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.

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.

Negotiations to bring an aerospace company to Willacy County for commercial satellite launchings are intensifying, according to County Judge John F. Gonzales Jr.

He said he cannot yet release the name of the company. But he said, “They’ll be investing up to $50 million and hiring 100 to 200 full-time people, from low-end labor up to electrical engineers. Wages will be at least 30 percent above the local norm.”

The new rockets were tested in December, and the private company that did the testing recovered a reusable container similar to 1960s-type space capsules, the county judge said.

“I’m under a confidentiality agreement,” he said. He isn’t sure where the tests were conducted. But he said he thinks they were done at Cape Canaveral, Fla., or some other government installation.

“They’re the first private company to have successfully launched a low-altitude space flight and successfully recovered it,” he said of a reusable space capsule to deploy satellites.

The capsule would sit atop the rocket and open up to deploy the communications satellites and then fall back to earth to be recovered for reuse, he said.

This is a puzzling story. The only company known to have launched a recovered a space capsule in December was SpaceX with the Dragon. However, the description of a “reusable space capsule to deploy” communications satellites doesn’t fit Dragon, which is designed for cargo and crew delivery to low Earth orbit. SpaceX also has operations at Cape Canaveral and in the Marshall Islands and plans to fly out of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The description probably better fits Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ mysterious start-up that conducts tests in another part of Texas. Whether Blue Origin has accomplished what Gonzales describes is uncertain given the secrecy surrounding the company’s operations.

Read the full story.

The Big Island of Hawaii

Hawaiian State Senators are debating a bill that would allow the state to apply for a spaceport license from the Federal Aviation Administration. A similar measure passed the Legislature last year, but no money was appropriated for it by then-Gov. Linda Lingle.

The full text of Senate Bill 112, which was introduced by Sen. Will Espero, is shown after the break.

RELATING TO TOURISM.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that tourism is the chief generator of employment and revenue in the State and influences all sectors of the State’s economy.  New developments in technology, increased visitor sophistication, and greater competition from other world tourism markets require Hawaii’s tourism industry to direct their marketing efforts at visitors with specific interests.

The legislature recognizes that expanding the State’s tourism product by developing new niche products, such as space tourism, can enhance Hawaii’s appeal as a tourist destination.

In 2007, Virgin Galactic confirmed the viability of space tourism by earning approximately $31,000,000 in ticket revenue from over one hundred passengers.  On December 15, 2008, the Federal Aviation Administration awarded a launch license for vertical and horizontal launches to the New Mexico Spaceport Authority to establish a commercial spaceport.  On January 11, 2010, Cecil Field airport in Jacksonville, Florida was awarded a similar Federal Aviation Administration license.

Space tourism is a potential billion dollar global industry that could significantly increase state revenues, provide new aerospace jobs, and rejuvenate economic development in the Kalaeloa area.  The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to issue a limited number of spaceport licenses and the legislature finds that it is crucial to position Hawaii for that economic opportunity.

The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds for the application for a spaceport license from the Federal Aviation Administration.

SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $           or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2011-2012 and the same amount or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2012-2013 for the application for a spaceport license from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of business, economic development, and tourism for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 3.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2011.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Tourism; Space Industry; Federal Aviation Administration; Spaceport License

Description:

Appropriates funds in FY 2011-2012 and FY 2012-2013 for the application of a spaceport license from the Federal Aviation Administration to establish space tourism in Hawaii.

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.

Terminal Hangar Facility at Spaceport America.

New Mexico Spaceport Authority Executive Director Rick Homans has resigned after being ordered to by new Gov. Susana Martinez, the Las Cruces Sun-News reports:

Meanwhile, some Spaceport America board members expressed concerns about Martinez’s move and questioned whether Homans’ departure was good for the $209 million spaceport project as it goes through a key stage.

Homans, during an emergency meeting in Las Cruces, read a lengthy resignation statement, saying he’d hoped to stay longer.

“While I have embraced this project, it is clear that Gov. Martinez is not embracing me,” he said. “I understand politics, and I also understand how critical it is for her to have absolute trust and confidence in the executive leadership of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority.”

Homas was involved in the spaceport project from the beginning in 2005 until 2007, when he left to take a job in private industry. He was reappointed as executive director in June after the board fired his predecessor, Steve Landeene, over his participation in a land deal involving property adjoining the spaceport in Upham.

Homas said the new governor gave him the choice of resigning or being fired. His resignation will be effective on Friday.

Martinez, a Republican, has taken over from Democrat Bill Richardson, who was limited to 8 years as governor. She has been more skeptical of the project than her predecessor, who championed the spaceport where Virgin Galactic will fly its SpaceShipTwo vehicle on suborbital flights. Martinez has ordered an audit of the spaceport authority’s spending and vowed to find ways of ensuring that the spaceport will no longer require state funding.

