NMSA PR – Attendees at ISPCS 2011 will have an opportunity to tour the nearly-completed Spaceport America on Friday, Oct. 21, following the conference. Spaceport America and New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) staff members will provide attendees with exclusive insight into the project.

“On behalf of the NMSA, we are enthusiastic about hosting the ISPCS tour to Spaceport America this year,” said Christine Anderson, Executive Director of the Spaceport Authority. “I hope you will be as excited about the progress we have made as we are! The commercial space industry is making great strides and we are happy to be part of that bright future.”

This event is open to ISPCS attendees only and can be selected as an option when registering for an extra cost of $75, which includes a box lunch. Registration for this limited-seating event will close on Friday, October 7th. Any proceeds from the tour will support the Student Launch Program.

The theme of ISPCS 2011 is Business at the Speed of Innovation.

ISPCS 2011 will feature a new indoor Commercial Space Exhibit Hall and a separate symposium room just added to the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces.

To register, please visit http://www.ispcs.com

ISPCS 2011 will be held Oct. 19-20 during Space Week in New Mexico.

ISPCS is organized by the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium, a member of the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, administered by NASA.

The Wall Street Journal visits Spaceport America in New Mexico.

LAS CRUCES, NM – NMSA PR – For the second consecutive year, Spaceport America has received a federal grant award to help fund new spaceport infrastructure. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant is worth $249,378 toward the cost of a roll-back vehicle integration building at Spaceport America.

The FAA announced the Space Transportation Infrastructure Matching (STIM) grant award on Friday, August 26. The matching grant program was created to ensure the resiliency of the space transportation infrastructure in the United States, which will rely more heavily on the commercial sector for future space activity, research and exploration.

“These matching funds from the FAA are crucial for improving our vertical launch capabilities and expanding services for our launch customers,” said New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) Executive Director, Christine Anderson. The roll-back vehicle integration building will be located inside the Vertical Launch Area (VLA) of Spaceport America and will be able to accommodate the larger vehicles that are under development.

“Currently, we can only accommodate vehicles up to approximately 24 feet long and five feet wide,” said Anderson. “New vehicles under development are much longer, and some have wings for gliding recovery,” explained Anderson. “The new roll-back vehicle integration building will let us handle these new vehicles as they come on line.”

The roll-back vehicle integration building is projected to cost $498,756, of which the FAA grant will pay for half.

Last year, Spaceport America received its first grant from the FAA. On September 10, 2010, the NMSA announced that the FAA would provide a matching grant of $43,000 to help fund an Automated Weather Observation System III (AWOS III). This system provides timely and accurate meteorological information to aircraft and spacecraft operations at Spaceport America, including visibility information and cloud data.

• $249,378 to the New Mexico Space Port Authority’s Spaceport America to construct a mobile structure to prepare larger rockets before launch;
• $125,000 to the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport to improve security and remote monitoring;
• $125,000 to the East Kern Airport District’s Mojave Air and Space Port in California for a Supplemental Environmental Assessment.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that the “funding will help pay for a roll-back vehicle integration building to prepare space vehicles for launch. The facility will accommodate the larger vehicles that are under development and also be on a rail system that can be rolled back from the vehicle to help maintain dimensional stability.”

The grants were made under an FAA program that funds infrastructure improvements at the nation’s licensed spaceports.

New Mexico Spaceport Authority Executive Director Christine Anderson talks about the development and future of Spaceport America. Some highlights from the El Paso Times article:

The first phase of construction of Spaceport America, New Mexico’s $209 million commercial spaceflight launch complex, is 90 percent complete.

Virgin Galactic, the spaceport’s anchor tenant, plans to dedicate the terminal-hangar sometime in October….

Sir Richard Branson, the owner of Virgin Galactic, has not said exactly when the aerospace company will take space tourists from its future headquarters at Spaceport America on suborbital flights to the edge of space. At his request, the terminal-hangar has been named the Virgin Galactic Gateway To Space.

Various space aviation experts have suggested that Virgin Galactic may launch its first space tourist flights sometime in 2013…..

Anderson is convinced that the spaceport will eventually rely less on the state government as a primary source of money. “Our goal is to be self-sustaining,” she said.

Read the full story.

