Article courtesy of Las Cruces Sun-News
By Brook Stockberger
LAS CRUCES – If you’ve been following the news about Spaceport America, you know that construction has been well under way. The mythical-sounding place where humans can pay to take a ride into space – and, less mythical but probably more common, where companies can launch payloads – broke ground in June 2009.
“It’s chugging along,” said Rick Homans, director of New Mexico Spaceport Authority, of the $200-million project. “Pretty much all the construction is on track.”
The nearly two-mile runway is about 95 percent completed; the three-story, 110,000-square-foot terminal hangar facility has started to take shape; and the white dome of the airfield rescue fire facility flanks the larger hanger. Anchor tenant Virgin Galactic continues to test its craft in the Mojave Desert.
“We’re looking to be operations-ready in 2011,” said Spaceport spokesman Dave Wilson. “It’ll be ready for Virgin, but we don’t know when Virgin will be ready.”
So while the work continues, something just as big and important looms.
“We’re going full swing into the parallel track of moving from a construction site to an operating spaceport,” Homans said. “The construction phase has been so all-consuming for the last 18 months, it’s hard to think there’s a whole bunch of additional work to do that has greater complexity to it than the actual construction itself.”
Obviously, if you pay top dollar to go into space, you want to return safely.
“You start thinking of the day on the horizon when we’re a (full functioning) launch facility, we have to have a spaceport staff, contractors, equipment, everything operating seamlessly, flawlessly,” Homans said. “But most importantly, we have to have anticipated and drilled and trained for every potential problem or emergency or unexpected occurrence that could happen, and that takes a lot of planning.”
Recently, New Mexico State University’s Space Grant Consortium was selected as the Federal Aviation Administration’s Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation, which enables NMSU to serve as the hub of a minimum $5 million, five-year research coalition addressing key challenges in the development of the commercial space industry. Homans said the center is expected to provide input for the shaping of regulations and operating procedures and practices for this new industry.
“The FAA COE role is still to be determined,” said Pat Hynes, director of the space grant consortium. “The FAA is the organization that will make the determination on what they want the COE to do.”
Either way, the fact that the spaceport is now a going concern has stirred up excitement.
“No question, from a client standpoint, there are a lot more inquires,” said Jim Hayhoe, who operates Spaceport America Consultants. “There will be a lot of specific supply chain needs for Virgin Galactic.”
Chicago-based David Houle, a writer and strategist who travels the world talking about the future and global trends, visited Spaceport America for the first time Friday.
“This is large and breathtaking,” Houle said.
He said he understands why some people were dubious as to whether such a fantastical sounding facility would ever actually take root. He said it is easier to not get your hopes up about such a groundbreaking venture, but, a visit to the spaceport would put those doubts aside.
“People live in their times,” Houle said. “Some people used to say, ‘Man will never fly.'”
Even with all of the advanced technology to be put in place, Wilson said one of the important projects has been the road, currently dirt, that runs south out of the location. It connects the spaceport with I-25 and cuts travel time from Las Cruces to less than an hour.
“This is critical,” Wilson said. “It’s important for the workers who will come from Dona Ana County to have a shorter commute.”
Brook Stockberger can be reached at (575) 541-5457.
