A conceptual drawing of Spaceport America. (Courtesy photo)
Exactly five years ago this month, Governor Bill Richardson announced a bold plan to build the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport — aiming to be for the emerging “new” space industry what Silicon Valley has become for the computer industry.
What a difference five years makes!
2010 will be considered a milestone year for the commercial spaceflight industry, and for Spaceport America. Consider a few of the accomplishments in the year just past:
- March 1: Governor Richardson signed legislation authorizing the Space Flight Informed Consent Act, limiting liability for launch operators and keeping New Mexico competitive with other states such as Florida, Texas and Virginia.
- May 4: Spaceport America hosted the second annual New Mexico Education Launch. UP Aerospace successfully sent a sub-orbital payload into space with experiments created by New Mexico high school and college students. Hosted by the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium at New Mexico State University, the annual event encourages students to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics by designing and launching scientific experiments.
- August 18: The New Mexico Space Grant Consortium was selected by the Federal Aviation Administration as a Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation. This national-level selection affirms New Mexico’s leadership role and will enable NMSU to serve as the hub of a five-year national research coalition addressing key challenges in the development of the commercial space industry. The center will draw $5 million of federal spending to New Mexico.Advertisement
- Sept. 2: Armadillo Aerospace of Rockwall, Texas, announced plans to launch three NASA-funded tests of its vertical takeoff and landing rocket from Spaceport America. As part of its partnership with the private sector to develop new technologies, NASA’s CRuSR (Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research) program is designed to encourage the commercial space industry to develop reusable rocket technology to access suborbital space. Armadillo Aerospace is a leading developer of this technology, with over 200 flight tests to its credit.
- Sept. 29: Congress passed the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, setting a new direction for the nation’s space program and assigning it a primary role to develop the commercial space industry. The bill earmarks $1.62 billion to help private companies develop new space systems for crew and payload transportation to and from the International Space Station, as well as to expand funding for technology research, development and commercial suborbital research programs.
- Sept. 30: Spaceport America received its first federal grant from a newly funded FAA spaceport infrastructure program to help purchase an Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS III).
- Oct. 22: A historic day for the State of New Mexico and Spaceport America, Sir Richard Branson, NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin and others gathered to dedicate the completed runway as the “Governor Bill Richardson Spaceway” at Spaceport America. Hundreds of people looked on as Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo aircraft flew over the event, carrying the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft in a captive-carry position. After making several passes over the crowd, the ship landed on the newly dedicated spaceway. Approximately 60 future Virgin Galactic astronauts toured Spaceport America’s terminal hangar facility, an iconic building that will meet the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Gold standards when completed.
- Dec. 1-2: Dozens of local companies in Doña Ana and Sierra counties gathered as part of an event to team local businesses with “prime” contractors bidding to operate Spaceport America. Contracts are expected to be awarded in 2011.
Coming up
As momentous as the year 2010 has been for the commercial space industry, all indications are for 2011 to be even more exciting. With an increasing reliance on the commercial sector for the research and development of space transportation and technology, more investment in the private sector will spur new advancements and ventures.
Our Spaceport America terminal hangar facility will be completed this year, and key companies like Virgin Galactic and Armadillo Aerospace will be using the spaceport very soon. 2011 is already on track to be a record launch year.
On Jan. 1, the leadership baton will pass from Governor Bill Richardson to Governor-elect Susana Martinez, and we look forward to new milestones and achievements. A new commercial space industry is emerging, and the State of New Mexico is in the right place at the right time, with a state-of-the-art spaceport to capture a large part of this exciting industry.
Rick Homans is the executive director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority.