Welcome Center Planned for Downtown Truth or Consequences

The Board of Directors of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) has voted to establish a welcome center for Spaceport America in downtown Truth or Consequences (T or C), New Mexico. With the support of local residents who want the center to be located downtown, the NMSA has agreed to lease an old fire station from the T or C city government.

A welcome center is also planned for the village of Hatch, NM, which is on the southern approach to Spaceport America.

Hatch New Mexico :: Chile Capital of the World! ::

Born from an extension of the Santa Fe Railroad Company in 1880,Hatch, New Mexico, began as an adobe post office and a railroad flag station. ...
www.hatchchilefest.com/

  http://www.villageofhatch.org/

Spaceport America Hardhat Tours Announced at ISPCS

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LAS CRUCES, NM – Officials from the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) announced that they will begin offering paid public hardhat tours of the Spaceport America construction site beginning December 2009. The announcement came today at the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS) taking place at New Mexico State University (NMSU), which will host a private hard hat tour of the spaceport site as part of its program for registered participants on Friday, October 23.

The tours will highlight New Mexico history spanning from Spanish conquistores and pioneer rocket research to the new commercial space industry. Tour participants will receive an on-site tour of the construction site including the runway and vertical launch facility. Tour details and reservation forms will be available on the Spaceport America website (www.spaceportamerica.com) by mid- November.

http://www.spaceportamerica.com/news/press-releases/269-spaceport-america-hardhat-tour-announced-ispcs.html

Terminal Hangar Facility Bids Open

The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) has initiated the bid process for the construction of the main Terminal Hangar Facility at Spaceport America. This building will house the NMSA’s Operations and Public/Visitor Experience and Virgin Galactic’s Operation. NMSA and Virgin Galactic entered a 20-year lease with the State of New Mexico on December 31, 2008. The 110,152-square foot Terminal Hangar Facility was designed by URS/Foster + Partners and is to be built in accordance with the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating system. It will set the standard for environmentally sound design for similar structures worldwide. The lump-sum bid was advertised on Thursday, October 15. Interested contractors will need to attend a mandatory pre-bid conference at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27, at the Ralph Edwards Civic Center in Truth or Consequences, NM. A tour of the Spaceport America project site will take place immediately after the pre-bid meeting for those who wish to participate.. Bids will be opened on November 13, 2009. The bid package (SP-013) can be viewed at the Albuquerque Reprographics PlanWell website

http://www.spaceportamerica.com/news/press-releases/266-spaceport-america-seeks-bids-terminal-hangar-facility-construction.html

Spaceport signs electric agreement

LAS CRUCES — The New Mexico Spaceport Authority will get its electricity from Sierra Electric Cooperative under a new agreement.
Sierra Electric Cooperative will build a substation and a six-mile distribution line to connect the spaceport to outside transmission lines.
Spaceport America's executive director Steve Landeene says the off-site electrical system agreement builds on an earlier agreement signed in April 2008.
The cooperative's general manager, Steve Gee, says the spaceport will be a catalyst for new developments that will benefit the community and the state.
Spaceport America expects to have a 10,000-foot runway completed by next summer and a hangar finished by early 2011.

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Local-news-in-brief-Oct--15--2009

Spaceport officials launch test flight

UPHAM, N.M. — Officials say Lockheed Martin successfully launched a test flight vehicle over the weekend at New Mexico's spaceport.

Spaceport officials say the brief flight Saturday was not publicized in advance because Lockheed Martin is testing "proprietary advanced launch technologies."

The launch was overseen by UP Aerospace, the third launch this year by the Colorado-based firm. The company plans to double its number of customer launches from Spaceport America to six or more in 2010 as demand for the company's services increases.

In May, UP Aerospace provided services for an educational launch for New Mexico students, and in August, the firm did a successful test flight launch for Florida-based Moog-FTS. UP Aerospace first launched from Spaceport America in September 2006.

© 2009 The Associated Press Oct. 12,2009, 3:56PM

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/6664054.html

Spaceport Authority seeks road bids

LAS CRUCES, Oct 09, 2009 (Las Cruces Sun-News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The New Mexico Spaceport Authority has begun the bid process for the construction of internal roadways at Spaceport America.
Bid notifications were posted Thursday, and the bid package, SP-008, can be viewed on the Internet at: https://order.planwell.com/PWELL_Main.asp?mem=1090. To access the documents, log in under the "Guests Access" area of the Web page (username: ABQ0_SP008, password: roads, all in lowercase letters).

The bid package will be available online through Nov. 6, the bid opening date.
Interested contractors will need to attend a mandatory pre-bid conference at 2 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Ralph Edwards Civic Center in Truth or Consequences.

For more Spaceport America construction request for proposals bid information, including the internal roadways bid package, go to the New Mexico General Services Department's Purchasing Division Web site at www.generalservices.state.nm.us/spd/spd.html.

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2009/10/09/4415280.htm