Work starts on New Mexico spaceport

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Work starts on New Mexico spaceport
By Simon Hancock and Alan Moloney
BBC, Sierra County, New Mexico

Ground has been broken on the construction site of Spaceport America, the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport.

Those behind the project say that it will help provide a new chapter in space exploration.

When finished in 18 months' time, the facility will house Virgin Galactic's space tourism business and other firms working in the commercial space arena.

It will cost the New Mexico government almost $200m (£121m).

Steve Landeene, executive director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, said: "The future is here and we are not too far off a new age of space.

"It is not just about private astronauts going up, it is about bringing the cost structure down and about new medicines, solar power in space and the entire range of scientific benefits that can come from it."

Big space

Speaking to several hundred people who had made the journey to witness the event in scorching temperatures, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson said it was "gratifying to see Spaceport America finally become a reality".

Work will now start on a suitably space-age terminal and hangar building designed by Foster and Partners to blend in with the desert scrubland here, while housing rocket-based spacecraft and all the safety hazards that entails.

A 3,000m (10,000-ft) runway will ensure that there is plenty of room on the tarmac for even the world's largest planes.

When finished, Virgin Galactic - which hopes to begin regular tourist flights into space not long after the spaceport is completed - will base its headquarters and operations here, providing much of the spaceport's business, though Spaceport America is keen to point out it will not solely rely on the company.

(Balance of article, videos, and internal links at URL above.)