JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) board unanimously approved a resolution supporting efforts to get a reentry license at Cecil Spaceport along with the development of a “space vehicle facility.”
The resolution states that obtaining the license would enable Cecil Spaceport to “support critical and time-sensitive biomedical research.”
During Thursday’s meeting, State Representative Kim Kendall explained that Mayo Clinic Jacksonville will soon become one of two fellowships in the country addressing medical issues affecting astronauts.
“They really want the results to land in Cecil [Spaceport] because they can do it off [Cape Canaveral] but they lose some of the data in the travel time,” Kendall said. “So it is imperative that we have the landing here.”
The resolution said the existing 12,500-foot runway and horizontal launch license puts Jacksonville in a unique position to assist. It also lists several businesses already operating at Cecil as operations that could benefit from the reentry license.
JAA plans to collaborate on the project with Space Florida and the Florida Department of Transportation. According to the resolution, it indicates there is available funding to support the reentry license process.
The resolution also highlights economic potential, highlighting a $10 million grant for Intuitive Machines and $29 billion in sales for Keytruda, a medication used to treat cancer.
“It opens up so many other doors,” Kendall said.
The resolution endorsing a dedicated facility for “safe and effective handling of returned space vehicles” went before the board on Thursday.
It passed unanimously, saying it recognizes “the vast scientific, medical, commercial and national security benefits such infrastructure will bring to Jacksonville and the greater Northeast Florida region.”