Virgin Galactic’s Mark Butler describes the Terminal Hangar Facility at Spaceport America following the runway dedication ceremony last Friday.

Spaceport Sweden’s Johanna Bergstrom-Roos talks about space tourism from Kiruna.

Columbus is being considered as the state’s primary port to space under an Indiana House bill that would approve tax incentives for space-technology businesses.

House Bill No. 1227 would designate the area around the Columbus municipal airport as Indiana’s primary spaceport and authorize the city’s board of aviation commissioners to establish an airport development zone.

If approved, the bill will make new research and development equipment for space transportation technology eligible for abatements in economic revitalization areas and make the purchase of that equipment eligible for sales tax exemption. It also would provide tax credits for the loss of taxpayer-owned space vehicles, according to the bill.

Read the full story.

The road to Spaceport America on its groundbreaking day. Virgin Galactic and New Mexico hope it will soon be paved in gold. (Photo Credit: Lucinda Weisbach)

The Spaceport America Winter Newsletter has been published with construction updates on the New Mexico facility:

Runway Progress

The 10,000-by-200-foot Spaceport America runway is over 70% 35% paved with asphalt. The final phase is expected to start soon, adding 14 inches of concrete for the top finish surface. The asphalt and concrete production facilities are on-site at the spaceport. Runway construction is overseen by David Montoya Construction, Inc., headquartered in Albuquerque, NM.

Site Utilities/Waste Water Treatment

AUI of New Mexico is coordinating the Site Utilities/Waste Water Treatment work at the spaceport. In November, work on the wastewater storage facility progressed with two 250,000-gallon wastewater storage tanks installed on site.

Spaceport America delivering Jobs for New Mexico in Tough Economic Times

Acting as an economic stimulus was not the original intent, but Spaceport America is delivering jobs for New Mexicans. The current contractors have confirmed 467 jobs at work with an additional 150 to 300 anticipated as the Terminal Hangar Facility and the remaining project elements come on line. Steve Landeene commented, “It is wonderful to see NMSA’s bid strategy of small construction packages delivering jobs for New Mexico contractors and competitive bid prices.”

An artist's conception of a Virgin Galactic flight above Spaceport America in New Mexico

Spaceport officials seek way to reduce liability
Las Cruces Sun-News

New Mexico spaceport officials said Wednesday they’ll again seek legislation that would effectively reduce legal liability for companies that launch from Spaceport America.

The proposed bill would require that passengers on spaceflights sign a consent form, acknowledging the risks of the trip, said Fred Mondrag-n, economic development secretary and chairman of the state’s spaceport authority.

“It would be basically very similar to what you sign when you go into a hospital,” said Mondrag-n, who attended a spaceport authority meeting in Las Cruces. “You acknowledge there are dangers and side effects and things like that.”

Mondrag-n said the proposed bill has the effect of reducing liability that’s tied to general risks associated with flights. But “it doesn’t provide liability from gross negligence or anything like that,” he said.

Read the full story.

CSF PRESS RELEASE

Washington, D.C., November 23, 2009 – The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is pleased to announce the creation and initial membership of the Spaceports Council, composed of spaceports worldwide who seek to cooperate on issues of common interest such as airspace access, legal and regulatory frameworks, infrastructure, international policy migration, liability, and voluntary common operating standards.

The Spaceports Council, which will operate under the aegis of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF), was officially created following the conclusion of the second CSF Spaceports Executive Summit held on October 20, 2009 in Las Cruces, New Mexico to coincide with the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight. This summit built on the success of an earlier CSF spaceports summit held on May 27, 2009, hosted by Space Florida as part of the International Space Development Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Initial member spaceports and spaceport principals of the CSF Spaceports Council include:

• Spaceport America, represented by Executive Director Steve Landeene (Chairman)
• Aeroports de Catalunya, represented by Executive Director Jordi Candela
• Cecil Field Spaceport, represented by Administrator of Planning and Development Todd Lindner
• Mojave Air and Space Port, represented by General Manager Stuart Witt
• Oklahoma Spaceport, represented by Executive Director Bill Khourie
• Space Florida, represented by President Frank DiBello
• Spaceport Indiana, represented by President Brian Tanner
• Spaceport Scotland, represented by Chairman Howie Firth
• Spaceport Sweden, represented by Vice President Bengt Jaegtnes
• Wisconsin Aerospace Authority, represented by Chairman Tom Crabb

Steve Landeene, Executive Director of Spaceport America, has been selected as the first chair of the CSF Spaceports Council. Landeene stated, “I am deeply honored and humbled to take up the first chairmanship of the Spaceports Council. Collecting and sharing the knowledge and experience base of spaceports worldwide will be beneficial to us all as commercial space vehicles begin to push the envelope toward more and more flights. And when working with policymakers, spaceports will benefit by formulating and presenting common positions.”