LAS CRUCES, NM (NMSA PR) – The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) congratulates the seven companies selected by NASA to provide near-space flight services. In a statement from NASA on August 9, each of these companies will integrate and fly technology payloads to the boundary of space using commercial suborbital launch systems as part of a package of contracts worth a combined total of $10 million. Several of the companies selected have conducted operations from Spaceport America.

As part of NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program, the seven companies selected will receive two-year contracts that will allow NASA to deliver research and technology payloads by drawing from a pool of commercial space companies. The selected companies include: Armadillo Aerospace of Heath, TX; Near Space Corp. of Tillamook, OR; Masten Space Systems of Mojave, CA; UP Aerospace Inc. of Highlands Ranch, CO; Virgin Galactic, anchor tenant at Spaceport America; Whittinghill Aerospace LLC of Camarillo, CA; and XCOR Aerospace of Mojave, CA.

“This is exciting news for the future of the commercial space industry and Spaceport America,” said NMSA Executive Director Christine Anderson. “UP Aerospace, Armadillo Aerospace and Virgin Galactic are already clients of our spaceport, and we are in a unique position to help these companies and the others deliver on their new NASA contracts.”

The State of New Mexico entered into a 20-year lease agreement with Virgin Galactic in 2008. Virgin Galactic is currently developing the world’s first commercial passenger-carrying space vehicle fleet, including the WhiteKnightTwo mother ship and SpaceShipTwo launch vehicle. UP Aerospace has conducted nine launches from Spaceport America since 2006. Armadillo Aerospace began flight testing of multiple vehicles on-site earlier this year.

About Spaceport America

Spaceport America has been providing commercial launch services since 2006. The state-of-the-art launch facility is under construction near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, and while expected to become fully operational in 2012, public preview tours of Spaceport America are now available. Officials at Spaceport America have been working closely with entrepreneurial space leaders like Virgin Galactic, UP Aerospace, and Armadillo Aerospace, as well as established aerospace firms like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Moog-FTS to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility. The economic impact of launches, tourism and new construction at Spaceport America are already delivering on the promise of economic development to the people of New Mexico.

For more information, please visit: www.spaceportamerica.com

For more information on Preview Tours, please visit: www.ftstours.com

Now, Governor Susana Martinez, a Republican who replaced Richardson in January, has ordered an audit of the spaceport’s spending and said the facility must secure private investment to augment the public money. Spaceport director Christine Andersen, who took charge in February, disavows the earlier job projections, calling them a “feel-good plan.”

She’s working to update them, she said — reducing tourism numbers, launch counts and revenue projections to “more conservative” figures. The new estimates aren’t yet available….

Futron’s 2005 report, which predicted as many as 3,460 jobs and $460 million in economic activity by 2015, was based in part on the assumption that some orbital launches would be possible. The study, which was funded by the state Economic Development Department, contemplated that at least one aerospace company capable of carrying NASA payloads into orbit would set up shop near the spaceport.

Two other potential revenue generators that were mentioned — a NASCAR-style racing league for rockets and annual rocketry competitions — have dropped from the picture entirely. In the Futron report, they accounted for at least $62 million in economic activity and more than 630 jobs.

“We were asked to provide a study and examine the potential economic impact of the spaceport,” Foust said. “We provided one to the best information available at the time.”

Using that report, and another prepared by New Mexico State University researchers, then-Governor Richardson campaigned to win funding for the spaceport.

Read the full story.

NMSA PR – LAS CRUCES, NM –

“Spaceport America has been attracting attention from news and media outlets worldwide,” said Anderson. “This contract will help develop, manage and maintain effective communications with members of the local, national and international press corps as well as the public about our exciting project.”

The RFP calls for services in the following areas: media relations and liaison, public relations outreach, media tours, press releases, statement writing and press coverage archival work.

The RFP is available for download under the “Proposals” tab, at:
http://www.spaceportamerica.com/proposals/spaceport-rfps/media-relations-rfp.html

The NMSA has established as a part of its website an online business registry so local businesses can post contact information and the level and type of services they offer. Larger companies can identify potential sub-contractors and suppliers with the capability to provide specific goods and/or services.

About Spaceport America

Spaceport America has been providing commercial launch services since 2006. The state-of-the-art launch facility is under construction near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, and while expected to become fully operational later in 2011, public preview tours of Spaceport America are now available. Officials at Spaceport America have been working closely with entrepreneurial space leaders like Virgin Galactic, UP Aerospace, and Armadillo Aerospace, as well as established aerospace firms like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Moog-FTS to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility. The economic impact of launches, tourism and new construction at Spaceport America are already delivering on the promise of economic development to the people of New Mexico.

