Talk:Spaceport America

RqImg

 * anyone have one of those eyes, they've promoted the spaceport with as a design?

The new name of the Southwest Regional Spaceport is "Spaceport America" and construction has already begun. See the following link:

http://www.spaceportamerica.com/home.html

Note construction has not begun. The design team was just selected. Spaceport spokespeople have been quoted in the news as saying ground should be broken in April 2008. --Ando228 16:22, 2 August 2007 (UTC)

Spaceport America
The name of this Spaceport is now Spaceport America. In the moment, there are two articles. --Franz Wikipedia 10:28, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Fixed -- GW_SimulationsUser Page 20:29, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

...the name of this spaceport is now "Virgin Galactic Gateway" 204.16.188.4 (talk) 20:14, 18 October 2011 (UTC)

NPOV violation
The "Future" section seems to be strongly POV. -- GW_SimulationsUser Page 11:39, 7 October 2006 (UTC)

Early History of Spaceport America

The Southwest Regional Spaceport (aka Spaceport America) was founded in 1990 by Dr. Burton Lee and Bernie McCune. Lee proposed the original spaceport concept, authored the first business and strategic plans, and secured seed funding in the form of $1.4 million in congressional earmarks (through the office of Sen. Pete Domenici) for the initial feasibility studies. The Southwest Regional Spaceport Task Force was created in 1992 by Dr. Ave Tombes, then VP for Research and Economic Development at NMSU, after NMSU had received $950k in grant funds out of the above-mentioned $1.4 million.

Shorter names in Spaceport template

 * Regarding the template Spaceport used on this page, please join the discussion at Template talk:Spaceport.
 * (sdsds - talk) 23:20, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

Article needs a map
This article would really benefit from two good maps. 1) a context map of the Spaceport location in the USA/New Mexico with Sierra and Doña Ana counties and White Sands Missile Range shown, and 2) a site diagram of the NMSA property with the two main field areas (horizontal launch area and vertical launch area) and runway noted. Fortunately, we now have a public domain source of info for these maps in the recently released US government document here. The four charts that would help any mapmaker are at the beginning of chapter 2 (pp 2-2, 2-6, 2-8 and 2-9; or in the alternative sequential numbering, pages 46-53 of the 501 page document). I have tagged the article for {reqmap}. N2e (talk) 02:36, 25 July 2008 (UTC)
 * Two excellent maps to provide context have been recently added by User:Paalexan. Kudos.  I have removed the reqmap tag. N2e (talk) 01:33, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

Article (still) needs photos
I removed the tag, recently added by a bot, that said in the page summary: "User:PhotoCatBot thinks this article may no longer need a {reqphoto} template. Can you check?"

Yes, I can check. And I did. The article still has no photo documentation at all, not even of the UP Aerospace launch facility that has existed for several years now. Thus, it definitely needs one or two photos that document the current status of the physical spaceport, especially now that construction has begun on the access road and, potentially, site work for the Virgin Galactic termninal building for SpaceShipTwo. There is a large annual public event coming up on April 25th (the Spaceport America "Annual Student Launch Competition"). Perhaps someone who attends that event can post a couple of current photos. N2e (talk) 14:37, 18 April 2009 (UTC)

Construction and Funding Status
Here is another source for construction status, including projection of several specific dates for various parts of the construction to be completed, here:. The link is to an interview with Steve Landeene, who also provides status on funding of the spaceport, as well as launches and tenants. N2e (talk) 13:10, 28 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Yet another construction link here. Road contract has been issued to a local company from Truth or Consequences; terminal building contract will be the next one to go out for bid. N2e (talk) 00:13, 16 November 2009 (UTC)

Missing an image of SA's logo or complex
We still don't have an image of Spaceport America's logo or of it's complex in the infobox. As such a potential important historical development, I think we should. -- EDG161 (talk) 20:04, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Launches
I have removed the 'scheduled' section from the table of launches. As it's empty and unnecessary. Simply dating a launch with its expected date and setting its status as 'TBD' would suffice.