The Spaceports Council will convene regular meetings of spaceports principals, as well as coordinate additional cooperation between spaceports on the staff level, in order to address common problems affecting spaceports, work toward voluntary uniform standards for development of common use equipment and operational procedures, and advise vehicle operators, developers, and other members of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, on issues of concern to the spaceport community.

Bretton Alexander, President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, stated, “The formation of the Spaceports Council marks another milestone in the growth of the commercial spaceflight industry. By deepening the cooperation among both domestic and international spaceports in this new industry, we can help ensure that the industry continues to grow and flourish. Congratulations to Steve Landeene on his selection as the first chairman of this group, as well as all the spaceports that have chosen to form the initial membership of the Council.”

Stuart O. Witt, General Manager of Mojave Air and Space Port and an Officer of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, added, “We are excited to welcome this great group of spaceports, both domestic and international, as we join together to share our lessons learned. As we look toward a new generation of suborbital and orbital launch vehicles, I know that a strong spaceport network, armed with the latest in operational ‘lessons learned,’ will be critical.”

The road to Spaceport America is now paved only with red dirt. Virgin Galactic and New Mexico hope it will soon be paved in gold. (Photo Credit: Lucinda Weisbach)

Space industry arrives in New Mexico
Las Cruces Bulletin

A model for making the $198 million Spaceport America 45 miles north of Las Cruces a tourist destination can be found in the contingency from Spaceport Sweden. Although its spaceport launch facilities was developed from an existing operation, Sweden emphasizes other attractions than just launches, such as reindeer rides, the Northern Lights and a stay in a hotel made of ice.

As the Swedes aim to ramp up their spaceport development on parallel tracks with Spaceport America, southern New Mexicans are looking for ways to package the experience for tourism by emphasizing the area’s Old West history and folklore, as well as its role in the U.S. space program.

Virgin Galactic – the leading company developing a spaceliner to take tourists into suborbital space – will fly out of Spaceport America and has committed to establishing its headquarters in NewMexico. But Virgin Galactic also will be flying space tourists out of Spaceport Sweden, which presents the opportunity of packaging experiences from both spaceports and the possibility of spaceflights from Sweden to New Mexico.

That’s why the FastForward Study Group picked this year’s symposium topresent its “white paper” called “Getting Faster.” John Olds of SpaceWorks Engineering said just as space tourism cracked open the market for commercial spaceflight development, it could also open the door to point-to-point space travel. The cooperation being seen by Spaceport America and Spaceport Sweden is encouraging to that end, he said.

Read the full story.

Unlike airports, commercial spaceports currently have no opportunity to apply for federal matching dollars for infrastructure to support operations and protect public safety. In the 1993 NASA Authorization Act (Public Law No. 102-588), Congress authorized a new program to support commercial space transportation facilities, but no funding has been appropriated to date.

Under the Space Transportation Infrastructure Matching Grants Program (also known as STIM-Grants), existing and proposed spaceports in California, Florida, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Virginia / Maryland, Alaska, Wisconsin, Indiana, and other states, will be eligible for competitively-awarded grants.

Specific elements of the program include:

• STIM-Grants Program created under Section 505 of the 1993 NASA Authorization Act to “ensure the resiliency of the Nation’s space transportation infrastructure.”
• Grants administered by Secretary of Transportation, under consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the NASA Administrator.
• Grants must be for less than 50% of project cost; private sector must cover at least 10%.
• Existing and proposed spaceports in California, Florida, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Virginia / Maryland, Alaska, Wisconsin, Indiana, and other states, will be eligible for competitively-awarded grants.

Spaceport America

SPACEPORT AMERICA PRESS RELEASE

The construction of a new runway is well underway at Spaceport America, the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport. New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) officials have released new aerial photos taken on September 13, 2009, of the 10,000-foot runway project, which is designed to accommodate horizontal launch space and air operations at the spaceport. The runway is expected to be complete by late Summer 2010.

Measuring 10,000 feet long by 200 feet wide, the runway is designed for day-to-day space tourism and payload launch operations like those anticipated for Virgin Galactic, the anchor tenant for Spaceport America. The large concrete runway will also be able to accommodate returning launch vehicles, fly-back rocket boosters and other space launch and training vehicles.

David Montoya Construction, Inc., of Alameda, NM, is building the airfield at Spaceport America. After successfully completed an RFP process, this contractor was selected to provide construction services of the airfield by the NMSA Board of Directors. David Montoya Construction, Inc., has provided construction services on many large-scale projects since being established in 1985. The company hasprovided similar concrete paving services for Albuquerque International Airport and Holloman AirForce Base in Alamogordo.David Montoya Construction, Inc., is recognized by the Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the top 500 Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States.

The Terminal Hangar Facility at Spaceport America is projected to be complete by early 2011.The NMSA has been working closely with leading aerospace firms such as Virgin Galactic, Lockheed Martin, Moog-FTS, UP Aerospace and Microgravity Enterprises to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility.