Posts Tagged ‘Diana M. Alba’

Article Courtesy of the Las Cruces Sun-News

By Diana M. Alba

UPHAM, N.M. – Bottle of champagne in hand, British billionaire and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson on Monday christened Spaceport America’s diamond feature – a $32.5 million terminal-hangar that one day will house the vehicles belonging to his fledgling spaceline – by rappelling off the building’s face, accompanied by a troupe of aerial dancers. It was Branson’s first visit to the under-construction, southern Sierra County spaceport since October of last year, when state officials formally dedicated a 10,000-foot runway.

Appearing with Branson for the first time was Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, who took office at the start of the year. U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., and astronaut Buzz Aldrin, too, were among a crowd of about 720 dignitaries, spaceflight gurus and future suborbital-space tourists who attended the ceremony.

Martinez – who sparked concern among spaceport supporters at the start of her tenure because of her abrupt personnel changes – said the spaceport was at the start of the “second space age” and touted the 550 permanent jobs it will create. She said the number that could grow to 2,000. “It’s about jobs and helping people meet new challenges and fulfill dreams,” she said.

Branson dubbed the three-story, sting ray-shaped structure the “Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space,” a name previously OK’d by state spaceport officials.

Prior to the rappelling act, Branson and spaceport officials lauded the terminal-hangar building for its design.  Branson said it was notable not only for its impending use as a home to spacecraft but also its environmental friendliness. He described it as “one of the most beautiful, striking buildings you’ve ever seen.” “It’s a 21st century building for a 21st century business,” he said.

Several speakers highlighted an involvement of space researchers with Virgin Galactic flights, a growing market.

Construction of the spaceport’s first phase, including the terminal-hangar, runway and operations building, is about 93 percent done, officials have said. A second phase, which includes constructing visitors’ centers and paving a southern road to the remote site, is underway.

Making its second visit to the spaceport was the two-vehicle system, under development in Mojave, California that will launch from Spaceport America, possibly in 2013.

Future astronauts gather

Present Monday were more than 150 of the future astronauts – the largest gathering of future astronauts in history, said George Whitesides, president and CEO of Virgin Galactic.

Master pastry chef Eric Lanlard of the United Kingdom, the 117th spaceflight customer, expects to be aboard the 30th flight, once operations begin. He bought a ticket, he said, because of the historic nature of the venture. The visit was his first to the spaceport, though he’d previously seen the vehicles in Mojave, Calif. He described the hangar building as “impressive.” “This is where it’s all going to happen,” he said.

Construction on the terminal-hangar should be done in late November, nearly a year behind schedule, spaceport officials have said. State spaceport authority member David Buchholtz said the delayed schedule would be more concerning if Virgin Galactic already had finished its vehicle development, which it hasn’t. He said he’s pleased with progress made in the last month. “Ultimately our major job in the near- to mid-term is to make sure the construction is finished,” he said.

WhiteKnightTwo demo

The event started Monday morning with a take-off, demonstration and landing of WhiteKnightTwo, the Virgin Galactic aircraft that will carry SpaceShipTwo aloft for a mid-air launch, where it will rocket tourists to suborbital heights. In all, about 460 people to date have booked spaceflight seats, plunking down deposits totaling $58 million, Virgin Galactic officials said.

Spaceport officials have said they expect Spaceport America to boost tourism across southern New Mexico.

Virgin Galactic ticketholder Craig Curran of Rochester, N.Y., who’s also one of 65 space travel agents certified by the spaceline, said while other spaceport proposals exist, Spaceport America is on par to become the first operational commercial spaceflight facility in the world and that fact in itself will attract visitors. “As far New Mexico goes and Las Cruces, there’s no question: ‘This is the birthplace of human space travel – the average person, not just a professional astronaut or someone in the military,” he said.

Opponents of the spaceport contend it’s a waste of taxpayer money and that’s it’s subsidizing trips for the wealthy to space.

Not all in support

Invited guests only attended the event, hosted by Virgin Galactic. But at the gates of the spaceport, a handful of protesters, including one with a megaphone, caught the attention of tour buses arriving at the site. Some expressed frustration at the draining of at least one local family’s ground well, a consequence of pumping for spaceport construction. One sign read: “Occupy Spaceport.” Sierra County Sheriff Joe Baca said the protesters caused no problems.

Branson also unveiled the terminal-hangar’s new address: No. 1 Half Moon Street. The company has a noted house in London on Half Moon Street, he said.

