New Mexico: To Infinity ... And Beyond

By Clayton Neuman

In terms of business opportunity in New Mexico, the sky's the limit--literally. As home to the White Sands Missile Range near Las Cruces, the state has the only airspace in the country--other than over the White House--that is restricted from the ground to infinity. This means that a swath of New Mexico is uniquely situated for a spaceport since no planes or satellites can pass through the area reserved for rocket launches and landings. State officials are scheduled to announce a partnership this week with Virgin Group founder Richard Branson to launch a fleet of ships--based on the Ansari X Prize--winning SpaceShipOne design--that will take tourists up to 400,000 ft. on a two-hour journey. Passengers can cover the $200,000 fare, Virgin Atlantic declared last week, by redeeming 2 million frequent-flyer miles. And, says Virgin Galactic president Will Whitehorn, after a few years "we hope to bring the cost of the trip below $100,000."

Virgin's plans may sound a bit pie in the sky, but a New Mexico official says the state is prepared to shoulder a big chunk of the $200 million tab to build a spaceport because it will bring in an estimated $500 million in annual revenues. In addition to Virgin Galactic, the site will host X Prize founder Peter Diamandis' annual cup and his Rocket Racing League (think NASCAR at 5,000 ft. up). Even NASA may send some business out West. The agency last week completed a study on creating incentives for private industry to develop a way to ferry people and goods to the international space station so NASA can focus on getting to Mars.

With reporting by Helen Gibson