Lifestyle / Travel

Branson opens world’s first ‘spaceport’ in New Mexico

Richard Branson on Monday opened the world’s first-ever commercial spaceport in the New Mexico desert, the new home for his company, Virgin Galactic. The eccentric businessman inaugurated the building by breaking a champagne bottle against a hanger building, while rappelling down the side of it. “Spaceport America” awill serve “as the operating hub for Virgin […]

Oct 18, 2011 | By AFPRelaxnews

Spaceport America Foster and Partners

Richard Branson on Monday opened the world’s first-ever commercial spaceport in the New Mexico desert, the new home for his company, Virgin Galactic.

The eccentric businessman inaugurated the building by breaking a champagne bottle against a hanger building, while rappelling down the side of it.

“Spaceport America” awill serve “as the operating hub for Virgin Galactic and is expected to house up to two WhiteKnightTwos and five SpaceShipTwos, in addition to all of Virgins astronaut preparation facilities and mission control.”

Spaceport America Foster Partners

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About 150 people already booked for travel on the first flights to orbit attended the event, said the company.

Spaceport Foster and Partners

Also attending were head of Virgin Galactic George Whitesides, commercial director Stephen Attenborough, and famed US astronaut — and second human being to step on the moon — Buzz Aldrin.

Spaceport America photo

Branson last month said he hoped to launch a vessel into space within the next 12 months, which he said would kick off an era of commercial space travel.

New Virgin Galactic Spaceport

 

“The mother ship is finished… The rocket tests are going extremely well, and so I think that we’re now on track for a launch within 12 months of today.”

Spaceport America

“About an hour between Los Angeles and London is not completely out of the question,” Branson said, adding that it will likely take many years before the company can offer such a service.

Spaceport America Richard Branson New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez

In the meantime, Virgin has sold some 430 tickets for space travel — at $200,000 a pop — for an estimated $86 million.

Spaceport America Richard Branson champagne

A number of private companies are rushing to fill the gap left by NASA, which ended its 30-year shuttle program in July with the completion of the final Atlantis mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

Source: AFPrelaxnews

Spaceport America Richard Branson


 
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