To cap the day, six aerial dancers from the group, Project Bandaloop, tied off lines from the terminal-hangar’s second story, onto the face of a 250-foot long pane of windows that make up the building’s eastern face. Part way into their performance, Branson rappelled down and performed in the show.

Pearce said the project is not only an economic engine, but it’s also at the forefront of a new venture for humanity. “We have here a renewal of the human spirit that I think is going to infect the world,” he said.

Martinez told Branson she’s considering a new possibility. “I may have to add it to my bucket list – to fly into space,” she said.

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Sun-News

By Diana M. Alba

LAS CRUCES – NASA‘s recently announced plan to buy flights from two companies that will launch from Spaceport America gives the $209 million project a shot in the arm, as the facility preps for a ceremonial dedication of its largest building on Monday and the overall project inches closer to completion, supporters said last week.

NASA’s involvement adds credibility and boosts the viability of the spaceport, said state Sen. Mary Kay Papen, D-Las Cruces, who chairs the state oversight panel for the project. “We’re not just depending on Virgin Galactic,” she said of the spaceport’s future. “I think it’s something that we’d been hoping would happen.”

NASA booked at least one suborbital flight – with the option for buying two more – from Virgin Galactic, a space tourism company and the main Spaceport America tenant, the company said last week. And UP Aerospace Inc., a Denver-based commercial launch company, announced about a week ago that NASA awarded it a contract to launch payloads on two rocket flights, with the option for six additional flights.

“There’s some serendipity happening, where some of these research companies are finding the use of the Virgin system is a good way to test things and is certainly cheaper than launching rockets into orbit,” said Rick Holdridge of Deming, chairman of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority. “There’s a market Virgin Galactic never really thought much of, but it’s starting to grow rapidly.”

Also, Virgin Galactic – a British company headed by billionaire Richard Branson – said last week it has collected $58 million in deposits from 455 would-be tourists who’ll launch to suborbital space from the spaceport, possibly starting in 2013, officials said.

‘Almost an icon’

About 500 people – invited guests only – are expected to attend a Virgin Galactic-hosted event Monday at the spaceport to christen the $32.5-million terminal-hangar facility, a sting ray-looking structure often depicted in spaceport images.  Gov. Susana Martinez, Congressman Steve Pearce and NASA representatives are expected to attend the ceremony, called the “Keys to a New Dawn.”

Monday’s event is significant because the terminal-hangar is “almost an icon” that signifies a major shift in the space industry, said New Mexico Spaceport Authority Executive Director Christine Anderson. “You can say it’s just a building, but it’s really ushering in a new era,” said Anderson, who’s in charge of the state-owned spaceport. “And it’s happening right here in New Mexico.”

Still, spaceport opponents criticize the project, saying that they doubt it will be the economic engine backers claim and that it was a poor use of state Legislature funds. Others take aim at two sales taxes passed by voters in Dona Ana and Sierra counties that are helping to pay for spaceport construction.

Dona Ana County Commissioner Karen Perez said she remains skeptical about the spaceport and how many jobs it will create. Plus, she’s concerned there’s not yet a route paved for easier access to the spaceport from the south. “There’s nothing in the project that has changed substantially,” she said. “It’s a project we’re paying for and we’re still not benefiting from it.”

Not finished

The terminal-hangar construction, originally slated for completion in December 2010, was plagued by a series of problems, ranging from the lack of a permanent power supply to the remoteness of the southeastern Sierra County site to sluggish payments by the state to contractors. Despite Monday’s ceremony, the building isn’t ready for Virgin Galactic to take occupancy. Construction is expected to wrap up in late November, officials said. And a certificate of occupancy must be issued, at which point Virgin Galactic will take over and begin what could be a year of work further outfitting the building.

Overall, the first phase of construction – the terminal-hangar, an operations building, a 10,000-foot runway, three vertical launch pads, the paving of a northern road to the facility, water and wastewater systems and a power line to the site – is about 93 percent finished, Anderson said Friday.  Construction on the dome-shaped operations building, which will house security, EMS, firefighters, grounds keeping, the spaceport’s technical operations manager and the Spaceport Authority offices, likely will conclude in January or February 2012, according to Anderson.

The terminal-hangar on Monday will be dubbed the “Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space Building,” Holdridge said.

The installation of a power line to the spaceport site had potential to further stall the project’s first phase, considering a permanent electricity source is needed before the state can sign off on spaceport contractors’ work. But spaceport officials said the line is nearing completion. The power line had been installed and set to go online last week, when a company installing telecommunications accidentally cut through it. It could be repaired as early as next week, Anderson said.

