Support for the city’s spaceport designation is increasing
PASO ROBLES — The City of Paso Robles is in the process of seeking a “spaceport” designation for the municipal airport, and the concept is getting support from Cal Poly and technology companies. After presenting the Paso Robles Air and Spaceport concept at Cal Poly’s CubeSat Developers Conference, the city signed two letters of intent to partner in support of spaceport activities — from Cal Poly and Stellar Explorations.
The Paso Robles Air and Spaceport project was presented at the CubeSat Developers Workshop conference on April 27 in collaboration with students and university staff from Cal Poly’s DxHub. The presentation was well-received, resulting in a number of business contacts interested in the potential of the Paso Robles Spaceport project. Attendees at the conference come from a wide variety of space technology companies, including satellite designers and manufacturers, launch platforms, command and control systems, and cyber security.
President Armstrong of Cal Poly and Mayor Martin officially signed a Letter of Intent during the conference held at Cal Poly’s Performing Arts Center. Cal Poly has expressed interest in providing educational opportunities at the proposed Paso Robles Spaceport. The partnership presents Cal Poly “learn by doing” opportunities in Aeronautics and Space Technologies to support its educational mission.
Dr. Tomas Svitek, president of Stellar Explorations, and Martin officially signed a letter of intent for future collaboration related to the spaceport project. Stellar Explorations designs and builds miniaturized aerospace solutions for military, civil and commercial customers, including the propulsion system for NASA’s upcoming CAPSTONE project headed to the moon. Read more about Stellar Explorations’ projects through these links:
- spacenews.com/stellar-exploration-propels-echostar-nanosatellite/
- space.com/capstone-cubesat-moon-mission-launch-may
- nasa.gov/feature/ames/capstone-s-cubesat-prepares-for-lunar-flight
The spaceport concept in Paso Robles is in support of horizontal launches only, primarily to get CubeSats (small satellites) into earth’s orbit. The development of the spaceport would be through a license from the Federal Aviation Administration rather than any new construction or infrastructure.