For more information, please visit: http://www.spaceportamerica.com

For more information on Preview Tours, please visit: http://www.ftstours.com

IDEAS and their team will oversee the design and development of the Visitor Experience and facilities at Spaceport America, as well as the design, fabrication and installation of all exhibits and attractions for visitors to the spaceport. The company will also conduct market research, enhance the spaceport branding and marketing, and facilitate alliance and sponsorship development opportunities. IDEAS will also provide construction administration during the building phase of the Visitor Experience facilities.

IDEAS leads a team of companies that will work together to provide all the Visitor Experience requirements during the 27-month contract period. Other team members include: Integrated Insight, Inc.; ORCA Consulting LLC; Cordova Marketing Group; Exline Design and Architecture; MYDesign, Inc.; and Blackhorse Worldwide. Team members from New Mexico include SMPC Architects, of Albuquerque NM and Larry Littlebird, of Santa Fe NM. The contract called for companies to create partnerships to provide a wide range of services to develop the spaceport’s Visitor Experience.

Team IDEAS members have provided a broad range of services in experience development for a list of clients that includes every major Walt Disney theme park & resort around the world, major Universal Studios theme parks, NASCAR, the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, the U.S. Capitol, the Statue of Liberty, the United States Air Force and the United States Navy. This caliber of relevant experience makes the team well-suited to develop the story, design, market analytics, operational strategy, and facilities of the Spaceport America Visitor Experience.

“We are very excited to have Team IDEAS onboard to develop Spaceport America’s tourism experience,” said Christine Anderson, Executive Director of the NMSA. “Their relevant experience in the entertainment and education industry, with an emphasis on creative storytelling and a strong focus on education and learning design, is a great match for Spaceport America. All together, the companies working under Team IDEAS will create the highest value for the project.”

Bob Allen, Chairman and Chief Storytelling Officer of IDEAS, said “It’s a dream come true to create the Visitor Experience for Spaceport America. The next step in human space exploration is the most exciting story we can imagine and will require a completely fresh approach.  Our goal is to create as authentic and participatory an experience as possible for spaceport visitors and to delight and inspire future generations of New Mexicans and our guests from around the world to pursue emerging opportunities in science and technology.”

The initial Spaceport America Visitor Experience is expected to reach operational capacity in the first half of 2013, about the time Virgin Galactic is hoping to be ready to begin their operations from Spaceport America. The recently-begun Spaceport America Preview Tours will provide visitors a taste of the project until the full Visitor Experience is ready.

About Spaceport America

Spaceport America has been providing commercial launch services since 2006. Phase One of the construction for the spaceport is expected to be complete in late 2011. Phase Two of the construction and pre-operations activities will follow, including the development of a world-class Visitors Experience for students, tourists and space launch customers. Spaceport America will delight and inspire guests in a way that only a commercial space-launch facility can do.

The State of New Mexico entered into a 20-year lease agreement with Virgin Galactic, Spaceport America’s anchor tenant. Virgin Galactic is currently developing the world’s first commercial passenger-carrying space vehicle fleet, including the WhiteKnightTwo mother ship and SpaceShipTwo launch vehicle.

Officials at Spaceport America have been working closely with entrepreneurial space leaders like Virgin Galactic, UP Aerospace, and Armadillo Aerospace, as well as established aerospace firms like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Moog-FTS to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility. The economic impact of launches, tourism and new construction at Spaceport America are already delivering on the promise of economic development to the people of New Mexico.

For more information, please visit: www.spaceportamerica.com

For more information on Preview Tours, please visit: www.ftstours.com

Facebook: Spaceport America, or follow us on Twitter: @Spaceport_NM

About IDEAS

IDEAS is an innovation studio using the power of story to provide creative, design and production services for entertainment, marketing and learning clients. IDEAS was created in 2001 in a management buyout from The Walt Disney Company and serves clients in enterprise and government worldwide. The company operates from its studio headquarters in downtown Orlando’s Creative Village.

For more information, please visit: www.ideasorlando.com

Facebook: Ideas Orlando

GOVERNOR’S PRESS RELEASE

SANTA FE – Governor Susana Martinez announced today that she has made appointments to all positions on the Spaceport Authority Board of Directors. The appointments come as the Martinez administration continues to review all boards and commissions to make necessary adjustments and ensure that New Mexico’s taxpayers receive the best possible return on their investment. Each member has agreed not to conduct business with the Spaceport for two years after leaving their position on the board.