State Rep. Andy Nunez, I-Hatch, a spaceport supporter, visited the site in August with a panel of lawmakers, and expressed concern construction wasn’t further along. “I hope they’ll be doing some catch-up,” he said. “I’d love to see that thing dedicated.”

The Spaceport Authority has begun Phase 2 of the project, which includes the visitors’ centers and a paved southern road to Spaceport America, Anderson said.

Lease payments

After the formal takeover, Virgin Galactic will begin paying $1 million a year in lease payments for use of the facility, Holdridge said. The payments would be prorated because its tenant status would start in the middle of the fiscal year.

“It’s going to be nice to see that major milestone take place with the dedication and the fact Virgin Galactic is going to be taking over responsibility for the facility,” said Jim Hayhoe, president of Spaceport America Consultants, a local company. “It’s a major milestone and it also starts some significant cash flow for the state to start getting some money back.”

Virgin Galactic has begun relocating staff to the Las Cruces area in preparation for the start of its space tourism flights, officials said.

Space vehicles

The development of Virgin Galactic’s two-vehicle system by the firm Scaled Composites continues at Mojave, Calif. In all, WhiteKnightTwo, the plane that will carry a spaceship aloft for a mid-air launch, had completed 73 flights through Sept. 29, according to a Scaled Composites flight log. Meanwhile, SpaceShipTwo had been dropped from the plane 16 times. It lands as a glider. The rocket motor that will power the spaceship to suborbital space after detaching from the plane is currently in testing, also at Mojave.

Symposium week

Also this week, industry officials, government officials and researchers will meet Tuesday to Thursday for the International Symposium for Personal Commercial Spaceflight in Las Cruces. A tour of Spaceport America is slated for participants on Friday. Holdridge said the symposium is a chance to showcase the spaceport. “Are there ways we can get more customers to the spaceport?” he said. “I’d love to see us find some new customers.”

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Sun-News

By Diana M. Alba

 SANTA TERESA, N.M. – Amid a backdrop of national uncertainty about the economy, a slate of New Mexico’s top elected officials Monday heralded the growth that could originate with a new $400 million Union Pacific project in Santa Teresa.

Republican Gov. Susana Martinez and three of the state’s five congressional representatives – U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Jeff Bingaman, Democrats, and Rep. Steve Pearce, Republican – were on hand to mark the start of construction on a new rail yard and intermodal facility, along the international border.

Bingaman noted he doesn’t attend nearly as many groundbreaking ceremonies these days as he once did, acknowledging the country’s economic situation in recent years. Even so, he seemed optimistic.

“Union Pacific deserves great credit for reminding us, with the investment they’re now making today and the work they’re beginning today, that the economy of this country is going to come roaring back, and they’re going to be ready when it does come roaring back,” he said to a crowd gathered just south of a Santa Teresa industrial park.

The facility, expected to take four years to build, will create some 3,000 construction jobs over a four-year construction schedule, officials said. Some 600 permanent jobs would be created, once operations start.

The facility would serve as a place to refuel locomotives and transfer shipping containers from trucks to rail and vice versa. Union Pacific officials said it will serve as focal point for products being shipped to both the East and West coasts.

Martinez said the southern New Mexico region is ripe for economic growth along the international border, but the state hasn’t taken advantage of that in past years.

“New Mexico has not made the most of its strategic positioning in the region, and that changes today,” she said.

The company awarded 65 percent of its first wave of contracts to local companies and is making a commitment to continue that investment, said Jim Young, chairman and CEO of Union Pacific. Also, it’s working with Dona Ana Community College to make sure residents are trained to work at the facility when it’s done.

“We will do everything we can to hire local,” he said.

In the distance, two Union Pacific locomotives and a tailing train were positioned strategically behind officials, as they addressed the crowd of dignitaries and businessmen.

Instead of the stereotypical groundbreaking with shovels and hard hats, officials signed their names into wet concrete blocks, which a Union Pacific official said will eventually be incorporated into the rail hub.

“We’ll have a wall that will enshrine the folks who are here today kicking off this project in a way that will stay with this facility throughout its life,” said Bob Turner, Union Pacific senior vice president, corporate relations.

Attendee Victoria Perea of El Paso, who retired from El Paso Electric Co. as an economic development liaison, said talk of the rail hub has been in the pipeline for years, but the project is finally materializing. She credited the governor, who she also said is a longtime friend.

