Beam us up, Scotty!
Staring down the barrel of pandemic year three might have you wishing you couldget far , far away . Off - planet , even . “ glow me up , Scotty ” or “ James Webb Telescope stowaway ” far . And in the vast desert of fundamental New Mexico , there ’s a place where you’re able to do just that — or at least , theoretically .
Located just outside the town ofTruth or Consequences , Spaceport Americaopened in 2011 as the world ’s first commercial-grade spaceport . ( Yes , that ’s an aerodrome , but for flying to place . ) Their anchorman tenant , blank touristry companyVirgin Galactic , made account with the launching of theVSS Unity 22 crewed trial run flightback in July 2021 , capture the earthly concern ’s attending andseriously urinate off Jeff Bezos . With two pilots and four crew penis on base — including billionaire laminitis Sir Richard Branson , deemed Astronaut 001 for the mission — SpaceShipTwo fly about five miles beyond the edge of Earth before safely match back down again .
Curtis Rosemond , who leads head tours of the spaceport , witnessed the launch himself . “ The crowd was hushed just before the aircraft left the ground , and then you could hear this garish hollering of applause , ” he said . “ [ When ] VSS Unity successfully touched ground … you could see the crew cheer up from a mile away . You could see some masses with tears of delight running down their face . It was a day that I will always remember . ”
The future is now.|Photo courtesy of Spaceport America
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“ So many have order Unity 22 was reminiscent of watching the first historical moon landing place , ” said Aleanna Crane , Virgin Galactic ’s VP , Communications . “ Which is incredible to think about , as it was that very here and now that first inspired Richard Branson to pursue distance change of location . ”
It was Branson himself who , just after the flight , perhaps best summed up the present moment ’s significance : " Welcome to the dawn of a new space age . ”
With cosmic tourism farm more touchable by the day , here ’s everything you postulate to know about Spaceport America , why New Mexico is the succeeding home of space travel , and how long it ’ll be before you ’re holiday alongside the astronauts .
Why is Spaceport America based in Truth or Consequences?
At about 45 minutes from downtown T or C , Spaceport America is , at best , in the middle of nowhere . At worst , it ’s in the cactus - and - rattlesnake - fulfill part of the 1,590 - mileEl Camino Real de Tierra Adentrothat Spanish conquistador once called the Jornada del Muerto , or “ Dead Man ’s Journey . ”
It may seem an odd choice to found a spaceport in rural New Mexico : one of the least populous states in the Union , many hoi polloi have never been , and some others think you need a passport to impose ( nope , it ’s part of the US ! ) . But the region ’s foresightful story of scientific breakthroughs make it a solid candidate as the next dwelling of quad travelling .
During the XL , the government studied early rocketry in nearbyWhite Sands ; here , they launched the rocket that captured the first - ever pic of Earth take from distance and detonated the first nuclear bomb atTrinity Test Site . White Sands conducts mystic test to this twenty-four hour period , making it a extremely protect military base and a no - tent flap zone — meaning Spaceport America does n’t need any air traffic control , since there are no other aircraft for knot around ( assumingNew Mexico ’s famous UFOsdon’t decide to make an visual aspect ) .
“Where else would you build Spaceport America?"|Photo courtesy of Spaceport America
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On top of that , the spaceport sit at an elevation of 4,595 feet , mean spaceships do n’t need to fly as far to start the aura . ( The local joke is that “ the first mile ’s for free . ” ) Plus , there ’s the weather condition : According to the local chamber of commerce , the surface area revel “ sunshine for an average of 350 24-hour interval per year , low humidness , and no air defilement , ” all of which is important for launches : clouds , fog , smogginess , rain , and storm make dangerous conditions that can frustrate even the well - lay plans .
“ The wide area of assailable res publica , the clean air space , the excellent weather , ” Branson said at the dedication ceremony for the runway . “ Where else would you build Spaceport America ? ” And besides , if tourists will go out of their fashion to see theWorld ’s Largest Ball of Twine , it ’s surely secure to take they ’ll drive an hour into the desert to go to suborbital space .
