1-1                                     1                                  
 1-2                          SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 315
 1-3           WHEREAS, Many of the most historic moments in the history
 1-4     of space exploration had origins in Texas, and in the 1960s and
 1-5     1970s the world watched breathlessly as NASA's Mission Control in
 1-6     Houston coordinated the exploration of outer space and the moon;
 1-7     Texas continues to be a leader in the development of aerospace
 1-8     technology; and
 1-9           WHEREAS, The commercial delivery of cargo into orbit is
1-10     the next significant development in this rapidly developing field,
1-11     and according to a report by the Texas Spaceport Consortium, the
1-12     commercial space industry is growing by 15 to 20 percent per year;
1-13     and
1-14           WHEREAS, More than 1,700 satellites will need to be
1-15     launched over the next 10 years to meet the growing demands of
1-16     voice and data communications, radio and television programming,
1-17     navigation, agriculture, surveying and mapping, meteorology, and
1-18     resource exploration; the United States competes for this growing
1-19     commercial launch business with China, Russia, Japan, and the
1-20     European Space Agency; and
1-21           WHEREAS, New aerospace technologies will significantly
1-22     increase the reliability and reduce the cost of deploying space
1-23     vehicles; these new developments include reusable launch vehicles
 2-1     (RLVs) that operate from specially designed, airport-type facilities
 2-2     called spaceports; and
 2-3           WHEREAS, A spaceport facility would create permanent,
 2-4     high-paying jobs for Texans, including 4,000 new jobs and $700
 2-5     million in direct regional economic impact over seven years, as
 2-6     well as several thousand additional indirect jobs; moreover, the
 2-7     facility would have the potential to foster education in engineering
 2-8     and the sciences and to become another Texas tourist destination;
 2-9     and
2-10           WHEREAS, The State of Texas is an ideal location for these
2-11     facilities; three sites, in Brazoria, Kenedy, and Pecos counties,
2-12     have been evaluated and shown to have many of the criteria for the
2-13     establishment of a spaceport, including the ability to launch safely
2-14     to all orbits, wide-open space, moderate climate and stable geology,
2-15     clear landing approaches, limited competition for airspace, good
2-16     infrastructure, and a skilled workforce; and
2-17           WHEREAS, The Texas Legislature created the Texas
2-18     Aerospace Commission in 1988 and charged it with the mission of
2-19     serving the citizens of Texas by bolstering the state's economy
2-20     through development in the fields of space and aviation; and
2-21           WHEREAS, The 76th Texas Legislature authorized local
2-22     governments to create economic development corporations to
2-23     encourage the location of spaceports in Texas; since that time,
2-24     regional organizations have spent more than $500,000 in local funds
2-25     to develop site information, conduct preliminary evaluations, and
2-26     work with launch companies, the state, and the federal government;
 3-1     and
 3-2           WHEREAS, Many individuals and local communities have
 3-3     worked tirelessly to achieve the goal of locating a spaceport in
 3-4     Texas, and while they have made significant progress thus far, much
 3-5     more work remains to be done; there exists strong competition from
 3-6     other states, including Florida, California, New Mexico, Nevada,
 3-7     and Virginia, which have provided funding and incentives to lure
 3-8     spaceports and space-related industries to their states; now,
 3-9     therefore, be it
3-10           RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
3-11     77th Legislature, hereby endorse and support the efforts of the
3-12     Texas Aerospace Commission and the individuals and communities
3-13     involved in the challenging endeavor to bring a spaceport to Texas.
3-14                                                           Brown, Madla,
3-15                                                             Truan      
3-16           Armbrister           Gallegos            Shapiro
3-17           Barrientos           Harris              Shapleigh
3-18           Bernsen              Haywood             Sibley
3-19           Bivins               Jackson             Staples
3-20           Cain                 Lindsay             Van de Putte
3-21           Carona               Lucio               Wentworth
3-22           Duncan               Moncrief            West
3-23           Ellis                Nelson              Whitmire
3-24           Fraser               Ogden               Zaffirini
3-25                      Ratliff, President of the Senate
3-26     ______________________________     _______________________________
3-27          Member, Texas Senate               Member, Texas Senate
3-28                      ______________________________
3-29                           Member, Texas Senate
3-30                                        _______________________________
3-31                                            President of the Senate
3-32                                             I hereby certify that the
3-33                                        above Resolution was adopted by
 4-1                                        the Senate on February 21, 2001.
 4-2                                        _______________________________
 4-3                                            Secretary of the Senate