Spaceport America cleared another critical hurdle on Monday when the Federal Aviation Administration formally issued the state a license to operate a commercial spaceport.
But to secure tens of millions of dollars in funding from the state and Doña Ana County for the $198 million facility, the spaceport authority must still ink a formal lease agreement with planned anchor tenant Virgin Galactic before the end of the year. State officials say they expect that to happen.
Still, the issuing of the license is big news — another required step that had to happen before the end of the year for the funding to kick in under conditions set in place by the state Legislature and the county commission. The FAA approved both horizontal and vertical launches from the fledgling spaceport.
“It’s an important day for New Mexico and the nation, as Spaceport America now adds to the United States’ launch infrastructure,” Daniela Glick, chair of the spaceport authority, said in a news release.
The spaceport is beginning to take shape. There have already been several launches from a temporary facility at the spaceport that didn’t require the FAA license. An improved road to the spaceport is currently under construction. The architects hired to design the facility are nearly finished with their work, according to the news release.
The spaceport authority now projects an early 2009 groundbreaking for the facility, with construction complete by late 2010.