“We will change the way we go into space . . .”
David Wilson, New Mexico Spaceport Authority
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| Photo by Julo |
Space. The final frontier. Long considered the domain of NASA astronauts and Russian cosmonauts, what’s next now that that the U.S. space shuttle program has been shuttered?
Spaceport America, that’s what. Located in the New Mexico desert near the small town of Truth or Consequences (population 7,021), it is private industry’s first foray into space flight. Conceived of by rocket scientists and companies that don’t want to be totally dependent on governments for their commercial payloads, the first phase of Spaceport America is nearly finished.
Already, three of the spaceport’s clients have received contracts from the U.S. government to fly technology payloads to the boundaries of space. But what might be more exciting for a lot of folks is what the spaceport’s anchor tenant, Virgin Galactic, plans to rocket into space: people. It is the world’s first passenger-carrying space fleet, and for a mere $200,000 it will take high fliers to the edge of space. Inaugural flights are expected sometime in 2013; 500 tickets have already been sold.
This gateway to the heavens is having a down-to-earth impact on New Mexico’s economy. Building and running the spaceport have meant jobs, visitors, and revenue. Space might be the final frontier, but it is first in this state when it comes to innovation and invigoration.
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