A federal agency expects to announce its decision Monday on whether to allow
a launchpad that would send commercial rockets into space from coastal
Georgia.
However, the Federal Aviation Administration is emphasizing that a license
authorizing Camden County to operate a spaceport would not yet permit the
launch of any rockets.
In a letter released Friday by the FAA, the agency said a more comprehensive
review would be needed before any rockets can be launched from Georgia.
Even if the license for Spaceport Camden is approved, "it would not
authorize a single launch," an FAA executive wrote to the U.S. Department of
the Interior.
"Simply put: to obtain a Vehicle Operator License, many more reviews remain,
and no outcome is guaranteed," the letter stated.
Any company seeking to launch from the site would need to obtain a Vehicle
Operator License and undergo a separate environmental and safety evaluation,
according to the FAA.
Camden County, in the southeastern corner of the state, has spent nearly 10
years and $10 million pursuing the goal of having what would be the nation's
newest commercial spaceport.
Supporters say it would give the county a huge economic boost and allow
Georgia to join the commercial space race that's sent increasing numbers of
civilians and celebrities into space in recent months.
Critics contend the proposed site would endanger residents of Little
Cumberland Island, which has about 40 homes, though few people live there
year round, and visitors to federally protected Cumberland Island, which lie
in the planned flight path for rockets.
Opponents have gone to court to try to block the county from purchasing land
where the spaceport would be built. About 3,800 people have signed a
petition calling for a referendum that would let voters decide whether the
county can buy the property.
The National Park Service and its parent agency, the U.S. Department of the
Interior, also have expressed concerns.
In a July 22 letter to the FAA, the Interior Department said a chance of
rockets exploding—with fiery debris raining down on wilderness land on
Cumberland Island—creates an "unacceptable risk." Cumberland Island, with
its wild horses and nesting sea turtles, is a popular tourist area off the
Georgia coast.
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