| 12 | 16 | | |
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| 13 | 17 | | |
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| 14 | 18 | | |
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| 15 | 19 | | WHEREAS, for three decades, the Virginia Spaceport Authority, headquartered in Norfolk, has supported aerospace research, scientific education, and economic growth, while promoting the development of the commercial spaceflight industry; and |
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| 16 | 20 | | |
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| 17 | 21 | | WHEREAS, the Virginia Spaceport Authority, originally known as the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, was created in 1995 to put the Commonwealth at the forefront of the burgeoning commercial spaceflight industry; and |
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| 18 | 22 | | |
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| 19 | 23 | | WHEREAS, the Virginia Spaceport Authority owns, operates, and maintains the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), one of four public spaceports in the United States licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration for vertical launch to orbit; and |
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| 20 | 24 | | |
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| 21 | 25 | | WHEREAS, MARS is a tenant organization of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island in Accomack County; the Virginia Spaceport Authority partners with NASA through the Space Agreement Act to procure services required for launch activities on behalf of its customers; and |
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| 22 | 26 | | |
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| 23 | 27 | | WHEREAS, in addition to state transportation funding, the Virginia Spaceport Authority funds its operations and capital projects through customer fees for launch and airfield services, as well as limited federal grants and contracts; and |
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| 24 | 28 | | |
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| 25 | 29 | | WHEREAS, the Virginia Spaceport Authority has developed science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education programs to identify and cultivate the next generation of aerospace professionals, partnering with 13 institutions of higher education, six public school divisions, local library systems, and other organizations; and |
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| 26 | 30 | | |
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| 27 | 31 | | WHEREAS, the Virginia Spaceport Authority's internship programs provide high school and college students with opportunities for hands-on learning in a variety of fields, and 20 percent of its current workforce is made up of former interns; and |
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| 28 | 32 | | |
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| 29 | 33 | | WHEREAS, according to a study by the Old Dominion University Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy, the Virginia Spaceport Authority and the surrounding aerospace industry increased real annual industrial output in the Commonwealth by $1.5 billion between 2018 and 2022; now, therefore, be it |
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| 30 | 34 | | |
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| 31 | 35 | | RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Virginia Spaceport Authority on the occasion of its 30th anniversary; and, be it |
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| 32 | 36 | | |
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| 33 | 37 | | RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia Spaceport Authority as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for its advancement of the commercial spaceflight industry, commitment to education, and significant economic impact. |
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