Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 8, 1999
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Washington competes for spaceport at Moses Lake

OLYMPIA — Washington is in an "above average" position to compete for the Lockheed Martin VentureStar™ program, compared with 32 sites in 15 states currently competing to be the eventual home of a future spaceport.

Following a meeting earlier this week between the company and the state's VentureStar™ team, Washington rated "above average" in three out of four general areas considered by the team: safety, market service, system operations and spaceport development.

"We are in the very early stages of this project, but this could be great news for Moses Lake and everyone involved in economic development in the state," Gov. Gary Locke said. "It fits our rural economic development initiatives passed in the recent legislative session, and it supports the region's own economic development effort."

Washington has worked closely with VentureStar™ on the project. The company's review of the proposed Moses Lake site moves the state to the next step — a draft request for proposal, which should happen during the first part of next year. At that time, the company is scheduled to roll out of the X-33, a half-scale technology demonstrator of Venture Star™ currently being developed by Lockheed Martin in partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

"We had a good meeting with the Washington State VentureStar™ team," said Anthony Jacob with Lockheed Martin. "This is an exciting process for us as we look for our spaceport partners who will help us make VentureStar™ a reality."

VentureStar™ is Lockheed Martin's proposed next-generation space plane, scheduled for first flight in 2005. Through its single-stage-to-orbit design and aircraft-like operations, VentureStar™ is intended to dramatically increase safety and reliability of launch services while lowering the cost of putting a pound of payload into space from $10,000 to $1,000.

"The final selection process is based on ever-changing variables," said Bill King, CTED's director of aerospace programs. "We will continue to approach the project with flexibility to create a win-win environment for the state and Lockheed Martin."

The Washington VentureStar™ team includes the state, Port of Moses Lake, Grant County Economic Development Council, the ASPI Group, and other local and private entities.

Delone D. Krueger, vice president, board of commissioners of the Port of Moses Lake, said, "The project has the potential to create 2,000 to 3,000 construction jobs and 200 – 300 permanent jobs in Moses Lake. We're excited about the potential this offers the residents of our county."

For more information on X-33 or VentureStar™.

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