In December, Governor Hickenlooper announced that Colorado was seeking an official “Spaceport” designation from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The United States space program has three sectors – civil, military and commercial. The FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation is responsible for licensing, regulating and promoting the commercial-sector space industry.

Senator Hodge’s Colorado Aerospace Jobs Act will further the process of achieving spaceport designation by creating the required limited liability statute that will shield commercial space flight companies from lawsuits not based on negligence or intentional wrongdoing. Colorado is already home to 400 space related companies, and the industry is estimated to generate $3 billion in state revenue annually.  This legislation allows for the continued growth of the aerospace industry in Colorado by creating a stable and transparent regulatory climate.

The first to benefit from the Colorado Aerospace Jobs Act may be the Front Range Airport in Adams County, which is located six miles from Denver International Airport.  Front Range Airport is working on developing a space-plane program in which suborbital planes fly on the edge of space, and can transport cargo and passengers across the globe in as little as two hours.  A similar program is developing in New Mexico.

Front Range Airport Aviation Director Dennis Heap testified on behalf of the Colorado Aerospace Jobs Act today and offered the following comment:

“The concept of Front Range Airport as a Spaceport was introduced to us less than six months ago, and we have been highly motivated by the possibilities.  Colorado needs good jobs and sustaining economic growth.  Spaceport designation is very important, but it is just a catalyst to enrich the already robust aerospace industry of Colorado.”

Senator Hodge offered the following comment on the Colorado Aerospace Jobs Act today:

“Coloradans have always had an adventurous entrepreneurial spirit, and the commercial space industry is the new frontier. With one of the most highly educated workforces in the nation and an existing aerospace industry it just makes sense to make our state attractive to these companies.”

Currently, Colorado has the second largest private aerospace workforce in the country, and space related industries employ more than 163,000 workers. In addition, eight of the nation’s top ten aerospace industries are located in Colorado, and Colorado universities provide some of the best aerospace and engineering research in the nation.  The combination of a trained workforce, inventive learning institutions, and proactive legislation make Colorado an ideal candidate to receive a spaceport designation.

The Colorado Aerospace Jobs act is a key component of the Senate Majority’s “Colorado Works Jobs Package,” a series of bills focused on continued job creation and economic growth in the state.