Author: Richard Burnett
Publisher: Orlando Sentinel
Date: July 19, 2014
In the war between the states for the emerging commercial-rocket-launch industry, Florida is scrambling to regain momentum after a key rival — Texas — has all but secured victory in a major battle.
At stake are hundreds of jobs — perhaps thousands in the future — and billions of dollars for the Space Coast, still struggling since the end of the shuttle program, officials with the state’s space-development agency said.
Space Florida is regrouping after apparently failing to lure the future commercial-launch headquarters of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The company is now poised to build a new commercial spaceport in south Texas instead, officials in Florida say. So far, SpaceX will only say that Texas is a “finalist” for its new complex. Read more here.
