Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
May 22 was a big day for Virgin Galactic, Spaceport America, commercial space flight and New Mexico.
After years of delays, Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity successfully shot into space after breaking away from its mothership at 44,000 feet. Unity climbed about 55 miles above Earth before gliding down to Spaceport America, the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport near Truth or Consequences.
Although Unity had no passengers, the successful launch from Spaceport was a long-awaited achievement. “After so many years and so much hard work, New Mexico has finally reached the stars,” said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who was there with former Gov. Bill Richardson and Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson. It was a fitting trio: Richardson and Branson shook on Spaceport 16 years ago; Lujan Grisham’s administration has been an enthusiastic supporter of Virgin Galactic and its plans for New Mexico.
Branson hopes to be on a flight by the end of the summer, with paying passengers slated to start flying early next year.
Virgin Galactic is targeting the wealthy — more than 8,000 people have registered and 600 have purchased tickets at $250,000 a seat. But the real impact in New Mexico will be felt across the economic spectrum. More than 170 New Mexicans work for Virgin, more than 100 N.M. companies are in its supply chain, and its technology sets the stage for intercontinental travel that crosses the globe in a fraction of the time it takes today.
Branson thanked New Mexico for understanding this level of innovation requires a commitment of not just money but time. Taxpayers — including those in Sierra and Doña Ana counties that have a special Spaceport gross receipts tax — have invested more than $220 million and a decade in Spaceport America. Virgin has put in more than $500 million.
There have been skeptics from the beginning — and rightly so.
This was a new frontier with many delays. Last month’s flight might not persuade the harshest critics, but it shows Virgin Galactic and our Spaceport are in the thick of the new space race with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
The milestone is serious bragging rights and optimism for commercial space travel.
— Albuquerque Journal