Oct. 08--XCOR Aerospace still plans to move to Midland, but its chief operating officer acknowledged the move is taking longer than expected.
Despite Midland International Airport's lack of spaceport designation license, Andrew Nelson, COO and vice president of business development for XCOR, said he is confident the situation will get better.
He said the spaceport license process has been a coordinated effort with no pushback, but then the government shutdown affected the Federal Aviation Administration, the agency responsible for granting spaceport licenses. Nelson also explained that the license application itself is complicated because it requires several components such as a physical security plan and an emergency response plan.
As of now, the application is at the environmental assessment phase, as previously reported.
So in the interim, XCOR has made several measures to make its transition from Mojave, Calif., to Midland. The company is currently evaluating proposals and negotiating with local contractors for hangar renovations at the airport.
Continuing its presence on the local community, XCOR has also hired five employees from Midland and plan to hire more in the next few months. The company has also made agreements with local suppliers.
"We're already doing a bit in the community, even though it's not visible yet," Nelson said.
One noticeable difference when XCOR does arrive will be the unveiling of its Lynx suborbital spacecraft, a horizontal takeoff and landing vehicle that will take passengers into space. XCOR is currently working on the vehicle's cockpit and wings, Nelson said.
The Lynx will then undergo early flight testing in Mojave before it takes people into space for $95,000 per flight. When asked about testing in Midland, Nelson said no final decision has been made, testing may be done depending on the spaceport license and hangar completion. He estimates that there will be about nine to 12 months of testing before the Lynx is ready for commercial service.
XCOR will be making a temporary appearance this weekend when a full scale model of the Lynx will be displayed at AirSho.
Once in Midland permanently, Nelson also hopes that the Lynx and XCOR's presence in the area can become an educational experience, inspiring children to pursue science, technology, engineering or math careers.
Copyright 2013 - Midland Reporter-Telegram, Texas