Also, this section is unmaintainable past the completion of the Spaceport America. A comprehensive list of takeoffs from a commercial port is just beyond the scope of any Wikipedia article. 98.14.146.109 (talk) 20:22, 14 December 2009 (UTC)


 * Agreed. I move that we remove that section once the spaceport comes online. There's no way we'll be able to catalog every launch. I feel like some people with a tendency to ramble ran a muck with this article. Thankfully, it's been cleaned up a bit. Spacepace1001 (talk) 03:35, 28 May 2010 (UTC)


 * It's also really just a UP Aerospace launch manifest. That's completely off topic.
 * -66.65.94.53 (talk) 01:08, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

Armadillo Aerospace has announced three launches for this winter (2010-2011)
Armadillo Aerospace has announced three launches at Spaceport America for the winter of 2010-2011. Looks like two will be to below 40 km altitude and one above 40 km. Here's the link to more info: Armadillo Aerospace Plans NASA-Funded Launches from Spaceport America], 2010-09-02, accessed 2010-09-04.

Bloomberg article
Here is a substantive article on the spaceport in Bloomberg business news:   Includes a lot of the initial rosy projections of economic development compared to current reality. Cheers. N2e (talk) 06:06, 31 July 2011 (UTC)

Norman Foster design
Shouldn't it be mentioned that Norman Foster's firm designed the spaceport terminal building? Are there any photos of it already? -- megA (talk) 08:59, 18 October 2011 (UTC)

Hour-long National Geographic documentary on Spaceport America
The spaceport has a full documentary devoted to its' two-year-long construction project in this National Geographic TV video: Megastructures:  Spaceport America on National Geographic Channel's MegaStructures show. The documentary is a one-hour TV format (which allows for advertisements; so is 45 minutes of actual video content). Copyright and title info is at the end of the video (last thirty seconds or so); copywright date was 2011. Might be useful as a source to improve the article. Cheers. N2e (talk) 02:01, 13 August 2012 (UTC)

Virgin Galactic may walk away
The excitement never ends. Cheers. N2e (talk) 19:54, 13 December 2012 (UTC)
 * AP: Virgin Galactic future at Spaceport uncertain, 12 Dec 2012
 * Capitol Report New Mexico: Only $1.5-$2 million in clawbacks for Spaceport should Virgin Galactic leave


 * There is a very useful historical perspective on the entire spaceport adventure since the late 2000s, published recently in the space press: A (New) Mexican Standoff at the Old Spaceport, Parabolic Arc, 14 Jan 2013.  Includes extensive documentation from public records and the Virgin/NewMexico contract documents that show Virgin Galactic's annual costs for the use of the spaceport, VG's employment projections, and annual spaceport revenue under a variety of situations, over the next couple of decades, and paint a tough picture for the New Mexico taxpayers' investment in the spaceport.  N2e (talk) 17:06, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

Funding problems
Don't have time to update the article just now, but seems that this is a very important change illustrating funding problems: Tax Intended to Fund Spaceport America Construction Now Funding Operations, January 2014. N2e (talk) 15:04, 31 January 2014 (UTC)

Sources for article update
Here's one: Officials share plans for Spaceport:  2014 to be a year of testing, Las Cruces Bulletin, 25 April 2014. Includes info on the holdup due to "from scratch" rocket motor development programs (yes, appears to be plural). So one seems to be the new/revised fuel (Nylon?) for the Hybrid engine and the other the liquid rocket engine development program that Virgin Galactic has undertaken. N2e (talk) 12:58, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

Needs a reorg
This page is sorely in need of a reorg. The page has been treated as a political football and not an encycolpedic entry. Should look similar to other recent airport wiki pages i.e. DIA etc. 108.81.226.148 (talk) 18:11, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

Yeah it needs an update badly. its all really old content Lexus Carter (talk) 17:50, 1 May 2019 (UTC)

The citizens (and politicians) are restless...
Looks like the funding smoke and mirrors, using spaceport bond-related taxes to operate the unprofitable (low usage) spaceport on an annual basis rather than paying off the finance bonds as intended, is wearing thin for some in New Mexico. Here's a link to a source: http://www.parabolicarc.com/2016/02/03/state-senator-seeks-spaceport-america-tax-relief-local-residents/ Probably would improve the article to reflect the political unrest in NM and amongst local taxpayers after years of SPA being an apparently bad move on the part of the politicos and business-folk who championed it. N2e (talk) 22:26, 3 February 2016 (UTC)


 * Continued conflict being described in the local press between the government agents who run the spaceport and the local denizens who are on the hook for the taxes: How much secrecy does Spaceport America need?, Las-Cruces Sun News, August 2017.  This source also seems to have updated info on who / what companies are leasing space at Spaceport America.  N2e (talk) 12:01, 18 September 2017 (UTC)

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