Space, nuclear security, polar bears: Russia and the U.S. still agree on some things, Washington Post “Farther afield, American astronauts have been relying on Russia to fly them to the International Space Station since the U.S. space shuttle program shut down in 2011. Despite muttering in Moscow about cosmic retaliation for the latest U.S. sanctions, the Kremlin is not expected to follow through. Not when it costs NASA $80 million […]

Waiting for liftoff at the Spaceport, Santa Fe New Mexican “The concept of space tourism was all the rage when Spaceport America was pitched to New Mexico taxpayers a decade ago as a gateway for rich adventurers willing to pay $250,000 for a ride to the heavens. But as the state has waited year after year for the first of what were supposed to be regular flights into space from […]

Spaceport America Relay Race Features an Amazing 200 Mile Course Along the Historic Rio Grande River from Texas to New Mexico, Spaceport America “Spaceport America, the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport located in southern New Mexico in the USA, today announced that, in collaboration with relay racing specialists MH Enterprises LLC, the Spaceport America Crew will host and support a two-day, 200 mile, relay race event.” Spaceport America, Wikipedia “As […]

Governor Martinez Announces New Spaceport America Tenant SpaceX to Flight Test Reusable Rocket “Grasshopper” “Governor Susana Martinez today announced that Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, has signed a three-year agreement to lease land and facilities at Spaceport America to conduct the next phase of flight testing for its reusable rocket program. The company will be a new tenant at Spaceport America, the state-owned commercial launch site located in southern […]

Steve Isakowitz on the Spaceport America Lease, SpaceShipTwo Testing and Safety Lessons Learned from Boeing, Forbes “This fueled speculation in the press on Virgin Galactic’s future plans regarding their lease agreement with Spaceport America. I turned to Steve Isakowitz, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Galactic for an updated statement on the lease matter.”

Armadillo Aerospace Launches Successfully from Spaceport America “New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) officials announced today a successful launch over the weekend of an advanced sounding rocket designed and built by Armadillo Aerospace. The launch took place from Spaceport America’s vertical launch complex on Sun., Dec. 4. The test flight was a non-public, unpublished event at the request of Armadillo Aerospace, as the company is testing proprietary advanced launch technologies.”

Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company seek suppliers as era of commercial space travel approaches “Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, LLC, the world’s first commercial spaceline, and sister aerospace production company, The Spaceship Company (TSC), in cooperation with the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, today announced that they will host their first-ever “Industry Day” on Oct. 18., 2011 at Spaceport America near Las Cruces, N.M. The inaugural event marks a major […]

Spaceport America Receives Repeat Federal Infrastructure Grant “These matching funds from the FAA are crucial for improving our vertical launch capabilities and expanding services for our launch customers,” said New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) Executive Director, Christine Anderson. The roll-back vehicle integration building will be located inside the Vertical Launch Area (VLA) of Spaceport America and will be able to accommodate the larger vehicles that are under development. “Currently, we […]

Virgin Galactic eyes NASA commercial space work, Reuters “Virgin Galactic, an offshoot of billionaire Richard Branson’s London-based Virgin Group VA.L, plans to compete in the upcoming race to develop orbital space vehicles, Branson said on Friday. NASA plans to issue a solicitation as early as Monday for a follow-up to its $50 million Commercial Crew Development program, (for developing commercial crew spaceflight concepts), as part of a broader revamping of […]

NASA Deputy Administrator Available for Interviews at Spaceport “NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver will attend a dedication celebrating completion of the runway at Spaceport America in New Mexico at 11 a.m. MST on Friday, Oct. 22. She will be available before and after the event for media interviews. Garver will speak at the runway dedication event and also will be a keynote speaker on Thursday at the International Symposium for […]