Posts Tagged ‘Rick Homans’

Release courtesy of Spaceport America

LAS CRUCES, NM – Officials from Spaceport America congratulate today’s historic vote by the House of Representatives that sets a new direction for NASA that assigns a primary role to the commercial space industry.

“This legislation marks a major turning point for the U.S. Space program, and means we will rely on the private sector, and facilities such as Spaceport America, for travel to sub-orbit, lower-earth orbit the space station and most likely the moon,” said Rick Homans, Executive Director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority.

The NASA Authorization Act of 2010, previously passed by the Senate on August 5, now goes to the President for his signature.

The bill earmarks $1.62 billion to help private companies develop new systems and technology for crew transportation to and from the International Space Station.

As well as providing funding for commercial crew and cargo programs, the bill also expands funding for technology research & development and commercial suborbital research programs.

Spaceport America has been providing commercial launch services since 2006. The state-of-the-art launch facility is under construction near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, and is expected to become fully operational in 2011. Officials at Spaceport America have been working closely with leading aerospace firms such as Armadillo Aerospace, Virgin Galactic, Lockheed Martin, Moog-FTS, and UP Aerospace to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility. The economic impact of launches, tourism and new construction at Spaceport America are already delivering on its promise to the people of New Mexico.

For additional information and images of Spaceport America go to www.spaceportamerica.com or contact David Wilson at david@wilson-binkley.com or at 575-524-8118.

Release courtesy of Spaceport America

LAS CRUCES, NM – Spaceport America has received its first federal grant from a newly funded spaceport infrastructure program at the Federal Aviation Administration.

The funding, $43,000 from the FAA matched with $4,300 from Virgin Galactic, will allow for the acquisition of an Automated Weather Observation System III (AWOS III).

This important project will be made possible through the Federal Aviation Administration’s FAA/AST Commercial Space Transportation Grant Program.

New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) Executive Director Rick Homans said, “This announcement highlights the increasing attention that the federal government is paying to the commercial spaceflight industry and to Spaceport America. While the grant amount may be small, the symbolism is much greater and we look forward to seeing this grant program increase and expand in the years to come.”

The value of the FAA/AST grant combined with Galactic Venture’s matching money is estimated at about $47,300. The balance of the cost of the AWOS, $86,000, will be paid by the NMSA.

The project is crucial to the safe and efficient operation of the spaceport. The AWOS III will provide timely and accurate meteorological information relevant to aircraft and spacecraft operations at Spaceport America. This will provide full AWOS capability to the spaceport, including visibility information and cloud data.

Spaceport America has been providing commercial launch services since 2006. The state-of-the-art launch facility is under construction near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, and is expected to become fully operational in 2011. Officials at Spaceport America have been working closely with leading aerospace firms such as Armadillo Aerospace, Virgin Galactic, Lockheed Martin, Moog-FTS, and UP Aerospace to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility. The economic impact of launches, tourism and new construction at Spaceport America are already delivering on its promise to the people of New Mexico.

For additional information and images of Spaceport America go to www.spaceportamerica.com or contact David Wilson at david@wilson-binkley.com or at 575-524-8118.

Article courtesy of Las Cruces Sun-News

By Brook Stockberger

LAS CRUCES – If you’ve been following the news about Spaceport America, you know that construction has been well under way. The mythical-sounding place where humans can pay to take a ride into space – and, less mythical but probably more common, where companies can launch payloads – broke ground in June 2009.

“It’s chugging along,” said Rick Homans, director of New Mexico Spaceport Authority, of the $200-million project. “Pretty much all the construction is on track.”

The nearly two-mile runway is about 95 percent completed; the three-story, 110,000-square-foot terminal hangar facility has started to take shape; and the white dome of the airfield rescue fire facility flanks the larger hanger. Anchor tenant Virgin Galactic continues to test its craft in the Mojave Desert.

“We’re looking to be operations-ready in 2011,” said Spaceport spokesman Dave Wilson. “It’ll be ready for Virgin, but we don’t know when Virgin will be ready.”

So while the work continues, something just as big and important looms.

“We’re going full swing into the parallel track of moving from a construction site to an operating spaceport,” Homans said. “The construction phase has been so all-consuming for the last 18 months, it’s hard to think there’s a whole bunch of additional work to do that has greater complexity to it than the actual construction itself.”

Obviously, if you pay top dollar to go into space, you want to return safely.

“You start thinking of the day on the horizon when we’re a (full functioning) launch facility, we have to have a spaceport staff, contractors, equipment, everything operating seamlessly, flawlessly,” Homans said. “But most importantly, we have to have anticipated and drilled and trained for every potential problem or emergency or unexpected occurrence that could happen, and that takes a lot of planning.”

Recently, New Mexico State University’s Space Grant Consortium was selected as the Federal Aviation Administration’s Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation, which enables NMSU to serve as the hub of a minimum $5 million, five-year research coalition addressing key challenges in the development of the commercial space industry. Homans said the center is expected to provide input for the shaping of regulations and operating procedures and practices for this new industry.

“The FAA COE role is still to be determined,” said Pat Hynes, director of the space grant consortium. “The FAA is the organization that will make the determination on what they want the COE to do.”

Either way, the fact that the spaceport is now a going concern has stirred up excitement.

“No question, from a client standpoint, there are a lot more inquires,” said Jim Hayhoe, who operates Spaceport America Consultants. “There will be a lot of specific supply chain needs for Virgin Galactic.”

