NEW MEXICO VOTERS SAY SPACEPORT TAX
A GO-FOR-LAUNCH

No it’s not another AREA 51 or a new hideout for UFO’s. This spaceport is for you and me and Uncle Sam.

On April 22nd, 2008 Sierra County, New Mexico residents voted by a 2-1 margin to pay a gross receipts tax to help build Spaceport America, according to unofficial returns from today's election.

Sierra County now joins Doña Ana County, which already passed the gross receipts tax, as ready to form a legal entity to issue bonds for infrastructure as the spaceport.

"It's huge," Steve Landeene, executive director of Spaceport America, told KRQE News 13. "I've been blessed with the Sierra County community embracing Space-port America. (More about the new tax at KRQE.com)

Spaceport America, a concept first championed by Dr. Burton Lee of Stanford University and New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici, broke ground April 4th, 2006. The facility was first envisioned to bring government and commercial orbital launch and recovery operations and infrastructure to southern New Mexico.

Spaceport America's first successful commercial launch was on April 28, 2007. This "SL-2" mission, carried a wide range of educational experiments and commercial payloads into space aboard the UP Aerospace Loft XL launch vehicle.
(UP Aerospace website)

It has since also gained attention for being the proposed first North American space-tourism hub for Virgin Galactic. The firm owned by Richard Branson plans to launch its first flight of Spaceship Two in 2009.
(Photos of Spaceship Two)

Additional Info:

Virgin Galactic Homepage

Spaceport America Homepage

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