Spaceport America
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Spaceport America (also New Mexico Spaceport and formerly known as Southwest Regional Spaceport ) is the first privately financed spaceport. It lies in the valley of the Jornada del Muerto, New Mexico, United States near the test site White Sands Missile Range of the United States Army. He was from 2005 to 2011 in construction, installation was finally opened on 17 October 2011, the operations should begin by the end of 2013, but was postponed indefinitely.
History
In mid-December 2005, the 225 million -US-dollar projects in Santa Fe was announced. The company Virgin Galactic was planning to carry out from this space port from a first suborbital space flight in 2010. The site was chosen because of the closed to the test site of the U.S. Army airspace over the region provides optimal launch conditions. In addition, the state of New Mexico was willing to subsidize the project with $ 200 million. To the April 4, 2006 began the construction works for a rocket at the spaceport by the firm UP Aerospace from Connecticut who was with her rocket series for a suborbital flight " SPACELOFT XL" of the first users of the new systems. In July 2006, the spaceport Southwest Regional Spaceport in Spaceport America has been renamed. In September 2006, three companies were located on the Spaceport America: Virgin Galactic, UP Aerospace and Starchaser Industries.
The first unmanned rocket launch on 25 September 2006 ended with a crash. The first successful rocket launch took place on 28 April 2007 - a little over seven months after the first false start. In September 2008, began at the first road and bridge construction for the spaceport and the cornerstone of the terminal and hangar building was officially established on 19 June 2009. At noon the inauguration of the runway was held on October 22, 2010 local time in the presence of Virgin Galactic boss Richard Branson and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson instead. The terminal and hangar building designed by architect Norman Foster was inaugurated on October 18, 2011 by Richard Branson. It bears the name Virgin Galactic Gateway to the Space and contains both the check-in areas for passengers and scientists, as well as hangar for two White Knight Two carrier aircraft and up to five SpaceShipTwo spacecraft. The building was constructed according to the latest low-energy standards and blurs with its facade of " vorgerostetem " steel, the hump shape of sand dunes and the dark, rubber-coated roof in the desert landscape.
Richard Branson and two of his children want to be the first passengers. Then is the spacecraft for commercial space tourists.
The date for the first flight, first was the end of 2012, then called 2013. Significant problems with the engines of the spacecraft in October 2013 led to a shift indefinitely.
More details
Operator of the spaceport is the " New Mexico Spaceport Authority" ( NMSA ). The site covers approximately 70 square kilometers of desert area. It lies in the valley Jornada del Muerto, near the ghost town of Upham, New Mexico. The valley stretches east of the Rio Grande, about 72 kilometers north of Las Cruces and 48 kilometers east of Truth or Consequences.
In May 2013 it was announced that the private space company SpaceX has signed a three-year contract with the operator. The company intends to use them for testing the reusable spacecraft motion Grasshopper.