{"id":409029,"date":"2017-08-25T06:57:47","date_gmt":"2017-08-25T12:57:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=409029"},"modified":"2017-08-30T12:53:56","modified_gmt":"2017-08-30T18:53:56","slug":"after-years-of-delays-virgin-galactic-prepares-for-spaceflights-from-nm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2017\/08\/after-years-of-delays-virgin-galactic-prepares-for-spaceflights-from-nm\/","title":{"rendered":"After years of delays, Virgin Galactic prepares for spaceflights from NM"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"slides-409029-33c7c77d6c43a815ae363e5ec1a73200\" class=\"navis-slideshow\"><div id=\"409029-33c7c77d6c43a815ae363e5ec1a73200-slide1\"><img data-lazy=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/05112017-VirginGalacticPeteN-1.jpg\" \/><h6 class=\"credit\">Josh Bachman \/ Las Cruces Sun-News<\/h6><h6 class=\"permalink\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2017\/08\/after-years-of-delays-virgin-galactic-prepares-for-spaceflights-from-nm\/#409029-33c7c77d6c43a815ae363e5ec1a73200\/1\" class=\"slide-permalink\"><i class=\"icon-link\"><\/i> permalink<\/a><\/h6><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pete Nickolenko talks in May about leaving a career at NASA in 2014 to move to Las Cruces and become Virgin Galactic\u2019s director of spaceline engineering. \u201cI wanted to be closer to a really special mission about launching humans back into space,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"409029-33c7c77d6c43a815ae363e5ec1a73200-slide2\"><img data-lazy=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/05112017-VirginGalacticPeteN-4.jpg\" \/><h6 class=\"credit\">Josh Bachman \/ Las Cruces Sun-News<\/h6><h6 class=\"permalink\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2017\/08\/after-years-of-delays-virgin-galactic-prepares-for-spaceflights-from-nm\/#409029-33c7c77d6c43a815ae363e5ec1a73200\/2\" class=\"slide-permalink\"><i class=\"icon-link\"><\/i> permalink<\/a><\/h6><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pete Nickolenko, Virgin Galactic\u2019s director of spaceline engineering, uses a model to explain how SpaceShipTwo, which the company is building to fly paying customers into space, and WhiteKnightTwo, the cargo aircraft designed to carry the spaceship to a release altitude closer to space, are intended to work at the company's office in Las Cruces in May.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"409029-33c7c77d6c43a815ae363e5ec1a73200-slide3\"><img data-lazy=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/05112017-VirginGalacticPeteN-2.jpg\" \/><h6 class=\"credit\">Josh Bachman \/ Las Cruces Sun-News<\/h6><h6 class=\"permalink\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2017\/08\/after-years-of-delays-virgin-galactic-prepares-for-spaceflights-from-nm\/#409029-33c7c77d6c43a815ae363e5ec1a73200\/3\" class=\"slide-permalink\"><i class=\"icon-link\"><\/i> permalink<\/a><\/h6><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Another view of the model of SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo, with Pete Nickolenko, Virgin Galactic\u2019s director of spaceline engineering, in the background.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<h4><em>The company has 21 employees in Las Cruces and says it will move 85-90 more to southern New Mexico from California once testing on its spaceship is complete<\/em><\/h4>\n<p>Pete Nickolenko remembers meeting with two men who would pilot SpaceShipTwo about an hour before a test flight on Oct. 31, 2014. He wished them well.<\/p>\n<p>The flight from a spaceport in Mojave, Calif. of the vehicle Virgin Galactic is building to fly paying passengers into space didn\u2019t go well. Co-pilot Michael Alsbury unlocked a feathering system too early. The spacecraft wasn\u2019t built to account for such an error.<\/p>\n<p>The first SpaceShipTwo <a href=\"http:\/\/www.space.com\/30073-virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-crash-pilot-error.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">broke apart mid-flight<\/a>, killing Alsbury. Pilot Peter Siebold was seriously injured but survived.<\/p>\n<p>The accident was a massive blow to Virgin Galactic\u2019s efforts to make space more accessible \u2013 and to New Mexico\u2019s hopes of diversifying its economy by building a commercial space industry with Virgin Galactic\u2019s spaceflights at its core. It set back plans to relocate Virgin Galactic employees from California to southern New Mexico and begin long-awaited flights from Spaceport America, located east\u00a0of Truth or Consequences.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"module align-left half type-aside\">\n<h3>About this series<\/h3>\n<p>This article is part of <a href=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/series\/spaceport-america\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">an NMPolitics.net series<\/a> examining Spaceport America\u2019s impact on New Mexico\u2019s economy and future. A decade ago, the state and voters in Do\u00f1a Ana and Sierra counties approved public funding to build the facility on the promise of Virgin Galactic flying paying customers into space from southern New Mexico and elected officials pledging thousands of new jobs in the tech and tourism sectors. We spent months investigating where things stand today.