Spaceport America
Encyclopedia
Spaceport America is a spaceport
located in the Jornada del Muerto
desert basin in New Mexico
, United States
. It lies 90 miles (144.8 km) north of El Paso
, 45 miles (72.4 km) north of Las Cruces
, 30 miles (48.3 km) east of Truth or Consequences
. Spaceport America was officially declared open on the 18 October 2011.
The site has been described "the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport". , eight suborbital missions have been successfully launched from the port.
, namely in southern New Mexico
.
's initial concept was proposed by Dr. Burton Lee, of Stanford University, in 1990. He also wrote the initial business and strategic plans, secured US$1.4 million seed funding via congressional earmark
(with help from Senator
Pete Domenici
), and worked with the New Mexico State University Physical Science Laboratory (PSL) to develop local support for the spaceport concept.
In 1992, the Southwest Space Task Force was formed to advance the New Mexico space industry's commercial infrastructure and activity. After several years of study, they focused on a 27 square miles (69.9 km²) plot of state-owned land, 45 miles (72.4 km) north of Las Cruces, as a location for an inland spaceport. When Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Rick Homans took office in 2003, they petitioned their case to him. Homans then picked up the torch, presenting the idea of a New Mexico spaceport to Governor Richardson, negotiating with the X Prize Foundation
to locate the X Prize Cup in New Mexico, tackling legislation to finance the spaceport, and recruiting several of its aerospace partners.
would make New Mexico
its world headquarters, the governor and the New Mexico legislature enacted laws providing for the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport in 2006. The spaceport
was branded Spaceport America.
Construction of the first temporary launch facility at the spaceport site began on April 4, 2006.
Early operations of the spaceport utilized this temporary infrastructure, some of it borrowed from neighboring White Sands Missile Range
. In early 2007, the spaceport was still in the process of clearing red tape and was still little more than "a 100 feet (30.5 m) by 25 feet (7.6 m) concrete slab," part of the launch facility for the spaceport's first launch tenant, UP Aerospace
. On April 3, 2007, voters in neighboring Doña Ana County approved, by referendum, a spaceport tax. However, the spaceport district couldn't yet be created and the tax yet collected until the county containing the spaceport, Sierra County
, gave final approval. The first images of the then planned spaceport's Hangar Terminal Facility (HTF) were released in early September 2007.
In April 2008, the voters of Sierra County approved the plan, releasing over US$40 million in funding for the spaceport. Voters in a third county, Otero
, voted in the November 2008 general election to reject the spaceport tax. Following this, great headway in its completion began to be made.
In December 2008, the New Mexico Spaceport Authority
received its launch license for vertical and horizontal launch in from the Federal Aviation Administration
's Office of Commercial Space Transportation
. Shortly thereafter, Virgin Galactic signed a 20-year (240-month) lease, as the anchor tenant, for the hangar facilities of the spaceport. Virgin Galactic agreed to pay US$1 million per year for the first five years, as well as payments on a tiered scale, based on the number of launches the company makes.
Gerald Martin Construction Management from Albuquerque
was chosen in December 2008 to oversee construction of the spaceport. , the first of 13 bid packages for the spaceport was expected to be publicly released later that month and all 13 bid packages were scheduled to be released by June 2009. "The goal is to have [construction] completed in 17 months, by December 2010."
The ground-breaking ceremony marking the beginning of construction for Spaceport America's permanent facilities was held on June 19, 2009. On 22 October 2009, the spaceport announced that paid tours of the facilities would begin in December 2009.
, in mid-construction, the budgetary estimate for completion was $198 million.
On October 22, 2010, a ceremonial flypass of the spaceport was made by SpaceShipTwo to celebrate completion of major construction at the facility. A released statement about the event said, "(the) completion of the runway at Spaceport America (is) a major milestone in the construction of the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport."
, with the runway complete and the terminal building under active construction, the budgetary estimate for completion is $212 million. Approximately two-thirds of that is coming from the state of New Mexico with the remainder coming from "construction bonds backed by a tax approved by voters in Doña Ana and Sierra counties."
The site
area nets approximately 670000 sq ft (62,245 m²), with the terminal & hangar facility grossing an area of 110152 sq ft (10,233.5 m²).
