Midland has built wealth from resources underneath the surface. Now it's working to build wealth from the skies.
Technology is advancing the new "space economy" to develop and manufacture space vehicles, propulsion systems, satellites, communications systems, navigation and guidance equipment and associated parts, and Texas is making great strides in this new "space race."
The Perryman Group, of Waco, estimates almost 350,000 direct jobs nationwide are supported by this new economy with a current annual impact on U.S. business activity of $204 billion in annual gross product and 1.7 million jobs. Texas, the company notes, has been associated with space-related industries for more than 60 years, and Midland is taking its place in the state's space-related economy.
As economist Ray Perryman said via email, "I would say Midland is on the ground floor of such initiatives, which should create additional opportunities."
Midland International Airport became the first airport in the nation to be issued a commercial spaceport license by the Federal Aviation Administration and is now known as the Midland International Air and Space Port. The adjacent Spaceport Business Park is home to two tenants — AST SpaceMobile and Kepler Aerospace.
AST SpaceMobile this month received an experimental license from the Federal Communications Commission to support testing of the BlueWalker 3 test satellite, which is being assembled in Midland. It will be shipped to Cape Canaveral, Fla., where it is expected to be launched aboard one of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets this summer.
The license covers space-to-ground testing of the satellite in the U.S. using 3GPP low-band cellular frequencies and Q/V-band frequencies. The test satellite has an aperture of 693 square feet that is designed to communicate directly with cellphones via 3GPP standard frequencies.
The company's mission is to eliminate connectivity gaps faced by the 5 billion mobile subscribers moving in and out of coverage zones and to bring cellular broadband to approximately half the world's population who remain unconnected.
"We selected the Midland-Odessa area as our base of operations for a number of compelling reasons, including a business-friendly environment both at local and state levels," said Scott Wisniewski, chief strategy officer of AST SpaceMobile. "We also placed a high value on access to a strong, technically oriented workforce in the area."
Being onsite at Midland International Air and Space Port also provides the company with good access to the airport and other transportation infrastructure, he added.
The location gives the company the opportunity to move into a partially built facility that would accommodate its needs, including immediately starting development of the BlueWalker 3 test satellite and the production of up to two commercial satellites per month there.
"We plan to expand our anticipated total production capacity to up to six commercial satellites per month through a second site located down the road, which we recently purchased and are retrofitting to suit our needs," Wisniewski said.
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