SPACEPORT AMERICA

commercial spaceport

Spaceport America is a purpose-built commercial spaceport designed and constructed specifically for commercial users. The Spaceport is located in Upham, in the south-central Jornada del Muerto desert, 45 miles north of Las Cruces and 30 miles southeast of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. It borders the White Sands Missile Range with its highly restricted airspace on the west side. It has one north-south runway that is 12,000 feet long by 200 feet wide. The primary tenant is Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. and other tenants include UP Aerospace, EXOS Aerospace and SpinLaunch Inc. The Spaceport is owned and operated by the State of New Mexico and is closed to the public however a Visitor Center in nearby Truth or Consequences provides guided tours to the facility.

Many sources have influenced the development of Spaceport America going back to 1990. Originally called the Southwest Regional Spaceport, the land was acquired by the early 2000’s and a rocket was launched from the site in 2006. Also in 2006, the go ahead was made to build up the spaceport with a runway and facilities to accommodate manned space flight. This came after an announcement from then New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Sir Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Galactic, that New Mexico would become the world headquarters for Branson’s proposed new company which would provide suborbital space flights for space tourists. At this time the facility was renamed Spaceport America. The runway was completed in 2010 followed by the award winning 110.000 square foot terminal hanger designed and constructed by SMPC Architects, Foster + Partners, and the URS Corporation. Spaceport America was officially opened for commercial use on October 18, 2011. Meanwhile the primary tenant, Virgin Galactic, was still based and operating out of the Mojave Air and Space Port in California and was experiencing multiple lengthy delays with its new program including the crash of one of its spaceships. It would be eight years before Virgin Galactic completed the agreed interior buildout of the Spaceport’s terminal hanger and from 2019 through 2022 the company relocated all of their spaceflight activities from the Mojave, California desert to the New Mexico desert. Virgin Galactic finally launched its first space flight on May 22, 2021 and its first flight with passengers on July 11, 2021 which included Richard Branson and three other dignitaries. This would become the first space flight launched from Spaceport America as well as the first from a site other than in Florida or California. Regular space flights of about one per month began on June 29, 2023 with passengers paying fares of $450,000 USD. Six revenue generating space flights have occurred at the Spaceport as of January 26, 2024.