SpaceX Planning To Base Rocket, Spacecraft Retrieval At Port Of Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — SpaceX, the Hawthorne-based aerospace manufacturer led by Elon Musk, is looking to base its rocket and spacecraft retrieval operations out of the Port of Los Angeles, the company's representatives said Thursday.
The company is working with AltaSea – which has a 50-year-lease to operate a 35-acre marine research and business campus at the port – to secure berth space, a SpaceX engineer told the Harbor Commission.
SpaceX representatives said they want to move their vessels – including a land platform – into berths at the port by July, with the retrievals expected to begin in August.
The company has worked out a one-year deal to use space on the planned AltaSea campus, with the possibility for extensions. The agreement has not yet been finalized.
AltaSea is expected to begin undergoing construction in 2017, but has already begun securing tenants, including SpaceX to use the space before then.
The future AltaSea campus is expected to house science research labs, including the permanent home of the Southern California Marine Institute; related science and tech industry businesses; and educational facilities.
