Reuters’ Eyes on Richardson

Yesterday, British news agency Reuters released an interview with Governor Richardson about the future of New Mexico’s spaceport. “"This is not just rich people going into space," Richardson said. "We're using the philosophy that if we build it, they will come, and already four companies have committed."

From Nascar to the Stars

Rocket Racing League graces the cover of the February 2006 edition of Popular Science magazine (on newsstands now). The organization, founded by Granger Whitelaw and X-Prize CEO Peter Diamandis,announced Las Cruces, New Mexico, as their world headquarters last week. The cover story describes the future sport: “Soon, if all goes well, 10 rocket-powered planes. . .belching 10-foot-long orange and yellow flames will speed around a two-mile long, 5,000-foot-high racetrack, competing for a $2 million championship purse.”

Forbes Focus: Funding and the Final Frontier

Yesterday, Forbes.com published a special report on the New Space Race. Among the luminaries: New Mexico. Learn more in “The Business of Space”. http://www.forbes.com/2006/01/17/space-tourism-entrepreneurs_cx_de_0118space-intro.html

Stormy Weather in the Sunshine State

Florida Governor Jeb Bush asks the legislature for $55 million to make its space facilities competitive with New Mexico, says Florida Today.
An excerpt: “New Mexico leads the pack of incentive packages with plans to build a $200 million commercial spaceport to host space tourism ventures such as British-owned Virgin Galactic. State Rep. Bob Allen, R-Merritt Island, recently suggested investing at least $250 million for some of the space projects mentioned Wednesday to compete with what he deemed more aggressive states like New Mexico.” Read the entire article: http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060119/NEWS02/601190345/1007

Make Contact

Thursday, January 19 at 8 am is the first public meeting of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority. Speakers include NMEDD Secretary Rick Homans, Virgin Galactic President Will Whitehorn, Chairman of the X-Prize Foundation Peter Diamandis, and founder of the Rocket Racing League Granger Whitelaw. The meeting will center of the future of New Mexico and space commercialization. The agenda welcomes public comment, and future meeting dates will be discussed.

Date: Thursday, January 19, 2006
Time: 8 am
Place: State Land Office Building, Morgan Hall, 310 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM

On Newsstands Now

Progressive business magazine Red Herring announces the article “Rocket Science” in its January 16, 2006 edition. According to their website, “'Rocket Science’
takes a look at the companies seeking to profit by sending space tourists into earth’s orbit as the wealthy class increasingly views rocket rides as the ultimate thrill.” These are the sorts of businesses New Mexico Economic developers seek to attract to our proposed spaceport.

See the preview here: http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=15189

Burt Rutan on CBS 60 Minutes

60 Minutes rang in the new year on their January 1 broadcast by airing a profile of Burt Rutan, the aerospace engineer who designed SpaceShipOne--winner of the Ansari X-Prize and the model for Virgin Galactic’s fleet of spaceplanes to be headquartered at the proposed New Mexico Spaceport.
Rutan said: "There will be a new industry. And we are just now beginning. I will predict that in 12 or 15 years, there will be tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of people that fly, and see that black sky."

Watch the clip: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/26/search/main886284.shtml?searchString=rutan&source=cbsvideos&sort=1&type=any&num=10&offset=0

Watch Ed Bradley’s commentary on Burt Rutan: http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?channel=60Sunday

We Are Not Alone

The New Mexico Economic Development Department and Virgin Galactic aren’t the only folks imagining the day when tourists visit space. Entrepreneur Robert Bigelow’s company, Bigelow Aerospace, is already at work building what might be the first space hotel.
Read more here: http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/05097_bigelow_prep.html

Read a Q&A with Robert Bigelow and Salon.com: http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/06/07/bigelow/

Brangelina Blast Off

While People magazine obsesses over the couple’s bun in the oven, space enthusiasts are talking about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s commitment to the final frontier. The couple recently announced their plans to be among the first on Virgin Galactic.
Read more: http://www.gotravelinsurance.co.uk/public/news.asp?id=15128790