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Spaceport Houston Developments


trymahjong

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Houston to Select Design-Builder for Ellington Spaceport by December

 

https://www.virtualbx.com/construction-preview/24842-houston-to-select-design-builder-for-ellington-spaceport-by-december.html

 



Houston (Harris County) - The Houston Airport System (HAS) has begun the process of selecting a design-build firm to install infrastructure for a spaceport at Ellington Airport, and the intent is to have one under contract by December.

 

Contractors were invited June 16 to submit Statements of Qualifications and they are due July 27. The selected contractor would constitute the third component of a development team for the construction of what has already been designated the 10th spaceport site in the United States.

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OK so this is just to hire a design build firm for only the infrastructure, i.e. the storm water drains, streets, electrical duct banks, gas lines and water lines. Not the actual spaceport. Just wanted to make sure we're all on the same page. Only if they iron out their questions for the latter sub phases.

At least thats what I get out of this invitation.

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  • 9 months later...

My friend sent me a text yesterday saying they just put up a sign on the fence at Ellington saying something about Spaceport. She is going to try to go by there again soon to see what it said exactly. 

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There’s really nothing to report.

 

Those renderings were conceptual marketing drawings ... those buildings were never going to be built as such.

 

Its only real chances for success is to attract companies to locate on EFD property, but even that’s a longshot. 

 

Not saying it’s a bad a concept but anyone who interpreted that as something “real” had their head in the stars.

 

HAS was doing things at IAH and HOU ... it was EFD’s turn. Definitely EFD’s best long-term hope but it really is a marketing gambit.

 

The idea that spacecraft need a control tower ...

Edited by mattyt36
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6 hours ago, EllenOlenska said:

I'm not aerospace engineer, but I figure a horizontal takeoff and landing spaceplane really needs a control tower. I'm sorry I'm on this control tower, but it's there and it's big. 

 

Control towers in general are becoming obsolete.

 

http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/air-traffic-control-towers-removed-from-airports

 

But their advantage is really to monitor ground traffic.  It's not like there will be a lot of spacecraft taking off, landing, and taxiing at any given time.

 

The control tower was more of a vanity project.

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Even with a remote control location, you still need to have an elevated platform for the camera systems.  In the US, it is still in the developmental stages - a demonstration airport is in Leesburg, VA https://www.leesburgva.gov/government/departments/airport/remote-air-traffic-control-tower 

 

Current space launch operations are done by remote - the launch control center at Kennedy Space Center for example has windows facing the launchpads, but everyone inside is actually facing away from the windows

1280px-Firing_Room_-2_During_Apollo_12_C

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Launch_Control_Center)

 

For horizontal take-off and landing space ships, I suspect that it will be treated more like aircraft - and for now that means a control tower.

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7 hours ago, cspwal said:

Even with a remote control location, you still need to have an elevated platform for the camera systems.  In the US, it is still in the developmental stages - a demonstration airport is in Leesburg, VA https://www.leesburgva.gov/government/departments/airport/remote-air-traffic-control-tower 

 

Current space launch operations are done by remote - the launch control center at Kennedy Space Center for example has windows facing the launchpads, but everyone inside is actually facing away from the windows

1280px-Firing_Room_-2_During_Apollo_12_C

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Launch_Control_Center)

 

For horizontal take-off and landing space ships, I suspect that it will be treated more like aircraft - and for now that means a control tower.

 

Trust me, the EFD control tower has absolutely nothing to do with the Spaceport. It was spun that way, but I can assure you it doesn’t. 

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7 hours ago, cspwal said:

Probably a response to the air traffic then. With hobby nearby, a VFR approach seems ill advised

 

What does VFR have to do with a control tower?

 

What does VFR have to with proximity to HOU? IFR doesn’t make a difference when it comes to avoiding traffic.

 

If I had to guess 99% of operations at EFD are VFR as it is.

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Do we know what phase 2B consists of?

 

www.cohtora.houstontx.gov/ibi_apps/WFServlet.ibfs?IBIF_webapp=/ibi_apps&IBIC_server=EDASERVE&IBIWF_msgviewer=OFF&IBIAPP_app=soldpermits&IBIF_ex=sold_permit_d&CLICKED_ON=&PN=19057550&PT=13

 

Quote

ELLINGTON SPACE PORT INFRASTRUCTURE PHASE 2B (BSG-2019-27-EFD)

Project No: 19057550
Date : 2019/06/07 00:00:00
USE : ELLINGTON SPACE PORT INFRASTRUCTURE PHAS
Owner/Occupant : **
Job Address : 13200 SPACE CENTER BLVD 77059
Valuation : $ 17,200,000
Permit Type : 13
FCC Group :  
Buyer : *TEXAS STERLING-BANICKI, LLC
Address : 20810 FERNBUSH LN 77073
Phone :

(480) 320-4358

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  • 3 weeks later...

FYI, phase I is infrastructure + a 50,000 sf building only.

 

From the article:

 

The Houston Airport System will celebrate the groundbreaking of phase 1 — an $18.8 million project — with a ceremony at Ellington Airport at 13150 Space Center Blvd. The scope of the project’s first phase includes streets, water, wastewater, electrical power and distribution, fiber optics and communications facilities, according to a June 26 media advisory from HAS. The first phase will also include the construction of 53,000 square feet of lab and office space, according to the HAS website. Some 154 acres of land are set aside for phase 1.

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