State Incentives Bringing SpaceX Commercial Launch Facility to Texas

Re:State Incentives Bringing SpaceX Commercial Launch Facili... by psherman on Tuesday August 05, 2014 @12:08AM (#8135466)

I seem to recall reading that it is advantageous to launch a rocket closer to the equator, and Cameron County is at the southern tip of Texas. Wouldn't it seem more likely that location played a bigger role in SpaceX choosing Texas than the incentives?

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Re:State Incentives Bringing SpaceX Commercial Launch Facili... by tedsanders on Tuesday August 05, 2014 @12:26AM (#8135512)

Florida and Puerto Rico, alternatives considered by SpaceX, have locations even closer to the equator than Texas. And non-US locations have options far closer to the equator. Being southern is good, but other factors are important too.

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Re:State Incentives Bringing SpaceX Commercial Launch Facili... by vonmoltke on Tuesday August 05, 2014 @10:14AM (#8136964)

Florida is closer, but the possible launch sites are not. Still, both those sites and the Texas site are far enough south that, as you say, going further south doesn't buy much.

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