DENVER (AP) – A small airport outside Denver has been awarded a $200,000 matching grant to analyze the feasibility of designating the facility as a spaceport.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced the grant Tuesday.

Front Range Airport, which is about six miles southeast of Denver International Airport, is seeking FAA designation as a spaceport, where private companies could launch rockets or space planes with an FAA license.

The FAA also announced a $250,000 matching grant to Hawaii for a similar study and a nearly $24,000 grant to an existing spaceport in California to buy a firefighting system.

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