Posts Tagged ‘WhiteKnightTwo’
Industry Day to Be Hosted at Spaceport America
Release courtesy of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority
UPHAM, NM – Virgin Galactic and sister aerospace production company The Spaceship Company (TSC) has announced that they will co-host the first-ever “Industry Day” in cooperation with the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) at Spaceport America on Tuesday, October 18. The NMSA said that the Industry Day event, which is by Virgin Galactic invitation only, is designed to educate potential suppliers on the type of goods and services that will be needed by the two companies as commercial space travel becomes a reality in New Mexico.
The daylong event will include presentations by Virgin Galactic President and CEO George Whitesides; New Mexico Department of Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Jon Barela; and NMSA Executive Director Christine Anderson. Attendees will have a unique opportunity to see the WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo vehicles up close in their new home at Spaceport America.
“Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company are looking to create relationships with local, regional and global suppliers to support their operations at Spaceport America,” said Christine Anderson, NMSA Executive Director. “The organizers of this event have stated their intention to hire locally as much as possible, which is good news for New Mexico companies.” Interested suppliers are encouraged by Virgin Galactic to complete an online registration form at http://www.virgingalactic.com/news/item/virgin-galactic-industry-day/ to express their desire to attend the event and to become a Virgin Galactic and/or TSC supplier. Virgin Galactic will select the final guest list prior to emailing invitations.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for companies ranging from local New Mexico firms to national corporations to understand our unique needs for goods and services, including our requirements in building and servicing multiple commercial spaceships as the market further develops,” said Virgin Galactic’s President and CEO George Whitesides. “Our intention is to establish these relationships and emphasize our desire to hire locally as much as possible.”
New Mexico Department of Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Jon Barela encourages New Mexico businesses to register their interest in attending online. “New Mexico has a vast pool of available aerospace and related industry talent due to White Sands Missile Range, our national laboratories, Holloman, Kirtland, and Cannon Air Force bases, and many other resources statewide. This is a great time for New Mexico to take advantage of these unique opportunities.”
About Spaceport America
Spaceport America has been providing commercial launch services since 2006. Phase One of the construction for the spaceport is expected to be complete in late 2011. Phase Two of the construction and pre-operations activities has recently been initiated, including the development of a world-class Visitors Experience for students, tourists and space launch customers.
The State of New Mexico entered into a 20-year lease agreement with Virgin Galactic, Spaceport America’s anchor tenant.
Officials at Spaceport America have been working closely with entrepreneurial space leaders like Virgin Galactic, UP Aerospace, and Armadillo Aerospace, as well as established aerospace firms like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Moog-FTS to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility. The economic impact of launches, tourism and new construction at Spaceport America are already delivering on the promise of economic development to the people of New Mexico.
Facebook: Spaceport America, or follow us on Twitter: @Spaceport_NM
About Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic is on track to be the world’s first commercial spaceline. The new spaceship (VSS Enterprise) and Mother ship (VMS Eve) are both being developed for Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic by Mojave-based Scaled Composites. Founded by Burt Rutan, Scaled developed SpaceShipOne, which in 2004 claimed the $10 million Ansari X Prize as the world’s first privately developed manned spacecraft. Virgin Galactic’s new vehicles share much of the same basic design, but are being built to carry six customers on sub-orbital space flights, allowing an out-of-the-seat, zero-gravity experience and offering astounding views of the planet from the black sky of space. The VSS Enterprise test flight program will continue through 2011, prior to commercial operations, which will be based at Virgin Galactic’s future headquarters at Spaceport America in New Mexico.
About The Spaceship Company
The Spaceship Company (TSC) is a recently formed aerospace production company founded by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Scaled Composites. TSC will build the world’s first fleet of commercial spaceships and carrier aircraft, which will allow widespread space travel to become a reality. TSC has contracted with Scaled Composites to develop and build a suborbital space flight system comprised of WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo, and is now taking these designs into commercial production.