<\/p>\n<h3>Read the rest of the series<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2017\/08\/is-spaceport-america-taking-flight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Is Spaceport America taking flight?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2017\/08\/funding-woes-could-cripple-nm-spaceport-as-other-states-invest-in-space-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Funding woes could \u2018cripple\u2019 NM spaceport as other states invest in space race<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2017\/08\/transparency-problems-plague-spaceport-america\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Transparency problems plague Spaceport America<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2017\/08\/how-much-secrecy-does-spaceport-america-need\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How much secrecy does Spaceport America need?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Dealing with disaster wasn\u2019t new for Nickolenko, Virgin Galactic\u2019s director of spaceline engineering. He worked for NASA\u2019s space shuttle program in Florida for 24 years. He was in the control room when Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Space_Shuttle_Columbia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in 2003<\/a>, killing all seven crew members.<\/p>\n<p>So after the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/SpaceShipTwo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SpaceShipTwo<\/a> accident, Nickolenko helped bring people together to \u201cfocus on the task at hand,\u201d he said in a recent interview. Virgin Galactic brought on Nickolenko months before the accident, and based his job in Las Cruces because at the time the company thought it was on the verge of moving the bulk of its spaceline operation here. But on the day of the accident he was in Mojave for the test flight.<\/p>\n<p>The company stopped providing public estimates of when it will begin taking passengers into space for years while it worked to fix the design flaw and complete SpaceShipTwo. With lives at stake, its reputation on the line, and facing criticism of <a href=\"https:\/\/qz.com\/290722\/the-real-problem-behind-virgin-galactics-flight-test-disaster-is-bad-business\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">its business model<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/world\/virgin-galactic-s-spaceshiptwo-crash-renews-criticism-that-creators-ignored-complaints-1.2821452\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">plans<\/a>, the company is focused on getting it right, Nickolenko said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe intend this to be a spaceline for Earth \u2013 so, just as the airlines now, we want to be very safe, need to be repeatable and also very consistent,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd we need to deliver the best experience for our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nickolenko is one of 21 full-time employees the company already has in Las Cruces, according to Jonathan Firth, the company\u2019s executive vice president for spaceport and program development. They work out of an office off Roadrunner Parkway marked on the outside only by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/photo.php?fbid=10101474267932531&amp;set=pb.49008788.-2207520000.1499871766.&amp;type=3&amp;theater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a small sign<\/a> that illustrates the evolution of flight. The thin, vertical strip of metal points upward from bird to small plane to fighter jet to commercial airliner to NASA\u2019s Lunar Earth Module \u2013 and then finally to Virgin Galactic\u2019s SpaceShipOne and SpaceShipTwo. The door to the office remains locked even during business hours.<\/p>\n<p>Inside, Virgin Galactic\u2019s office is techy and bright, with furniture in shades of gray and white. Visitors have to sign in on an iPad. A model of SpaceShipTwo and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Scaled_Composites_White_Knight_Two\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WhiteKnightTwo<\/a> \u2013 the cargo aircraft designed to carry the spaceship to a release altitude closer to space \u2013 sits on a table in the entryway.<\/p>\n<p>The office is the most tangible sign in Las Cruces of the vision voters embraced a decade ago when they helped fund Spaceport America\u2019s construction with a tax increase \u2013 a vision that has yet to become reality.<\/p>\n<p>Virgin Galactic\u2019s founder, British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, recently said the company is aiming to get paying customers into space <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2017-07-05\/branson-targets-space-by-mid-2018-as-virgin-begins-powered-tests\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in 2018<\/a> \u2013 the first publicly-shared estimate in years. That would come long after Branson\u2019s original estimate of 2009. Another reason for the delay was an explosion at the Mojave test site a decade ago <a href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/4863-report-cites-rocketship-builder-explosion-inquiry.