Not everyone is happy Marquette County was chosen as a vertical launch site by the Michigan Aerospace Manufacturers Association.
State Representative Sara Cambensy says MAMA’s announcement was a surprise, especially when she learned the site wouldn’t be at the former KI Sawyer Air Force base.
She says the location is in a pristine wooded area about 15 miles north of Marquette.
“People are concerned that we’re either going to clear-cut a site for it and it’s going to be an eyesore, or that there are going to be some environmental harms that we’ll see, either to the land or the water,” said Cambensy.
Cambensy wants to make sure residents are included in the permitting process, which could take up to 5 years.
The project which would launch commercial payloads into low Earth orbit is expected to create thousands of jobs.