What to Know
- Two New Jersey lawmakers are pushing for Atlantic City International Airport to become a launch site for commercial spacecrafts.
- A proposed bill would establish the “Atlantic City International Airport Spaceport Feasibility Study Commission.”
- Under the bill, a nine-member commission would research the feasibility of AC International Airport become a new space launch site.
Will commercial spacecrafts one day be launched from Atlantic City? Two New Jersey lawmakers are hoping that what sounds like science fiction will soon become a reality.
Senator Chris Brown (R-Atlantic) and Vin Gopal (D-Monmouth) introduced a bill that would establish the “Atlantic City International Airport Spaceport Feasibility Study Commission.”
The proposed legislation declares that space tourism is expected to be a $34 billion dollar industry by 2021. The federal “Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984” encourages the growth of commercial space launches and there are currently 11 launch sites licensed under the act in the United States.
Brown and Gopal’s bill proposes the creation of a Governor-appointed, nine-member study commission that would research the feasibility of the Atlantic International Airport becoming a new space launch site.
The commission would include the executive director of the South Jersey Transportation Authority or the executive director's designee, an expert in federal aviation regulation, a Stockton University affiliate, an aerospace or astronautical engineering expert, two people who live within 10 miles of the Atlantic City International Airport, two business owners who operate near the airport and a tourism expert.
The commission would meet and hold public hearings and the South Jersey Transportation Authority would be responsible for the costs, assistance and support.
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Brown and Gopal introduced the bill in January and are hopeful it’ll gain bipartisan support. Learn more about the proposed legislation here.
