Midland Development Corp. Approves Deal with Kepler Aerospace

The Midland Reporter-Telegram reports that Midland Development Corporation has approved a deal with Kepler Aerospace for the city’s spaceport.

The board approved a couple of items having to do with Kepler Aerospace Ltd.: a sublease agreement that calls for the Florida-based company to occupy the empty, 17,000-square-foot building – once occupied by Orbital Outfitters – at the business park at Midland International Airport. The deal does not include a cash incentive, but that if Kepler meets contractually obligated milestones, it will receive lease abatements for three years, MDC officials have stated.

A final deal will go before the Midland City Council for its approval.

It is the second deal MDC directors have made to resurrect the spaceport following the bankruptcies of XCOR Aerospace and Orbital Outfitters. The MDC previously made a deal with Avellan Space Technology & Science in late 2018 to take over the hanger once occupied by XCOR Aerospace. The company has received rent abatements for reaching its negotiated goals.

“What (the agreement with Kepler) illustrates is the viability of what the spaceport could become,” outgoing MDC Chair Brent Hilliard said.

According to its website, Kepler is a worldwide holding company that is

currently developing and commercializing many of these technologies such as its proprietary plasma, or high energy electrical power, technology to generate propulsion, thrust, lift and flight.

The Company has also developed several other proprietary propulsion, energy and microwave burst technologies that can be used in several configurations and are currently being developed by the company as technologies to be marketed to the military and defense industries.