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">that killed three workers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Branson\u2019s original prediction was critical to winning about $220 million in state and local public funding to help build the spaceport, including a tax increase in Do\u00f1a Ana and Sierra counties. So was then-Gov. Bill Richardson\u2019s promise of the development of a commercial space industry that would <a href=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/01\/richardson-promotes-spaceport-tax-increase\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">create 5,000 new jobs<\/a>. Virgin Galactic has always been called the spaceport\u2019s anchor tenant, so its operation is critical to Spaceport America\u2019s success.<\/p>\n<p>Virgin Galactic has completed several successful tests this year in Mojave, most recently <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/virgingalactic\/status\/893558961403723776\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">on Aug. 4<\/a>. Once testing there is\u00a0complete, the company will move 85-90 employees to southern New Mexico, Firth said \u2013 people who were hired in Mojave with the understanding that their jobs would eventually relocate. Virgin Galactic will need to conduct additional test flights in New Mexico to ensure its spacecraft performs as expected in the different environment.<\/p>\n<p>Then, officials say, passenger flights will begin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVirgin is doing some exciting things and helping to lead the commercial space industry, and we\u2019re very fortunate to have them as our foundational partner in southern New Mexico,\u201d said Dan Hicks, Spaceport America\u2019s CEO.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<div id=\"slides-409029-e4fd89897fa2a2c68d5d062fbabb99c8\" class=\"navis-slideshow\"><div id=\"409029-e4fd89897fa2a2c68d5d062fbabb99c8-slide1\"><img data-lazy=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/4.19.17-Virgin-Galactic-hangar-4.jpg\" \/><h6 class=\"credit\">Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/h6><h6 class=\"permalink\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2017\/08\/after-years-of-delays-virgin-galactic-prepares-for-spaceflights-from-nm\/#409029-e4fd89897fa2a2c68d5d062fbabb99c8\/1\" class=\"slide-permalink\"><i class=\"icon-link\"><\/i> permalink<\/a><\/h6><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Virgin Galactic's hangar at Spaceport America.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"409029-e4fd89897fa2a2c68d5d062fbabb99c8-slide2\"><img data-lazy=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/4.19.17-Virgin-Galactic-hangar-2.jpg\" \/><h6 class=\"credit\">Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/h6><h6 class=\"permalink\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2017\/08\/after-years-of-delays-virgin-galactic-prepares-for-spaceflights-from-nm\/#409029-e4fd89897fa2a2c68d5d062fbabb99c8\/2\" class=\"slide-permalink\"><i class=\"icon-link\"><\/i> permalink<\/a><\/h6><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Virgin Galactic's hangar at Spaceport America.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<h3>A tourist experience<\/h3>\n<p>Virgin Galactic\u2019s delays have fueled doubt in a poor state that took a risk by investing surplus cash in the spaceport during an oil and gas boom. Among the skeptics is Sen. George Mu\u00f1oz, D-Gallup, who thinks Virgin Galactic\u2019s plan is nonsense. In 2015 he unsuccessfully sponsored <a href=\"https:\/\/nmlegis.gov\/Legislation\/Legislation?chamber=S&amp;legType=B&amp;legNo=267&amp;year=15\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">legislation<\/a> to sell Spaceport America, which is owned by the state.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re a billionaire and you\u2019re going to do space travel, where are you going to do it? You\u2019re going to go to Dubai or England and stay in five-star hotels,\u201d Mu\u00f1oz said. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t happen in T or C.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Space tourism flights aren\u2019t yet happening anywhere. Firth said \u201cin excess of 600 customers\u201d from more than 50 countries have signed up to fly from Spaceport America. Initially, a ticket cost $200,000, but Virgin Galactic raised the price to $250,000 in 2013.<\/p>\n<p>Still, Virgin Galactic officials say they\u2019re sympathetic to public frustration. \u201cWe\u2019d love for it to be sooner as well,\u201d Nickolenko said. \u201cBut you\u2019ve got to make sure it\u2019s done right and we\u2019ve got to make sure it\u2019s safe as well. We will not cut corners.\u201d<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Virgin Galactic has global ambitions for its space-related companies that include operations elsewhere. But it\u2019s primarily focused at the moment on getting things right in Mojave and then building a tourist experience in southern New Mexico centered on flights into space.<\/p>\n<p>Firth says the facts demonstrate the company\u2019s commitment to New Mexico.<\/p>\n<p>To date Virgin Galactic has paid $7.1 million in rent and user fees to the state for its use of a hangar and other facilities at Spaceport America. Since 2010, Firth said, the company has spent another $9.4 million with New Mexico business on construction and other things.<\/p>\n<p>The company has \u201cforward commitments\u201d with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hhandr.com\/sites\/hhandr.com\/files\/website\/pdf\/HH_Encanto.VirginGalacticVer71MT.doc%20%281%29.