Another Spaceport Snafu?

It is reasonable for folks to be sick and tired of Spaceport Camden talk. But there needs to be at least one more mention on Camden1st.com because it is a reminder to the ‘powers that be’ that it is very difficult to pull off huge projects like Spaceports and Airports. And even Gun Ranges and Landfills.

We’ve linked the full story about ABL Space’s failed first small rocket launch.

ABL Space Launch Failure

What wasn't written in the 2023 story is that ABL was the first small rocket company to rent a warehouse space in Camden County. Not at Spaceport Camden, but rather an old warehouse adjacent to the runway at the Saint Marys Airport Industrial Park. At the time, the story was that the JDA rented it from the owner and then sublet the building to ABL. ABL wanted to “test” their rockets on the runway and hoped to someday launch from Spaceport Camden. A review of the news from that time showed the Camden Joint Development Authority was really proud of its ABL Space coup.

ABL Space never assembled a rocket in Camden County in the rental building that the JDA had even installed a giant loading door to accommodate a small rocket. News4JAX reported in 2018 that “ABL plans to officially begin operations in Camden County in 2019.” As far as we know, ABL never even installed a desk or chair or toilet paper in the rented building. In fact, ABL canceled the lease after one year.

The epitaph of ABL in Camden County incorporates Spaceport Camden, the now-closed Saint Marys Airport runways and its struggling ‘industrial park’, so-called ‘expert’ consultants by the multi-million dollars-worth, the JDA, millions spent to get signed agreements that were worthless to Camden taxpayers, and former Camden County  Commissioners who thought they could pick winners by spending millions and millions of dollars. Former County Commissions have proven they can pick big losers.

Camden County executives should read this story about ABL in New Space Economy

ABL become Long Wall(???)

explaining that ABL’s pivot away from small rocket launch is , “[…] also a story of harsh market realities, where a good idea and hundreds of millions of dollars in funding are not always enough to succeed against dominant players and shifting economic tides.”

Camden County has long overreached and has proven time and again that our government resources are ill-equipped to handle really grand projects.

Taxpayers cannot trust them with an airport-scale project.