JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville could soon become one of only a handful of places where orbital spacecraft is allowed to land in the country.
“There are only 20 space ports across the United States and only two are licensed for orbital reentry, Huntsville, Alabama and Florida’s Brevard County landing pad, but now Cecil could be the third,” Jacksonville City Council Member Nick Howland said.
State and local leaders said Cecil Spaceport is moving forward with a reentry license.
The Space Florida Board approved $600,000 for that license. It would not allow rocket launches. But it would allow rockets to land locally.
“This timing is perfect for us,” State Rep. Kim Kendall said. “There’s a lot of medical research going on, especially with the universities nearby, and now we have a spacecraft in particular we are working with.”
That money launches phase 1, which requires environmental and technical studies to be completed before any spacecraft can touch down.
And interest is already being sparked by several companies.
“We’ve had interest from Intuitive Machines, Mayo Clinic, Redwire, all in that capability,” Howland said.
While it could be a little while before we start to see rockets land at Cecil, leaders said the long-term impact could be transformative.
“That is going to open the door tremendously for Cecil, for so many things,” Kendall said. “We are sitting on so much potential here, especially in northeast Florida, and we really want to bring that to the next generation.”
The application will have to go to the FAA for approval.
Howland said that could take a couple of years, but they are working to expedite that process.
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