Undaunted in the Desert

摘要

The futuristic-looking terminal hangar rising from the New Mexico desert north of Las Cruces testifies to the success the state has had in making Spaceport America a reality. Championed by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and financed by a combination of state and local funding, a portion of which voters agreed to provide in the form of a sales receipts tax, the $209 million facility boasts a high-profile anchor tenant in Virgin Galactic, Sir Richard Branson's venture that aims to take paying tourists into suborbital space. Virgin Galactic is testing its SpaceShipTwo rocket plane, whose fully developed WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft will take off from Spaceport America's 3-kilometer-long runway. The company hopes to begin commercial operations in the next few years but is not being specific about its timetable. In the meantime, the New Mexico state legislature in March 2010 passed informed consent legislation intended to provide companies operating from the facility a measure of protection against lawsuits filed by their customers.