Michael Baker International and Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority Partner with Space Perspective for First Space Launch to Fly from Space Coast Air and Spaceport

Launch Confirms Air and Space Port's Leadership in Commercial Spaceflight Industry

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Jun 24, 2021, 10:00 ET

TITUSVILLE, Fla., June 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Baker International, a global leader in engineering, planning and consulting services, and the Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority join Space Perspective, the world's first luxury spaceflight experience company, in celebrating the first space launch from the Space Coast Air and Spaceport, located in Titusville, Florida. On June 18, 2021, Space Perspective's Neptune One spaceship test vehicle successfully flew to its target altitude and traversed the Florida peninsula before splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico and being recovered.

Michael Baker has served as the Airport's Engineer and General Consultant since 2008. In 2020, the firm partnered with the Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority to achieve a Spaceport Launch Site Operators License, allowing the Authority to conduct launches from the Space Coast Air and Spaceport. This marked only the 12^th Licensed Spaceport Launch Site approved in the United States.

"Florida has long established itself as the center of space travel," said Aaron McDaniel, South Florida Operations Manager at Michael Baker. "We are excited for this milestone in our partnership with the Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority and look forward to continuing the development of new and innovative infrastructure to keep pace with the ever-evolving needs of the space industry. "

"With this launch, we have confirmed the capability and functionality of the Space Coast Air and Spaceport to serve as a center of space flight. We congratulate Space Perspective on this historic day as they kicked off an extensive test flight campaign with the ultimate goal of flying customers to space for an unrivaled experience and perspective of our world," said Justin Hopman, Interim Executive Director at the Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority. "Our entire Space Coast Air and Spaceport team is dedicated to growing our area's burgeoning space businesses by offering the ideal location for these operations to take place. We anticipate that the launch will be the first of many exciting developments in the space industry to take place at this location."

To support the Spaceport's activities, the Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority is planning several large-scale construction projects, including a 4,000-square-foot hangar to produce and develop horizontal spacecraft and storage for rocket-grade kerosene and oxidizers, a 4,000-square-foot apron between the hangar and taxiway and a 350,000 square-foot parking lot. The area also offers more than 700 acres of developable access to SR 407, making it an ideal location for space businesses.

About Michael Baker International
Michael Baker International is a leading provider of engineering and consulting services. The firm's Practices encompass all facets of infrastructure, including design, civil engineering, planning, architecture, environmental, construction and program management. For more than 80 years, the company has been a trusted partner, providing comprehensive services and solutions to commercial clients and all branches of the military, as well as federal, state and municipal governments. Embracing emerging technologies and the latest innovations – like intelligent transportation and design-build project delivery – Michael Baker is an industry leader that delivers expertise and quality. The firm's more than 3,000 employees across nearly 100 locations are committed to Making a Difference for clients and communities through a culture of innovation, collaboration and technological advancement. To learn more, visit https://mbakerintl.com/.

About Space Perspective
Space Perspective is the world's first luxury spaceflight experience company. It invites more people than has historically been possible to experience a thrillingly new and visceral perspective that expands the human consciousness – the incredibly exhilarating panoramas and scale of Earth in space. Our atmosphere stretches for 100s of miles into space, Spaceship Neptune flies above 99% of it.

Setting a new bar in out-of-this-world thrilling experiences, as soon as late 2024 Space Perspective will escort Space Explorers gently to space inside Spaceship Neptune's pressurized capsule propelled by a high-performance spaceballoon that doesn't use rocket fuel, where Explorers see the world anew through its vast windows. The ultra-comfortable, accessible and gentle six-hour journey redefines what space and wonder travel means for the modern traveler.

Based out of Kennedy Space Center, Space Perspective is led by industry luminaries Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum, and their expert crew who have been integral to all human spaceballoon flights in the last 50 years. Poynter and MacCallum have been dubbed 'Masters of the stratosphere,' by Bloomberg Business Week, and MacCallum served as Chairman of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. For more information, visit SpacePerspective.com. Follow Space Perspective on social media for updates, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

Contact: Julia Covelli
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SOURCE Michael Baker International