Posts Tagged ‘Spaceport America’

Release courtesy of Spaceport America

Las Cruces, NM – Spaceport America and the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) congratulate Dr. Pat Hynes and the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium at New Mexico State University (NMSU) for being selected as the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation (COE-CST). Winning the nationwide competition to host the COE-CST now 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.

“It’s a great day not only for education in the state of New Mexico, but also for the emerging commercial space industry and the role that Spaceport America will have in its continuing growth,” said Spaceport America Executive Director Rick Homans. “This COE-CST reaffirms and cements New Mexico’s leadership in the vanguard of commercial space.” Homans said the Center would likely facilitate development of launch vehicle systems, technologies and operations research for Spaceport America. “We commend Dr. Pat Hynes and her team, and are excited to work with her innovative consortium from New Mexico, Florida, Texas, Colorado and California, as well as companies like Virgin Galactic, SpaceX and other members of the NMSU COE-CST industry advisory board.”

In addition, NMSA Chairman of the Board Ben Woods said, “Today’s announcement means the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium at NMSU will be at the center of development for industry enabling technologies such as space launch operations and traffic management, space commerce and commercial human spaceflight for launch facilities like Spaceport America here in New Mexico.”

More information on the COE-CST announcement can be found on the FAA website: http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=11737.

Spaceport America has been providing commercial launch services since 2006. The spaceport is the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport and is now undergoing construction near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. This state-of-the-art launch facility is expected to become fully operational in 2011. Officials at Spaceport America have been working closely with leading aerospace firms such as 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 the Spaceport is already delivering on its promise to the people of New Mexico.

In a recent online article, CNNMoney.com ranked Dona Ana County number 14 out of 25 counties that have experienced the most job growth over the last nine years. The article reports that between 2000 and 2009, Dona Ana County’s job growth was 34.5%.

The article mentions Foxconn, Spaceport America, Virgin Galactic, and New Mexico State University. The article and the other counties mentioned are available online by clicking the CNNMoney.com link above.

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.

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin

By Todd G. Dickson

Rick Homans, who starts his second stint as the New Mexico Spaceport Authority’s executive director this week, said the $198 million Spaceport America should be fully operational by mid-2011.

Speaking before the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce Thursday, June 24, at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, Homans said a number of new potential tenants are interested in the spaceport.

Homans said new and existing aerospace companies are especially interested in the spaceport’s vertical launch area to develop new launch systems as NASA changes its focus.

The potential for new jobs and economic opportunity is what has always drawn him to the spaceport effort, Homans said.

“I’m absolutely honored to be back on the job,” he said.

But just as the spaceport authority still has many issues to work through to make Spaceport America operational, local businesses need to get ready as well, said Mark Butler, operations program manager for Virgin Galactic, Spaceport America’s anchor tenant.

“A lot of things need to happen,” Butler said of Virgin Galactic safety testing its newly developed spaceliner system. “But let’s say that if we start flying 18 months from now, a lot of supply chain issues need to be worked on now.”

That’s because, Butler emphasized, Virgin Galactic’s primary focus will be flying customers into suborbital space at $200,000 a ticket. With these people paying so much for their trips, Virgin Galactic can’t allow the cancellation of a single flight because of something as minor as a lack of spare parts, fuel or materials – let alone something as miniscule as running out of bolts, he said.

Local businesses need to realize that these new passengers aren’t just going to be coming for a quick flight and leave. It will be at least a two and- a-half-day stay during which the passengers will go through training to prepare them for their spaceflight experience.

That means hotel stays – nice hotels. Butler said he believes one nice hotel near the spaceport won’t be enough.

These customers will want to find fine dining, preferably food made with quality local ingredients. Their visits will require reliable transportation to and from the spaceport in the desert between Las Cruces and Truth or Consequences.

There will be a need to provide activities for friends and families of the passengers while they are going through their pre-flight training. Though local businesses should offer experiences for these accompanying families and friends. Butler admitted that a jaunt to Las Vegas, Nev., is not that far of a trip for them and will likely be a draw away from local sites.

There are many needs in the direct supply chain of the Virgin Galactic flight system that should preferably be made readily available locally, Butler said, such as repair materials for the specialized carbon fiber composite materials manufactured by Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites operation in California.

Virgin’s owner, British billionaire Richard Branson, is requiring his network of companies to reduce its carbon footprint and be as ecologically sensitive as possible. Part of the philosophy includes having these kinds of resources close to operations, which requires less shipping, Butler said.

Each flight of the spaceliner will require the replacement of the hybrid rocket engine, fueled by specially shaped rubber particles and nitrous oxide. Having the manufacturing of those fuels locally would provide additional assurance as well as satisfy the company’s ecological desires.

Considering the money at stake, reliability of those suppliers also will be tantamount, he said.

Because Virgin Galactic’s primary mission is making sure the customers experience safe flights, Butler said the company isn’t interested in coming up with all the “trinkets” and mementos passengers will want to take home from their trip. That is another opportunity for local businesses, he said.

Since Virgin Galactic is an international company, all of its American employees will have be U.S. citizens to comply with international trade agreements, he noted.

These are some of the reasons why the chamber has created a working group for the spaceport, said Wayne Savage, who chairs the committee. Butler’s talk gave some insight to kinds of jobs and money the spaceport could bring to the region, he said.

“We haven’t seen this kind of a catalyst for the local economy since the creation of White Sands Missile Range,” Savage said.

Private sector funding from the businesses and organizations throughout the New Mexico Borderplex is a mainstay of MVEDA’s ability to continue in its mission of creating new employment opportunities for area residents. MVEDA is proud to announce four new Partners for the second quarter:  Action Equipment Rental; Gerald A. Martin, LTD; Ibarbo Consulting Group, LLC; and Sunland Nursery Company.

Action Equipment Rental is the largest independently-owned New Mexico rental equipment supplier. Joseph Muench and his management team have over 100 combined years of equipment rental experience.  Action Equipment Rental has a huge selection of the finest brand name rental equipment in their heavy equipment, construction machinery, power tools, and party and event equipment inventory.

Gerald A. Martin, LTD provides Owner’s Representative Program Management, Project Management, and Construction Management Services for a wide range of clientele that includes public and private agencies and organizations. Under the leadership of company President Fred Gorenz, Gerald Martin Construction is managing the construction locally of Spaceport America and the new Las Cruces high school.

Ibarbo Consulting Group, LLC is a minority-owned Limited Liability Company focused on improving people’s quality of life through business development and job creation.  President Peter R. Ibarbo formed the group to provide specialized business support services and business outreach. Associate members of the group include Tara Lucero and Armando Martinez.

Sunland Nursery Company provides all types of plants acclimated for the arid southwest and inter-mountain regions.  Their trade area includes Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Utah. They are located 5.5 miles south of Las Cruces, NM off Highway 478 at 620 W. Richardson Road. Lance Harkey is the general manager.

MVEDA’s Partners are linked from MVEDA’s website and are listed in the on-line Business Resource Guide.