The western zone of the Facility (25,597 sq ft.) houses support and administrative facilities for Virgin Galactic
and the New Mexico Spaceport Authority
. The central zone contains the double-height hangar (47,000 sq ft.) to store White Knight Two
and SpaceShipTwo crafts. The eastern zone (29,419 sq ft.) encompasses the principal operational training area, departure lounge, spacesuit dressing rooms, and celebration areas.
The onsite restaurant and mission control room have a direct east views across the apron, runway and landscape beyond.
The port is designed with environmental sustainability in mind. It's designed to meet the requirements for LEED
Gold Certification. It will incorporate "Earth Tubes" to cool the building, solar thermal panels, underfloor radiant cooling
and heating, and natural ventilation during the mid seasons.
A visitor center is planned in downtown Truth Or Consequences (the closest town) to provide shuttle bus services to the Spaceport.
, SpaceShipTwo (SS2), will be flown by its mother-craft, White Knight Two
(WK2), to an altitude of 50000 feet (15,240 m) before blasting off into a suborbital trajectory. Space Ship Two's launches will apex 70 miles (112.7 km) from the Earth's surface at more than 2000 mi/h. Customers will take part in 3 days pre-flight preparation, bonding, and training onsite at the spaceport.
Other incorporations located at the site include the Rocket Racing League
and Microgravity Enterprises, Inc.
Spaceport America has already hosted several vertical launches of its first tenant, UP Aerospace
. Though incomplete, it has multiple vertical takeoff facilities completed.
had accepted over 400 reservations for suborbital trips, and collected $50 million in deposits. Concerning the company’s plans to launch its first flight from Spaceport America, Stephen Attenborough, CEO of Virgin Galactic, has said “I am hopeful (it will be) this year (2011) or early next year.”
, it was expected that, once completed, Spaceport America would become the venue for the annual X Prize Cup
suborbital spaceflight competitions.
On January 5, 2011 Executive Director, Rick Homans offered his resignation effective as of January 7. Mr. Homans stated in his letter that the administration of incoming Governor Susana Martinez
had insisted upon it.
in 2011, the state
government has taken a new approach to increase private
investment to complete the spaceport project. In order to oversee the new effort, Gov. Martinez appointed an entirely new board of directors for the Spaceport Authority.
Spaceport
A spaceport or cosmodrome is a site for launching spacecraft, by analogy with seaport for ships or airport for aircraft. The word spaceport, and even more so cosmodrome, has traditionally been used for sites capable of launching spacecraft into orbit around Earth or on interplanetary trajectories...
located in the Jornada del Muerto
Jornada del Muerto
The Jornada del Muerto in the U.S. state of New Mexico was the name given by the Spanish conquistadors to the Jornada del Muerto Desert basin, and the particularly dry stretch of a route through it.The trail lead northward from central Spanish colonial New Spain, present-day Mexico, to the farthest...
desert basin in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It lies 90 miles (144.8 km) north of El Paso
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, 45 miles (72.4 km) north of Las Cruces
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
, 30 miles (48.3 km) east of Truth or Consequences
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
Truth or Consequences is a spa city and the county seat of Sierra County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 7,289. It is commonly known within New Mexico as T or C....
. Spaceport America was officially declared open on the 18 October 2011.
The site has been described "the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport". , eight suborbital missions have been successfully launched from the port.
History
Spaceport America is the result of nearly two decades of efforts to increase the commercial accessibility of spaceflightSpaceflight
Spaceflight is the act of travelling into or through outer space. Spaceflight can occur with spacecraft which may, or may not, have humans on board. Examples of human spaceflight include the Russian Soyuz program, the U.S. Space shuttle program, as well as the ongoing International Space Station...
, namely in southern New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.
Inception
The spaceportSpaceport
A spaceport or cosmodrome is a site for launching spacecraft, by analogy with seaport for ships or airport for aircraft. The word spaceport, and even more so cosmodrome, has traditionally been used for sites capable of launching spacecraft into orbit around Earth or on interplanetary trajectories...
's initial concept was proposed by Dr. Burton Lee, of Stanford University, in 1990. He also wrote the initial business and strategic plans, secured US$1.4 million seed funding via congressional earmark
Earmark (politics)
In United States politics, an earmark is a legislative provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees...
