Wed, Dec 14, 2005
"Land of Enchantment", or Gateway To The Stars?
New Mexico may just need a new state motto, after it was
announced Tuesday that Virgin Galactic, the private spaceflight
brainchild of billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson, has entered
into an agreement with the state to build a $225 million spaceport
in the southern part of the state near White Sands Missile
Range.
"Experts predict that thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions
of dollars of private investment will be created in the next 20
years as the private sector develops new commercial markets in the
space industry in New Mexico," New Mexico Economic Development
Secretary Rick Homans said, as was reported by the Associated
Press. "Virgin is the beginning and many other space companies will
follow."
The deal, which still needs approval from environmental and
aviation authorities, means passengers would begin flying on
Burt-Rutan-designed civilian spacecraft from a facility south of
Truth or Consequences, NM by late 2008. Virgin Galactic says they
already have deposits from nearly 38,000 passengers from 126
countries for future spaceflights.
"Many of the others
will need to wait until the price comes down and will want to wait
for proven reliability and safety," said Virgin Galactic Marketing
Executive Stephen Attenborough, adding his thanks to the initial
100 people who have been willing to "step up to the plate" and pay
the initial cost of $200,000 per ticket upfront.
Virgin Galactic says New Mexico was chosen for its relatively
stable climate, low population density, and high altitude. Combined
with relatively unencumbered airspace, the state has many features
that Virgin expects will reduce costs of the program significantly.
The British operation would have a 20-year lease on the spaceport,
with initial annual payments to the state of $1 million. Those
payments would increase towards the end of the term, to cover the
development costs.
At least 90 percent of the spaceport's infrastructure will be
constructed underground, according to Virgin Galactic, with only
the runway and supporting structures visible.
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