Calif. space company eyes Florida launches

Private aerospace company Masten Space Systems of Mojave, Calif., announced a partnership last week with Space Florida to explore the possibility of launches from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, SPACE.com reported.

Space Florida was created by the Space Florida Act, enacted in 2006 to pursue the growth and development of a sustainable aerospace industry in the state.

"We have been looking at Florida as a launch option for some time now," Masten founder and Chief Executive Officer David Masten said in a statement.

"We are excited to begin the process of determining if (Cape Canaveral's) Launch Complex 36 is a good location for our flight operations, and hope to attempt a demonstration launch sometime in 2011."

"We are thrilled to have Masten looking at Florida's Space Coast," Space Florida President Frank DiBello said. "We view companies like Masten as the catalysts for innovation in our state's aerospace economy."

Masten says its reusable, vertical-takeoff-and-landing suborbital rockets are designed to provide frequent and affordable access to the suborbital space environment.

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