(with help from Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Pete Domenici
Pete Domenici
Pietro Vichi "Pete" Domenici is an American Republican politician, who served six terms as a United States Senator from New Mexico, from 1973 to 2009, the longest tenure in the state's history....
), and worked with the New Mexico State University Physical Science Laboratory (PSL) to develop local support for the spaceport concept.
In 1992, the Southwest Space Task Force was formed to advance the New Mexico space industry's commercial infrastructure and activity. After several years of study, they focused on a 27 square miles (69.9 km²) plot of state-owned land, 45 miles (72.4 km) north of Las Cruces, as a location for an inland spaceport. When Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Rick Homans took office in 2003, they petitioned their case to him. Homans then picked up the torch, presenting the idea of a New Mexico spaceport to Governor Richardson, negotiating with the X Prize Foundation
X Prize Foundation
The X PRIZE Foundation is a non-profit organization that designs and manages public competitions intended to encourage technological development that could benefit mankind....
to locate the X Prize Cup in New Mexico, tackling legislation to finance the spaceport, and recruiting several of its aerospace partners.
Construction and funding
Following Governor Richardson and Sir Richard Branson's announcement that Virgin GalacticVirgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic is a company within Richard Branson's Virgin Group which plans to provide sub-orbital spaceflights to the paying public, along with suborbital space science missions and orbital launches of small satellites...
would make New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
its world headquarters, the governor and the New Mexico legislature enacted laws providing for the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport in 2006. The spaceport
Spaceport
A spaceport or cosmodrome is a site for launching spacecraft, by analogy with seaport for ships or airport for aircraft. The word spaceport, and even more so cosmodrome, has traditionally been used for sites capable of launching spacecraft into orbit around Earth or on interplanetary trajectories...
was branded Spaceport America.
Construction of the first temporary launch facility at the spaceport site began on April 4, 2006.
Early operations of the spaceport utilized this temporary infrastructure, some of it borrowed from neighboring White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...
. In early 2007, the spaceport was still in the process of clearing red tape and was still little more than "a 100 feet (30.5 m) by 25 feet (7.6 m) concrete slab," part of the launch facility for the spaceport's first launch tenant, UP Aerospace
UP Aerospace
UP Aerospace, Inc. is a private spaceflight corporation based out of Denver, Colorado. UP Aerospace provides ultra-low cost space access and payload transportation for corporate, military and educational payloads, via their SpaceLoft XL Sounding rocket launch vehicles.- History and Future Plans...
. On April 3, 2007, voters in neighboring Doña Ana County approved, by referendum, a spaceport tax. However, the spaceport district couldn't yet be created and the tax yet collected until the county containing the spaceport, Sierra County
Sierra County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*85.6% White*0.4% Black*1.7% Native American*0.4% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.3% Two or more races*8.6% Other races*28.0% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, gave final approval. The first images of the then planned spaceport's Hangar Terminal Facility (HTF) were released in early September 2007.
In April 2008, the voters of Sierra County approved the plan, releasing over US$40 million in funding for the spaceport. Voters in a third county, Otero
Otero County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*72.7% White*3.5% Black*6.7% Native American*1.2% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*4.2% Two or more races*11.2% Other races*34.5% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, voted in the November 2008 general election to reject the spaceport tax. Following this, great headway in its completion began to be made.
In December 2008, the New Mexico Spaceport Authority
New Mexico Spaceport Authority
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority is a non-governmental panel, appointed by the Governor of New Mexico, whose members represent the public sector in the development and construction of Spaceport America, a facility, under construction as of March 2011, that is expected to be the first...
received its launch license for vertical and horizontal launch in from the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
's Office of Commercial Space Transportation
Office of Commercial Space Transportation
The Office of Commercial Space Transportation is the branch of the United States Federal Aviation Administration that approves any commercial rocket launch operations—that is, any launches that are not classified as model, amateur, or "by and for the government."-Overview:Under...
. Shortly thereafter, Virgin Galactic signed a 20-year (240-month) lease, as the anchor tenant, for the hangar facilities of the spaceport. Virgin Galactic agreed to pay US$1 million per year for the first five years, as well as payments on a tiered scale, based on the number of launches the company makes.