“I believe that with the right leadership and the right approach, the Spaceport can be a successful venture that brings jobs to New Mexico,” said Governor Martinez. “New Mexico’s taxpayers have made a significant investment in the Spaceport project. It’s time to see the project through to completion by bringing in private funding. In order to let taxpayers know that their government will operate in an open and honest manner, I have also asked each board member to make a commitment that they will not conduct business with the Spaceport for two years after their tenure on the board ends. I look forward to working with the new board members to ensure that we responsibly develop the Spaceport to its full potential, bring new jobs into New Mexico, and give taxpayers a healthy return on their investment.”

The members of the Spaceport Authority Board of Directors are listed below.

• Chairman Richard Holdridge is a retired Air Force officer from Deming whose military service included a heavy focus on satellite program acquisition and overseeing the manufacturing, planning, and operation of United States Department of Defense satellite programs. After retiring from the Air Force, Holdridge was elected to the Deming City Council, where he served from 1998 to 2000. He currently manages his family’s real estate development and farming businesses in southern New Mexico. Holdridge earned his B.S. in Astronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy, his M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Dayton, and his PhD in Astronautical Engineering from Stanford University.

• Irvin Diamond is a Certified Public Accountant and a Senior Principal at REDW Stanley Financial Advisers in Albuquerque. He is also a Certified Financial Planner and chairs the Board of Directors at Amerinst Insurance Group. Diamond holds degrees from John Carroll University and the University of New Mexico.

• Sid Gutierrez is a former NASA astronaut who currently serves as Director of ES&H and Emergency Management as well as Chief of Safety for Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque. Gutierrez piloted the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1991 and served as Mission Commander for the Space Shuttle Endeavor in 1994. He also served on NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel and International Space Station Management and Cost Evaluation Taskforce. Gutierrez earned his B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy and his M.A. in Personnel Management from Webster University.

• Jerry Stagner is the President of Citizens Bank in Truth or Consequences. He also served as President of State National Bank and has an extensive background in the banking field. Stagner holds a B.B.A from Eastern New Mexico University. He previously served as a member of the Spaceport Authority Board of Directors.

• David Buchholtz is an attorney at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP in Albuquerque. His practice includes government finance law, economic development and state tax incentive law, financial institutions law, securities law, and corporate law. Buchholtz has been a private practice attorney since 1976. He is a founder and member of the Board of Directors of Think New Mexico and also served as an adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico Law School. He earned his B.A. from the State University of New York at Binghamton and his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.

• Scott Krahling is a marketing consultant from Las Cruces who specializes in developing and implementing marketing plans for small businesses and real estate clients in Doña Ana County. Krahling also serves as a member of the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners. He holds a B.A in Government and Journalism & Mass Communications from New Mexico State University.

• Benjamin Woods serves as the Senior Vice President for External Relations and Chief of Staff at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, managing the Office of Government Relations as well as the University Communications and Marketing Services in that capacity. Woods has served as an administrator at NMSU since 1987, working in multiple fields for the university, including Planning, Physical Resources, and University Relations. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University and earned his M.B.A from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Woods previously chaired the Spaceport Authority Board of Directors.

Richard Branson

The Independent has an interesting update on Richard Branson’s plans for his Virgin Hotels venture, which is set to launch in about two years:

San Diego and Washington DC are likely candidates, and Branson also announced that one of the the first sites will be in New Mexico, overlooking the spaceport which will send his Virgin Galactic tourist flights into space.

He also told conference attendees that each hotel will be different, saying that putting a Virgin stamp on the hotels wasn’t enough and that the goal was to be the “funnest” hotel for guests to go to.

According to Virgin’s property specs:

Virgin Hotels seeks attractive property opportunities in North America’s most dynamic cities

Capitalizing on the Virgin brand’s global appeal and cosmopolitan fan base, the initial cities on Virgin Hotels’ target list include major urban markets in North America (e.g. New York, San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington DC). Our ambitions are global, but as a first move we are focusing on North America. We are keen to discover a range of interesting, authentic and high quality 150–400 room properties in appealing neighborhoods that will meet the expectations of our guests, a target group that seeks engaging and differentiated experiences.

