Oscar Garcia interviewed for CBS7 News

Dozens of aerospace companies interested in working at Midland International Air and Space Port By Shane Battis Published: Sep. 16, 2020 at 5:05 PM MDT

MIDLAND, Texas (KOSA) - The Midland Development Corporation is trying to take Midland’s space port to new heights, literally. A dozen aerospace companies may soon land on a new home—Midland. Oscar Garcia, who is consulting for MDC, said Midland’s wide-open spaces and clear skies are a perfect spot for launches. “From the time we take off we want to go west into the white sands missile range, which by the way, is a huge asset for Midland,” he said. “It’s like a playground for engineers to fly and test equipment.” Garcia explained these companies would work on a variety of projects at the space port’s business park like building satellites and launching aircrafts. “So, the aircraft will take off from the space port and go to a point in space near Midland, there are already those points in space, and then a rocket will launch from their aircraft.” Garcia said as those rockets blast off, so too will Midland’s economy.

A single tenant can boost Midland’s economy by adding at least 200 new jobs. It turns out those openings might not be difficult to fill in oil country. Garcia said oilfield hands are the perfect candidates to work on aerospace technology. “An oil and gas worker used to working with high pressure temperatures, materials becomes an aerospace worker within weeks,” Garcia said. “Whereas any other work would take a year or even more to qualify themselves.” Garcia said MDC is still meeting with these companies, so no deals have been done, but he’s confident this is the space for them. Garcia said he’s bringing another batch of potential tenants to tour the business park in February. Copyright 2020 KOSA. All rights reserved.