Maine aerospace firm eyes island off Jonesport for rocket launches, but the town isn’t ready to commit

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 1, 2021

Brunswick-based aerospace firm, bluShift Aerospace, is considering an island off Jonesport as a launch site for multiple missions to launch small satellites into orbit, but the town wants time to evaluate what it would mean for local residents. To give town officials that time, local voters are scheduled to meet Dec. 1 to consider a temporary 6-month ban on aerospace facilities. The moratorium, which could be renewed after 180 days, would give the town some time to possibly develop and adopt an ordinance for regulating local rocket launches. bluShift supports Jonesport’s moratorium idea so local officials and residents have time to learn more about a potential local rocket launch site there, which also is where Dutch firm Kingfish Maine hopes to construct a $110 million land-based fish farm that would produce approximately 13 million pounds of yellowtail each year.