LAS CRUCES - They're like your neighborhood travel agents - except their package tours' most unique feature is nowhere to be found on earth.
A group of actual "space agents" is touring Spaceport America and the surrounding Mesilla Valley through Thursday during the New Mexico Spaceport Authority's annual forum.
The agents are taking a guided tour spanning three counties to help impress upon potential customers what the area has to offer: Las Cruces, Mesilla, Hatch, Truth or Consequences, White Sands Missile Range and White Sands National Monument, the National Solar Observatory at Sacramento and the New Mexico Museum of Space History.
Currently under construction near Truth or Consequences, Spaceport America has been providing commercial launch services since 2006 and its state-of-the-art launch facility, which counts Lockheed Martin, Moog-FTS, Armadillo Aerospace, and UP Aerospace as tenants, is expected to become fully operational next year.
Spaceport America's anchor tenant Virgin Galactic plans to provide sub-orbital space flights and commercial service via its WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo vehicles. Only Virgin Galactic-affiliated agents will be able to book travel on SpaceShipTwo, which is progressing in development and will fly from Spaceport America when testing completes, according to a news release.
"Spaceport America is going to be a major destination for tourists from all over the world, whether visitors or Virgin Galactic customers," said Spaceport Authority Executive Director Rick Homans. "These (Virgin Galactic-)accredited space agents will help spread the word about New Mexico by promoting the spaceport."
Las Cruces Sun-News
Spaceport America
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I remember them talking about this kind of thing in school when I was young. They also said that the US would switch to the metric system in a few years. But I guess this one is actually happening. Space tourism!
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