Episode summary
Can a Forgotten Caribbean Town Become a Spaceport?
Wall Street Week
· · Guests: Burton Catledge
Summary
Launch On Demand’s planned commercial spaceport in Oviedo, in the Dominican Republic’s Pedernales region, is presented as a development project as much as a space project. Burton Catledge argues the country fits the bill geographically, but the real opportunity is to build infrastructure in a neglected area and turn Oviedo into a hub for commercial spaceflight.
Catledge says the site will need a 200 megawatt power plant, desalination, water treatment, and other core systems before launches can begin. He also says the project could employ about 4,000 to 5,000 people and help diversify an economy long centered on tourism. Local officials and residents describe the spaceport as a chance to bring education, investment, and global attention to the region.
The company’s next challenge is building the workforce and regulatory framework. Catledge says Launch On Demand is working with INTEC to train Dominican students and create a space-industry minor, while another early hire says regulation and staff training are the immediate priorities. The episode frames the spaceport as an attempt to create a new economic identity for Oviedo and perhaps for the country.
Key takeaways
- Burton Catledge says the project could employ about 4,000 to 5,000 people once fully built out.
- Catledge says Launch On Demand wants a 200 megawatt power plant to keep rocket fueling uninterrupted.
- He argues the Dominican Republic needs the project as diversification away from tourism, not just as a launch site.
- The company says it is working with INTEC to train a local workforce and create a space-industry minor.
- An early hire says regulation and staff training are the main priorities before launches can start.
Notable quotes
“what we are proposing, is a 200 megawatt power plant. Power tends to be a very big commodity when it comes to the space industry”
“-I'd adventure probably about 4 or 5 thousand”
“this country has been mainly focused on tourism. And as a result, that's where their revenue has been coming”
“ultimately it's going to be the Dominican Republic, and primarily the youth of the Dominican Republic that are going to be operating this”
“-Right now our main priority will be the regulation, helping the government and also the IDAC create all those regulations”
How the episode opens
When Launch On Demand went looking for the place to put its new spaceport, the Dominican Republic fit the bill in terms of geography and population density, but it also turned out to be a section of the country badly in need of development, which the new facility is designed to provide. - This month, we signed a historic agreement with the American company Launch on Demand, LOD Holding, for the development of a commercial spaceport in Oviedo, in Pedernales. -When I saw that the president was doing something in Oviedo, which was my town, I was like, "This is a dream.
I never in my life imagined Oviedo to be like putting them up. Westin: Launch On Demand wants to make Oviedo into a hub for commercial spaceflight. But first, the company has to build almost everything a spaceport needs from the ground up.
-So this is the mayor of Oviedo, and so he's been working with us on all the collaboration of getting everybody together, so everything that you're going to see here, he and his staff have put it together for us. - The spaceport is a project of vital importance for our area. It will boost the economy.
It will benefit education. It will place the municipality of Oviedo— as well as the province of Pedernales, the region, and the country— squarely in the global spotlight And truly, this is a project for we are grateful to President Luis Abinader for bringing it to light. It is a project of immense significance.
one that brings a sense of importance to our population and to our town. -This is the new, going to be the Silicon Valley of the Caribbean. It's going to have the power, it's going to have the talent, it's going to have the geography.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- spaceport development
- caribbean economic development
- aerospace jobs
- infrastructure planning
- regulatory framework
Companies and tickers mentioned
- Launch on Demand
Watch the episode
Watch “Can a Forgotten Caribbean Town Become a Spaceport?” on YouTube
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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