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May 22, 2021: Virgin Galactic makes history in New Mexico

History was made today in New Mexico, as the Land of Enchantment became the third U.S. state to launch humans into space.

Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity sent two pilots and NASA technology supported experiments in space. Today's flight marked three firsts - it is the first spaceflight from Virgin Galactic's headquarters at Spaceport America; it's the first time humans have flown into space from the state of New Mexico and C.J. Sturckow is now the first astronaut to fly into space from three different U.S. states.....

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham says today's flight is a game changer, and will open the doors for commercial space flights from New Mexico.

Whether you are an investor, a manufacturer, a traveler or an astronomer, the space industry has never been as attractive as it is today. The forecast for its growth is astounding.

For example, Morgan Stanley projects the Space industry’s revenues to grow to more than $1 trillion by 2040. In its report titled Space: Investing in The Final Frontier, the author suggests that declining launch costs, advances in technology and rising public-sector interest will likely position space exploration as the next trillion-dollar industry.

Costs will progressively decrease by reusable rockets, mass production of satellites, and maturity of satellite technology. To put this into perspective, where it once cost ~$200 million to launch a satellite, today it costs ~ $60 million, with the potential to drop to $5 million. Additionally, satellite mass production could reduce costs to $500K, the Morgan Stanley report suggests.

“Before such US entrepreneurs as Elon Musk (SpaceX), Jeff Bezos (Blue Origin) and Richard Branson (Virgin Galactic), space exploration was almost completely driven by the government and a handful of Fortune 100 traditional aerospace companies, including Boeing, Northrup Grumman and Lockheed Martin”, says Dan Schatzman, CEO of Jaguar Precision Machine (JPM). He continued, “One of the fastest growing industries in the world is the space industry. It is an immense universe and there is plenty of room for all of us. The new players are leveraging miniaturized technologies which make access to space more efficient, lighter and less expensive.” He adds, “I don’t see new manufacturing companies getting into the market as competition. Instead, it looks more like a larger and better infrastructure to help the US companies grow this infinite market and it is critical that the USA continue to be the leader in space!” Director, Office of Space Commerce U.S. Department of Commerce, says, “The race for the 2060 space economy is on, and competition is not a detriment because it stimulates innovations that benefit all of humanity. This is possible when it is fueled by adaptive U.S. government policies, strong private sector entrepreneurship, a strong finance and insurance ecosystem, an inspired and growing workforce, and effective partnerships. As the global partner of choice, the US and its allies stand to prevail and maintain the lion’s share in the economy. However, this race is much less about market share than it is about the norms, values, and behaviors that will carry us into the heavens to explore the Moon and other planets and will create breath-taking new capabilities to improve our lives back on Earth for all of humanity. We simply cannot fail in this race!”

New Mexico has a rich history in the space industry. Robert Goddard, inventor of the liquid fuel rocket, early on recognized its suitability for space research. What made the state particularly well suited for rocket launches were its large expanse of flat open space, little vegetation to catch on fire, few people to be frightened or injured, good weather throughout the year, power availability, access to rail and air transportation, and higher elevation for fuel conservation.

In 1930, Goddard moved to Roswell, NM and his first rocket launch that year reached an astounding altitude of 2000 feet and a speed of 500 miles an hour. A decade later he launched the first manmade vehicle to travel faster than the speed of sound and sent a rock to an altitude of nearly 9000 feet.

For the same reasons Goddard selected New Mexico for its test site, in 1945 the US Army established the first atmosphere testing rocket

Spaceport America Dan Schatzman, CEO JPM

Today, New Mexico has three key Space Force organizations that work in space operating at Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB): The Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO), the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC). The state also boasts two Department of Energy National Laboratories: Sandia National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The FAA designated a number of ‘Spaceports’ throughout the US, all with a runway for horizontal take-offs and landings. New Mexico has its own Spaceport, called ‘Spaceport America’. It is located on 18,000 acres in Sierra County near Elephant Butte Lake. Spaceport America, owned and operated by the state, is the world’s first ‘purpose-built’ commercial spaceport designed and constructed specifically for commercial users. While the first rocket to launch from Spaceport America took place 15 years ago, today it has seen more than 300 launches. Its tenants include Virgin Galactic, SpinLaunch, AeroVironment’s UAV project HAPSMobile, and UP Aerospace. Its customers include Boeing, Swift Engineering, C6 Launch Systems, ABL and WSRD, LLC. The facility is frequently used for STEM education projects for students of all ages.