“Economic development happens over time,” said Perea, a La Mesa native. “I believe there’s a lot of potential, but the potential is in the future.”

Pearce said in a statement he’s promoted the project since 2005 and is “happy to see this work coming to fruition in the form of jobs for New Mexico.”

“New jobs are the key to economic security, which is why I have made jobs my top priority in Congress,” he said.

Udall, too, highlighted the jobs that will result.

“The best thing is the good news of growing jobs here in New Mexico, which is what we need to do in Washington,” he said. “It’s what we need to do at the local level, because that’s what people want right now.”

The facility will be 11.5 miles long and one mile wide and entail 26 buildings and 200 miles of railroad track, according to a Union Pacific news release.

Monday’s gathering was reminiscent of one in October 2006 in Santa Teresa, when Union Pacific officials said construction on the hub could have started in 2008, if a key train fuel tax break were granted by the Legislature. The project never started.

What put the project on hold in recent years was the national economy, said Aaron Hunt, director of corporate relations and media for Union Pacific. But Hunt said the company certainly is moving forward now.

“We’re in it for the long-haul at this point,” he said.

Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Sun-News

By Diana M. Alba

LAS CRUCES – Squeezing in a stop here while en route to London, Virgin Galactic’s president and CEO told spaceport officials Tuesday that the company remains committed to basing its suborbital flight operations in New Mexico.

George Whitesides addressed the new board of directors of Spaceport America for the first time since an abrupt change in spaceport leadership that was carried out by Gov. Susana Martinez. It was also the first session attended by Spaceport Authority Executive Director Christine Anderson, hired last week by the board.

“The primary message we wanted to share, and the reason I’m here is to express a desire to continue to be a strong partner with the spaceport for the taxpayers of New Mexico,” Whitesides said. “We are all making a very big investment together.”

While addressing the board, Whitesides noted the state is planning to spend about $200 million in constructing the spaceport and said Virgin Galactic is “investing somewhere on the order of $400 million to develop its spaceflight vehicles.” “These are nontrivial investments,” he said. “We take this project very seriously at all levels. And the relationship between our organization and the state and particularly the Spaceport Authority and staff is going to be of critical importance as we drive to successful commercial operations over the coming years.”

Whitesides, a former chief of staff for NASA, was hired last year as CEO for Virgin Galactic, considered the spaceport’s anchor tenant company. This year, he was named president, too.

Spaceport board Chairman Rick Holdridge of Deming said he invited Whitesides to the board’s meeting during a teleconference soon after Anderson was hired on Feb. 28, and, “to his credit, he made it happen.” Holdridge said he didn’t pick up any new message Tuesday. “I very much appreciated his commitment to this new board,” he said. “They’re reiterating the commitment Virgin Galactic has to New Mexico in the form of having operations out of New Mexico.”

Virgin Galactic has signed a 20-year agreement with the state, committing to launch suborbital spaceflights from Spaceport America in southeastern Sierra County. Whitesides said the company is “very encouraged with the progress of Spaceport America.”

Construction of the $209 million spaceport is about 70 to 80 percent complete, Chad Rabon, a spaceport staff member, told the board Tuesday.

Martinez didn’t waste time making spaceport leadership changes upon taking office Jan. 1. She called for the resignations of the previous board, appointed by Gov. Bill Richardson, and former Director Rick Homans. The board was reappointed in February, but the abruptness of the change and the fact the agency was without a director or deputy director had stirred concern among some spaceport advocates. Martinez confirmed that at one point, billionaire Richard Branson – who heads Virgin Group, the parent company of Virgin Galactic – called and asked her to retain Homans as director.

Holdridge said he met Whitesides once before, when he flew in for a visit with him and state Economic Development Secretary Jon Barela. That was not long after Holdridge was appointed to the chairman post.

Branson said during a visit to the spaceport last fall that the company was expecting to launch its first suborbital flights from Spaceport America between mid-summer of this year and spring of 2012.

Tuesday, Whitesides said the company’s flight test program is progressing, but “we still have a ways to go.” Virgin Galactic plans to use a two-vehicle system, comprised of a carrier plane and a rocket-powered spaceship, to carry passengers to suborbital space.

In all, the carrier plane, WhiteKnightTwo, has completed 49 flights, Whitesides told the spaceport board. The spaceship’s rocket motor is being developed, but glide testing, in which the vehicle is carried aloft and released, is continuing, he said. “We’ve got four glide tests of the spaceship successfully completed,” he said. “A fifth will be coming up soon.”

