The Federal Aviation Administration approved the renewal of the spaceport license for the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority, according to a recent update.
The license authorizes the Authority to operate a launch site at the Clinton-Sherman Industrial Airpark in Burns Flat, Okla., in support of FAA-licensed or permitted suborbital missions by reusable launch vehicles. The license is valid for five years.
There are currently 12 commercial FAA-licensed spaceports located in Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia. The Burns Flat location is the only one in Oklahoma.
The FAA’s top priority in regulating commercial space transportation is that launch and re-entry operations are safe for the public. The agency protects public safety by licensing commercial launch and re-entry activities while monitoring FAA-licensed operations to make sure all phases comply with the regulations. The FAA also issues safety approvals for launch and re-entry vehicles, various safety systems and the personnel performing licensed activities.
An FAA license is required to conduct any commercial launch or re-entry, the operation of any launch or re-entry site by U.S. citizens anywhere in the world or by any person or entity within the United States.
A map of the U.S. spaceport locations can be found here.