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces<\/a> and billionaire Ted Turner\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.virgingalactic.com\/press\/virgin-galactic-announces-ted-turners-sierra-grande-lodge-spa-latest-astronaut-hospitality-partner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sierra Grande Lodge<\/a> in T or C for its customers, Firth said. Virgin Galactic has brought some people who have paid for seats on SpaceShipTwo to southern New Mexico \u201cto familiarize them with the environment,\u201d he said. And several years ago the company brought about 90 travel agents from around the world to the region to learn about area attractions astronauts and their families could enjoy.<\/p>\n<p>The travel agents spent an afternoon in Kingston, a historic silver mining town located in the Black Range mountains west of T or C. Catherine Wanek, who owns Kingston\u2019s Black Range Lodge, said the group watched a historic recreation of the town\u2019s \u201cwild west\u201d history \u2013 a mock robbery of the historic Percha Bank and a gunfight on Main Street. The lodge catered lunch for the group.<\/p>\n<p>The travel agent at that event who had sold the most Virgin Galactic tickets was from Japan, Wanek said.<\/p>\n<p>State Rep. Bill McCamley, D-Las Cruces, co-chaired a political action committee a decade ago that helped convince voters to fund the spaceport. He said he remains optimistic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think when Virgin starts launching a lot of these problems solve themselves because you\u2019re going to see more employees here and you\u2019re going to see more people visiting, so it becomes a visible reality,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_410955\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-410955\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/05042017-VirginGalacticInterviews-1-771x581.jpg\" alt=\"Kim Sandoval\" width=\"771\" height=\"581\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/05042017-VirginGalacticInterviews-1-771x581.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/05042017-VirginGalacticInterviews-1-336x253.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/05042017-VirginGalacticInterviews-1-768x578.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/05042017-VirginGalacticInterviews-1-1170x881.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/05042017-VirginGalacticInterviews-1.jpg 1479w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Josh Bachman \/ Las Cruces Sun-News<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kim Sandoval, Virgin Galactic\u2019s \u201cpeople coordinator,&#8221; will be in charge of moving dozens of company employees to Las Cruces when testing on SpaceShipTwo is complete in California. She says it&#8217;s \u201cso much fun to talk to them about this place.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>\u2018Embedding in the community\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>But first, SpaceShipTwo must be ready for flights. Kim Sandoval will be in charge of relocating the Mojave employees when it\u2019s time. She\u2019s Virgin Galactic\u2019s \u201cpeople coordinator\u201d \u2013 basically a human resources director.<\/p>\n<p>Sandoval lives in Las Cruces with her family. She has shown some of the company\u2019s planned southern New Mexico residents around when they\u2019re in town and said it\u2019s \u201cso much fun to talk to them about this place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sandoval speaks with a smile about her job. She is excited that her daughters will be able to witness spaceflights, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s a pretty amazing thing that I can be part of the team that\u2019s going to make that happen,\u201d Sandoval said.<\/p>\n<p>She grew up in Michigan and came to the Southwest to attend the University of Texas-El Paso. She moved to Las Cruces from Santa Teresa in 2009 with her husband and started a family.<\/p>\n<p>Sandoval began working for Virgin Galactic as an administrative assistant last year and was promoted in January. She called Virgin Galactic a flexible employer that promotes a positive \u201cwork-life balance.\u201d That has made it easier for her to work while also raising Annabelle, 5, and Emily, 4, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel like my family is part of this adventure with Virgin Galactic,\u201d Sandoval said. \u201c\u2026We\u2019re opening space for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nickolenko, like Sandoval, said he\u2019s \u201cembedding in the community.\u201d His family owns a home in Las Cruces. His daughter is completing a master\u2019s degree at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales. His son is studying engineering at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe love the people. We love the environment. We love so much about what Las Cruces and New Mexico have to offer, and so we\u2019ve been very thankful for the move,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_410958\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-410958\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/05042017-VirginGalacticInterviews-6-771x514.jpg\" alt=\"Jonathan Firth\" width=\"771\" height=\"514\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/05042017-VirginGalacticInterviews-6-771x514.