Spaceport America
Aerospace company · Sierra County
Co Rd A021, Truth or Consequences, NM 87901
Highlights
Futuristic launch complex for commercial spaceflight with tours available
Futuristic launch complex for commercial spaceflight with tours available
"Sir Richard Branson describes his trip to space on Virgin Galactic as the most extraordinary day of his life, highlighting the experience of floating in space and looking back at Earth."
"As the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, the facility’s hangar and shiny glass façade reflect the surrounding golden sand and jagged cliffs of New Mexico. It serves as the operational hub for Virgin Galactic’s suborbital flights — most notably the 'Galactic 02' mission in which VSS Unity carried three private passengers (including 18-year-old Anastasia Mayers, the youngest person to reach space; Keisha Schahaff, who flew with her daughter after winning seats through a Space for Humanity raffle; and 80-year-old former Olympian Jon Goodwin) and three crew to roughly 300,000 feet at about Mach 3 for a roughly 90-minute flight. Visitors undergo several months of astronaut training in a bespoke facility with a futuristic, Tron-like entrance, luxurious accommodations and a full-size replica of the spacecraft before experiencing an air launch from 44,000 feet, rocket-powered ascent, minutes of weightlessness and panoramic views through 17 cabin windows, then atmospheric reentry and a glide back to the runway. The site also hosts research missions (including a recent commercial flight with the Italian Air Force), public viewing events that attract international delegations and national celebrations, and acts as the base for the company’s goals to expand access to space with regular flights and next-generation vehicles planned for 2026." - Chris Dong Chris Dong Chris Dong is a travel reporter, editor, and strategist. He covers everything from the latest luxury hotels to the nuances of credit card rewards programs. Previously, Chris was a reporter and newsletter editor at The Points Guy. His work also appears in Lonely Planet, AFAR, The Washington Post, and Business Insider, among others. Chris lives in Los Angeles after spending nearly a decade in New York City. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"The Virgin Galactic experience is different. Its supersonic rocket-powered spaceplane SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity seats six passengers and two highly trained pilots. It takes off on a runway from Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, while strapped to a mothership. At 52,000 feet, it detaches and burns its rocket engine for one minute to reach Mach 3 speeds and touch the edge of space. After a few minutes of weightlessness (and a chance for passengers to see the curvature of Earth against the blackness of space), it glides back to land on a runway." - Travel + Leisure Editors
"The Virgin Galactic experience will begin (and end) at futuristic Spaceport America, whose concrete-and-glass domes rise from the desert in rural New Mexico. Passengers will board SpaceShipTwo, a sleek spaceplane with room for six passengers that begins each flight tethered beneath a twin-fuselage mothership called White Knight Two."
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