Cameron County Administrator David Garcia said this is the kind of prep work that state and local entities are doing to facilitate SpaceX.“They’re working with the county on pre-designing the area where they are going to put all of their buildings. They are also working with us to make sure they have all the information we need so when they pull permits, it’ll be a smooth process,” he said.One communications antenna is already up. A second is set to arrive later this year.Right now, UTRGV already has an astronomy building partially built near the site. SpaceX, Garcia said, will soon follow with its own buildings.“They will have an emergency station out there that will be, I think, the first building that they build,” Garcia said.
The former USS Independence aircraft carrier is scheduled to enter the jetties of the Brazos Santiago Pass between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Thursday on its way to International Ship breaking Ltd...Navigating the jetties is no problem, though the tugboat pilots insist on waiting until slack tide to bring the Independence through the pass and into the Brownsville Ship Channel, since the vessel is very large and a some of the turns are difficult, he said...A ceremony to honor the decommissioned carrier and the veterans who served aboard it will take place at Dolphin Cove in Isla Blanca Park on the southern tip of South Padre Island...
$3M Road Project Underway to Facilitate SpaceXhttp://www.krgv.com/story/35550679/3m-road-project-underway-to-facilitate-spacexQuoteCameron County Administrator David Garcia said this is the kind of prep work that state and local entities are doing to facilitate SpaceX.“They’re working with the county on pre-designing the area where they are going to put all of their buildings. They are also working with us to make sure they have all the information we need so when they pull permits, it’ll be a smooth process,” he said.One communications antenna is already up. A second is set to arrive later this year.Right now, UTRGV already has an astronomy building partially built near the site. SpaceX, Garcia said, will soon follow with its own buildings.“They will have an emergency station out there that will be, I think, the first building that they build,” Garcia said.
Maybe it's not /cheap/ manufacturing labor they're after.
I'm sure that's one of the reasons they picked the Boca Chica launch site.
Quote from: Robotbeat on 05/31/2017 12:06 pmMaybe it's not /cheap/ manufacturing labor they're after.Why not?If you locate your manufacturing plant in an area that has a lower cost of living, then you often find higher quality workers for less money. In particular, if you're looking for workers with many years of experience in welding, the Brownsville area has a lot to offer. In addition, people that live in areas with fewer options for employment are often more motivated.
Quote from: Austin Dave on 05/31/2017 05:04 pmI'm sure that's one of the reasons they picked the Boca Chica launch site.Perhaps, though it being the southernmost east-facing stretch of beach in the continental USA probably had a lot to do with it too.
The lower latitude is important also, but it's hard to believe that 2.5 degrees of latitude is that important compared to Cape Canaveral. According to my calculations the eastern velocity due to rotation is 935 MPH at Boca Chica versus 914 MPH at Cape Canaveral. I wonder how much the extra 21 MPH saves on fuel, or increases the payload mass. The lower latitude also requires less fuel when doing an inclination change to get to an equatorial orbit.
Its probably going to be about the same as launching from the Cape given the required doglegs and trajectory to avoid landmasses.
Looks like SpaceX will need folks in some numbers who are experienced in working with carbon composites. Does Brownsville have this skilled workforce?
I assume that Musk would go to some lengths to assemble the Mars rocket in LA. For instance, Long Beach Airport has some nice property, what with Boeing wrapping up C-17 manufacturing there. But I don't see how he could get it to port.
One reason pay is lower in Brownsville is because it can be. Browse Zillow in Hawthorne and the RGV. See what you can buy for $250,000 in both places. And, how much state income tax do you pay on $100k in California?
Dave G, I was right there with you until the $3000 TV. People everywhere seem to want there Really Big Television (RBT)!
However there is always going to be a lot of people that needs to be relocated, some of them may not be willing to relocate or consider a position etc...