Galactic Folly: Can Foster + Partners’ Spaceport America Keep the Lights On?

In 2011, Foster + Partner’s Spaceport America opened in the New Mexican desert with some wild fanfare: Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson propelled down the side of the building, champagne in hand, rockets soaring in the air, to christen the $220-million launchpad of the world’s first civilian spaceflight. Four years down the line and nary a space launch to speak of, the New Mexican local government is starting to question the facility’s worth. Last Thursday, lawmakers voted to advance a bill to sell it off completely, the Associated Press reports.

“I’m beginning to fear that the spaceport is a white elephant that was given to us by a former governor and an international billionaire,” said Republican senator Mark Moores of Albuquerque, referring to Bill Richardson and Branson, respectively. The building itself spans 120,000 square feet, complemented by an additional two-mile-long runway and comprising 18,000 acres of surrounding land. So far, small space start-ups have made use of the large tracts of restricted airspace, but anchor tenant Virgin Galactic has yet to get any of its $250,000-a-ticket flights off the ground and make returns on the investment. The latest setback is a fatal test flight last fall.

“There was a lot of hoopla before that if ‘We build it, they will come,’ but it’s been several years now and nobody’s shown up yet,” Democratic senator George Muñoz of Gallup said in his statement putting forth the measure.

Foster’s stingray-like design looks like a space creature creeping its way out of the desert sand. While its perks include a central hangar flanked by space for administrative offices to the west and flight training and preparation areas to the east, plus amenities aiming for LEED Platinum certification, potential buyers remain unclear, putting New Mexico in a difficult situation.

© Foster + Partners

© Foster + Partners

“I don’t really see a private airport operator buying them, since it would be a very risky investment.,” Bill Ostrove, an industry analyst for Forecast International told Forbes. “It’s possible that no one would buy it. Then the New Mexico government would have to decide if they want to keep funding the spaceport or not.”