Spaceport Boom
Wow, we didn't see too many news stories like this when I was a kid:
LOS ANGELES - The promise of blasting thrill-seeking tourists into space is fueling an unprecedented rush to build snazzy commercial spaceports.
The Federal Aviation Administration is reviewing proposals from New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas to be gateways for private space travel. Depending on how environmental reviews and other requirements go, approval could come as early as this year and the sites could begin preparing to ferry space tourists soon afterward.
The current spaceport boom recalls the mid-1990s, when the first spaceport fad generated hype but no real construction. Finally, technology may have caught up with starry-eyed plans.
And not that there's anything wrong with being speculative (not around here, anyway), but it appears that investors in spaceports may be buying into an awful lot of blue sky. Or make that black sky, as it were:
The current spaceport boom promises futuristic complexes that evoke the Jetsons. But cashing in requires a gamble.
None of the private rockets under development has been test-flown. And even once the FAA licenses any vehicles, the infant industry initially won't boast multiple daily flights — at $100,000 to $250,000 a head, the market is decidedly limited.
Yeah, but then again...at $100K - $250K a head, you don't need to have a whole lot of flights or fill a whole lot of seats before you're talking about some pretty righteous bucks. I wonder how the margins for space tourism will compare with current commercial passenegr aviation?