Desert spaceport makes a splash

By Alan Boyle

 

British billionaire Richard Branson christened the world's first facility designed for private-sector space travel in grand style today, rappelling down the glass-sheathed side of Spaceport America's spaceship complex with a champagne bottle in hand.

Branson's acrobatics served as the climax of a spaceport dedication ceremony that also featured some aerobatics from the SpaceShipTwo rocket plane and its massive WhiteKnightTwo mothership. The double-plane flight system is designed to carry passengers to the edge of outer space from Spaceport America in the New Mexico desert. Branson's company, Virgin Galactic, could conceivably start passenger service on SpaceShipTwo in late 2012 or 2013, depending on how the flight tests go.   More Read