Spaceport America
Spaceport America
Spaceport America is a spaceport located in the Jornada del Muerto desert basin in New Mexico, United States just west of the White Sands Missile Range. It lies 90 miles north of El Paso, 45 miles north of Las Cruces, 30 miles (48 km) east of Truth or Consequences. Spaceport America was officially declared open on October 18, 2011.
The site has been described as "the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport" As of October 2009, eight suborbital missions have been successfully launched from the port.
Spaceport America facilities has been designed by world renowned, UK based Foster + Partners who won an international competition to build the first private spaceport in the world.
The sinuous shape of the building in the landscape and its interior spaces seek to capture the drama and mystery of space flight itself, articulating the thrill of space travel for the first space tourists. Making a minimal impact on the environment, the scheme will be the first facility of its kind and a model for the future.
The Spaceport lies low within the desert-like landscape of the site in New Mexico and seen from the historic El Camino Real trail, the organic form of the terminal resembles a rise in the landscape. Using local materials and regional construction techniques, it is both sustainable and sensitive to its surroundings.
