Will This Western Illinois Airport Get A ‘Spaceport’?

One local airport might get significantly cooler with the addition of a 'spaceport'.

A news release obtained by WQAD says that Quad Cities International Airport is considering adding on a 'spaceport', which is a dock for spacecraft to launch and to land.

Before you book your trip to the cosmos out of Moline, there's still a lot of planning going on and analysis to find out if it can even be a thing. A 'feasibility analysis' is a study that's being done at Quad Cities International to see if it can logistically support a launch site for spacecraft.

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There isn't a timeline set on how long that study is going to take but the release from the airport says they have the support of the governor's office and the Illinois Department of Transportation. The airport board signed off on the study back in August.

But how cool would it be if our first legit alien contact came from a rocket launched in Moline? Busch Light and bags with the aliens.

There's Not Really Spaceports In The Midwest

From a location standpoint, Moline would be a unique place to put a spaceport since they're not mostly in the Midwest. Airports in multiple states already have spaceports, according to the FAA. Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia all have either airports with a spaceport added on or specifically designed spaceport locations.

Each spaceport has different launch types, like orbital reentry, vertical, or horizontal.

Since none of us batted an eye when the government (allegedly) confirmed aliens are real, maybe we can all pitch in for a trip to go visit them.