I was thrilled to learn this week that Cecil Field was issued a Launch Site Operator’s License from the FAA. This license has been highly anticipated, as it formally enables this historic Northern Florida facility to host horizontal space launches from its runways. This capability – in addition to similar potential sites currently being researched at Kennedy Space Center and in Southern Florida – is critical to providing our state with the competitive edge it needs to be a key player in the U.S. space tourism industry.

By offering a network of horizontal launch sites, Florida will be able to provide a unique benefit to global commercial launch operators. Not only will Florida’s multiple sites provide a variety of options for takeoff and landing that may be required due to weather and air traffic constraints, it will also offer multiple locations for point-to-point suborbital travel. Additionally, Cecil Field may serve as one of many potential operating bases for air-launch, small satellite boosters carried by vehicles such as Virgin Galactic's White Knight Two.

With the realization of Cecil Field’s FAA license, and the anticipated announcements of additional such sites in Florida, our state will have a unique competitive advantage over other domestic spaceports.

We are thrilled to have been able to work with Cecil Field representatives during this process, and look forward to continuing our relationship with them as the commercial space industry grows.