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Virgin Galactic to Build Space Port in New Mexico

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the area-fifty-two dept.

aapold writes "Virgin Galactic today announced plans to build a $225 million space port in southern New Mexico. Richard Branson will meet with governor Bill Richardson Wednesday to unveil the plans. Virgin Galactic is the company leveraging Spaceship One which, as reported by Slashdot, claimed the Ansari X prize for commercial space flight."

3 of 275 comments (clear)

  1. Exciting times by Orgazmus · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This is really exciting times. A private spaceport is emerging, and the "real" exploration of space can begin.
    I cant wait until my first moon-vacation ;D

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    The system had the verbosity of HTML combined with all the readability of compiled assembly viewed as bitmap images
  2. Careful there.... by c0dedude · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Remember, the CEOs of tech companies failed to constrain costs in the late 1990s, and we know what happened to them. Be very careful in spending. Consider whether this port is absolutly necesssary.

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    Since when has this country used intellectual elite as a pejorative term?
  3. Space == Money by ObsessiveMathsFreak · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The commercial opportunities must far outweigh those potential problems.

    No kidding. Branson's investement is pretty much a no brainer. Estimates of price per ticket are at around $200,000 dollars a seat, times seven passengers is $1.4 million dollars in cash per flight.

    Branson's in the airline business already. I'm not sure about the specifics of it, but I seriously doubt that there are any regular commercial flights out there that pull in $1.4 million dollars per trip. Even those that come close would be 747 type aircraft that probably cost as much to run as SpaceShipTwo will anyway. Can we get some figures here?

    Now I would have said that Branson's best bet was to set up shop in some middle of nowhere location, to dodge regulations. But the fact that he's setting up shop inside the US shows that he's serious about doing things professionally. Nonetheless I expect customers will be expected to sign off in the event of an accident.

    As to potential customers. Does anyone seriously suggest that Branson won't be able to find people willing to spend $200,000 on a trip into orbit. There are thousands of people who spend ten times that on a boat. I think he'll manage to fill a plane once a week at least.

    Step 1: Wait for private group to develop initial technology.
    Step 2: Buy group and its technology.
    Step 3: Scale up development
    Step 4: Charge suckers $200,000 per flight AND satisfy them
    Step 3: PROFIT!!

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    May the Maths Be with you!