Spaceport America has turned out to be a boondoggle in the desert. At a cost to $250 million and rising, the facility has not launched a single manned tourism flight. The facility remains dependent on gross receipts taxes collected by Doña County and Sierra Counties for a significant portion of its operating costs.
Amazingly, now, managers of the Spaceport are now looking for even more money for the facility. While the Spaceport was foolishly proposed and built under the Richardson Administration (in part to support his presidential aspirations), the Spaceport is now facing competition from new space facilities coming online in other states (many of which were not nearly as reliant on tax dollars including a Texas Spaceport which cost that State’s taxpayers just $2.3 million and $13 million for infrastructure).
At a recent forum sponsored by KRWG in which RGF board member Michael Aguilar participated, Spaceport CEO Dan Hicks made the case that the Spaceport is already successful and that New Mexico’s already financially-strapped taxpayers should pony up even more money for the facility.
The Rio Grande Foundation has patiently waited for Spaceport America to “take off.” Unfortunately, there is no sign that the private space business is going to get off the ground anytime soon, let alone in New Mexico. It is time to for New Mexico to follow the advice of Sen. George Muñoz and sell the facility.
* Hello New Mexico!
* Where did your beloved Governor Richardson disappear to?
* Since this was his boondoggle, why isn’t he promoting?
* This is an ALBATROSS of epic proportions!
* This Funny Friday yolk is on you, the taxpayers!
* Tell me again, which incumbent is worth re-electing and why?
I helped judge the Spaceport America Cup last June with over 100 rocket teams from around the world. http://spaceportamericacup.com/2017-results/ Hope to do it again in 2018.
Along with the Roadrunner Train, these boondoggles have cost nearly a billion dollars and rising. I am waiting for someone in Santa Fe to propose a bullet train from Raton to Carlsbad. That could be funny but remember, there still is the ART Project.
The spaceport project is a failure. The people of Otero County wisely said NO WE WILL NOT PAY EXTRA TAXES TO SUPPORT THIS.
The only way the spaceport by Las Cruces should get more money is if and only if they can show that they are making a profit (without taxpayer assistance) and they have done at least 5 successful flights into space. Until then, they should receive no monies front any public taxes!