Gerald Martin Construction Management from Albuquerque
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
was chosen in December 2008 to oversee construction of the spaceport. , the first of 13 bid packages for the spaceport was expected to be publicly released later that month and all 13 bid packages were scheduled to be released by June 2009. "The goal is to have [construction] completed in 17 months, by December 2010."
The ground-breaking ceremony marking the beginning of construction for Spaceport America's permanent facilities was held on June 19, 2009. On 22 October 2009, the spaceport announced that paid tours of the facilities would begin in December 2009.
, in mid-construction, the budgetary estimate for completion was $198 million.
On October 22, 2010, a ceremonial flypass of the spaceport was made by SpaceShipTwo to celebrate completion of major construction at the facility. A released statement about the event said, "(the) completion of the runway at Spaceport America (is) a major milestone in the construction of the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport."
, with the runway complete and the terminal building under active construction, the budgetary estimate for completion is $212 million. Approximately two-thirds of that is coming from the state of New Mexico with the remainder coming from "construction bonds backed by a tax approved by voters in Doña Ana and Sierra counties."
Facility
Spaceport
A spaceport or cosmodrome is a site for launching spacecraft, by analogy with seaport for ships or airport for aircraft. The word spaceport, and even more so cosmodrome, has traditionally been used for sites capable of launching spacecraft into orbit around Earth or on interplanetary trajectories...
area nets approximately 670000 sq ft (62,245 m²), with the terminal & hangar facility grossing an area of 110152 sq ft (10,233.5 m²).
The western zone of the Facility (25,597 sq ft.) houses support and administrative facilities for Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic is a company within Richard Branson's Virgin Group which plans to provide sub-orbital spaceflights to the paying public, along with suborbital space science missions and orbital launches of small satellites...
and the New Mexico Spaceport Authority
New Mexico Spaceport Authority
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority is a non-governmental panel, appointed by the Governor of New Mexico, whose members represent the public sector in the development and construction of Spaceport America, a facility, under construction as of March 2011, that is expected to be the first...
. The central zone contains the double-height hangar (47,000 sq ft.) to store White Knight Two
Scaled Composites White Knight Two
The Scaled Composites Model 348 White Knight Two is a jet-powered cargo aircraft which will be used to launch the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft. It is being developed by Scaled Composites as the first stage of Tier 1b, a two-stage to suborbital-space manned launch system...
and SpaceShipTwo crafts. The eastern zone (29,419 sq ft.) encompasses the principal operational training area, departure lounge, spacesuit dressing rooms, and celebration areas.
The onsite restaurant and mission control room have a direct east views across the apron, runway and landscape beyond.
The port is designed with environmental sustainability in mind. It's designed to meet the requirements for LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
Gold Certification. It will incorporate "Earth Tubes" to cool the building, solar thermal panels, underfloor radiant cooling
Radiant cooling
A radiant cooling system refers to a temperature-controlled surface that cools indoor temperatures by removing sensible heat and where more than half of heat transfer occurs through thermal radiation....
and heating, and natural ventilation during the mid seasons.
A visitor center is planned in downtown Truth Or Consequences (the closest town) to provide shuttle bus services to the Spaceport.
Operation
Virgin Galactic, the spaceport's anchor tenant, will have primary access to the spaceport's 10000 feet (3,048 m) runway. From which, it will operate 2 hour commercial trips. Virgin's suborbital shipSuborbital spaceplane
A suborbital spaceplane is a spaceplane designed specifically for sub-orbital spaceflight. A few projects of civil and military suborbital spaceplanes were in past in Nazi Germany, United States, Soviet Union etc. From the beginning of 21st century, it is expected that this type of spacecraft, as...
, SpaceShipTwo (SS2), will be flown by its mother-craft, White Knight Two
Scaled Composites White Knight Two
The Scaled Composites Model 348 White Knight Two is a jet-powered cargo aircraft which will be used to launch the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft. It is being developed by Scaled Composites as the first stage of Tier 1b, a two-stage to suborbital-space manned launch system...
