SMALL
TALK
WE HAVE
LIFT-OFF
CAMDEN SPACE PORT
ONE GIANT STEP
CAMDEN COUNTY’S
SPACE PROGRAM
COUNTDOWN
TO LAUNCH
FOR GEORGIA
➧ New proposed space site to
turn Georgia’s East Coast into
Georgia’s Space Coast
WORDS: ARAYA JACKSON /
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF CAMDEN SPACE PROGRAM
➨ B A C K I N T H E 1 9 6 0 s , Thiokol
Chemical Company fired off the world’s most
powerful rocket motor in Camden County. Why
Camden County, as opposed to the other 59
locations? The site offered deepwater access to
the Intracoastal Waterway, close proximity to
Cape Canaveral, had available labor supply and
adequate land, positive community attitude, rail
and highway transportation system, and a five-
year record without hurricane damage. It was
more than ideal.
Today, those same reasons that brought
Thiokol to the area still remain, and now the idea
of Spaceport Camden has arisen. The proposed
Camden Spaceport site is located on the I-95
corridor next to the Atlantic Ocean and is sur-
rounded by a large undeveloped buffer zone.
This prime location provides direct access to an
orbital inclination as large as any launch site in
the United States. Combined with wide range of
favorable launch azimuths, this velocity advan-
tage enables launch operators to deliver more
payload mass to orbit.
For these reasons, Steve L. Howard, the proj-
ect leader, and the rest of his team at Spaceport
Camden urge you to push for the development
of a new, world-class spaceport in Georgia’s
very own Camden County. In partner-
ship with the community, Camden
County Board of Commissioners,
Camden County Joint Develop-
ment Authority, the Georgia
Department of Economic
Development, the Georgia De-
partment of Transportation,
and other state and federal
Agencies, they seek to entitle,
license and acquire the site for
the development of an aerospace
industrial park. ■
Liftoff of the Apollo 10. We
hope to have sights like this
and more once the Camden
Spaceport is approved for
space launches.
20
SOUTH
August | September 2017
Steve L. Howard is Spaceport Camden’s
project leader. Support the port bringing
more jobs to Georgia: spaceportcamden.us