spaceport

Spaceport America: Not just 'rich people in space'

When Spaceport America makes international news, it's often in conjunction with names like "Richard Branson," "Virgin Galactic," and "Ashton Kutcher." That celebrity shine is hard to ignore, but it's not the only thing happening at the spaceport.

Virgin Galactic has already sold 520 tickets for its suborbital space tourism flights, expected to start in late 2013. I'm standing in front of the epically named Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space. It's a massive building that blends into the New Mexico desert from one side and reflects Spaceport America's 10,000-foot runway from the other.

A uniquely New Mexico venture I'm a part owner of the spaceport that is sprouting up out of the Jornada del Muerto (remember the Trinity Site location). As a tax-paying New Mexican, some of my state dues have gone to the $209 million price tag for this facility's first two phases of construction.… Read more

Lockheed Martin commits to run tests at Spaceport America

The New Mexico Spaceport Authority, which runs Spaceport America, announced Tuesday that Lockheed Martin has committed to conducting operations at the facility near Las Cruces, N.M.

According to the release, Lockheed has been involved with Spaceport for some time already, having tested new launch technologies. It said that last December, Lockheed and launch provider UP Aerospace carried out a "small demonstration launch to test proprietary technology."

Now, Lockheed has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Spaceport to conduct ongoing testing at the facility.

Spaceport America reports a successful launch

It's a small step for mankind, but a giant step for Spaceport America.

According to a release from the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, UP Aerospace ("Space is 62 miles away, Getting there is just a phone call away") successfully launched a "test flight vehicle" on Wednesday.

The Spaceport, which is near Las Cruces, N.M., is the future home of Virgin Galactic, as well as the XPrize Cup.

UP Aerospace, according to its Web site, is in the business of selling cargo space on launch vehicles.

The release said that the Wednesday launch was private, … Read more

Virgin Galactic cancels press conference after tragedy

ALAMOGORDO, N.M.--Friday was supposed to be a day of celebration and progress for Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson's space exploration company.

It was planning a press conference in Las Cruces, N.M., at the University of New Mexico, to give an update on the current state of the development of its White Knight and Spaceship II aircraft. And the New Mexico Spaceport Authority was set to announce some engineering and architectural plans for the Spaceport facility northeast of Las Cruces.

But, best-laid plans. On Thursday, two people were killed in an explosion at Virgin Galactic's facility in … Read more