New Mexico spaceport unveils new name
Updated 7/17/2006
By Alicia Chang, Associated Press
Goodbye Southwest Regional Spaceport. Hello Spaceport America.
New Mexico officials planned to unveil the new name Monday for a proposed $225 million space hub where British billionaire Sir Richard Branson hopes to send paying tourists on suborbital flights.
The previous name was a mouthful to pronounce and didn't reflect the cutting-edge vision of the project, said New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Rick Homans.
Spaceport America is less parochial and solidifies New Mexico's spot as the premiere spaceport destination in North America, he said.
"It fits," Homans said. "It's simple yet bold."
Branson and New Mexico officials informally agreed to the name change last year, but held off announcing it until the Farnborough Air Show, a weeklong international aerospace trade show that starts Monday in England.
The name grew out of a 45-minute brainstorming session last December during a chartered helicopter ride to the spaceport site in the southern New Mexico desert near the White Sands Missile Range. Representatives from the state and Branson's Virgin Galactic threw out several possibilities, but ultimately agreed on Spaceport America.
The change still needs approval from the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, which was created to plan and build the private spaceport. But Homans, who chairs the authority, said he was confident the new name will pass muster.
Along with the name change, New Mexico designed a new logo promoting the change. It shows a simple white crescent cut by the words "Spaceport America" in white and red lettering.
Last month, New Mexico selected architectural firm DMJM Aviation/AECOM to design the initial infrastructure, including runways, roads and buildings. Temporary facilities have been set up so that the spaceport could launch its first flight in September by start-up private rocket firm UP Aerospace, which already has delayed the launch three times. That flight will be essential in the state's ongoing process to obtain a spaceport license from the Federal Aviation Administration.
When completed in 2010, Spaceport America will be the headquarters for Virgin Galactic, which is selling tickets for $200,000 apiece for a 2½- hour flight including five minutes of weightlessness.
In the meantime, Virgin Galactic plans to fly the first tourists out of the Mojave Airport in California, where SpaceShipOne became the first privately manned rocket to reach space in 2004.
Virgin Galactic has contracted with SpaceShipOne designer Burt Rutan to build a fleet of suborbital commercial rockets called SpaceShipTwo. Test flights are scheduled for next year, with the first tourist flights expected in 2008 or 2009 pending federal approval.
Stephen Attenborough, vice president for astronaut relations at Virgin Galactic, said the company plans to unveil a mock-up of SpaceShipTwo's cabin in the fall.
"It's about giving people the room and environment to have a great experience when they're up in space," Attenborough said.
Updated 7/17/2006
By Alicia Chang, Associated Press
Goodbye Southwest Regional Spaceport. Hello Spaceport America.
New Mexico officials planned to unveil the new name Monday for a proposed $225 million space hub where British billionaire Sir Richard Branson hopes to send paying tourists on suborbital flights.
The previous name was a mouthful to pronounce and didn't reflect the cutting-edge vision of the project, said New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Rick Homans.
Spaceport America is less parochial and solidifies New Mexico's spot as the premiere spaceport destination in North America, he said.
"It fits," Homans said. "It's simple yet bold."
Branson and New Mexico officials informally agreed to the name change last year, but held off announcing it until the Farnborough Air Show, a weeklong international aerospace trade show that starts Monday in England.
The name grew out of a 45-minute brainstorming session last December during a chartered helicopter ride to the spaceport site in the southern New Mexico desert near the White Sands Missile Range. Representatives from the state and Branson's Virgin Galactic threw out several possibilities, but ultimately agreed on Spaceport America.
The change still needs approval from the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, which was created to plan and build the private spaceport. But Homans, who chairs the authority, said he was confident the new name will pass muster.
Along with the name change, New Mexico designed a new logo promoting the change. It shows a simple white crescent cut by the words "Spaceport America" in white and red lettering.
Last month, New Mexico selected architectural firm DMJM Aviation/AECOM to design the initial infrastructure, including runways, roads and buildings. Temporary facilities have been set up so that the spaceport could launch its first flight in September by start-up private rocket firm UP Aerospace, which already has delayed the launch three times. That flight will be essential in the state's ongoing process to obtain a spaceport license from the Federal Aviation Administration.
When completed in 2010, Spaceport America will be the headquarters for Virgin Galactic, which is selling tickets for $200,000 apiece for a 2½- hour flight including five minutes of weightlessness.
In the meantime, Virgin Galactic plans to fly the first tourists out of the Mojave Airport in California, where SpaceShipOne became the first privately manned rocket to reach space in 2004.
Virgin Galactic has contracted with SpaceShipOne designer Burt Rutan to build a fleet of suborbital commercial rockets called SpaceShipTwo. Test flights are scheduled for next year, with the first tourist flights expected in 2008 or 2009 pending federal approval.
Stephen Attenborough, vice president for astronaut relations at Virgin Galactic, said the company plans to unveil a mock-up of SpaceShipTwo's cabin in the fall.
"It's about giving people the room and environment to have a great experience when they're up in space," Attenborough said.
