Feds set timeline for decision on proposed Georgia spaceport

ATLANTA — The Federal Aviation Administration has begun evaluating an application to build a commercial launchpad off the Georgia coast.

Camden County recently announced that the FAA accepted its application to construct Spaceport Camden in Kingsland.

The agency said it will either approve or deny the project’s permit by Dec. 16.

“We are now at T-minus 1, a final decision by the FAA is the only outstanding item,” said Steve Howard, Spaceport Camden’s project lead and the county’s administrator. “When we submitted our application to the FAA earlier this year, we were optimistic about a licensing determination in 2019, with [this] news we anticipate achieving that goal.”

Camden County is pursuing the development of the spaceport on a 12,000-acre facility in Kingsland. Camden officials have spent the past few years trying to secure a license from the FAA to move forward with the project.

Spaceport officials are courting private companies to launch up to 12 times a year from the proposed site.

Residents and property owners on nearby Cumberland Island and Little Cumberland Island said they are concerned about having rockets launch so close to their homes.

In its draft environmental impact statement, the FAA said there was a 2.5% to 6% chance of a launch failure. The FAA has not yet finalized its environmental impact statement, but officials have targeted Dec. 5 to release the final document.

Camden officials were expecting the FAA to determine by the end of last year whether it would give the project the launch site operator license it needs to continue with the project.

“We are now at T-minus 1, a final decision by the FAA is the only outstanding item.” – STEVE HOWARD, SPACEPORT CAMDEN’S PROJECT LEAD AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR