State spaceport authority seeks hangar, runway and rapid‑development funds after PREP and ARPA awards

The executive director of the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority (OSIDA) told a legislative committee that recent PREP and ARPA dollars have jump-started redevelopment of the Burns Flat spaceport and industrial park, but the authority needs additional capital to complete runway, apron and utility projects and to respond quickly to tenant opportunities.

Craig Smith, OSIDA—s executive director, said the agency received PREP funds of $27.5 million and $4.25 million in ARPA-designated money for water and wastewater projects. He told senators that nearly all design work is now complete and that a pavement rehabilitation contract began in November; the authority expects the PREP-funded projects to be fully expended by mid-to-late 2026 as the remaining phases complete construction.

Smith described recent tenant activity and pipeline prospects. Six large hangars exist on the former air force base; previously empty hangars are now leased and two tenants are investing millions in hangar expansions and hiring plans. OSIDA listed current and prospective tenants including Kratos, AgileSpace, Frontier Electronic Systems and NORDAM, and told the committee the authority is working with university partners and private firms on propulsion, iodine-based electric-propulsion research and small-satellite activities.

To support near-term demand, OSIDA requested $2.9 million to finish box hangars and taxiway work for smaller general-aviation and space-related tenants and $6 million to equip a tenant-specific hangar for payload processing and wet/dry lab functions. The authority also asked for up to $25 million as a rapid-development fund that could be drawn down to meet time-sensitive tenant needs for hangars, payload processing space, engine-test capabilities and other site-specific infrastructure. Smith said the fund would allow OSIDA to act quickly when companies propose investments and to avoid losing prospects while waiting for the annual legislative cycle.

Senators asked about the pace at which PREP and ARPA dollars are being spent. Smith said project engineering and re-bidding extended the procurement timeline but that active construction and contract awards are now underway; he told the committee the PREP runway/apron projects have started and ARPA water/wastewater contracts are on today's agenda for award. Smith estimated project completion and fund expenditure in mid-2026 for PREP items and said ARPA-funded water work should finish well before the federal deadline.

The director also described the Burns Flat facility: a 1,108-acre industrial park with a 13,503-foot primary runway, taxiways and apron areas suitable for horizontal-launch testing and aircraft operations. He said the site has utilities, fiber, and available lots for new industrial development but that older buildings and site infrastructure require continued investment. Smith argued the authority—s budget requests are intended to retain and expand tenants and to develop space-sector capabilities that could draw national investment.