New
Mexico's Spaceport America has reached a key milestone on its road to become
the future home for Virgin Galactic's suborbital space tourism spaceliner fleet
and other launch firms.
The New
Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) announced Monday that it received a license
for vertical
and horizontal launches from the Federal Aviation Administration's
Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation (FAA/AST).
The FAA/AST
issued the license after providing a vital Environmental Impact Study Record of
Decision required for construction to begin on the sprawling spaceport.
New Mexico's
Spaceport America is billed as the nation's first "purpose-built"
commercial spaceport. The site is 30 miles (48 km) east of Truth or
Consequences and 45 miles (72.4 km) north of Las Cruces.
Political
hoops
There have
been a number
of political hoops to move Spaceport America closer to reality.
For
example, the New Mexico State Legislature set certain requirements for
spaceport funding, which included the formation of a local tax district, the
issuance of an FAA Environmental Impact Statement record of decision and launch
site license, and a signed lease agreement with an anchor tenant.
Roadwork to
the spaceport is already underway, and the architectural firm of URS/Foster +
Partners is completing their final design for Spaceport America's terminal and
hangar facility.
Spaceport
America is expected to cost a total of some $225 million to construct.
According
to NMSA Executive Director Steven Landeene, all is now on track to start
spaceport construction in the first quarter of 2009. Furthermore, the NMSA is
expected to have a signed lease agreement with Virgin Galactic later this
month.
"A few issues remain that are being worked. We anticipate
lease signing prior to the end of the year," he told SPACE.com.
Virgin Galactic is offering seats at
the going rate of $200,000 per person onboard the now-in-development WhiteKnightTwo/SpaceShipTwo
suborbital launch system. Those vehicles are taking shape at Scaled Composites
in Mojave, Calif.
Along with
Virgin Galactic, Spaceport America has been working with a host of
aerospace firms such as Lockheed Martin, Rocket Racing Inc., Armadillo
Aerospace, UP Aerospace, Microgravity Enterprises and Payload Specialties.
The New
Mexico Spaceport Authority currently projects vertical launch activity to
increase in 2009 and construction to also begin in 2009 with the terminal and
hangar facility for horizontal launches completed by late 2010.
Leonard
David has been reporting on the space industry for more than four decades. He
is past editor-in-chief of the National Space Society's Ad Astra and Space
World magazines and has written for SPACE.com since 1999.
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