Spaceport America talks about 10-year plan
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) –It was a dream for the future. Almost 20 years ago, the idea of a Spaceport in New Mexico was born. Detractors say it hasn’t lived up to the promises. While Spaceport America said there is a lot of work being done that many people don’t see, the facility just released a 10-year plan that could mark a new direction for what they are calling Space Valley.
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New Mexico Frontier: Spaceport America talks about 10-year plan
Spaceport America is situated just under three hours south of Albuquerque, boasting a 12,000-foot runway, and an 18,000-acre campus. “There are other parts of the country that have deep aerospace development activities and companies, but the one thing they can’t do is they can’t go to space from that location,” said Scott McLaughlin, executive director of Spaceport America.
In late 2005, Sir Richard Branson and then-Governor Bill Richardson announced that Virgin Galactic would headquarters a new operation in New Mexico’s Sierra County. While Spaceport America didn’t officially open until 2011, anticipation for the facility was huge.
Spaceport America is the first purpose-built commercial Spaceport facility in the United States. It’s just one of two FAA license facilities for both vertical and horizontal launches.
Construction on the Spaceport used more than $218 million in public funds with another $76 million coming from taxes in Doña Ana County and Sierra County. Hopes were high in the mid-2000s that the Spaceport would bring thousands of tourists and millions of dollars to the Land of Enchantment.
However, some critics in Sierra County feel that the promise of prosperity has yet to be fulfilled. Many in Spaceport America’s Sierra County say they haven’t seen a return on the investment made nearly two decades ago.
“Nobody can build a spaceport just out of the blue. The federal government built the spaceports of Florida and Vandenberg in Virginia, so New Mexico took it upon themselves to build a spaceport with our initial primary customer, Virgin Galactic. But we are building a bridge to space where you’re building a harbor, a place where people can come and launch,” said McLaughlin.
Branson himself flew to the edge of space in July of 2021 with Virgin Galactic’s first trip with paying tourists flying just two years later. In November of 2023, the company announced that they would be suspending flights focused on the development of their next-gen, delta-class spacecraft set to debut in 2026. They also laid off more than 70 employees in New Mexico.
McLaughlin also pointed out that while Virgin Galactic laid off 73 workers, they still have roughly 200 New Mexicans still employed with the aerospace company. According to an economic impact study conducted by the Arrowhead Center at the New Mexico State Univerity, Spaceport America brought in more than $60 million of new money in 2022 alone with an average of just under 3,400 visitors per month.
Now the facility is working on a new master plan that will hopefully bring new tenants residing alongside current companies like Virgin Galactic, Spin Launch, Aerovironment, and Prismatic. Spaceport has also signed a memo of understanding with Borderplex Alliance, an organization focused on growing manufacturing in the southern New Mexico region. McLaughlin, a native New Mexican, said he’s excited to be part of a growing network of space agencies forming what is collectively known as Space Valley. “This area between Los Alamos and El Paso, a mecca of high tech, aerospace, and aviation. And guess what? You can go to space, you can go to orbit, you can go sub-orbit. It can be really transformational for New Mexico,” said McLaughlin.
While Virgin Galactic hunkers down to develop the next generation of spacecraft, and Spaceport works to develop more tenants and programming for locals, McLaughlin stresses that fact that the mission of Spaceport America is far from complete. He said ti will take time to optimize the value stakeholders believe is held in this striking facility that calls New Mexico home.
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