Two South Georgia courts have given hope to opponents of a proposed commercial launchpad on the coast.
Camden County residents will head to the polls March 8 to vote on whether they want county officials to purchase land that would be used to construct Spaceport Camden, putting the purchase on hold until after the special election.
The Camden County Probate Court on Tuesday verified the signatures of 3,516 voters — just 34 more signatures than were needed to force the special election. And the Glynn County Superior Court on Thursday blocked Camden County officials from purchasing the land until after the election.
Environmentalists, residents and some employees of the National Park Service have expressed concern over the idea of launching rockets over homes, wildlife and the Cumberland Island National Seashore.
After years of delays, the Federal Aviation Administration in December approved a site operator’s license for Spaceport Camden.
Spaceport officials are courting private companies to launch small rockets — sending satellites, supplies and possibly people into orbit — up to 12 times a year from the site.
Since 2015, Camden County, in the southeast corner of Georgia, has sought approval from the FAA to build Spaceport Camden, a proposed 12,000-acre facility. The county has spent about $10.3 million to pursue the project.
Camden County officials are seeking to purchase 4,000 acres previously owned by Union Carbide Corp. that over the years has served as a manufacturing depot for insecticides, chemicals and trip flares. An additional 8,000 acres that would be used for the site are owned by Bayer CropScience.
Two Camden County residents initially filed the lawsuit in December seeking to block the land purchase, but a judge ruled against them. Once the probate court verified the signatures on the petition, they again asked the judge to stop the purchase from happening until after the special election.
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