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Following Delays, Generation Orbit Expected To Be First Cecil Spaceport Launch Customer

Cecil Spaceport in Jacksonville has its first commercial launch date on the calendar, a year later than originally planned.

The launch is planned for either December of this year or January 2020.

Cecil Spaceport Director Todd Lindner described the planned launch on Friday’s Florida Roundup.

“What we do here in Jacksonville is horizontal launch activities. The vehicle [that] takes off looks very similar to an aircraft that you see out there flying around today. And it will either have a space vehicle that's attached to it or a payload that will be ejected and it will go into orbit,” said Lindner.

The first customer to launch is expected to be a company called Generation Orbit, which is based in Atlanta. 

Lindner said Generation Orbit is working with a governmental customer, who he declined to name.

He said the Cecil Spaceport also has two more launches planned for shortly after the first one.

You can hear the full interview with Lindner on this week’s Florida Roundup.

Samantha Kindler can be reached at 358-6317 or by email at newsteam@wjct.org.

Photo used under Creative Commons license.