Wine country may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of spaceflight. But if things go according to plan, Paso Robles’ municipal airport could one day launch spacecraft into orbit.
That vision moved another step closer to reality in June as the city opened a competitive bidding process for aerospace consulting firms to complete the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) application required to license Paso Robles as a commercial spaceport.
The request for proposals, released June 16, seeks consultants with expertise in FAA launch site licensing, environmental review, launch safety, and airspace coordination. The selected firm will finish the city’s Federal Aviation Administration launch site operator license application—a yearlong effort that could position Paso Robles to become a hub for aerospace research, testing, and commercial space activity.
“Paso Robles is taking another exciting step in becoming a leader in California’s growing aerospace economy,” Mayor John Hamon said in a statement. “Advancing our FAA spaceport license will create new opportunities for higher paying tech jobs; attract investments in and around our airport; and open the door to future opportunities for innovation, education, and technology not only in our community, but on the entire Central Coast.”
While the idea of a spaceport in the middle of wine country might sound far-fetched, aerospace companies have already been testing propulsion technology at the Paso Robles Municipal Airport.
In 2024, the city converted a remote section of airport property—using recycled road materials from city street projects—into a propulsion testing site where aerospace companies and Cal Poly engineering students have conducted rocket and jet engine testing. San Luis Obispo-based Stellar Explorations, a company that has worked alongside NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense, has used the site to test propulsion systems.
“Major space initiatives such as NASA’s Artemis project involve a wide range of specialized firsts to create new tech required for space exploration,” Paso Robles Economic Development Manager Paul Sloan previously told New Times. “We were recently host to a group of technology companies conducting tests, allowing our city and airport to be part of the first step in the next era of human exploration in space.”
Those tests are part of a much larger vision.
The city hopes to transform the approximately 1,300-acre municipal airport into the centerpiece of the Paso Robles Spaceport and Technology Corridor, a long-term economic development initiative designed to attract aerospace companies, advanced manufacturers, and research organizations while maintaining general aviation operations.
Plans also call for the creation of the Paso Robles Space Innovation and Technology Park, a mixed-use technology campus connected to the airport and regional educational institutions. The city envisions partnerships with Cal Poly, Cuesta College, and local school districts that would create workforce pathways in engineering, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing.
“With the U.S. growing ever focused on advanced technologies, the need for skilled technicians is growing with it,” project materials state. “The Paso Robles Space Innovation and Technology Park would provide more young people the opportunity to work directly with industry in apprenticeship programs on cutting-edge technology.”
The city said a licensed spaceport would also make it easier to attract research companies and educators, creating what project documents describe as a stronger regional innovation ecosystem.
The current request for proposals follows unanimous direction from the Paso Robles City Council in March to move the licensing effort forward. Before that vote, the city hired aerospace infrastructure consulting firm RS&H to independently review work already completed on the FAA application.
According to the city, the firm found the application materials provided “a solid foundation” for completing the licensing process while identifying the remaining work necessary before submission.
The consultant selected through the new bidding process will update existing application materials; complete launch site reviews, flight corridor evaluations, and risk analyses; coordinate with federal agencies including the FAA and U.S. Coast Guard; complete environmental review under both the National Environmental Policy Act and California Environmental Quality Act; and prepare the final application package.
Several sections of the application—including the Ground Operations Safety Plan, Mishap and Emergency Response Plan, and Public Access Control Plan—have already received conditional FAA approval.
The project has attracted support from elected officials throughout the Central Coast.
Letters backing the initiative have come from U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley), state Sen. John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay), and 5th District SLO County Supervisor Heather Moreno, all citing the project’s potential to diversify the Central Coast economy while creating higher-paying technical jobs and expanding educational opportunities.
“The spaceport project is a forward-looking regional economic development opportunity that has the potential to diversify the local economy, attract private investment, and strengthen the Central Coast’s position within California’s growing aerospace and advanced technology sectors,” Panetta wrote in a February letter supporting the project.
According to the city, NASA’s Ames Research Center has also expressed interest in exploring future collaboration if Paso Robles ultimately secures its FAA license.
Proposals are due Aug. 3, with the city expecting to award a contract in September and begin work in October. For now, the airport remains known primarily for private aircraft. ∆
Reach Staff Writer Chloë Hodge at chodge@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in July 2-9, 2026.
