Two-minute impact
The Central Texas Spaceport Development Corporation, or SDC, is a partnership with Burnet County, officials said.
An SDC is a public, private or public-private partnership that develops, manages and operates a spaceport, said Aurthur Jackson, chief economic development officer for the city of Cedar Park.
Spaceports are specialized launch and landing facilities for spacecraft, rockets and satellites, he said.
While there are six key functions to an SDC, Jackson said Williamson and Burnet counties will focus on:
- Infrastructure development
- Economic development
- Partnerships and funding
- Innovation and workforce development
Who it’s for
Firefly Aerospace, headquartered in Cedar Park, became the first commercial company to successfully land on the moon March 2, according to previous Community Impact reporting. According to a news release, the company’s testing facility is located in Briggs, which is within Burnet County.
Through the SDC, Long said the two counties are prepared to attract synergistic companies to join Firefly Aerospace.
“This costs the county nothing, and it will have a significant, positive financial benefit for our county and for jobs and make us more competitive in this space for years to come,” Jackson said.
Dan Fermon, Firefly Aerospace chief operating officer, said the company’s mission is to launch, land and operate in space anytime, anywhere. Firefly Aerospace was founded in 2017 in Cedar Park and now has a team of over 760 people, he said.
“I see this being a terrific way for this exciting industry to grow—an industry that’s looking to grow to over $1 trillion in revenue by the time we get to 2040, and it’s well on its way,” Fermon said.
The framework
In Texas, an SDC must be formed by at least two counties or a combination of a city and a county, Jackson said. The Central Texas SDC will serve as the sixth SDC in Texas, with other corporations existing in:
- Cameron County
- Houston
- Midland
- West Texas
- South Texas
While commissioners will need to appoint board members at a separate meeting, Long said suggestions so far include:
- Julie Lessiter, vice president of Texas State’s Round Rock Campus
- Ed Trevis, CEO and president of Corvalent
- Dave Porter, executive director of Williamson County Economic Development Partnership
During the meeting, commissioners also approved the bylaws for the SDC.
Jackson said the remaining steps for the Central Texas SDC to form include filing articles of formation, appointing a seven-member board and receiving approval from Williamson County and Burnet County commissioners courts.
Long said Burnet County commissioners will vote on approving the creation of the Central Texas SDC on March 25.
