The Jacksonville Aviation Authority board voted unanimously Aug. 7 to approve a resolution supporting efforts to obtain a reentry license at Cecil Spaceport along with the development of a “space vehicle facility.”
The resolution states that acquiring the license would “expand aerospace capabilities in Northeast Florida, leveraging Cecil Spaceport’s existing infrastructure including its 12,500-foot runway and horizontal launch license.”
JAA plans to collaborate on the project with Space Florida and the Florida Department of Transportation, which, according to the resolution, have indicated there is available funding to support the reentry license process. That process involves a comprehensive review of a formal proposal, including safety, policy and payload aspects, alongside environmental and financial responsibility analyses.
The Federal Aviation Administration issues reentry licenses, which provide a regulatory framework for safe reentry, addressing public safety, environmental impacts and national interests.
There is no set cost for licensing, but a report by the FAA and Office of Commercial Space Transportation estimates it at $146,402. Considerations are the hourly wages and time spent by FAA staff gathering, reviewing and formatting the information required in each license application.
Key steps include an FAA pre-application consultation, ensuring airspace integration through letters of agreement with air traffic control and obtaining a payload reentry determination if required.
The resolution says key benefits of obtaining a reentry license include opportunities for biomedical and commercial space-based research and strategic partnerships with such companies as Texas-based Intuitive Machines and Jacksonville-based Hermeus and Redwire Space to advance reentry systems, hypersonic testing and satellite production.
The space vehicle facility is in the early stages of development, and few details about it have been released.