Commercial Spaceport Will Have 10,000 Feet Of Concrete

The first batch of concrete was poured Thursday, February 11, marking the start of the final concrete finish phase of the runway construction at Spaceport America, the world's first purposebuilt commercial spaceport.  The runway project, which began in August 2009, is expected to be completed this summer, according to the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA).

The multi-layered runway is made up of 24 inches of prepared subgrade with the top six inches being a soil-cement mix foundation, followed by four inches of asphalt, and finally a 14-inch finish layer of concrete. Measuring 10,000 feet long by 200 feet wide, the runway is designed to support nearly every aircraft in the world, as well as the day-to-day space tourism and payload launch operations like those for Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo.

The large concrete runway will accommodate returning launch vehicles, fly-back rocket boosters and other space launch and training vehicles.

Photo Credit: Judd Bradley / Spaceport America

"The beginning of the concrete application to the runway marks a significant milestone in the realization of Spaceport America and commercial space in New Mexico," commented Steve Landeene, Spaceport America's Executive Director.  "The airfield lies strategically within the White Sands Missile Range restricted airspace call-up area, which provides a unique opportunity for customers to fly in either the national airspace system or full restricted zone, depending on the mission requirements."

Along with the runway project, work is proceeding on the 110,000-square foot Terminal Hangar Facility (THF) at Spaceport America.  The NMSA has been working closely with leading aerospace firms such as Virgin Galactic, Lockheed Martin, Moog-FTS, and UP Aerospace to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility.

FMI: www.spaceportamerica.com