City advances spaceport plans, seeks consultant for FAA licensing

By Staff Report · Mon Jun 22 2026

PASO ROBLES — The City of Paso Robles has issued a Request for Proposals seeking a qualified consulting firm to complete the Federal Aviation Administration Launch Site Operator License application for the proposed Paso Robles Spaceport, marking another step forward in the city’s long-term Spaceport and Technology Corridor initiative.

City officials say securing an FAA license is essential to positioning the Paso Robles Municipal Airport as a future hub for aerospace innovation, technology development, and workforce training. The licensing effort follows an independent review completed in 2025 by aerospace consulting firm RS&H, which found the city had established a solid foundation for the application while identifying remaining technical, operational, safety, and environmental requirements.

The selected consultant will be responsible for completing the final stages of the licensing process, including launch site reviews, flight corridor evaluations, risk analyses, environmental compliance documentation, agency coordination, and preparation of the final application package for submission to the FAA. Several key components of the application have already received conditional FAA approval, including safety, emergency response, public access control, and operational planning documents.

“Paso Robles is taking another exciting step in becoming a leader in California’s growing aerospace economy,” said Paso Robles Mayor John Hamon. “Advancing our FAA spaceport license will create new opportunities for higher paying tech jobs, attract investments in and around our Airport and open the door to future opportunities for innovation, education, and technology not only in our community, but on the entire central coast.”

The effort to advance the Spaceport and Technology Corridor initiative has drawn support from a broad coalition of public and private partners, including Congressman Jimmy Panetta, State Senator John Laird, State Assemblymember Dawn Addis, County Supervisor Heather Moreno, California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), the California Association for Local Economic Development, regional school districts, and private aerospace companies. NASA Ames Research Center has also expressed interest in exploring future collaboration should a spaceport license be secured.

Proposals are due Aug. 3, with a consultant expected to be selected in September and work beginning in October. The proposed Spaceport and Technology Corridor would be centered on approximately 1,300 acres at the Paso Robles Municipal Airport, leveraging the city's location between Silicon Valley and Vandenberg Space Force Base to support future aerospace growth.