Spaceport America

Spaceport America, located in the Jornada del Muerto desert basin in Sierra County, New Mexico near the town of Truth or Consequences — approximately 45 miles north of Las Cruces — is the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport, designed and constructed as a public infrastructure investment by the State of New Mexico to capture commercial space activity and create economic development in a rural region with limited alternative economic opportunities.

Construction of the $220 million facility, funded primarily by New Mexico state tax revenues and Sierra County bond issuances (voters approved a gross receipts tax specifically to fund it), began in 2009 and completed in 2011 to designs by architectural firm Foster + Partners. The facility's centerpiece is the 100,000-square-foot Gateway to Space terminal and hangar — a distinctive curved, earth-sheltered building integrated into the desert landscape that serves as Virgin Galactic's primary operating base, including the hangar housing VSS Unity and VMS Eve (the carrier aircraft) and all mission control, passenger preparation, and post-flight facilities.

Virgin Galactic is the anchor tenant and has operated commercial spaceflight operations from Spaceport America since 2021. SpaceShipTwo flights depart from Runway 16/34 — a 12,000-foot paved runway that also serves experimental aircraft and horizontal launch vehicles — with VSS Unity carried aloft by VMS Eve before releasing at approximately 50,000 feet altitude and igniting its hybrid rocket motor to reach suborbital space. Following Virgin Galactic's transition to Delta-class spacecraft (VSS Imagine and VSS Inspire), the facility will evolve to support higher-cadence operations.

Beyond Virgin Galactic, Spaceport America hosts UP Aerospace (sounding rocket operator), aerospace testing tenants, and aviation operations. The spaceport's remote location, protected airspace, and federal range coordination agreements make it suitable for experimental vehicle testing. Spaceport America competes with Cecil Spaceport (Florida), Houston Spaceport, and SaxaVord (UK) for horizontal launch tenants.