Launch Pad to a Better Future

After years of bad economic news, finally some good comes to the Antelope Valley: NASA announced plans last week to launch its next-generation space shuttle prototype at Edwards Air Force Base. Although the plans won’t be finalized until next month, NASA made it clear that Edwards is the agency’s “preferred” launch site for the reusable rocket prototype--a signal that the high desert communities that helped birth the Space Age may be bouncing back from nearly a decade of hard times.

In addition to the 800 jobs attached to Lockheed Martin’s X-33 project, the selection of the Antelope Valley has less tangible benefits that seep into the neighborhoods of the region’s two main cities, Palmdale and Lancaster. After years of layoffs and foreclosures brought on by cuts in defense spending, the Antelope Valley should revel in being once again at the forefront of new technology. The stubby, triangular X-33 would be NASA’s first reusable launch vehicle, opening new possibilities in space travel and even holding the potential to reduce the time required for long-haul earthbound flights. Being part of an endeavor that pushes the technological envelope gives the region a psychic boost that should not be underestimated.

Plus, once the X-33’s testing is complete, Edwards may well become the vehicle’s regular launch site. That would mean routine takeoffs of cargo--and possibly passengers--that would no doubt attract new investment to Palmdale and Lancaster as companies establish offices and production facilities near the launch site. It’s tempting to imagine the Antelope Valley as the embarkation point for a new era of space exploration. Lancaster and Palmdale have earned proud places in the history of aerospace. Clearly, they have a place in the future, too.