By Evan Ackerman
Despite my still tender age of twentysomething, I never thought I’d live to see the construction of an honest-to-goodness commercial spaceport. But by 2010, Spaceport America should be completed and operational out in the New Mexico desert (somewhere around here). The winning design is a 100,000 square foot, $31 million facility designed to be a “Destination Experience,” which is supposed to mean that (since you probably can’t afford a ticket) you’ll be happy just visiting. I’m not too sure about that, but the building is pretty neat looking in a Star Warsy sort of way, and it’s promised to be environmentally friendly and energy efficient. The primary tenant is going to be Virgin Galactic (no surprise there), but the building will also serve as headquarters for the XPrize Cup and the Rocket Racing League.
[ Spaceport America ] VIA [ Space.com ]