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/05042017-VirginGalacticInterviews-6-336x224.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/05042017-VirginGalacticInterviews-6-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/05042017-VirginGalacticInterviews-6-1170x780.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/05042017-VirginGalacticInterviews-6.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Josh Bachman \/ Las Cruces Sun-News<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Virgin Galactic\u2019s plans aren\u2019t the whims of a rich billionaire, company officials say. The development of SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo has cost \u201chundreds of millions of dollars,&#8221; says Jonathan Firth, the company\u2019s executive vice president for spaceport and program development.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>A new, global space race<\/h3>\n<p>The global space economy was estimated at $330 billion <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spacefoundation.org\/media\/press-releases\/space-foundation-report-reveals-global-space-economy-climb-330-billion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in 2014<\/a>. The partnership between Virgin Galactic and Spaceport America puts New Mexicans in the middle of a new space race with intense competition.<\/p>\n<p>Tesla CEO Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX, based in California, currently has two spacecraft that deliver payloads into orbit. The company has flown 10 resupply missions to the International Space Station. It launches from spaceports in Florida, California and Texas.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin, which is based in Washington State, is developing a rocket-powered spacecraft. It\u2019s building the engine in Alabama and testing at a private facility east of El Paso, Texas. Blue Origin has leased a facility at Cape Canaveral in Florida for launches, which are estimated to begin in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Virgin Galactic began with a focus on sending paying customers into suborbital space, which means they reach space but then fall back to Earth rather than completing at least one orbit around the planet. Given the SpaceShipTwo delays and the rapidly changing industry, Virgin has created another company, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2017\/3\/2\/14788788\/virgin-galactic-orbit-new-company-satellites-launcher-one-program\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Virgin Orbit<\/a>, to focus on launching satellites into space. That operation is headquartered in California.<\/p>\n<p>Virgin Galactic remains focused on its Spaceport America plans for now, though it has its eyes elsewhere too. SpaceShipTwo could eventually fly passengers to various points around the globe more quickly than commercial airliners can. The company has said it will launch eventually from spaceports in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/3395-virgin-galactic-strikes-deal-swedish-government.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sweden<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/uk\/home-news\/branson-wants-to-create-a-spaceport-in-scotland-1681814.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">maybe Scotland<\/a>. A firm based in the United Arab Emirates has <a href=\"http:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Business\/story?id=8191703\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">invested big<\/a> in Virgin Galactic in exchange for \u201cexclusive regional rights\u201d to launch from Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n<p>New Mexico has advantages. Its commercial spaceport is the first facility designed and built for that purpose anywhere. Its elevation makes reaching space cheaper than from coastal facilities. The spaceport benefits from White Sands Missile Range\u2019s no-fly zone, which means rerouting commercial airline traffic during space flights isn\u2019t necessary like it is other places.<\/p>\n<p>And the growing cross-border industrial area between Santa Teresa, N.M. and Ciudad Ju\u00e1rez, Mexico provides cargo potential. Suborbital spaceflights to other points on the planet would be much quicker than commercial airliners can fly. The ability nearby to put cargo on a quick flight to other continents has potential.<\/p>\n<p>Carrying research experiments into space is another possibility, Firth said. Virgin Galactic, in that case, would be competing with other companies that are already using rockets to launch experiments from Spaceport America and elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>Virgin Galactic\u2019s plans aren\u2019t the whims of a rich billionaire, company officials say. The development of SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo, Firth said, has cost \u201chundreds of millions of dollars\u201d \u2013 more, he said, than New Mexico\u2019s $220 million investment in Spaceport America.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are hundreds of people working in Mojave to make it happen, and Virgin is putting hundreds of millions of dollars\u2019 investment into making it happen, and you better think they think it\u2019s worthwhile,\u201d Firth said.