Judge: Spaceport land deal must wait for March 8 election

By RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A judge has blocked a Georgia county from buying land for a commercial spaceport until the project goes before voters in a special election next month. Commissioners in coastal Camden County have spent 10 years and more than $10 million pursuing a launchpad for sending satellites into orbit and were granted an operator license by federal regulators in December. But opponents have a shot at derailing the project after gathering enough signatures to force a special election March 8. Voters will cast ballots on whether to authorize county officials to buy the land needed for the spaceport. Superior Court Judge Stephen Scarlett on Thursday granted an injunction prohibiting the county from closing on the property before the election.