Chicago-based David Houle, a writer and strategist who travels the world talking about the future and global trends, visited Spaceport America for the first time Friday.

“This is large and breathtaking,” Houle said.

He said he understands why some people were dubious as to whether such a fantastical sounding facility would ever actually take root. He said it is easier to not get your hopes up about such a groundbreaking venture, but, a visit to the spaceport would put those doubts aside.

“People live in their times,” Houle said. “Some people used to say, ‘Man will never fly.’”

Even with all of the advanced technology to be put in place, Wilson said one of the important projects has been the road, currently dirt, that runs south out of the location. It connects the spaceport with I-25 and cuts travel time from Las Cruces to less than an hour.

“This is critical,” Wilson said. “It’s important for the workers who will come from Dona Ana County to have a shorter commute.”

Brook Stockberger can be reached at (575) 541-5457.

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin

By Todd G. Dickson

Armadillo Aerospace – which has been the leader in developing rocket technology for vehicles to take off and land vertically – will be conducting three NASA-funded tests this winter at Spaceport America.

Photo courtesy of Armadillo Aerospace

Programmer John Carmack, who made his fortune creating computer games such as “Doom,” started Armadillo in 2000 to pursue advances first tested at White Sands Missile Range in the 1990s. In the past two years, one of his vehicles has successfully accomplished the first levels of a NASA-sponsored contest for designing a new lunar lander.

The demonstration vehicle built by Armadillo of Rockwell, Texas, has previously flown at the Las Cruces International Airport for the now-dormant X PRIZE Cup spaceflight expo. Rick Homans, executive director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, said these new tests illustrate the research and development capabilities of Spaceport America, which is being constructed in the desert 45 miles north of Las Cruces.

“These launches mark an important step in NASA’s plan to empower the emerging commercial spaceflight industry to assume a greater role in the nation’s space program,” Homans said. “Spaceport America is the launch pad for this new industry, and Armadillo’s decision to launch here affirms our important position.”

Armadillo is developing new vehicles that can launch small payloads to suborbital “near space,” which NASA defines as altitudes between about 19 and 106 kilometers, and return them safely to earth.

“Armadillo is proud to pioneer reusable rocket technology for the commercial space industry and Spaceport America provides the perfect place for our launches,” said Neil Milburn, vice president of program management at Armadillo Aerospace. “We selected Spaceport America because of its geographic advantages, dedicated staff, technical experience, flexibility and its low cost. We need exactly this kind of support to be successful.”

Milburn said Armadillo will move its test operations to Spaceport America for two NASA-funded Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research Program (CRuSR) flights to 15 kilometers, under the Amateur Class III waiver, and a subsequent fully licensed or permit flight to at least 40 kilometers this winter.

NASA’s CRuSR program envisions a series of suborbital flights that will provide access to a few minutes of microgravity for experimentation, discovery and testing. According to Homans, NASA wants to help private firms develop suborbital spacecraft that will eventually provide the nation with lower-cost and much more reliable access to orbital space. Spaceport America anticipates playing a critical role in the CRuSR program, Homans said.

The Armadillo announcement comes just two weeks after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded at least $5 million to New Mexico State University to develop a Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation.

“These announcements, coming one on top of another, are big news for Spaceport America,” Homans said.

Southern road deal

The Armadillo news also comes as Homans had finished brokering a deal with Sierra and Dona Ana counties to pave the southern road to Spaceport America. The route to Spaceport America that starts from the Upham exit off Interstate 25 is a graded dirt road about 24 miles long. Currently, the only paved road to Spaceport America comes from Elephant Butte via Truth or Consequences.

Technically, Spaceport America’s operations are in Sierra County, and the unpaved road travels some seven miles in Dona Ana County before crossing the county line. Voters in both counties have passed a small increase in gross receipts taxes (GRT) to support the spaceport’s construction, and the estimated $13 million for the road will come from the next $19 million the spaceport GRT brings in, Homans said.

The counties – primarily Dona Ana County – will provide services for designing and permitting of the paved road. Homans said he is finalizing the contracts and expects meetings soon to start the preliminary work.

Water well worries

When contractors for Spaceport America tapped a former train well to provide water for the construction of its two-mile-long runway and Virgin Galactic’s Terminal Hangar Facility, it wasn’t expected to have any adverse effect on the neighboring open range ranching.

But earlier this summer, neighbors complained their wells were running dry because spaceport construction firms were using the well for the massive amounts of concrete needed for the runway and other facilities.

Since the spaceport stopped using the well, water levels have returned for most of the surrounding wells, Homans said, and the spaceport’s operations will be depending on two other wells that get their water from a different aquifer source by the end of this month.

Homans said he promised the surrounding ranchers that the spaceport would find a “fair and reasonable solution for all parties, I feel we’ve kept our word.”

The Commercial Space Committee of the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce will host the next public Community Council Meeting on Thursday, July 29, 2010 at the Las Cruces City Hall Council Chambers, 700 N. Main. The meeting will begin with refreshments from 5:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Spaceport America Executive Director Rick Homans will be the keynote speaker. His presentation will be followed by a panel of local business owners who will discuss the impact of Spaceport America on local business.

The panel will be moderated by Charlie Garcia of Trax International.  Panelists include:

• Rob Richardson of Bohannan Huston;
• Gary Aschbacher of Fast Wave;
• Tony Martin of Fourteen30 Production Group; and
• Kari Mitchell of Las Cruces Machine & Manufacturing.

Reservations are not required and the meeting is open to the public.