The Las Vegas Spaceport Initiates Its Journey Toward Launch Site
The journey towards constructing a recreational space travel airport in Las Vegas took a significant step forward when the Clark County Commission granted construction permits this week for the Las Vegas Spaceport. The project, covering 240 acres of desert land close to the city's border with Pahrump, will feature a $30 million runway.
The Las Vegas Spaceport, with an estimated budget of $310 million, was initially announced last summer by Rob Lauer, its CEO. An experienced commercial real-estate developer, Lauer expressed full confidence in the existence of technology that would allow for space planes capable of taking people to space, space hotels, the Moon, or Mars, and bringing them back down to Earth like they would in a conventional airplane.
This ambitious project, inspired by Lauer, has more in store for visitors. Along with the runway, the plans also include a passenger terminal, taxiway, and a control tower. Additionally, Lauer imagined a rooftop observation deck, a private jet terminal, a ground school where civilians could receive flight acclimation training, and a 20,000 square-foot casino that would be leased to a local gaming company. Impressively, this dream also involves a 200-room hotel containing a restaurant.
In order to realize this vision, Lauer intends to raise the capital through equity financing.
At present, there are 14 spaceports licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with only two of these being privately owned. Unsurprisingly, these are owned by highly recognizable individuals: Elon Musk's SpaceX and Amazon's Jeff Bezos. In contrast, Lauer's proposed activities have the potential to slash the average cost of space travel dramatically, down to a mere $30,000-$50,000 per seat.
So why Las Vegas? According to Lauer, its annual 40 million visitors make it an ideal location. He pointed out that the town's visitors are merely a 15-minute helicopter ride away, and casinos in the city could introduce his ventures as a bonus for their highest-paying customers. Lauer's company would collaborate with one of the 37 companies actively seeking FAA approval to manufacture spaceplanes, rather than create them in-house.
"We have a 10-year plan to establish a commercial space tourism industry," said Lauer.
Original link for mentioned interview was https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/commercial-real-estate/spaceport-ceo-discusses-future-of-las-vegas-spaceport-1960861/
- 37 companies seeking FAA approval mentioned here: https://launchpad.ds.nasa.gov/ mission/commercial-crew/
Read also:
- Columbia University Faces Possible Expulsion Following Demonstrations
- Football turmoil in Munich: Last-minute penalty stuns Bayern
- Steinmeier Faces Backlash Over "Expert Caliber" Remark
- US State Department Lacks Own Standards in Regard to Israel
Source: www.casino.org
