Question: Where in Texas was the first privately funded commercial rocket launch?
Answer: Matagorda Island. On September 9, 1982, Houston-based Space Services, Inc. of America (SSIA) successfully launched Conestoga 1 from a site on the 11,502-acre Star Brand Ranch, owned by Dallas oilman Toddie Lee Wynne. The rocket reached an altitude of 160 miles before splashing down over 600 miles away in the Gulf of Mexico.
SSIA was founded by Houston businessman David Hannah Jr. and led by former NASA astronaut Donald K. “Deke” Slayton and executive Charles M. Chafer. After initially seeking to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, SSIA secured last-minute federal approval to use Matagorda Island, marking the dawn of the commercial spaceflight era.
