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Virgin Galactic has just announced its willingness to transfer its operations to Spaceport America, New Mexico, from which the company's first commercial flights will take off. "Virgin Galactic is coming back to New Mexico where together we will create a space that will change the world for good," Virgin founder Richard Branson told reporters at a press event.
The plan is not really a surprise since Virgin Galactic and New Mexico have collaborated on the creation of the spaceport, which is currently the only thing of its kind in the world. But moving from a test and R & D hangar to a place where real customers will board the spacecraft is a major step.
I discussed with George Whitesides, CEO of VG, what the movement really means and, of course, when it will happen.
"We respect the commitment we made years ago to bring an operational space line to the world's first purpose-built spaceport," he told me. "So what does it mean? First, vehicles move and everything that goes with the use of these vehicles. And all the people who drive the vehicles, as well as the staff supposedly turned towards the and you will have all the employees in the supply chain and the main infrastructure associated with the operation of a space line. "
At the present time, this rather complicated list actually counts only about one hundred employees. Much of the workforce will remain in Mojave, where R & D and new vehicle engineering will continue to be based in the form of The Spaceship Company.
"As we move into commercial services, we are thinking more about what to do next, such as hypersonic flights and point-to-point spaceflight," said Whitesides.
That said, VG has not finished with his current art yet. You can expect a few others, depending on what the engineers deem necessary. But it's not a "huge number".
Moving to Spaceport America since its Mojave facility is undertaken now for several reasons, said Whitesides. In the first place, the job is almost ready to go.
"On our last flight, we essentially demonstrated a complete commercial profile, including the interior of the vehicle," he said. "Not only, you know, we went up into space and got off, but because Beth was in the back – Beth Moses, our flight instructor – she was sort of our fake passenger. She got up several times and moved around, she was able to check the status of our booth. So we started thinking, maybe we are at a place where we could move. "
Documents from the FAA and other authorities are in order. The spaceport has been ready for some time now, at least for difficult parts such as runways, fuel infrastructure, communications equipment, etc. Right now, it's more like they have to choose the color of the carpet and buy the flat screens and refrigerators for the interior.
"But people's perspective is a key part of that," said Whitesides. "These people have families, children. We have always thought it would not be nice to move during the summer, so they do not have to leave in the middle of the school year. If we start now, our employees can integrate more easily into the New Mexico community. So we decided to do this now. It's a bold choice and a big problem, but it's the right thing to do. "
And what about vehicles, VMS Eve and VSS Unity? How are they going to get there?
"That's the big advantage of an airlift system," said Whitesides. "It's the easiest part, in a way. Once all the other things are out there, we will look into each other's eyes and say, "Are we ready?" Then we assemble the spaceship and we leave. It is designed to travel longer distances. So we will start the day with our base of operations in Mojave and end the day with our base of operations in New Mexico. "
And it will be a beautiful base. The spaceport, designed by Foster & Partners in the UK, is a striking form that comes out of the desert and should have all the facilities needed to run a commercial space line. This is probably the only place in the world that would be suitable for this purpose, which makes sense as it was built for it.
"Because we do horizontal take-offs and landings, from an operational point of view, it basically looks like an airport. The coolest airport of all time, but an airport, "said Whitesides. "There is a nice and big track, but you will notice that she has Earth-to-Earth communication links, this special antenna, and instead of a tower, we have a control of the mission . type of propulsion infrastructure. "
The airspace surrounding the spaceport is also limited from the surface to infinity, which facilitates travel when your flights cover multiple levels of air traffic. "And it's already a mile, so it's an asset," said Whitesides. One kilometer closer to the space – more convenient than necessary, but it's a good start.
The actual moving operations should take place during the summer. The remaining test flights are not scheduled yet, but I'm sure that will change soon – and you absolutely hear about this when the first commercial flights are put on the books.
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