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What can you do at Spaceport America?
Beyond Virgin Galactic ’s flights , the spaceport host engine testing , drone testing , and rocket engine launch by communications and defence company . One society evensends the deceased into space : you’re able to choose to memorialise your late know 1 by launching their ashes out and back or by straight - up send them into distance forever . In fact , the first successful launching at Spaceport America primarily carry cremated human clay , admit those of astronaut Gordon Cooper andStar Trekactor James Doohan , who played Scotty .
Really . Scotty wasliterallybeamed up from New Mexico .
Virgin designed the interior of the primary depot and hangar — the “ Gateway to Space”—which houses pre - flight facilities for astronauts , a bid center , and a eating house for families of the astronauts to relax in while their loved I zip out into the mesosphere and back . There ’s also a little museum that chronicle the account and eco - friendly design of the spaceport , and a zero - gravity simulator that ’ll give you the nauseatingly real feeling of a space launching .
presently , the Spaceport is technically closed to the public , but you cantake a tour with Curtis Rosemond ’s company Final Frontier , the only group license to take visitors inside . A enlistment includes an insider peep at the command heart and soul , the terminal construction , and the Brobdingnagian fire and saving center , where you get to meet the firefighter and paramedics and climb around in province - of - the - prowess fire trucks , which is frankly splendid .
When can I go to space?
With one successful launching on the books , quad tourism for the masses feels close at script than ever before . Though it ’s nowhere near chintzy mightily now — tickets be a bare $ 450,000 / seat , the sort of spare modification we’resureyou could find stuck between your sofa cushions correctly now — Virgin Galactic claim it wants to make space travel accessible to daily travelers as presently as potential .
Aleanna Crane says the fellowship is on trend to begin commercial flight at the end of 2022 and plan to add a second spaceship , VSS Imagine , to its fleet in early 2023 . “ We expect to launch commercial-grade service in Q4 of [ 2022 ] , achieving our prospicient - terminal figure sight of offering routine , reliable , and safe access to distance . By that meter , we anticipate confirming our first 1,000 private cosmonaut , welcome them into our Future Astronaut community , of which we already have 700 . ”
There are — clearly — ethical and environmental care around space touristry , and some have criticized billionaire - funded place syllabus as frivolous and irresponsible when climate modification and wealth inequality threatens humanity on a global graduated table . Spaceport America ’s executive film director , Scott McLaughlin , argued on the ship’s company ’s podcast that tourism has always been at the forefront of cutting - border technology . “ [ At first ] , it was the wealthy who could open [ cell phones and plane travel ] and that ’s kind of what ’s happening with these scant rides to space . ” ( Whether that justifies the action of the mega - rich isseriouslyup for debate . )
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The next step in space travel , said McLaughlin , will be flying from one spaceport to another ; instead of being weightless for just a few moment , you could be weightless for up to half an hour as you pilot from one side of the populace to the other . Even more next - level , we — mean those with an expendable , uh , $ 5 million for a three - night stop — might soon be able to stay overnight in blank . TheGateway Foundation , in collaboration withOrbital Assembly , latterly announcedplans to reach the first distance hotel by 2027 , describe it as “ a name and address hotel , a abject Earth orbit cruise ship , or a metropolis in space , ” with hotel way , restaurants , usage facilities , bars , research pod , and more .
Until then , space tourism done from the ground can whet your appetence for exploring the empyrean . Along withFinal Frontier ’s regular tours , hit White Sands National Park forsuperior stargazingandbi - one-year digression to Trinity Test Site ; venture east to Roswell to spot theextraterrestrials we might shortly call neighbour ; or let Truth or Consequences be your jumping - off distributor point to the titanic satellite dishful of the Very magnanimous Array . All of the above make it vindicated why New Mexico has long been a prime seat to get acquainted with the cosmos .
Check out the spaceport museum or try out a zero-gravity simulator.|Photo courtesy of Spaceport America
Coming soon: space tourism for all.|Photo courtesy of Spaceport America
