NEWS

From the County of San Bernardino

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 18, 2000

For more information, contact

County Public Information Officer David Wert

(909) 387-4082

dwert@cao.co.san-bernardino.ca.us

County selected as California VentureStar launch site

San Bernardino County moved a giant step closer to becoming the launch site for the Lockheed-Martin VentureStar spacecraft this week, beating out three other sites to be named California’s entry in the national competition for the project.

First District Supervisor Kathy Davis on Tuesday received a letter from the California Trade and Commerce Agency announcing that Harper Dry Lake about 25 miles outside of Barstow has been named the preferred launch site in the state for VentureStar.

The state also announced that two former competitors, the City of Lancaster and the Santa Barbara County-based Western Commercial Space Center have agreed to support San Bernardino County.

Combined with support from the City of Palmdale – San Bernardino County’s partner in the application to Lockheed-Martin -- California has a strong coalition working to bring VentureStar to San Bernardino County.

VentureStar, a project of Lockheed-Martin, is a reusable launch vehicle that would place satellites into orbit for one-tenth the cost of the Space Shuttle.

“Just building this launch complex would bring $3 billion to $5 billion in economic activity to the High Desert and 3,000 construction jobs,” said Supervisor Davis.

“Long term, we’d be looking at untold millions in economic benefits to our region and hundreds if not thousands of permanent, good-paying jobs,” Supervisor Davis said.

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VentureStar

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The state’s selection of Harper Dry Lake is anticipated to come with a package of economic incentives designed to make San Bernardino County competitive with 19 other states seeking the project, including Texas and Florida.

Tax breaks, streamlined environmental reviews and other incentives from the state will make San Bernardino County an attractive candidate for the project, especially since the VentureStar prototype is being developed nearby at Lockheed-Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale.

Supervisor Davis and the county’s Redevelopment Agency have worked tirelessly for two years to have the county named as California’s VentureStar launch site.

San Bernardino County Assemblyman John Longville has been instrumental garnering support for the county in Sacramento, and Congressman Jerry Lewis has pledged to support the county’s bid in Washington, D.C.

VentureStar would launch from a vertical position like the space shuttle, land like an airplane, and could launch again after a simple refueling. As a single-stage vehicle it wouldn’t employ rocket boosters or an external fuel tank like the shuttle.

Aviation experts have heralded VentureStar as the future of space travel.

“I’m proud to have San Bernardino County and the High Desert singled out for this distinction,” Supervisor Davis said. “Besides the obvious economic benefits, this project would make the county a mecca for science, space and technology.”

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