Earthly financial realities cause New Mexico's spaceport to fall short of the stars
Skift Take
While New Mexico can count on Virgin Galactic, it can't count on the legislature to pass laws that would exempt manufacturers from liability if something goes wrong, and that's keeping other operators away.
New Mexico Tourism Secretary Monique Jacobson says it will be New Mexico's Sydney Opera House. Virgin Galactic Chairman Richard Branson has hinted it will host the first of his new brand of lifestyle hotels. And the eclectic hot springs town of Truth or Consequences has been anxiously awaiting all the economic development the nearly quarter-of-a-billion-dollar project is supposed to bring to this largely rural part of southern New Mexico.
But as phase one of Spaceport America, the world's first commercial port built specifically for sending tourists and payloads into space, is nearing completion, the only new hotel project that has been finalized is a Holiday Inn Express here in Truth or Consequences, about 25 miles away. And three key companies with millions of dollars in payroll have passed on developing operations in the state.
[caption id="attachment_24474" align="alignright" width="420"] This Oct. 17, 2011 file photo shows British billionaire Sir Richard Branson drinking champagne after repelling down the side of the new Spaceport America hangar in Upham, N.M. Photo by AP Photo/Matt York.[/caption]
The lagging development, along with competition from heavy hitters like Florida and Texas, is raising new questions about the
