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Southwest Regional Spaceport is the planned name of the U.S.'s first built-from-scratch commercial spaceport. The spaceport site comprises 27 square miles of desert land near Upham, New Mexico, approximately 45 miles north of Las Cruces, and 30 miles east of Truth or Consequences. The $225 million venture was announced in mid-December 2005 in Santa Fe. Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic plans to launch its first flight from the spaceport in 2009. Virgin has already collected its $200,000 per-person fee from the first 100 passengers. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A spaceport is a site for launching spacecraft, by analogy with airport for aircraft. ... Upham New Mexico is the planned site for the Southwest Regional Spaceport. ... Las Cruces is a city located in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,267, making the city the second largest in the state. ... Truth or Consequences is a city located in Sierra County, New Mexico. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir Richard Branson during the announcement of the Virgin Express airline which would compete with Ryanair and EasyJet. ... Virgin Galactic is a spaceline in Sir Richard Bransons Virgin Group, which plans to offer sub-orbital spaceflights and later orbital spaceflights to the paying public. ... 2009 (MMIX) will be a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

It was reported on April 4, 2006 that construction at the spaceport site had started, with the first unmanned launches expected in fall 2006. The Connecticut firm of UP Aerospace, with their SpaceLoft series of suborbital sounding rockets are expected to be among the first users of the new facilities. April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A sub-orbital spaceflight (or sub-orbital flight) is a spaceflight that does not involve putting a vehicle into orbit. ... A sounding rocket is an instrument carrying suborbital rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its flight. ...

Once completed, the Southwest Regional Spaceport is expected to be the venue for the annual X Prize Cup suborbital spaceflight competitions. The X Prize Cup is an annual competition, hosted in New Mexico, in which private, piloted spacecraft will compete for prizes. ...

Maps & Directions

• Google Local satellite map of Upham, New Mexico
• Topographic map of Upham, New Mexico from TopoZone
• Photolog of trip to spaceport site by David Simmons (dated February 19, 2006, roughly one month prior to start of construction)

References

• Popular Science, March 2006, pg.34
• USA Today, 22 March 2006, pg.3B
• Spaceport launches forecast for the fall, KOBTV, April 2006

This article is not about the magazine, Popular Science Popular science is interpretation of science intended for a general audience, rather than for other scientists or students. ...

See also

• Mojave Spaceport
• Singapore spaceport
• Ras Al Khaimah spaceport

Mojave Airport, storage location for commercial airliners. ... Space Adventures has proposed a USD$115 million spaceport to be located in Singapore, near Changi Airport. ... The Ras Al Khaimah spaceport will be located in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates. ...

External links

• Spaceport page at New Mexico Economic Development Department
• New Mexico Spaceport blog by Mike McConnell
• UP Aerospace
• Virgin Galactic
• Spaceports blog