Oklahoma City, OK — State Rep. Nick Archer of Elk City will lead a House interim study Thursday aimed at turning the Oklahoma Spaceport at Burns Flat into a driver of aerospace jobs and research.
The hearing, set for 1:30 p.m. before the House Transportation Appropriations and Budget Committee, was requested by Archer and Rep. Preston Stinson of Edmond. Their goal is to map how Oklahoma can become a hub for suborbital research and space manufacturing while building on the state’s aircraft maintenance base.
Topics include infrastructure and funding for the Oklahoma Spaceport and its oversight agency, OSIDA in Burns Flat. Lawmakers will also examine microgravity research opportunities such as pharmaceuticals and advanced materials, propulsion and space manufacturing, and potential defense partnerships that use dual-purpose technologies.
Archer and Stinson are weighing how much state investment it will take. A prior 35 million dollar package cleared the House, and the authors say the target could grow. “This could require 10 million dollars to start or 100 million dollars to execute the vision,” they wrote in their filing.
A separate study at 9 a.m. the same day will look at how artificial intelligence could reshape health care in Oklahoma and what that means for energy demand. The afternoon session keeps the focus on Archer’s push to upgrade OSIDA and position Burns Flat at the center of the state’s space economy.
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