First Stage of Plans for Las Vegas Spaceport Approved by Clark County Board of Commissioners
LAS VEGAS, NV – The Clark County Board of Commissioners have officially approved the first stage of plans for an ambitious project: the Las Vegas Spaceport, which its developer says will build a strong space-based economy in Southern Nevada and will one day become a busy hub for both commercial and private space tourism.
Last week, construction permits were approved for an airstrip for the upcoming the Las Vegas Executive Airport, which will be located at a 240-acre site near Pahrump, north of Highway 160. When the airport complex is completed, according to the project’s CEO Robert Lauer, work will begin on making the connected $320 million spaceport a reality, with a heliport to be built near the Strip in order to transport guests to and from the space-age facility.
But until plans for the spaceport itself are presented to county commissioners for approval, Lauer said the airport will begin efforts to raise its public profile and attract tourists for rides in slightly more conventional aircraft for the time being.
Part one is going to build public support through tourism, because it exposes the average person to what the industry is building and the opportunities that are provided,” he said, noting that visitors would be able to pay $6,500 for rides in fighter jets – which may be available as soon as this summer – that provide enough g-force to simulate the effects of space travel, as well as parabolic flights for $9,000 that actually provide a real zero-gravity environment.
Lauer said that the plans for the spaceport include 40 commercial hangars, a STEM college with advanced flight simulators, a civilian space flight assimilation program, a hotel, passenger terminal, rooftop observation deck and restaurant, with the facility expected to begin looking for an operator within the next three to four years, and actual space travel itself expected to begin within five.
What is on the horizon are space planes,” Lauer said. “There are several companies that we’re working closely with right now that are building the next generation of space vehicles, which I believe will dominate the future of the space industry.”
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