Once ready for business, Virgin Hotels properties will feature contemporary style AND great functionality, an efficient yet personalized experience, ample communal space and a signature restaurant.

Virgin Hotels will define its communal spaces by building on experience the brand has gained in operating award-winning Clubhouses around the world — unique spaces where our guests can get work done, nourish and refresh themselves, meet other interesting people, or just take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Our target guest is more than comfortable with technology and craves customization and efficiency — so our properties will provide simple yet intuitive systems to help them get the most out of their stay (both in-room and throughout communal spaces).

Interesting. This would be a major development for New Mexico and jobs for the locals. It would certainly bring wealthy folks into a lightly populated part of the American Southwest. So, that’s good.

On the other hand, I imagine it would be easy for Virgin Galactic’s wealthy and busy clients to fly into Spaceport America, stay at the hotel, do their training, and fly out again once their flights are over — all without ever venturing into Truth or Consequences, Las Cruces or the rest of New Mexico. That wouldn’t be true for everyone staying at the hotel, but the positive impacts could be somewhat less than anticipated.

Former New Mexico Spaceport Authority Executive Director Rick Homans has fired back at Gov. Susana Martinez’s claim that he was uncooperative with her transition team:

In your Sunday story, Governor Martinez declares that the Board of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority and me, its Executive Director, withheld information from her and the transition team.

This allegation is wholly untruthful.

In fact, I responded completely and timely to all requests for information and even sought out members of the new Administration to provide briefings and documents.

I was thanked for my responsiveness by Mr. Sherman McCorkle, Chairman of the Spaceport Transition Team, Mr. Jon Barela, Secretary-designate of the Department of Economic Development (EDD), and Rick May, Secretary-designate of the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA).

Rather than accuse me of improper activity as an excuse for her wholesale firing of the leadership of the NMSA, I would prefer it if Governor Martinez were honest and just said she wanted a change at the NMSA. Period.

You can read Homan’s full response in the comments section here.

Sir Richard Branson and former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

In an interview with the Las Cruces Sun-News, Gov. Susana Martinez said she dismissed New Mexico Spaceport Authority Executive Director Rick Homans despite a plea from Virgin Galactic Founder Richard Branson:

Martinez acknowledged that Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson called her to request that former spaceport Executive Director Rick Homans be retained, but said she needed to make a change, in part because her team has not been able to conduct a thorough review of spaceport operations. She removed both Homans and the spaceport board, and has yet to name replacements.

“What we want to do is get a hold of the contract (with Virgin Galactic) and make sure we know what the long-term commitment is financially,” she said. “They have not been very willing to share the very hard data of what is the state’s commitment long-term.”

Martinez reiterated her support for the spaceport project, and said there would be a sense of urgency in filling the positions.

“We want to go forward, but we want to have a clear understanding of what we’re going forward with,” she said.

The degree to which Homans and others at NMSA cooperated with the new governor has been the subject of dispute. Homans said he fulfilled the governor’s requests on a timely basis. Homans had publicly campaigned to keep his job, so it would be odd if he were not forthcoming with Martinez’s requests.

Read the full story.

Since New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez took office nearly three weeks ago, the organization overseeing the construction of Spaceport America has lost its executive director, general counsel and board of directors. This is creating concerns about a leadership vacuum as the $209 million taxpayer-funded project moves toward completion later this year.

Former New Mexico Spaceport Authority directors D. Kent Evans and Gary Whitehead told the Las Cruces Sun-News that they were surprised over the abruptness of their dismissals last Friday.

Evans said he received a “short letter, three sentences,” letting him know he was no longer a member of the board.

“None of the board have been talked to or consulted,” Evans said.

Whitehead, who co-owns a car dealership in T or C, said he “absolutely (was) not” expecting the action, even though [Executive Director Rick] Homans was forced out earlier this month. He expected some dialogue.

“I thought they would call meetings and outline goals (for going forward),” Whitehead said. “And then maybe asking for resignations.”

Martinez has appointed Economic Development Secretary nominee Jon Barela to oversee the spaceport while a search is conducted for a new executive director and board. A six-member Spaceport Transition Team will assist Barela and provide advice about the projects operations, financing and future.

The Republican governor, who took over from Democrat Bill Richardson, said she wants to ensure that money is being spent wisely and that the project is on a self-sustaining trajectory. She has ordered an audit of the spaceport’s finances.