* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Spaceport America

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British billionaire Richard Branson, New Mexico officials dedicating Spaceport America terminal

Sir Richard Branson, the founder and owner of Virgin Galactic, a commercial space line based at Spaceport America, later suggested the first civilian astronauts might fly into suborbital space as soon as the end of 2012.
Wally Funk was among an estimated 700 guests who dedicated the almost completed terminal hangar facility at Spaceport America on Monday and toasted the future of commercial space aviation with Champagne and a lavish celebration fit for royalty.
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Cutter residents: Spaceport sucks up water

The Smiths relied on their ground well for years, up until the spring of 2010, when it mysteriously went dry. After some investigation, they found the disappearance had coincided with the start of heavy groundwater pumping about a mile away, at what's called the Romero Well. FNF Construction, based in Albuquerque, had leased the well
in October 2009 for its work in building the $209 million Spaceport America. It got water rights from the city of Las Cruces.
The company was also selling water to other contractors at the site.
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The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) today dedicated the nearly twomile long "Governor Bill RIchardson Spaceway" at Spaceport America, representing significant progress toward launching commercial customers into space from the desert of New Mexico. Governor Bill Richardson, Sir Richard Branson and approximately 30 of more than 380 Virgin Galactic future astronauts attended the event along with guests from around the world and watched a flyover and landing by Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo, in a captive carry with SpaceShipTwo.
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Commercial space travel took a step closer with the opening of the runway at the world's first spaceport in the US state of New Mexico.
The event was marked with a flypast of an aircraft carrying SpaceShip Two.
The vehicle has been designed to take fee-paying tourists on trips to the edge of space and back.
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Spaceport America Executive Director Rick Homans admits it was a gamble investing millions of New Mexico taxpayers' money into the world's first commercial spaceport, but he said the spaceport and Virgin Galactic get closer and closer to proving doubters wrong.
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A 10,000-foot concrete runway has been finished at Spaceport America, a spaceport official said.
While the runway is finished, contractors are finishing the turnarounds at either end of the runway and continuing work on the "apron," the concrete area around the terminal-hangar facility, spaceport director Rick Homans said.
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Spaceport America Installs Lunar Lander Launch Pads
Spaceport America, the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport, has installed three launch pads for NASA's 2009 Northrop Grumman Lunar Lande Centennial Challenge, which is administered by the X PRIZE Foundation to spur innovation and technology development. Called 'Tranquility Base' to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, the trio of lunar lander launch pads was constructed the week of June 22 in preparation for this year's competition, which begins as early as July 20 and continues through October 31, 2009.

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