An artist's rendition of Spaceport America (Courtesy photo)
Gov. Bill Richardson says New Mexico couldn’t get a project to construct the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport off the ground today. Good thing for Richardson that the funding was secured years ago, then, since he says Spaceport America will be one of his top achievements.
As the spaceport’s first phase is being built northeast of Las Cruces, a new article in the Denver Post says it was a mix of “public money, political will, a rich space heritage and the tenacity of its visionaries” that launched the project early in Richardson’s tenure. The article’s headline states that the “stars were aligned.”
The project is now taking shape, with a 10,000-foot runway nearly complete and a terminal hangar facility under construction. That building will house the New Mexico Spaceport Authority and anchor tenant Virgin Galactic.
“I can see the gamble to start paying off in the next five years,” the Post quoted Richardson as saying. He added that the spaceport will prove to be “one of my top achievements as governor.”
The timing for the project was perfect. Early in Richardson’s tenure he had lots more political power to push through a big-dollar item than he does now. The economy was good. The state’s fiscal health was sound coming off the Johnson years. And Virgin Galactic was looking for a place to use as its home base.
“A lot of things came together at the right time,” the Post quoted Richardson as saying. “We couldn’t do it now.”