<\/p>\n<p>And the benefit to New Mexicans? The goal, Firth said, is to \u201ccreate a central gravity of activity\u201d in southern New Mexico. That\u2019s why partnerships with hotels and others are important to creating the tourist experience high-dollar travelers expect. It\u2019s why the growing border industrial economy is critical. It\u2019s why local space-related educational programs, funded in part by tax dollars and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=2&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjY1KnLtdfUAhWE2YMKHd2WAwYQFggrMAE&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Flcps.k12.nm.us%2F2015%2F09%2F22%2Fchallenger-center-has-successful-grand-opening%2F&amp;usg=AFQjCNE-7N_8sHdIG-zOImfZo0J3nre6fg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">with some support<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=3&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjY1KnLtdfUAhWE2YMKHd2WAwYQFggxMAI&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fkrwg.org%2Fpost%2Fdacc-virgin-galactic-team-explore-virtual-reality&amp;usg=AFQjCNGsUxFeG84VEzj14mcc0iybhCL49g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">from Virgin Galactic<\/a>, are essential for building a workforce \u2013 and providing greater opportunities for New Mexicans to stay in the state after college.<\/p>\n<p>That vision, if realized, would mean more good-paying jobs in a high-tech sector and additional tourism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s exactly what we had in mind when the proposal was first made,\u201d McCamley said. \u201cWhen we start moving in that direction, that\u2019s when this will start being a real success, but it\u2019s getting there.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_410974\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-410974\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/SpaceShipTwo-771x474.jpg\" alt=\"Spaceship Unity\" width=\"771\" height=\"474\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/SpaceShipTwo-771x474.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/SpaceShipTwo-336x207.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/SpaceShipTwo-768x473.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/SpaceShipTwo-1170x720.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/SpaceShipTwo.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Virgin Galactic photo<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Virgin Galactic&#8217;s Spaceship Unity, a SpaceShipTwo-class suborbital rocket-powered manned spaceplane, shown here during a test flight in California on May 1.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>On a mission<\/h3>\n<p>Virgin Galactic doesn\u2019t know how many people beyond the hundreds who have already reserved seats will pay to fly into suborbital space, which helps explain why the company is branching out. \u201cWe\u2019ve got no set view of the future,\u201d Firth said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got an open mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nickolenko speaks about Virgin Galactic\u2019s work as more than a business. It\u2019s a mission, he said. Virgin Galactic plans to start flights\u00a0from Spaceport America with one ship, but he envisions the company needing a fleet of several. He said he expects the company\u2019s presence in southern New Mexico to grow substantially.<\/p>\n<p>That optimism is fitting for Nickolenko, who lived in Florida as a child and got to witness the last of the Apollo launches to the moon in 1972. He wanted to become an astronaut, but poor vision prevented it. So he became a space engineer.<\/p>\n<p>Nickolenko\u2019s job with Virgin Galactic came at the right time. While NASA has struggled to figure out how to return to space, private companies are moving ahead more quickly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted to be closer to a really special mission about launching humans back into space,\u201d Nickolenko said. \u201c\u2026I wanted to be part of something that was special, exciting and more immediate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sandoval spoke with a smile about increasing human access to space.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re trying to focus on the good, not just for Las Cruces, but for the world and the global economy,\u201d Sandoval said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The company has 21 employees in Las Cruces and says it will move 85-90 more to southern New Mexico from California once testing on its spaceship is complete.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":410935,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[115,118,3594,145,3582,141,3581,3593],"class_list":["post-409029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-dona-ana-county","tag-economy","tag-kingston","tag-las-cruces","tag-sierra-county","tag-spaceport-america","tag-truth-or-consequences","tag-virgin-galactic","series-spaceport-america"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409029"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409029\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/410935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=409029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=409029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}