Holdridge said Whitesides flew to the Las Cruces airport Tuesday morning on a charter plane, and then left from El Paso on his way to London.

Anderson was present at Tuesday’s meeting but deferred most presentations to spaceport staff, saying she’s still catching up to speed on the spaceport project. All but one member of the spaceport board were present in person at the meeting, held at New Mexico State University’s main campus. Board member Scott Krahling, also a Dona Ana County commissioner, didn’t attend because a county commission meeting was held at the same time.

Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443.

Article courtesy of Las Cruces Sun-News

Rick Homans

By Diana M. Alba

LAS CRUCES – Spaceport America Director Rick Homans announced his resignation Wednesday, saying he’d been ordered to do so by the Gov. Susana Martinez administration.

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

An emotional Homans read a lengthy resignation statement, saying he was committed to the project and hoped to stay longer.

“While I have embraced this project, it is clear that Gov. Martinez is not embracing me,” he said, during an emergency meeting of the Spaceport Authority board in Las Cruces. “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.”

Homans, 54, said he was informed last Thursday to resign or be fired. He said he told the Martinez administration that he’d take up the matter Wednesday with the board, which has official power over hiring and firing the executive director.

Jon Barela – Martinez’s economic development secretary nominee who’ll also chair the spaceport board – didn’t attend the meeting. But Barela’s spokeswoman, Angela Heisel, said later that Martinez has asked for the resignations of all political appointees from the Gov. Bill Richardson administration.

“This is no different than what was asked of other political appointees,” she said. “Homans’ resignation will not disrupt the construction of the spaceport; the construction team remains in place and is continuing its work.”

Heisel said a search for a replacement director is under way.

Two members of the seven-person board – Jerry Stagner and Gary Whitehead, both Truth or Consequences businessmen – voted against accepting Homans’ resignation, while other members voted in favor.

Whitehead said he realizes this is the first gubernatorial changeover in the spaceport’s existence, but “as a board member, I’d really envisioned a smoother transition as we move forward with the spaceport and our new administration.

“I know we’ll work through it, and we’re certainly in a gray area,” he said. “It would have been my wish we would have seen an extension of Mr. Homans’ contract or his job to allow a smoother transition.”

The first suborbital spaceflights are expected to launch later this year from Spaceport America.

Some officials pointed out the spaceport project is in a critical stage, attempting to transition from a big construction project to an active hub for commercial aerospace activities. Finishing construction and attracting industry are the next important steps, they said.

Homans said the first phase of construction, which includes the spaceport terminal-hangar and a 10,000-foot runway, is about 80 percent finished.

But a second construction phase that was added last year is only beginning.

Board member Casey Luna of Belen pointed out he’s been involved with planning for a New Mexico spaceport since 1991 and said he’s concerned that “we’re skipping a beat here.” But the project survived a previous “hiccup,” after the resignation last year of former director Steve Landeene, he said.

Luna said he believes that’s possible again.

“I’m hoping the governor is aware that continuity is very, very important,” he said. The spaceport “will be a good thing for the state in general and this country.”

Lt. Gov. John Sanchez, an eighth, non-voting member of the spaceport board, did attend Wednesday’s session by phone, though didn’t say much.

Board members thanked Homans and outgoing board member and chairman Ben Woods.

Spaceport board members also said they were unsure of whether Martinez will allow them to serve out their terms. And, they said they hadn’t been told how to move forward in hiring a new director.

Said Whitehead: “It’s a time like this where we’re really not sure where we stand as leaders. And it feels like we’ve been put on hold, so I remained concerned about that.”

Homans, in his statement, said for the spaceport to succeed, Martinez must “become its biggest champion and rally her administration to support this effort.”

“Nothing short of complete commitment from Gov. Martinez and her administration will allow this project to achieve its full potential, which is the promise we made to the citizens of New Mexico …,” he said. “My hope is that Gov. Martinez can quickly move beyond viewing Spaceport America as the legacy project of Bill Richardson.”

Homans said instead, the project should become “her own legacy” because she’ll be governor when it first opens.

Homans, who earned $170,000 annually, said the resignation is effective at the close of business Friday. He said he started a search for a new job Wednesday.

Homans was hired as executive director in June, after Landeene resigned because of a controversy involving a possible conflict of interest. Before that, Homans was chairman of the spaceport board from 2005 to 2007 because of his job as head of the state’s Economic Development Department. Also, he was briefly the executive director in 2007, before leaving for a job in private industry.

Spaceport America is located in southeastern Sierra County.

Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443.