History of MARS

Although only four US Spaceports (MARS, Kennedy Space Flight Center, Fla., Vandenberg AFB Cal., and the Alaska Space Flight Authority in Kodiak, AK) have FAA licenses to send rockets into orbit, Reed and Spaceport Manager, Rick Baldwin recognized if they were to have a real shot at rocket launches, they needed more support in Washington DC and in their state capitals. In 2004, after 18 months of negotiation, former Virginia Governor Mark Warner and former Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that formed one of the most unique bi-state economic development partnerships in the nation. This partnership remains viable and vital to MARS today. The MOA changed the name to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), created two positions on the VCSFA Board for Maryland, appointed by Virginia's Governor, created MIST, the Mid-Atlantic Institute for Science and Technology and provided some funding from Maryland to MARS. The implementation plan can be read here.

MARS was now poised to show potential customers it 'had the right stuff'. Not only were they located at the nation's oldest and most prolific launch site, Wallops Flight Facility, they had the infrastructure and ability to launch small and medium size rockets. In 2006, the U.S. Air Force hired MARS to launch TacSat-2 and just six months later, had MARS launch NFIRE, (again for the Air Force) from the same launch pad. In the rocket launching business, it is virtually unheard of, to launch two different rockets from the same launch pad AND to launch from the same pad in just six months. These two launches put MARS on the map and gave MARS credibility throughout the U.S. Defense community and space community. In May of 2009, MARS successfully launched TacSat-3 for the Air Force.

Legislation enacted by the Virginia General Assembly caused the FAA, in its 2009 report of state activities in support of commercial space, to cite Virginia as "the most progressive state in the nation when it comes to supporting commercial space". According to the FAA, "Virginia has recently taken the lead in the area of innovative incentives to lure space transportation companies to the state. In the last two years, the state passed two bills intended to boost the presence of the industry." The first, the Virginia Space Liability and Immunity Act, enacted in 2007, effectively made Virginia the most progressive state in the country in addressing the challenge that existing tort law posed to emerging human spaceflight transportation companies. The second, the Zero G Zero Tax Act of 2008, will provide an exemption from state income taxes to any space transportation company doing business in Virginia with the intent to either launch payloads from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) or conduct spaceflight training. These two pieces of legislation, coupled with other, more traditional financial incentives, are largely credited with being the driving force behind Orbital Sciences' decision to locate the launch operations for its new Taurus II launch vehicle in Virginia. Read the report on the FAA web site.

In 2007, NASA selected Loudoun County based Orbital Sciences Corp., to participate in the COTS - Commercial Operations to Station-program. NASA awarded Orbital Sciences a $170 million dollar grant to design, build and demonstrate a new rocket that could resupply the International Space Station. Orbital calls this rocket Taurus II. Orbital then had to decide the location from which to launch this new rocket as a demonstration. In 2008, both Virginia and Florida went head-to-head for this important new business. Virginia's Governor, Tim Kaine and General Assembly of Virginia stepped up to the plate and provided $26 million in bond financing for new infrastructure at MARS. Orbital chose Virginia. You can learn more about Taurus II here.

Six months later, in December, NASA awarded Orbital a $1.9 billion dollar contract for eight resupply missions to the ISS to take place from 2011-2015. After serious consideration, Orbital chose the Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport as their launch site for the resupply missions. Literally, hundreds of new jobs and millions of dollars in new revenues are being generated because of Orbital's decision to launch the ISS missions from MARS. MARS now has an anchor tenant and a much-enhanced capability to launch both liquid and solid fuel medium-heavy lift class rockets.

MARS will continue to recruit business from the Air Force and other US Defense, Intelligence Agencies and other Federal Agencies. MARS will market its capabilities to other commercial satellite and rocket launch companies. MARS will also work with NASA and the companies involved in human space flight to enhance opportunities for Space Tourism.

In 2007, "The Washingtonian Magazine" published an excellent article about MARS and how and why it came into existence when it did.

View our MARS Facts PDF