New Mexico legislature advances spaceport sale bill
A state bill to sell Spaceport America, New Mexico’s spaceport built to service Virgin Galactic’s oft-delayed space tourism business, has advanced out of its first committee.
The bill still needs to clear two more committees before it gets a floor vote, but considering the lack of progress at Virgin Galactic, I would not be surprised if it passes. The high hopes that created this spaceport a decade ago have now faded into a boondoggle that New Mexico probably can no longer afford.
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A state bill to sell Spaceport America, New Mexico’s spaceport built to service Virgin Galactic’s oft-delayed space tourism business, has advanced out of its first committee.
The bill still needs to clear two more committees before it gets a floor vote, but considering the lack of progress at Virgin Galactic, I would not be surprised if it passes. The high hopes that created this spaceport a decade ago have now faded into a boondoggle that New Mexico probably can no longer afford.
Readers!
My annual February birthday fund-raising drive for Behind the Black is now over. Thank you to everyone who donated or subscribed. While not a record-setter, the donations were more than sufficient and slightly above average.
As I have said many times before, I can’t express what it means to me to get such support, especially as no one is required to pay anything to read my work. Thank you all again!
For those readers who like my work here at Behind the Black and haven't contributed so far, please consider donating or subscribing. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
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On the other hand, a non-government operator of the spaceport may provide better service with faster response times for current and future tenants than a bureaucratic government-run operation could. Although this could be a disappointment and immediate loss of money for the state of New Mexico, I think that the businesses that a spaceport will attract will eventually generate enough tax revenue to recover the state’s initial investment, even though the state wouldn’t profit directly from owning the spaceport.
Sad, it has come this, but the state failed to understand and anticipate the risks of the spaceport. I agree Edward that the spaceport will eventually produce fruit. I suspect a commercially viable spaceport will arise in California because of geography and the presence f technology firms there.
Wouldn’t launches from California pose the risk of any falling debris landing in populated areas?
I thought that was why we tried to launch from Texas and Florida. To take advantage of the Earths rotation and the fact that all the rockets launch over water.
The only thing truly viable to launch from NM is the sub orbital flights Virgin first tried. Straight up and straight down.