New Mexico Spaceport: Getting Down To Business

Implementation of plans are proceeding apace for the New Mexico spaceport that will be used by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic for civilian passenger spaceflight. So far, more than 20,000 have signed up for spaceflights. Based on past performance, Branson accomplishes what he sets out to do.

Branson’s Virgin Galactic will locate its world headquarters and mission control for its personal spaceflight business at the Southwest Regional Spaceport complex. The facility will be built upon a 27-square-mile site in Upham, about 45 miles northeast of Las Cruces and 25 miles southeast of Truth or Consequences. Construction will begin in 2007 and should be completed by 2009/2010. Virgin Galactic officials estimate some 50,000 customers will fly into space in the first ten years of operation.

For Richard Branson, wealthy British entrepreneur and adventurer, he clearly sees spaceliners in his future. Virgin Galactic operations and the firm’s facilities at the spaceport will be driven by the designs of SpaceShipTwo and the White Knight Two mothership that hauls the passenger-carrying rocket plane to high altitude for release. Both vehicles are under development by hot shot aerospace designer Burt Rutan and his team at Scaled Composites in Mojave, California under a newly formed group, The Spaceship Company. Last July, Branson and Rutan announced their signing of an agreement to form the new aerospace production company that will build a fleet of commercial suborbital spaceships and launch aircraft.

This is just too cool! Imagine if it were a NASA project: 1st flight possibly by 2030 or later instead of 2009-10.

The joy of entrepreneurial capitalism!