Incoming Trump administration has Las Vegas Spaceport developer thinking

Donald Trump’s sweeping election victory and the prospect of SpaceX owner Elon Musk having a prominent role in Trump’s administration has prompted developers of the Las Vegas Spaceport to consider taking the company public.

Trump and Musk have publicly taken deregulation stances and Las Vegas Spaceport CEO Rob Lauer said making his project the first U.S. commercial spaceport to be publicly traded could make the planned development west of Las Vegas more appealing to investors.

“We must modernize our federal bureaucracy if we want to compete in the new space race with China, India and Europe,” said Lauer, whose project is scheduled to break ground next year.

“I am confident the incoming administration is committed to making America more competitive in this arena, and so are investors. At Las Vegas Spaceport, we are ready to take full advantage of the growth and opportunities this new reality will generate. Going public is one of the many ways we can share our vision with retail and institutional investors who see the vast potential of this sector.”

The spaceport, designated by Clark County as Las Vegas Executive Airport and located off Nevada State Route 160 near Pahrump, would begin as an airstrip, but grow to be capable of supporting spaceplanes that would take off and land horizontally instead of being launched vertically.

In a release issued Friday, Lauer said he anticipates Musk to have a significant role in the Trump administration and that he is considering a public offering on the Nasdaq exchange in support of his project.

Musk and other industry leaders have pointed to the need for faster, more efficient regulatory processes to keep up with modern advancements.

“It shouldn’t take longer for the FAA to move paperwork from one desk to another than it does to build a new rocket,” Musk recently said.

Election results revealed Tuesday night spurred stock market activity Tuesday and Wednesday with shares in companies like Rocket Lab USA climbing more than 40 percent since Trump’s election.

Musk is also invested in Las Vegas tourism as the owner of the Boring Company, which is building the underground transit system that shuttles conventioneers within the Las Vegas Convention Center campus. The underground transit system is growing in Las Vegas with multiple tunnels that will use Tesla vehicles to transport riders to various locations along the Strip, in downtown Las Vegas, to Harry Reid International Airport and to Allegiant Stadium.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.