(WK2), to an altitude of 50000 feet (15,240 m) before blasting off into a suborbital trajectory. Space Ship Two's launches will apex 70 miles (112.7 km) from the Earth's surface at more than 2000 mi/h. Customers will take part in 3 days pre-flight preparation, bonding, and training onsite at the spaceport.
Other incorporations located at the site include the Rocket Racing League
Rocket Racing League
The Rocket Racing League is a proposed racing league that would use rocket-powered aircraft to race a closed-circuit air racetrack. Founded in 2005, the league is currently working to hold the first multi-vehicle races in 2011...
and Microgravity Enterprises, Inc.
Spaceport America has already hosted several vertical launches of its first tenant, UP Aerospace
UP Aerospace
UP Aerospace, Inc. is a private spaceflight corporation based out of Denver, Colorado. UP Aerospace provides ultra-low cost space access and payload transportation for corporate, military and educational payloads, via their SpaceLoft XL Sounding rocket launch vehicles.- History and Future Plans...
. Though incomplete, it has multiple vertical takeoff facilities completed.
UP Aerospace launch history
| Launch | Date (UTC) | Vehicle | Payload | Launch pad | Result | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 25, 2006 | SpaceLoft XL SpaceLoft XL The SpaceLoft XL is a sounding rocket developed by UP Aerospace. The rocket has a diameter of 10 inches , and is 20 feet long. It is capable of lofting a 110 lb payload to a sub-orbital trajectory with an apogee of 140 miles... |
Various | UA launch tower | Failure | The [unsuccessful] maiden launch of a SpaceLoft XL SpaceLoft XL The SpaceLoft XL is a sounding rocket developed by UP Aerospace. The rocket has a diameter of 10 inches , and is 20 feet long. It is capable of lofting a 110 lb payload to a sub-orbital trajectory with an apogee of 140 miles... rocket by UP Aerospace UP Aerospace UP Aerospace, Inc. is a private spaceflight corporation based out of Denver, Colorado. UP Aerospace provides ultra-low cost space access and payload transportation for corporate, military and educational payloads, via their SpaceLoft XL Sounding rocket launch vehicles.- History and Future Plans... . It veered off course and lost control shortly after lift-off. |
| 2 | April 28, 2007 | SpaceLoft XL SpaceLoft XL The SpaceLoft XL is a sounding rocket developed by UP Aerospace. The rocket has a diameter of 10 inches , and is 20 feet long. It is capable of lofting a 110 lb payload to a sub-orbital trajectory with an apogee of 140 miles... |
Celestis Celestis Celestis is a company that launches cremated human remains into space, a procedure known as a space burial. It is an affiliate company of Space Services Inc. The company purchases launches as a secondary payload on various rockets, and launches samples of many peoples' cremated remains on one launch... and other payloads |
UA launch tower | Success | The first successful launch, a second Spaceloft XL SpaceLoft XL The SpaceLoft XL is a sounding rocket developed by UP Aerospace. The rocket has a diameter of 10 inches , and is 20 feet long. It is capable of lofting a 110 lb payload to a sub-orbital trajectory with an apogee of 140 miles... , primarily carried cremated human remains, including those of astronaut Astronaut An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft.... Gordon Cooper Gordon Cooper Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr. , also known as Gordon Cooper, was an American aeronautical engineer, test pilot and NASA astronaut. Cooper was one of the seven original astronauts in Project Mercury, the first manned space effort by the United States... and Star Trek Star Trek Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise... actor James Doohan James Doohan James Montgomery "Jimmy" Doohan was a Canadian character and voice actor best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series Star Trek... . |
| 3 | December 19, 2007 | Proprietary test vehicle | Technology Demonstration | UA launch tower | Success | Low-altitude atmospheric launch. |
| 4 | December 2007 | Space plane prototype | None | UA launch tower | Success | Proprietary technology launch for Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area.... . |
| 5 | August 12, 2008 | Space plane prototype | None | UA launch tower | Success (Spaceport America & UP Aerospace view) Anomalous (Lockheed-Martin view) | Proprietary technology launch for Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area.... . |
| 6 | May 2, 2009 | SpaceLoft XL SpaceLoft XL The SpaceLoft XL is a sounding rocket developed by UP Aerospace. The rocket has a diameter of 10 inches , and is 20 feet long. It is capable of lofting a 110 lb payload to a sub-orbital trajectory with an apogee of 140 miles... |
