Gov. Rick Perry welcomes XCOR to Texas.
Prepared Remarks of Gov. Rick Perry
Midland, Texas
July 9, 2012
This is a great day for Midland and a huge step forward for the State of Texas.
We couldn’t be happier to welcome XCOR to the Lone Star State, and we couldn’t be prouder to be home to their new Research and Development center.
This is a tremendous accomplishment for the Midland economic community, from the Economic Development Corp, to the folks here at Midland International Airport.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry welcomes XCOR to Midland. (Credit: Griffin Communications Group)
MIDLAND, Texas (Office of Gov. Perry PR) — Gov. Rick Perry joined XCOR Aerospace and the Midland Development Corp. to announce the creation of XCOR’s new Commercial Space Research and Development Center headquarters at the Midland International Airport. XCOR develops and produces reusable launch vehicles, rocket engines and rocket propulsion systems, and will create 100 jobs at this new facility.
“This is a great day for Midland and a huge step forward for the State of Texas. Visionary companies, like XCOR, continue to choose Texas because they know that innovation is fueled by freedom,” Gov. Perry said. “Whether on the cutting edge of biotech, communications, commerce or privatized efforts to serve the needs of the next generation of space explorers, you can find Texas at the forefront of the movement.”
Midland, Texas, July 9, 2012 (XCOR/MDC PR) – The Midland Development Corporation (MDC) and XCOR Aerospace jointly announced today the establishment of XCOR’s new Commercial Space Research and Development Center Headquarters that will be created over the next eighteen (18) months. XCOR manufactures reusable rocket engines for major aerospace prime contractors and is the designer, manufacturer and operator of the Lynx, a winged fully reusable, high performance suborbital space vehicle that is designed to safely carry two persons or scientific experiments to the edge of space and back up to four times per day.
Aviation Week has a lengthy update on the test schedule for SpaceShipTwo. A brief summary: The plan: Begin powered flights by the end of 2012, commercial flights from New Mexico in late 2013 High drop-test flight tempo over the next few months to get through un-powered flight envelope by end of Summer SpaceShipTwo has been modified with larger strakes on the inboard sides of the vertical tails to deal with […]
The Midland Reporter-Telegram takes a closer look at the XCOR incentives package and why the city made the offer to the Mojave-based company. A summary is below.
Why Midland Wants XCOR
- Midland, a city built upon the oil and natural gas riches of the Permian Basin, wants to diversify its economic base to cushion against economic swings in these volatile industries
- Midland is hoping XCOR’s move will help it attract similar businesses.
Why XCOR Likes Midland
- Flat, open area around the airport
- Sunny desert weather that excellent for flying
- Well-run airport capable of supporting XCOR’s operations
- Friendly business climate with low tax rates, liability protections and modest regulations.
UPDATE: Orbital Sciences has responded via Twitter: “That Space News report is incorrect. Test flight about a month following launch complex certification, which is close.” Space News reports that the maiden flight of Orbital Sciences Corporation’s new Antares rocket has slipped into December from an earlier estimate of August or September: Orbital is more than a year and a half behind schedule in flying its first space station cargo mission […]
Space News reports that European space officials are leaning toward supporting a plan that would have ESA supply the propulsion module for NASA’s Orion deep-space vehicle:
A French-German working group established to coordinate the policies of Europe’s two biggest space program backers has concluded that the European Space Agency (ESA) should provide a propulsion module for NASA’s Orion crew-transport capsule to pay ESA’s space station operating costs between 2017 and 2020, government and industry officials said….
DARPA has announced a new initiative designed to culminate “in a test flight of a full-scale hypersonic X-plane (HX) in 2016”:
Tackling remaining unknowns for DoD hypersonics efforts is the focus of the new DARPA Integrated Hypersonics (IH) program. “History is rife with examples of different designs for ‘flying vehicles’ and approaches to the traditional commercial flight we all take for granted today,” explained Acting DARPA Director Kaigham J. Gabriel. “For an entirely new type of flight—extreme hypersonic—diverse solutions, approaches and perspectives informed by the knowledge gained from DoD’s previous efforts are critical to achieving our goals.”
To encourage this diversity, DARPA will host a Proposers’ Day on August 14, 2012, to detail the technical areas for which proposals are sought through an upcoming competitive broad agency announcement.