Space Commerce

Quad Cities Airport Aims to Become Midwest Spaceport

By Craig Bamford

SpaceRef

November 20, 2023

Filed under horizontal launch, spaceport

Quad Cities Airport Aims to Become Midwest Spaceport — Quad Cities International Airport is launching a feasibility study about opening a spaceport.

Image credit: Quad Cities International Airport.

The Quad Cities International Airport in Moline, Michigan is aiming to possibly become one of America’s spaceports. According to an announcement from the Airport’s director, Ben Leischner, they’re beginning the long process to see if they could become an FAA-licensed site for launching orbital rockets, despite not being near coastal water like existing spaceports in Texas, Florida, and California.

Craig Bamford

Craig is a technology journalist with a strong focus on space-related startups, business, and pop culture. He started working in science & technology media in 2016, and began writing about the Canadian space sector in 2017 for SpaceQ. He is a graduate of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University, where he specialized in international conflict analysis and conflict resolution. He lives in Toronto.