D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
June
2009
Spaceport America
Page: 3"But the big appeal of a New Mexico location is remoteness," La Boca went on. "And remoteness is the very feature that boosters and backers would most like to eliminate. They want this project to put them on the map. Undoubtedly the Spaceport promise is great news for real-estate speculators and general contractors in and around T or C. But is that really the point? Probably.
"Lastly, the rocket racing element of the venture seems least worthy of public funding and most farfetched. Yet it adds an element of 'cool' for those who dream of a chance to bring video game skills to bear on real rocket ships." (The Rocket Racing League, as has previously been reported in Desert Exposure, has fallen so far shy of its public promises — seven racing sites by 2008, to name just one — that it seems almost cruel to point this out.)
LIFTOFF!
(But who will pay for the cleanup from the first crash, and where will the survivors be buried?)
Which brings up the point of this article (finally, you might be thinking): Why isn't this money being spent on useful things that will benefit ALL residents of New Mexico? Why aren't we using the money that is being wasted on space joyrides for some of the ideas that Haussamen (a Spaceport supporter) suggests, or working to design a solar- and/or wind-power facility in that same place? Or dividing up the money to school districts that are now all suffering, or creating a recycling plant that could someday be self-supporting? Or even offering the money up for another dubious, albeit more beneficial plan, the state takeover of the at least temporarily defunct College of Santa Fe?
Instead, we'll use it to create a few temporary construction jobs and a few onsite jobs (how many days a week will Spaceport America actually be open when in operation?). The rosy picture of the Spaceport's multi-million-dollar economic effects painted when the project was first proposed already reads as though crafted in some alternate universe (see box) — no wonder nobody mentions those numbers any more.
Jiyul was interviewed in the Los Angeles Times, and the writer describes this moment:
"As she (Jiyul) talks, she spots a tourist peering through a gap in a crooked door at the ancient academy.
"'Why is it,' she asks, 'that people have such curiosity to look inside a place when the doors are closed?'"
Thanks to Coco La Boca for the link to the Los Angeles Times story about Jiyul and to Rep. Jeff Steinborn for supplying the EIS. Calls to the state Spaceport Authority were not returned by deadline. Alex Felsinger did not reply to an email about how he came to choose Spaceport America as one of his "winners."
Senior Writer Jeff Berg says he can usually do little more than shake his head anymore.
Show Me the MoneyAs Desert Exposure first reported in February 2006 ("Have Spacesuit, Will Travel"), the original proposal for what was then called the "Southwest Regional Spaceport" was backed by two economic-impact studies released by the state's economic-development department. An NMSU study concluded that by the fifth year of operation, the Spaceport would hit close to $1 billion in new revenues, creating $350 million in new payroll and generating more than 2,800 new jobs. A second study, by the Futron Corp., a leading aerospace consulting firm, generally looked further into the future, forecasting that New Mexico could gain $752 million in revenue and up to 5,280 new jobs by 2020. Both studies, though now several years out of date, continue to be available on the Spaceport website (www.spaceportamerica.com) Spaceport boosters who liken the project to the Hubble Space Telescope or the International Space Station — scientific projects tough to justify on a purely dollars-and-cents payoff — forget that what's now Spaceport America was never sold as science. In announcing the state's partnership with Virgin Galactic, a beaming Gov. Bill Richardson proclaimed, "I am excited that New Mexico will be on the ground floor of this new industry, and I know this will mean new companies, more high-wage jobs and opportunities that will move our state's economy forward." People for Aerospace, prime backers of Dona Ana County's extra quarter-percent gross-receipts tax, pitched financial benefits, not the final frontier: "This is economic development that benefits an immediate area, and requires local financial investment from residents that stand to benefit from the project." In short, the Spaceport has always been about money. So, almost four years — and countless delays and missed deadlines — later, how well do those starry-eyed economic predictions for the Spaceport hold up?
Construction — The Futron study anticipated Spaceport groundbreaking in 2006, and so forecast $516 million in economic impact and an average of 1,260 jobs created from 2006 to 2008. The NMSU study used a more conservative multiplier, coming up with a $480 million impact, but a slightly higher average job creation of 1,450. Presumably those figures could still pan out following the actual June 19, 2009, groundbreaking. Such an economic benefit would not be unique to the Spaceport, of course; any $200 million-or-so project — building schools, alternative-energy plants, mass transit — would spin off similar dollars.
Rocket Racing League — The Futron report counted on the Rocket Racing League to add $62 million in economic activity and 630 new jobs to New Mexico by 2015, $78 million and 780 jobs by 2020, not counting "expenditures by spectators attending league finals at the Spaceport." The league was to have begun racing by February 2007; its website now does not list any dates for actual racing to begin, or any other events, news or press releases more recent than Oct. 15, 2008.
Spaceport visitors and events — Supposed to contribute $69 million and 770 jobs by 2020. No date has been released on when the Spaceport might actually be open to the general public — if ever.
Space transportation other than space tourism — By 2020, $73 million and 449 jobs. Another "in excess of $200 million," with 1,000-1,500 jobs, was attributed to space vehicle and aircraft manufacturing, headquarters and support services. To date, besides Virgin Galactic and the Rocket Racing League, only Armadillo Aerospace, Microgravity Enterprises, Lockheed Martin and UP Aerospace have signed agreements with the Spaceport. None of them will be placing help-wanted ads any time soon. Armadillo Aerospace says, "At the moment, Armadillo is not hiring for any positions. Armadillo Aerospace feels the current team size is just about optimal for the work we're doing now. However, if you have some specialized experience you feel would benefit the team, you are local to the Dallas area, and you are passionate enough about space to work for low pay, you are welcome to contact John. . . ." It's not clear when if ever Armadillo, which is also developing space tourism, might begin hiring in New Mexico rather than its home base of Dallas. Microgravity Enterprises, based in Albuquerque, is using the Spaceport
only to fly products such as its "Comet's Tail Amber Ale" into
space and back. Aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has committed to "testing" at the Spaceport, and has contracted with UP Aerospace. UP Aerospace, which signed a 10-year agreement with the Spaceport in April 2008, built its first rocket in Colorado. Two of its three launches to date have failed to reach space, although the Spaceport website describes all as "successful." One original tenant, Starchaser Industries, which planned to build a $100 million "Rocket City" west of Las Cruces, announced in February 2008 that it was "rethinking" its plans: "New Mexico may not be the optimum location from which to conduct Starchaser operations." The company's small headquarters along I-10 closed its doors in November 2007. Space tourism — By 2020, $333 million of economic impact and 2,271 jobs, 44% of the Spaceport's total economic benefit. Those Futron numbers are based on "an upper estimate" of 61 launches in 2010 and 426 in 2020, with a total of 1,959 flights in the first 10 years of operation (2010-2019). The NMSU study also forecasted flights, ranging from as few as 56 to as many as 1,221 over the first five years, but it assumed liftoffs beginning in 2006. Virgin Galactic, the Spaceport's most prominent space-tourism promoter, has been selling tickets since 2005, priced at $200,000. As of March 2008, the company had 250 "firm reservations" and 85,000 people had "registered an interest" (without putting down the minimum $20,000 deposit). At six passengers per flight and 61 flights in the first year, those 250 paying customers would all have flown within the first nine months of operation. Not all of the company's space tourists would fly from New Mexico, however. The first flights will take off from Mojave, Calif., where the space vehicles are being developed, and in March 2008, Virgin Galactic announced its latest venture, "Spaceport Sweden." The company website adds, "Virgin Galactic is also already looking seriously at other potential spaceport locations around the world, with a view to expanding the enterprise and making the wonder of space travel as accessible to as many people as possible."
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