Jeff Bezos’ space tourism company Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX also have launch sites at similarly remote locations.įollowing the success of two flights in the summer of 2023, Virgin Galactic announced a schedule of regular monthly commercial spaceflights launching from Spaceport America.įor residents of Sierra County, this announcement fulfills a promise decades in the making, said Bruce Swingle, former city manager of Truth or Consequences, and former county manager for Sierra County. Low population density is one of the prerequisites for a usable, operational launch site, according to Charles Hurley, the public information officer for Spaceport America. ![]() Located on 18,000 acres of land adjacent to the White Sands Missile Range, the Spaceport is 26 miles from the city of Truth or Consequences (population 6,062), the county seat of Sierra County, and around 25 miles from Elephant Butte. Galactic 02 launched from Spaceport America, “the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport” according to its website. More than 2,500 visitors toured Spaceport America last year. Visitors pose for photos outside of Spaceport America. ![]() The launch was Virgin Galactic’s second commercial flight, known as ‘ Galactic 02’, which carried three private passengers as well as the flight crew 55 miles above the earth to the boundaries of space. “We could hear the rocket ignite-it was right overhead-and you could see the contrail, at first going horizontally and then straight up in the air,” said Kim Skinner, mayor pro tempore of Elephant Butte, in an interview with the Daily Yonder. They were rewarded with the sights-and sounds-of a spaceplane being launched into sub-orbital space. On the morning of August 10 th, 2023, residents of Elephant Butte, New Mexico (population 1,427), stood in their yards, eyes trained on the sky.
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