Spaceport America

The world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport is right here in New Mexico. It is the operational headquarters for Virgin Galactic, Sir Richard Branson’s American spaceflight company, and where its maiden suborbital spaceflight took place in 2018. You may recall the headlines. Branson beat out Jeff Bezos and his Blue Origin launch by just a couple of weeks to become the first billionaire to reach the edge of space. 

We had been wanting to take a tour of Spaceport America for some time, and finally did so last week. As the site is an active test facility and closed to public access, the only way to see it is to go through Final Frontier Tours, a company contracted to give private tours. Tours are offered only on Friday mornings from Las Cruces or on Saturdays from Truth or Consequences. We chose the later as T or C is closer to us at about 2.5 hours away. 

From the Visitor Center in T or C we boarded a mini-bus with eight other paying customers, along with two excellent tour guides who through the course of the morning gave us an overview of the history of the area and the Spaceport itself. It was a 40-minute ride out to the middle of nowhere. And why, exactly, was this location selected for the spaceport? The remote, unpopulated area has 340 days of sunshine and low humidity for year-round launches. It is adjacent to White Sands Missile Range, which provides access to 6,000 sq. miles of restricted airspace, and can provide services like telemetry, radar, optical tracking and more. And at approximately 4,600 feet above sea level, it gives customers a nearly one-mile head start of “free” altitude towards reaching space. 

Upon arriving, one of the first things we saw was Genesis, an 11,000-pound, 40-foot-long by 5-foot-deep steel sculpture installed in a roundabout at the entrance of the property. Inlaid into the metal of the large arc facing upward are round glass pieces containing mirrors that represent the stars. Sculptor Otto Rigan used a pattern that copies the stars seen over the spaceport in the summer sky. 

We also got to see a full-scale model of VSS Unity which sat outside near the entrance. We wish were were able to see and photograph the actual VSS Unity that launched, but we were restricted from really seeing it due to security reasons. It was in the hangar, and we only caught glimpses of it, but no photos were allowed. You know, possible corporate espionage and all that. 

And actually, the main disappointment with the tour is that it didn’t show us more “space” stuff. We got to see office areas and the main launch control room, which was surprisingly small and uncomplicated. Unlike NASA’s huge Mission Control in Houston, Spaceport America’s control room is comparatively tiny. Since the 1960s, technology has gotten faster, more efficient, and — most importantly — much smaller to perform the same functions. And given that there is no air traffic to contend with, no one needs to watch for that. But the tour guides could only show us what is made available to them, and they go out of their way to provide a really great experience for people.

Two experiential things stood out. The first was a behind-the-scenes glimpse into what fire and rescue crews do at the spaceport. We were able to climb into one of their giant rigs and even don some of their gear. It was pretty neat. Boy was that helmet heavy.

The second for those brave enough to try was the option to use the G Shock centrifugal trainer. Uh, yeah, no. Hard pass for me. Really hard pass. I can’t ride a roller coaster without feeling nauseous for a day. At first, Todd wasn’t so sure he wanted to do it, but in the end, he and another guy were the first two to give it a go. It lasted way longer than I thought. I was impressed with how well they did.

Todd says this about the experience (and then see him in the video below):

“If you like roller coasters and you don’t mind being thrown every which way, the G Shock is kind of fun. They said that we hit 2 G’s (2 times the force of gravity) on our run. We were told that real pilots and astronauts endure much higher forces during flight, up to 15 G’s. I can’t imagine!

Oddly, though I was repeatedly spun around and turned upside down several times, I never had the sensation of blood rushing to my head, nor did I feel faint. And I wasn’t dizzy when it ended.

Strap in, hold on, and if you don’t make sure your pockets are empty before you begin, they probably will be when you finish.”

While Virgin Galactic is the anchor tenant at Spaceport America, there are other long-lease tenants including UP Aerospace and SpinLaunch among others. Many commercial photoshoots and films have taken place at the spaceport as well. Not surprisingly several have been for race cars and auto manufacturers who take advantage of the 12,000 foot x 200 foot concrete runway. And earlier this year, the USAF Thunderbirds did winter training at the spaceport. All in all, it was an interesting tour and one we’d recommend to those with an interest in this kind of place.