NMSA Media relations: David Wilson
p: 575-640-8228
New Mexico Company Awarded Protective Services Contract for Spaceport America
Release courtesy of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority
LAS CRUCES, NM – The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) announced the selection of Fiore Industries Inc., of Albuquerque, NM, as the contractor to perform Protective Services for Spaceport America. The company was awarded a two-year base contract with a not-to-exceed value of $2.3 million and two one-year renewal options. Fiore will provide 24/7 site security, badging, firefighting, emergency medical services and environmental, safety and health requirements at Spaceport America. Initially, the contractor will develop policies and procedures for the site security, emergency response, and risk management, as well as perform pre-operational exercises.
Fiore will lead a team of companies that will work together to provide all Protective Service requirements during the two-year contract period. Other team members include: Allied Barton Security Services, LLC (ABSS); Sierra Vista Hospital New Mexico (SVH); Zia Engineering and Environmental Consultants, LLC (Zia); and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NM Tech).
The Fiore team has experience providing a broad range of services including security services to all United Space Alliance facilities, security support to the Miami International Airport, and security services to Raytheon Corporation. The team also served White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) as both the incident command contractor and the firefighting response contractor, and served Region 2 Emergency Medical Services, Inc. as the EMS contractor. This caliber of relevant experience makes the team well suited to provide service at Spaceport America.
“The New Mexico Spaceport Authority is very pleased to award our Protective Services contract to Fiore Industries, Inc. Fiore is a New Mexico-based contractor with extensive experience providing these type of services,” said Chad Rabon, NMSA General Operations Manager.
Bill Miera, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fiore, Inc., said “Fiore Industries is honored to have been chosen by the NMSA to perform this critical work on the first-ever, purpose-built spaceport. Along with our partners, we are committed to the success of this endeavor. Having been born and raised in New Mexico and having family here that goes back to the 1600s, I have worked on creating jobs and educational opportunities in this state my entire career. We consider ourselves stakeholders in the spaceport effort and as such, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with the NMSA in creating employment in such a leading-edge industry”.
About Spaceport America
Spaceport America has been providing commercial launch services since 2006. Phase One of the construction for the spaceport is expected to be complete in late 2011. Phase Two of the construction and pre-operations activities will follow, including the development of a world-class Visitors Experience for students, tourists and space launch customers.
The State of New Mexico entered into a 20-year lease agreement with Virgin Galactic, Spaceport America’s anchor tenant. Virgin Galactic is currently developing the world’s first commercial passenger-carrying space vehicle fleet, including the WhiteKnightTwo mother ship and SpaceShipTwo launch vehicle.
Officials at Spaceport America have been working closely with entrepreneurial space leaders like Virgin Galactic, UP Aerospace, and Armadillo Aerospace, as well as established aerospace firms like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Moog-FTS to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility. The economic impact of launches, tourism and new construction at Spaceport America are already delivering on the promise of economic development to the people of New Mexico.
For more information, please visit: www.spaceportamerica.com
For more information on Preview Tours, please visit: www.ftstours.com
Facebook: Spaceport America, or follow us on Twitter: @Spaceport_NM
About Fiore Industries Inc.
Fiore was started in Albuquerque, NM by Bill Miera in 1989 and remains a New Mexico-based firm with multiple sites. They bring over 22 years of successful operations experience and achievements to the spaceport. They have been awarded numerous innovative research contracts and are currently developing a new, more capable “jaws of life” technology with New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology to assist in emergency response and rescue. Flore was also named as one of NM Business Weekly’s “Top 25 Technology Companies” from 2002 to 2006. In 2010, they were named the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year in 2009.
Fiore brings a structured method for managing complex services through individual subcontractors, an in-depth understanding of financial management and project reporting requirements, and a broad understanding of the local New Mexico culture and employment market.
For more information, please visit: www.fiore-ind.com
Spaceport America Awards Visitor Experience Contract
Release courtesy of Spaceport America
LAS CRUCES, NM – The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) announced the selection of Integrity Arts & Technology, Inc., d/b/a/ IDEAS as the contractor to develop the Spaceport America Visitor Experience. The company was awarded a two- phase contract of a not-to-exceed value of $7.5 million. IDEAS and their team will oversee the design and development of the Visitor Experience and facilities at Spaceport America, as well as the design, fabrication and installation of all exhibits and attractions for visitors to the spaceport. The company will also conduct market research, enhance the spaceport branding and marketing, and facilitate alliance and sponsorship development opportunities. IDEAS will also provide construction administration during the building phase of the Visitor Experience facilities.
