In part because the Las Cruces airport can’t accommodate the growth of the X Prize Cup without a costly expansion, parts of the event will likely to move to Holloman Air Force Base in 2007.
Though it was light on details, the X Prize announced Thursday a potential expansion into Otero County for the October event.
Here’s what’s really going on:
The Las Cruces airport was never meant to be a permanent home for the event, which will move to Spaceport America as soon as it’s constructed. There are logistical problems at the airport that prevent organizers from expanding the X Prize Cup if they continue to hold the entire event there.
For starters, there isn’t enough parking. Those who attended the events in 2005 and 2006 had to park at the nearby fairgrounds and be bussed to the event – a cumbersome and costly task.
In addition, the airport lacks some needed infrastructure. For example, for the group’s Lunar Lander Challenge, only one vehicle can take off at a time from the airport. At Holloman, several could take off at once.
And the airport doesn’t have an FAA license to launch into space. As a military installation, Holloman doesn’t need one.
White Sands Missile Range was to be the original, temporary home of the X Prize Cup until the spaceport was built, but logistical problems prevented that. Still, organizers are again talking with WSMR, in addition to Holloman, to find the best options.
The hope is that the X Prize Cup can work out a 3- or 4-year plan to continue its growth at temporary facilities until it can move to the spaceport in approximately 2010.
Las Cruces will still be the host city of the event, and much of the weeklong series of events surrounding the X Prize Cup will be held here, including New Mexico State University’s space symposium. The Rocket Racing League’s first race and other events will still be held at the Las Cruces airport in 2007.
But, if all goes as planned, some of the events that require hefty infrastructure will most likely move to Holloman, located less than an hour away.
State officials see this as an opportunity to show voters in Otero County that the spaceport will benefit them as well, and hope it will help convince them to approve a gross receipts tax increase to help fund the spaceport.
In part because the