Governor and Lt. Governor To FAA: Spaceport Camden Is Go For Launch

A lot of the focus of economic growth is around the metro Atlanta area….which makes since due to the fact that the majority of Georgia’s population works and/or resides in the metro area.  However, South Georgia is getting some well-deserved attention not just because of the Savannah port, but because of Spaceport Camden.  Spaceport Camden has been championed under the Gold Dome by Rep. Jason Spencer (R-HD-180) with his HB 1: The Georgia Space Flight Act which was signed into law in May by Governor Nathan Deal.

Now, both Governor Deal and Lt. Governor Casey Cagle have expressed their support for Spaceport Camden and are urging the FAA to support it as well.  From a presser issued by the Camden County Board of Commissioners:

“The Spaceport Camden project utilizes Georgia’s high-technology industry and cutting-edge research capabilities, bringing significant economic opportunities to coastal Georgia as the space industry continues its growth,” Governor Deal stated in his letter. Today, Georgia commands just 1/10 of 1% of global space economy, a market that Bank of America Merrill Lynch has projected to grow to $2.7 trillion over the next 30 years.

Lt. Governor Casey Cagle echoed Governor Deals sentiments, noting “Camden is the ideal region for space vehicle manufacturing due to its location…[and] also offers a launch range that is virtually unrestricted for the launch of spacecrafts to a wide range of orbits” Cagle further noted the regional benefits Spaceport Camden offers neighboring states stating “[t]his Spaceport not only opens up the door for economic growth in our state, but puts the Southeast on the cutting edge of scientific development.”

The Spaceport would bring high-paying jobs to the region on top of leveraging the aerospace engineering and manufacturing expertise that Georgia has as well as NASA’s presence in both Florida and Alabama.  Camden County is excited about the momentum:

“We couldn’t be more excited about the momentum we have for this project,” said Camden County Administrator and Spaceport Project Lead, Steve Howard. “Commercial Space Operators are taking note of the favorable business climate and overwhelming political support for space exploration in Georgia. We are already receiving significant interest from companies looking to locate their operations in Camden,” added Howard.

Camden County will be submitting a launch site operator’s license application in the next few months to the FAA.  Once submitted, the 180-day clock begins to tick on a final decision on the issuance of said license.