Living In Las Cruces- Spring/Summer 2008

STATE OF NEW MEXICO

ByCharlotte Tallman
Images Courtesy of Spaceport America

Deep channels leading in for astronauts and visitors to enter surround the
building, which is flat and low-lying with a spaceship-type design and spectacular view of incoming spaceships and outgoing rockets. This is Spaceport America. The future of space is here.

U.S. and British architects and designers with URS Corporation and Foster + Partners, officials from the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) and Virgin Galactic unveiled the design renderings of the 100,000 square-foot Spaceport America at a press conference in September 2007. Construction on the hangar and terminal facility is scheduled to begin in 2008.

The unique spaceport is futuristic, and designed to use the unique desert surroundings, eliminating as much wear and tear to the environment as possible. The spaceport design highlights a low-lying roof, which is actually a rolling concrete shell with large windows providing views of the runway and spacecraft, in an attempt to resemble a rise in the landscape. Also included in the design is the use of a berm, or a mound of natural earth used as a barrier and to provide insulation. The spaceport will use passive
energy for heating and cooling and be equipped with solar panels for electricity and water recycling capabilities.

"The design created by the URS/Foster team is outstanding in the way it blends in with the environment, creating a shape that is both distinctive and functional while complementing the landscape," says Kelly O'Donnell, Chair of the NMSA.

The spaceport is estimated to cost about $31 million, and once built will house visitor areas, along with Virgin Galactic's pre-flight and post-flight training facilities and lounges and a maintenance hanger for space aircraft. The building will also be home to the NMSA.

Construction of Spaceport America will begin in 2008, immediately after the FAA issues the site operator's license to the NMSA. Completion is expected in late 2009 or early 2010.

Doña Ana County taxpayers will help with approximately $49 million for the overall cost of $198 million for the spaceport after voting for a spaceport tax. Passage of the tax will lead to an additional 25-cent charge on a $100 purchase in Doña Ana County, which began in January 2008.