MARS Hosts Spaceport Directors’ Council
Wallops Island, Virginia. September 29, 2025 - Senior leaders from spaceports across the country, the U.S. Space Force, the Federal Aviation Administration, and NASA met at Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island on September 17-18. This meeting of the Spaceport Directors’ Council (SDC) further underscores the vital role of spaceports to ensure assured access to space for the nation.
Members of the SDC highlighted the importance of collaboration, innovation, and safety standards among U.S. spaceports as the need for commercial and government access to space continues to grow.
“This year’s SDC meeting was strategically designed to highlight important topics within the spaceport community,” said Daniel P. Highlander, Colonel, USSF Director, Operations Integration (AA2/3/5) Assured Access To Space. “As the space domain continues to expand, collaboration between spaceport leadership is vital to ensuring responsive access to space.” In his role to organize, train and equip two USSF spaceports, Vandenburg Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Col. Highlander serves as an integrator to bring the Spaceport Directors together via the SDC and assists to host in planning and conducting the annual gathering of Directors for SDC.
The event also marked a pivotal step in planning the SDC’s future. Members discussed the scope and scale of the SDC’s effort, how to enhance knowledge-sharing among members, and how to strengthen the SDC’s role as a collective voice for spaceport operators in the global aerospace community. The group voted to establish a formal charter to assist with this vision.
On the second day of meeting, VSA showcased its expanding facilities by providing an exclusive tour of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport that also highlighted the substantial, consistent commitment and investment by the Commonwealth of Virginia to develop the aerospace industry on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
“The Spaceports Directors Council plays a critical role in shaping the future of U.S. launch infrastructure, and it’s encouraging to see the U.S. Space Force recognize the importance of both federal and commercial spaceports by taking the time to participate in these discussions,” said VSA CEO Roosevelt Mercer Jr., Maj Gen, USAF (Ret). “Their engagement demonstrates a real commitment to strengthening collaboration across government, industry, and state partners to ensure the United States maintains leadership in providing assured access to space.”
Virginia Spaceport Authority (officially Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority) is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia. VSA owns and operates the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) located at Wallops Island, Virginia, USA. VSA’s mission is to provide assured access to space by operating, maintaining, and growing a premier spaceport, stimulating aerospace-related economic development in the Commonwealth, and promoting educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
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