More on the Southwest Regional Spaceport

Form the Wall Street Journal via HobbySpace:

The Wall Street Journal article - New Mexico Plans First 'Spaceport' For Space Travel - WSJ.com - Dec.9.05 (subscription required) - provides more details about the NM spaceport plan, which will be formally announced in a news conference next Wednesday in New Mexico. (See earlier MSNBC article.)
* The state plans to spend $200M on the facility and its support infrastruture (roads, utilities, etc) in the surrounding area.
* "The project depends on money from the federal government that has yet to be appropriated, and voters in counties near the site must approve a sales tax increase."
* Like most airports, public money would support the facility and companies would pay user fees.
* VG hopes to being flight testing in 2007 and the first commercial flight in late 2008 or early 2009.
* Bruce Whitehorn of VG said, "150 people have signed contracts and put down at least $20,000 toward their space trip. The company now has some $11 million in the bank, he said."

The article's title says this would be the "First Spaceport" but the Mojave Spaceport would dispute that. The piece also says that the FAA "must certify that the spacecraft is safe enough -- for passengers, crew and others on the ground." That's not quite right. There is not yet a certification process required for commercial passenger rocket vehicles. The main requirement for FAA licensing is that the company show that uninvolved third parties are sufficiently protected from harm.