IDEAS leads a team of companies that will work together to provide all the Visitor Experience requirements during the 27-month contract period. Other team members include: Integrated Insight, Inc.; ORCA Consulting LLC; Cordova Marketing Group; Exline Design and Architecture; MYDesign, Inc.; and Blackhorse Worldwide. Team members from New Mexico include SMPC Architects, of Albuquerque NM and Larry Littlebird, of Santa Fe NM. The contract called for companies to create partnerships to provide a wide range of services to develop the spaceport’s Visitor Experience.
Team IDEAS members have provided a broad range of services in experience development for a list of clients that includes every major Walt Disney theme park & resort around the world, major Universal Studios theme parks, NASCAR, the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, the U.S. Capitol, the Statue of Liberty, the United States Air Force and the United States Navy. This caliber of relevant experience makes the team well-suited to develop the story, design, market analytics, operational strategy, and facilities of the Spaceport America Visitor Experience.
“We are very excited to have Team IDEAS onboard to develop Spaceport America’s tourism experience,” said Christine Anderson, Executive Director of the NMSA. “Their relevant experience in the entertainment and education industry, with an emphasis on creative storytelling and a strong focus on education and learning design, is a great match for Spaceport America. All together, the companies working under Team IDEAS will create the highest value for the project.”
Bob Allen, Chairman and Chief Storytelling Officer of IDEAS, said “It’s a dream come true to create the Visitor Experience for Spaceport America. The next step in human space exploration is the most exciting story we can imagine and will require a completely fresh approach. Our goal is to create as authentic and participatory an experience as possible for spaceport visitors and to delight and inspire future generations of New Mexicans and our guests from around the world to pursue emerging opportunities in science and technology.”
The initial Spaceport America Visitor Experience is expected to reach operational capacity in the first half of 2013, about the time Virgin Galactic is hoping to be ready to begin their operations from Spaceport America. The recently-begun Spaceport America Preview Tours will provide visitors a taste of the project until the full Visitor Experience is ready.
About Spaceport America
Spaceport America has been providing commercial launch services since 2006. Phase One of the construction for the spaceport is expected to be complete in late 2011. Phase Two of the construction and pre-operations activities will follow, including the development of a world-class Visitors Experience for students, tourists and space launch customers. Spaceport America will delight and inspire guests in a way that only a commercial space-launch facility can do.
The State of New Mexico entered into a 20-year lease agreement with Virgin Galactic, Spaceport America’s anchor tenant. Virgin Galactic is currently developing the world’s first commercial passenger-carrying space vehicle fleet, including the WhiteKnightTwo mother ship and SpaceShipTwo launch vehicle.
Officials at Spaceport America have been working closely with entrepreneurial space leaders like Virgin Galactic, UP Aerospace, and Armadillo Aerospace, as well as established aerospace firms like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Moog-FTS to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility. The economic impact of launches, tourism and new construction at Spaceport America are already delivering on the promise of economic development to the people of New Mexico.
For more information, please visit: www.spaceportamerica.com
For more information on Preview Tours, please visit: www.ftstours.com
Facebook: Spaceport America, or follow us on Twitter: @Spaceport_NM
About IDEAS
IDEAS is an innovation studio using the power of story to provide creative, design and production services for entertainment, marketing and learning clients. IDEAS was created in 2001 in a management buyout from The Walt Disney Company and serves clients in enterprise and government worldwide. The company operates from its studio headquarters in downtown Orlando’s Creative Village.
For more information, please visit: www.ideasorlando.com
Facebook: Ideas Orlando
NMSA Media relations: David Wilson
p: 575-640-8228
IDEAS Media relations: Shirley Decker
p: 407-601-7878 XT 1386
Virgin’s CEO Visits With New Spaceport Authority
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.
