Dee Registre
1/27/12

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- We have been lifting off into the final frontier for years. But soon space travel will be happening here in North Florida.

"When you see these vehicles in the air, you can't tell the difference between them and a regular airplane," said Todd Linder, JAA senior-aviation planning and spaceport development.

The Jacksonville Aviation Authority was just awarded a grant that could eventually bring the latest space craft to Cecil Field.
Only this time you won't need a launch pad, just a runway.

"They take of just like an airplane, fly like an airplane, but they propel with a rocket," said Linder.

JAA Will spend the next six months making sure a space craft called "Concept Y" is safe on the environment before it can be flown here. "This means more jobs, high-paying jobs, high tech jobs coming to the area."

The first space flights out of Cecil Field will probably be to conduct experiments. But JAA says eventually it will be for transportation.

"As we go forward in the future, there will be more competition and the price will come down. And eventually everyone will be able to fly," said Linder

The first flight into space from Cecil Field could happen in the next year. Cecil Field is one of only 12 air spaces approved for space travel in the U.S.

Source: http://bit.ly/IBwnMe