Spaceport America

Spaceport America
Spaceport America
	Spaceport America terminal hangar facility
	IATA: none; ICAO: none; FAA LID: 9NM9;
Summary
Airport type	Private commercial spaceport
Owner/Operator	New Mexico Spaceport Authority
Location	Sierra County, New Mexico,; near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
Hub for	Virgin Galactic,; UP Aerospace,; Exos Aerospace,; Payload Specialties
Elevation AMSL	4,595 ft / 1,401 m
Coordinates	32°59′25″N 106°58′11″W / 32.99028°N 106.96972°W
Website	www.spaceportamerica.com
Map
	Spaceport America Location within New Mexico
Runways

Spaceport America, formerly the Southwest Regional Spaceport, is an FAA-licensed spaceport located on 18,000 acres (7,300 ha) of State Trust Land in the Jornada del Muerto desert basin 45 miles (72 km) north of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Truth or Consequences.^[1] With Virgin Galactic's launch of the VSS Unity, with three people aboard, on May 22, 2021, New Mexico became the third US state to launch humans into space after California and Florida.^[2]

Spaceport America is "the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport", designed and constructed specifically for commercial users, that had not previously been an airport or federal infrastructure of any kind. The site is built to accommodate both vertical and horizontal launch aerospace vehicles, as well as an array of non-aerospace events and commercial activities. Spaceport America is owned and operated by the State of New Mexico, via a state agency, the New Mexico Spaceport Authority.^[3]^[4]^[5] The first rocket launch at Spaceport America occurred on September 25, 2006.

The current tenants working in the U.S. spaceport are HAPSMobile Aerovironment, UP Aerospace, SpinLaunch, and Virgin Galactic.^[6]

Spaceport America was officially declared open on October 18, 2011,^[7] the visitor center in Truth or Consequences became fully accessible to the general public on June 24, 2015,^[8] and after Virgin Galactic completed the interior buildout, the entire facility was deemed ready for operations in August 2019.^[9] Visitors can book private tours of the facility via the website or from the Visit Las Cruces organization or the visitors center in Truth or Consequences.

^ "Spaceport America". Visit Las Cruces New Mexico - Las Cruces CVB. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
^ Robinson-Avila, Kevin (May 22, 2021). "NM 'has finally reached the stars'". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
^ Cite error: The named reference space was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Simon Hancock and Alan Moloney (June 20, 2009). "Work starts on New Mexico spaceport". BBC. Archived from the original on June 26, 2009. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
^ Ohtake, Miyoko (August 25, 2007). "Virgin Galactic Preps for Liftoff at World's First Commercial Spaceport". Wired Magazine. 15 (10). Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
^ "Tenants, Customers and Partners | Spaceport America - The First Purpose-Built Spaceport". Spaceport America. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
^ Cite error: The named reference wsj20111018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Spaceport America Visitor Center Opens as Virgin Galactic Vows to Resume Flights". Associated Press. June 26, 2015. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
^ Cite error: The named reference sn20190815 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1] "Spaceport America". Visit Las Cruces New Mexico - Las Cruces CVB. Retrieved April 27, 2021.

[Robinson-Avila_2021-2] Robinson-Avila, Kevin (May 22, 2021). "NM 'has finally reached the stars'". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved May 30, 2021.

[space-3] Cite error: The named reference space was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[BBC-4] Simon Hancock and Alan Moloney (June 20, 2009). "Work starts on New Mexico spaceport". BBC. Archived from the original on June 26, 2009. Retrieved June 30, 2009.

[5] Ohtake, Miyoko (August 25, 2007). "Virgin Galactic Preps for Liftoff at World's First Commercial Spaceport". Wired Magazine. 15 (10). Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2009.

[6] "Tenants, Customers and Partners | Spaceport America - The First Purpose-Built Spaceport". Spaceport America. Retrieved April 27, 2021.

[wsj20111018-7] Cite error: The named reference wsj20111018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[8] "Spaceport America Visitor Center Opens as Virgin Galactic Vows to Resume Flights". Associated Press. June 26, 2015. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.

[sn20190815-9] Cite error: The named reference sn20190815 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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