future Mars missions being launched from #Brownsville #rgv" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 Expanding on the above, http://www.texastribune.org/2014/09/22/brownsville-spacex-facility-might-land-first-mars/ Texas SpaceX Facility Might Land First Human on Mars BROWNSVILLE ? Calling South Texas the new frontier of space, Gov. Rick Perry, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and other Texas officials broke ground Monday morning at the site of a future private commercial orbital launch facility expected to boost Brownsville?s economy and start launching rockets in 2016. Under a tent near Boca Chica Beach outside of Brownsville, Musk said the facility, which will be SpaceX?s first private facility, may be used someday to put the first humans on Mars. ?It very well could be the first person to go to another planet could launch from this location,? Musk said. ?This is really going to be a new kind of spaceport that is optimized for commercial operations. Cape Canaveral and Cape Vandenberg are great launch sites, but they are military launch sites. ? What?s important for the future of space exploration is to have a truly commercial launch site, just as we have commercial airports.? Musk, who has said it is his personal goal to land a human on Mars, said humanity's survival will be tied in part to being a multi-planetary species. Construction has already started at the launch control center, and Musk told reporters the first space launch is expected in late 2016. Earlier this summer, SpaceX, which is based in California, announced it had selected South Texas as the future home of the facility, for which Texas put up $15.3 million. The facility is expected to create 300 jobs and bring $85 million in capital investment to the Rio Grande Valley. > Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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