Spaceport America: Launching Over 300 Rockets into Space from New Mexico
With commercial space flights becoming more common, New Mexico has gained international recognition for its pivotal role in the rapidly advancing space technology industry. A key factor in this attention is Spaceport America.
Located west of the White Sands Missile Range in Sierra County, New Mexico, Spaceport America holds the distinction of being the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport. It is owned by the State of New Mexico and operated by the New Mexico Spaceport Authority.
Spanning 18,000 acres, the spaceport features a 12,000-by-200-foot runway and access to 6,000 square miles of restricted airspace. It serves as a base for numerous tenants, both long-term and short-term, including notable companies like Virgin Galactic, UP Aerospace, AeroVironment/HAPSMobile, and SpinLaunch.
One of Spaceport America’s unique advantages is its location at an elevation of approximately 4,600 feet above sea level, providing a nearly one-mile head start for launches into space.
Although Spaceport America received its license to launch in December 2008, the first phase of its construction wasn’t completed until the fiscal year 2016. The total cost of the project reached $218.5 million, with $142 million coming from state-allocated funds and an additional $76.4 million from local spaceport gross receipt taxes.
As of 2024, more than 300 rockets have been launched from Spaceport America, including Virgin Galactic’s historic private passenger spaceflight in June 2023. The spaceport is also home to the Spaceport America Cup, the world’s largest intercollegiate rocket engineering competition, which brings together thousands of students and professionals from across the globe each year.
