The sky may be the limit for the Front Range Airport Authority Board as it seeks to become a leader in the space-flight industry by developing Spaceport Colorado, but the board faces some challenges.
During its Aug. 8 meeting, the Front Range Airport Authority Board discussed the challenges and opportunities it faces as it continues to push forward in developing Spaceport Colorado and managing the airport’s current flight operations.
“Because of just the notion of spaceport, all these folks excited about it are coming out of the woodwork, and they’re coming from everywhere,” said Travis Vallin, a principal at Denver-based aviation consulting firm Jviation. “The challenge here is that Adams County, Front Range Airport and the airport authority board are shouldering 99 percent of the load.”
Aviation administrators and legislators, including Gov. John Hickenlooper, have endorsed the development of Spaceport Colorado over the past two years, but Vallin said the authority board needs to reach out to more financiers and supporters.
“We’re good at connecting all of the dots into the future, but the fact is that it scares the hell out of people,” Vallin said. “It’s easy to get so far out there, and at this point, we don’t know if we can actually have a spaceport.”
Vallin said one of the biggest challenges facing Front Range Airport is whether or not the Federal Aviation Administration will grant it a spaceport license authorizing horizontal takeoffs.
“This concept doesn’t fit at any other airport in the region, but the question is, ‘Does it even fit here,’” Vallin said. “I don’t know. There are a lot of people with a lot of opinions.”
Dennis Heap, Front Range Airport executive director, said that question is still up in the air, awaiting an FAA decision on a $200,000 grant request from the airport to fund an environmental assessment, one of two steps needed to apply for a spaceport license.
The airport board has allocated $850,000 for a spaceport license, which includes the completion of an environmental assessment, and a feasibility and marketing study.
If approved, Heap said the last two steps the airport must take to begin any spaceflight operations should take about six months to complete.