Upham:Virgin has displayed the 'Gateway to space' building's interior at Spaceport America on Friday where the passengers will get ready for their flights as well as the spaceflight operations sector housing mission control.
This spaceport will be the starting point for customers going to orbit. But the facilities are still going to make some test flights before they send people to orbit.
The whole project was funded by the state of New Mexico, Sierra and Dona Ana counties. It is not only a place for flight operation but also provides a hub for training of astronauts.
Billionaire Richard Branson founder of Virgin Group and former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, a Democrat together erected the plan of spaceport 15 years ago but was delayed due to construction and cost overruns.
Gateway to Space: Virgin showcases New Mexico 'spaceport' Virgin Galactic's spaceship development also took far longer than expected and had a major setback when its first experimental craft broke apart during a 2014 test flight, killing the co-pilot.
According to the critics, the project was a complete waste but it was backed by the supporters who said that it was a unique venture which was never tried before. A perfect project may undergo some costly lessons.
Recently the test flight reached an altitude 56 miles while travelling at three times the speed of sound.
About 600 people have reserved a seat, according to the company, at US$250,000 a ticket. That buys them a ride on the winged rocket ship, which is dropped in flight from the carrier airplane. Once free, it fires its rocket motor to hurtle toward the boundary of space before gliding back down.
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