AUSTIN – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and a group of his Senate colleagues introduced the Spaceport Project Opportunities for Resilient Transportation (SPACEPORT) Act, which would encourage the development of commercial spaceports through the modernization of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Space Transportation Infrastructure Matching (STIM) grant program:

“Outdated space infrastructure could not only compromise a mission’s operational ability but also threaten our national security if left unaddressed,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This legislation would help modernize our country’s spaceports to bolster the reliability of launch, landing, and mission success and ensure America maintains our competitive edge in space exploration.”

Background:

In 2020, the Government Office of Accountability released a report that recommended the use of Space Transportation Infrastructure Matching (STIM) to support U.S. launch infrastructure. Since its authorization in 1993, STIM has helped to promote economic growth and competitiveness in the U.S. space industry. However, it has not been modernized since it was first created in 1994 and has not received funding since fiscal year 2012. To keep pace with the rapidly growing U.S. space industry and heightened competition with foreign adversaries, space launch infrastructure improvements are critical to maintain U.S. leadership in space exploration.

The SPACEPORT Act would reauthorize and update the STIM program to reflect the growing demand for civil, commercial, and national security launches. The legislation would also refine the funding mechanisms to support new spaceport construction projects and infrastructure updates to operational spaceports across the country. Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) joined Sen. Cornyn in introducing the bill.

Spaceports, including the Houston Spaceport at Ellington Airport and the Midland International Air & Space Port in Texas, are ground-based launch and reentry sites that can be used to support public and private ventures into space. There are currently 14 FAA-licensed commercial spaceports in the U.S., with additional spaceport projects planned.