Virgin Galactic Links Up With 2 Companies
Article courtesy of Las Cruces Sun-News
Courtesy of Sierra Nevada Corp.
By Diana M. Alba
LAS CRUCES – Spaceport America’s anchor tenant company, Virgin Galactic, announced recently it’s partnering with two other companies that have their sights set on orbital spaceflight.
The other companies, Nevada-based Sierra Nevada Corp. and the Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp., have submitted competing bids to NASA for a chance at flying U.S. astronauts to space after the shuttle program retires.
But don’t expect orbital flights to launch from Spaceport America any time soon.
For starters, Virgin Galactic’s proposed role seems limited at this point. The commercial spaceflight company has said it would market seats aboard orbital flights to its existing suborbital-flight customer base, as well as to the larger public, according to a company news release. Virgin Galactic may also have some involvement in vehicle testing for the companies’ development programs.
Also, potential launch locations for orbital vehicles are limited by infrastructure and regulation. That’s the case with Sierra Nevada Corp.’s proposal, said Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president and head of the company’s space systems division.
“It’s not possible for any of the companies’ orbital to fly out of New Mexico because of physics and logistics, so we all would be flying out of one of the coastal spaceports,” he said. “New Mexico doesn’t have a rocket port that can launch a vehicle of this size – we’re flying out of an Atlas V rocket.”
Continued Sirangelo: “And there still is a prohibition against doing this type of launch from an inland port.”
Both orbital companies would use expendable rockets to propel their spaceships upward. And the spaceships would return to Earth using conventional, runway landings.
That means Sierra Nevada Corp. could touch down its vehicle, called Dream Chaser, at Spaceport America, Sirangelo said.
“We could fly to Las Cruces as an entry point and land there, if we wanted to,” he said.
By comparison, Virgin Galactic launches its suborbital spaceship from a runway using a carrier plane, WhiteKnightTwo, and also lands on a runway.
Sirangelo acknowledged there’s nothing to restrict Dream Chaser’s landing to a spaceport. Because there will be no hazardous chemicals aboard, he said, “all we need is a normal, commercial runway to land, which is the same thing a 737 would use.”
Spaceport America executive director Rick Homans said the spaceport is communicating with Virgin Galactic “to understand better their relationship and role with these two proposals and also understanding the different technologies and companies they’re teaming with.” Spaceport America’s emphasis now, he said, is suborbital flights, though “we’re open to exploring ways to participate in this project.”
“All of this is relatively new, and I think everybody is sorting out the various relationships,” he said. “If there is a way to participate, we’d be eager to do so, but that requires some extensive discussions.”
Homans said that discussion would have to take place with the orbital spaceflight companies themselves.
Virgin Galactic, in a news release, said both companies’ vehicle designs could “revolutionize” orbital flight, the way its own vehicle, SpaceShipTwo, has “revolutionized suborbital spaceflight.”
Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic founder, said his company has focused on making suborbital space accessible to people.
“We know that many of those same people, including myself, would also love to take an orbital space trip in the future, so we are putting our weight behind new technologies that could deliver that safely,” while greatly reducing costs of manned, orbital flight, he said.
Other involvement
Sierra Nevada Corp. is the builder of the rocket motor Virgin Galactic is using in its suborbital system.
Virgin Galactic in a Dec. 16 announcement indicated the company may support Sierra Nevada Corp. and Orbital Sciences Corp. by using WhiteKnightTwo as a carrier plane during development.
“We would be doing our testing work, which means we’d take our vehicles up to a high altitude, drop it and learn how to fly it home, using the Virgin Galactic plane,” Sirangelo said. “And we’d likely being doing that work out of Spaceport America. It’s likely our testing program would be happening in both Mojave (Calif.) and New Mexico.”
Sirangelo said he couldn’t comment about whether Virgin Galactic is proposing to become an investor in his company, but he did say “the companies will likely explore other areas of mutual interest later.”
Representatives from Virgin Galactic and Orbital Sciences could not be reached for comment for this report.
Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443.