In February 2020 Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo, a custom-built, four-engine, dual-fuselage jet aircraft, designed to carry SpaceShipTwo (an air-launched suborbital spaceplane type designed for space tourism) up to an altitude of ~50,000 feet) moved to Spaceport America, and months later, Virgin Galactic carried out its 1st and 2nd successful glide flight of its spaceship. Virgin Galactic held its first successful human spaceflight from Spaceport America in May 2021.

Also last year, Aerovironment’s HAPSMobile, a joint venture with Japan’s SoftBank Corp., announced that it has chosen Spaceport America for test operations and development of a specialized communications platform.

Casey Anglada DeRaad, founder/CEO of NewSpace New Mexico, says, “Our state personifies the essential spirit of the aerospace revolution – from our world-class commercial Spaceport with access to over 6,000 square miles of protected airspace to the dozens of cutting-edge tech companies who are tackling some of the universe’s greatest challenges. New Mexico’s intellectual capital and access to key federal resources are second to none.”

She adds, “The adoption of the Internet made Silicon Valley what it is today. It is not far-fetched to say that New Mexico with it’s many space assets will be the The US government has made significant investments in space through NASA, and with NASA increasingly relying on private companies for goods and services, it means very good things for spacefocused companies. Today there are more than 200 manufacturers in Aerospace in the Space Valley (from Brownsville, Texas to Denver, Colorado), making parts for space. Spaceport America is right in the center of the Space Valley.

There are many places an individual can invest in space today. For example, there are ETFs like UFO, ARKX, and individual stocks such as Virgin Galactic (SPCE) available on the stock market exchanges. In addition, people can invest privately in things like the Space Fund, which is rapidly becoming the world’s leading space venture capital company. Its team started the LaunchPad fund in 2019 as a proof of concept to demonstrate its ability to find, navigate, and capitalize on deal flow that may be elusive to those outside of the insular next generation space community.

“We balance our excitement about what is and will be happening in space with a deep and thorough vetting process,” said SpaceFund managing partner and co-founder Meagan Crawford. “We don’t chase rockets, satellite swarms, or shiny objects. Instead, we find brilliant teams with game changing technologies and solid business plans. While some of them may not seem glamorous, they are the foundational elements of a rapidly rising space economy.”

Casey shares Dan’s enthusiasm for the market potential for space in the state. She says, “There are a variety of in-state space companies that range in size from large prime contractors to innovative high–tech startups some of which have started via government contracts. New companies are starting in our state with private investment. New Mexico has over 140 companies working in the space industry. Virgin Galactic, the anchor tenant of Spaceport America, is gearing up to take tourists to space. Virgin Galactic has over 600 space enthusiasts signed up for its flights, at a cost of $250,000 per person.”

Dan says: “Whether you are investing as an individual or your company is already in the Aerospace industry, the changes in technologies are transforming our world here on earth. When Galveston Port was established as a principal port and gateway to the Southwest in Texas, during the 19th century, it helped transform Houston into one of the largest and influential cities in the United States. Please note: Before the invention of central air conditioning in 1902, Houston only had one High School. I use this analogy because the new technologies of Space have changed the world and Spaceport America is our gateway to Space like the Galveston port to the Gulf of Mexico. These shifts in technology will help transform New Mexico into a renowned space transportation hub. “

To learn more and to capitalize on the vast universe called space, particularly in New Mexico, visit newspacenm.org, spaceportamerica.com and Spacefund.com