READY FOR LAUNCH: San Benito officials hope for SpaceX-fueled boon

(Courtesy photo) Local officials have recently reacted with enthusiasm concerning the announcement of a SpaceX launch site to be constructed at Boca Chica Beach in Cameron County.

(Courtesy photo)
Local officials have recently reacted with enthusiasm concerning the announcement of a SpaceX launch site to be constructed at Boca Chica Beach in Cameron County.

By MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ
Managing Editor
editor@sbnewspaper.com

San Benito officials pointed to the announcement of a Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) launch site coming to Boca Chica Beach as a potential boon for the local economy.

The announcement came Monday after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in July approved SpaceX’s proposal to build a launch site on Cameron County’s Boca Chica Beach, where as many as 12 Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets are planned to launch every year until 2025.

SpaceX was founded by Elon Musk in 2002.

“Tremendous!” exclaimed San Benito Mayor Celeste Z. Sanchez when asked to gauge SpaceX’s economic impact on the city. “I’m thrilled about SpaceX coming, because it’s going to create jobs for San Benito residents – and they’ll be good-paying jobs – and for the tourism that it’s going to bring.”

Sanchez said that launches have been known to attract as many as 20,000 spectators.

“So that’s going to bring a lot of people through San Benito who will be looking for hotel space, not to mention the business that will be created by SpaceX,” she added. “All the way around, I see it as economic growth. I welcome all to San Benito to shop and eat here. Not to mention the educational benefit for students, who will have access to see a launch and be enticed to get interested in math, science, engineering and space travel as well as technologies.”

When asked about the potential impact SpaceX could have on the community, San Benito Economic Development Corporation Director Salomon Torres echoed the mayor’s sentiments. Torres said, “We would definitely expect there to be a positive impact on San Benito’s businesses and economic activity.”

Torres cited Harlingen and San Benito hotels experiencing an influx of business as Brownsville – he predicts – may not be able to accommodate tens of thousands of launch spectators.

Torres added, “It will also bring new people to the Valley, which gives us in San Benito a chance to capitalize on that. We all have to plan how we’re going to capture that traffic. In fact, blue signs indicating what businesses are in San Benito will be going up at every major intersection and at every exit. We’re going to have to be very proactive, because there’s different ways we can take advantage of this very positive, historic development for Brownsville and the Valley.”

On Monday, U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas, 34) said, “Countless city, county, state and federal officials have worked diligently with SpaceX for years to make today’s announcement a reality. I congratulate all who helped bring SpaceX to South Texas, especially Mr. Elon Musk who saw the potential of our region through his vision about continued space exploration.”

Rep. Vela added, “The establishment of a SpaceX launch facility will be tremendously beneficial for South Texas’ economy and provide unique educational opportunities for students, scientists, researchers and create jobs locally. Already, there is a proposed project between the University of Texas at Brownsville and SpaceX, named STARGATE, which will allow students and faculty to use cutting-edge equipment to track satellites and spacecraft.  I will continue to support SpaceX and fellow community leaders as we move forward with the project.”

State Senator Eddie Lucio Jr. (D-Brownsville, 27) expressed excitement. “I couldn’t be happier about today’s announcement, nor more excited about the possibilities this new Texas partnership with SpaceX will produce,” Lucio said on Monday. “SpaceX’s future launch site will soon become an invaluable economic driver for South Texas. With this site comes tens of millions of dollars in capital investment in our community annually, and hundreds of well-paying jobs over the next decade. We’ve set up South Texas as a future leader in developing bleeding-edge space technology which will influence future commerce for the whole planet.”

The senator further noted, “I hope the new launch site will propel a dramatic culture change in our region of the state, encouraging more of our children to pursue careers in engineering and science. Future generation of South Texas residents will look to this site and know that not even the sky is the limit for where their dreams may take them.”

Also chiming in was University of Texas System Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa M.D., who said the following of the SpaceX announcement: “This tremendous opportunity for the Rio Grande Valley and the entire state of Texas provides a unique window bright with the promise of 21st century careers in science and engineering for students of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Our students will be in close proximity to the world’s first commercial launch complex designed for orbital missions, and UT System leaders are thrilled to partner together with SpaceX to provide unprecedented educational opportunities. I’d like to thank Gov. Rick Perry and state and local leaders who worked so hard to build this partnership and bring SpaceX to South Texas.”

As previously reported, it was in June that the FAA’s findings of a final environmental impact study (EIS) supported construction of the launch site. Also, the FAA’s Record of Decision analyzed various aspects of the proposal, including projected environmental and socioeconomic impacts.

 

Permanent link to this article: https://www.sbnewspaper.com/2014/08/05/ready-for-launch-san-benito-officials-hope-for-spacex-fueled-boon/

5 comments

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    • Juan on August 8, 2014 at 8:53 am
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    What a joke.The local kids can’t do basic math,nor can most of their teachers.The science program is a joke.Their use of proper Spanish/English is second grade level.Look what happened to the Challenger Academy attempt years ago,it really went places,thanks to the SB school district.No,San Benito has no right to hope for high paying jobs,they don’t deserve them.

    • Howard Johnson on August 7, 2014 at 7:50 pm
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    I can see it now San Benito residents standing behind the mayor waiting for a job at Space X its like Front Row Joe all over again. All it takes to be a mayor is to act like one.

      • CAVA Supporter on August 8, 2014 at 10:17 am
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      Front Row Joe aka Sno Cone Joe is gone, never to return again. Our new Mayor has lots of work at hand…cleaning up eight years of mess. I’m sure there are things still to be uncovered. The water plant fiasco is just the tip of the iceberg.

    • Frank on August 7, 2014 at 2:47 pm
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    Space is good for bringing jobs, but no one in san benito is qualified for those high paying jobs. Theres pros and cons to this spacex. The good is kids/ students can go to school and be the future workers of space x. The bad is how many are qualified to work there right now? Its going to bring more people to area, now is that necessarily a good thing? Also how much harm is it going to do the enviroment? I guess well have to wait and see

      • Another Voter on August 7, 2014 at 10:26 pm
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      Hopefully the Spacex project will inspire some young ones coming up…All they see now is thugs and drugs!
      So many good parents work hard in this community to see that their children get more than what they had…only to lose them to drugs and the streets.
      Spacex is positive any way you look at it. The jobs will come later. Bringing people in the area is another whole issue. The region is pretty maxed out with the natural resources. The biggest Valley problem in the next 20 years will be water. Unfortunately, the quality of lifefrom here on out is downhill.

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