Puerto Rico begins requesting information to establish aerospace port

To be located at the De la Torre Airport on site of former Roosevelt Roads Naval Station

SAN JUAN – The Puerto Rico Ports Authority (PRPA) has begun a request for information process in search of master developer services for the establishment of an aerospace port or “Spaceport” at the José Aponte de la Torre (JAT) regional airport in Ceiba.

The deadline to submit the information is May 26. For more information, visit the Ports Authority’s website: http://www.prpa.pr.gov.

“Aerospace activity, exploratory trips and events beyond our atmosphere arouse great interest in local and global citizens, while generating significant income and investment on economic, human and scientific capital,” Ports Executive Director Joel A. Pizá Batiz said in a press release.

The official explained that, based on a desirability study commissioned in 2019 to the firm RS&H, the De la Torre Airport and the surrounding facilities could represent a “geographically-strategic space for activities for the manufacturing and storage of aerospace equipment, which, in the future, could include launch activities, subject to the approval of a launch site operator license (LSOL),” the release reads.

Launch activity, Pizá said, could range from nano-satellites to space transport ships. Until recently, Ports said, Google used the airport for its Loon pilot project, from where balloons were launched to provide internet to regions that are inaccessible or with little or no internet connectivity.

“That is why the PRPA summons the members of the innovative community and aerospace experts to share a presentation of no more than fifteen (15) pages where they can provide specific information on their activities related to the manufacture and storage of equipment. aerospace and / or related activities, and how they could establish their operations in spaces at the JAT regional airport in Ceiba, an area that belongs to the Puerto Rico Ports Authority,” Pizá said.

“The aerospace sector is a growing industry worldwide, and our Island has not been the exception. Thanks to the proximity of the island of Puerto Rico to the Equator, the skills of our workforce, an advanced industrial incentives program, Puerto Rico’s competitiveness, climate, and quality of life, make us the ideal place to establish an aerospace port. This, in addition to being an extraordinary opportunity to position ourselves before the world as an attractive destination. The aerospace port will contribute positively to the creation of well-paid jobs, which, in turn, encourages our professionals to choose to stay on the island,” Economic Development Secretary-Designate Manuel Cidre Miranda was quoted as saying in the release.

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