State paving way to better space travel
Icount myself fortunate to have been involved with Spaceport America since the early days in 2005. Even then, we knew Spaceport America held unlimited opportunity for New Mexico. We also knew it would require patience for that opportunity to come to fruition. Now, we see that potential in reach as we look ahead to 2020 and Virgin Galactic’s inaugural commercial space flight.
Commercial space tourism will be a worldchanging industry. Those who travel into suborbital space will come back as astronauts. This opportunity is a dream come true for people worldwide. Currently, there are more people signed up to fly with Virgin Galactic than there are certified astronauts in the world. This means that people worldwide will be flocking to New Mexico in droves to fulfill their bucket list experience of flying into space, and they’ll bring family and friends with them.
Not only will Virgin Galactic’s first flight — and subsequent flights — place New Mexico in the international spotlight, generating an incredible tourism boom, but it will also pave the way for additional growth and expansion.
We can only imagine the many exciting space developments that will evolve from Spaceport America — vertical rockets carrying payloads into suborbital space … research projects evaluating the effects of space on things animate and inanimate … high-speed inter-spaceport travel … retrieving and reclaiming space junk and debris … rapid troop deployment … and surely much more.
Seven notable aerospace tenants already are in place at Spaceport America, which means huge economic opportunities are on the horizon. New Mexico is truly on the leading edge of the space frontier, and Spaceport America will play a key role in the future of the industry.
As tenants grow and the need for highly skilled workers increases, New Mexico is poised for lucrative job growth and sustained economic growth well into the future. Along with the tourism dollars that Spaceport America will generate, I wholeheartedly believe the spaceport’s tenants and their cutting-edge research will create new industries for New Mexico — industries not even yet imagined — with a huge, positive impact on our economy.
It’s important that we recognize our potential as the world leader in commercial space travel and aerospace research, and not let this opportunity pass us by. We should allocate a significant amount of our current budget surpluses to the development of the aerospace industry and the continued expansion of Spaceport America.
This is the time to put New Mexico on the world map, solidly and permanently — now, while funds are available — to ensure it is sustained as a growing, thriving and enviable industry with unlimited potential for New Mexico, our country and the world as a whole.