New Mexico New Mexico New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S... student payloads Celestis Celestis Celestis is a company that launches cremated human remains into space, a procedure known as a space burial. It is an affiliate company of Space Services Inc. The company purchases launches as a secondary payload on various rockets, and launches samples of many peoples' cremated remains on one launch... Discovery |
UA launch tower | Anomalous | "Education opportunity for New Mexico students to design experiments that use the environment of suborbital space to answer scientific and engineering questions". The craft failed to reach space Karman line The Kármán line lies at an altitude of above the Earth's sea level, and is commonly used to define the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and outer space... . |
| 7 | August 4, 2009 | Black Watch | ground-launched UAV Unmanned aerial vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity... prototype |
UA launch tower | Success | Test flight launch for Florida-based Moog-FTS. |
| 8 | 10 October 2009 | "reusable rocket plane" | Lockheed proprietary payload | UA launch tower | Success | Test of "proprietary advanced launch technologies" for Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area.... . |
| 9 | May 4, 2010 | SpaceLoft XL SpaceLoft XL The SpaceLoft XL is a sounding rocket developed by UP Aerospace. The rocket has a diameter of 10 inches , and is 20 feet long. It is capable of lofting a 110 lb payload to a sub-orbital trajectory with an apogee of 140 miles... |
Various | UA launch tower | Success | UP Aerospace successfully launched the 4th SpaceLoft Rocket 70 miles into space. The vehicle spent four minutes in the weightlessness of space before landing on the neighboring White Sands Missile Range. |
| 10 | May 20, 2011 | SpaceLoft XL SpaceLoft XL The SpaceLoft XL is a sounding rocket developed by UP Aerospace. The rocket has a diameter of 10 inches , and is 20 feet long. It is capable of lofting a 110 lb payload to a sub-orbital trajectory with an apogee of 140 miles... |
Various | UA launch tower | Success | The vehicle performed a flawless mission reaching a Spaceport America record setting altitude of 73.5 miles (118 km) into space. |
Future
, Virgin GalacticVirgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic is a company within Richard Branson's Virgin Group which plans to provide sub-orbital spaceflights to the paying public, along with suborbital space science missions and orbital launches of small satellites...
had accepted over 400 reservations for suborbital trips, and collected $50 million in deposits. Concerning the company’s plans to launch its first flight from Spaceport America, Stephen Attenborough, CEO of Virgin Galactic, has said “I am hopeful (it will be) this year (2011) or early next year.”
, it was expected that, once completed, Spaceport America would become the venue for the annual X Prize Cup
X PRIZE Cup
The X Prize Cup is a two-day Air & Space Expo which was the result of a partnership between the X Prize Foundation and the State of New Mexico that began in 2004 when the Ansari X-Prize was held. This led to plans to build the world's first true rocket festival. Three X-PRIZE Cups have been held:...
suborbital spaceflight competitions.
On January 5, 2011 Executive Director, Rick Homans offered his resignation effective as of January 7. Mr. Homans stated in his letter that the administration of incoming Governor Susana Martinez
Susana Martinez
Susana Martinez is the 31st and current governor of New Mexico.A Republican, Martinez is the first female governor of New Mexico, as well as the first female Hispanic governor in the United States. She was formerly the district attorney for the 3rd Judicial District of the U.S. state of New Mexico...
had insisted upon it.
Increased private funding
With the beginning of the administration of New Mexico Governor Susana MartinezSusana Martinez
Susana Martinez is the 31st and current governor of New Mexico.A Republican, Martinez is the first female governor of New Mexico, as well as the first female Hispanic governor in the United States. She was formerly the district attorney for the 3rd Judicial District of the U.S. state of New Mexico...
in 2011, the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
government has taken a new approach to increase private
Private spaceflight
Private spaceflight is flight above Earth altitude conducted by and paid for by an entity other than a government. In the early decades of the Space Age, the government space agencies of the Soviet Union and United States pioneered space technology augmented by collaboration with affiliated design...
investment to complete the spaceport project. In order to oversee the new effort, Gov. Martinez appointed an entirely new board of directors for the Spaceport Authority.