** NEWS from Spaceport America
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June 2013
FROM THE DIRECTOR
We are preparing for our 19^th launch at the spaceport. On June 21, UP Aerospace will launch a variety of payloads sponsored by the NASA Flight Opportunities Program at Spaceport America including payloads from the Department of Defense, FAA, NASA, and the private sector, as well as a few payloads from students conceived and constructed under the NASA/New Mexico Space Grant Consortium (NMSGC) Summer of Innovation Launch and Learn Program. NMSGC is staging a private event for the students in conjunction with the UP Aerospace Launch. Please visit the NMSGC website (http://www.launchnm.com) for further information.
The spaceway extension is almost complete. Work has begun on the Spaceport Operations Center building fit-out. In May we separately hosted both an automobile photo shoot and a media junket promoting the Will and Jaden Smith new movie, “After Earth.” Over 80 press representatives attended.
We hope these newsletters are helpful in keeping you up to date on Spaceport activities. Feel free to send questions or comments to us via our website (http://spaceportamerica.com/) .
Chris
Christine Anderson, Executive Director
New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA)
TECHNICAL OPERATIONS UPDATE
We continue to move toward June 21 launch of the next UP Aerospace SpaceLoft XL, designated SL-7. The launch is sponsored by the NASA Flight Opportunities Program, and will be the first launch under this program to reach space.
We continue to make good progress on our technical operations plans. We are currently working on our mission checklist. This checklist is a guide for ensuring that all mission elements are completed on the required schedule, including initial preparations, notifications, launch, recovery, and post mission clean-up. It needs to be very general in that it must encompass a wide range of potential mission types, but it also must be customizable so that requirements that do not apply in a given situation can be easily identified and deleted.
On May 17, NMSA and Virgin Galactic hosted a press junket at Spaceport America to promote the movie “After Earth.” In conjunction with this event, the spaceport technical team supported 8 operations of fixed-wing airplanes (4 take-offs and 4 landings) and 32 operations of helicopters (16 take-offs and 16 landings). This event was extremely valuable to us in the opportunity it provided to validate our airfield operations procedures and to test our communications equipment and coordination among our support elements. Aircraft operations were conducted safely and successfully. Our Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) was a significant contributory element to the success.
CONSTRUCTION STATUS
The Spaceport Operations Center fit-out construction is well underway. The spaceway extension project is complete. Proposals for the third party developer for the Visitor Experience facilities were submitted May 31. Source selection is now underway.
VISITOR EXPERIENCE
Show development continues on elements within the on-site Spaceport Central, including multiple interactive games, graphics packages, signage and way-finding, and Hangar 1 content. Meanwhile, the media production team is preparing for video documentation of the upcoming June 21 UP Aerospace launch from Spaceport America, with behind-the-scenes footage to be incorporated into various media pieces to be shown in the Spaceport Event Horizon 3D theater, Payload Processing experience, and onboard Transport Shuttles to and from the Spaceport.
CREWMEMBER OF THE QUARTER
If you would like to nominate a non-government crewmember on the Spaceport America team for our quarterly award, see our website (http://spaceportamerica.com/do-business/contractors/) . Nominations for the next quarter will be accepted until June 30.
MEDIA/PUBLIC SPEAKING/VISITORS
In May, Spaceport America had its first visiting group from Taiwan from a travel show called SETTV-IWALKER. This is a monthly Travel show. We were also visited by a news crew from Salt lake City, Utah. Since 2006, over 100 U.S and world news organizations representing over 23 countries have visited Spaceport America, generating millions of dollars of publicity to Spaceport America and the State of New Mexico.
The spaceport received a tremendous boost from the Will and Jaden Smith’s new movie “After Earth,” which held its press kickoff event on May 17^th at Spaceport America. This event attracted major entertainment media to the spaceport, which generated a large amount of publicity around the U.S. and worldwide. “After Earth” is now playing in theatres across the U.S.
Virgin Galactic, Spaceport America and the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS) were featured in a New York Magazine cover story on commercial space travel in the May 13^th issue. To read the New York Magazine story go to: http://nym.ag/12i7nSA
The NMSA Executive Director also had the pleasure of being the guest speaker at the Air Force Space Development and Test Directorate Dining Out at Kirtland Air Force Base on May 31. The Directorate tests and evaluates Air Force Space Systems, executes advanced space development and demonstration projects, and rapidly transitions capabilities to the warfighter.
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