Plans for Texas spaceport finally revealed

Though its existence has been much less publicized than that of the Southwest Regional Spaceport at Upham in New Mexico, there’s another spaceport being built a little more than 100 miles away in West Texas.

It’s financed by billionaire Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, and being built north of Van Horn, Texas, on private land. That’s why you’ve heard less about it: It’s on private land and being privately financed.

But watch out. It’s on schedule to compete with New Mexico’s spaceport.

According to an article on Space.com, Blue Origin’s New Shepard Reusable Launch System is planned for commercial flights beginning in 2010. New Mexico’s plan has full-scale commercial launches beginning in 2009, but UP Aerospace’s planned March launch, necessary to collect data for the federal license, was delayed until May and has still not happened. New Mexico wants everything to run smoothly, as it should, but Bezos’ plan shows that the timeframe is tight.

New details of the Blue Origin plan became public because the company recently submitted its draft environmental assessment to the Federal Aviation Administration, Space.com reported.

The company plans to launch reusable space vehicles into suborbital space. In addition to the launch site, the facility will include a vehicle processing facility, landing and recovery area, and astronaut training facility.

The company plans to complete construction of most of the facility this year (faster than New Mexico) and conduct its first low-altitude tests (like New Mexico). From 2007-2009, the company plans to continue high-altitude tests as it gradually builds to reaching suborbital space so it can begin commercial launches in 2010.

A public hearing will be held July 25 at the Van Horn Convention Center, Space.com reported.

Folks, we have ourselves a race.