New Mexico Spaceport Authority · Sierra County, New Mexico, United States
Launch Pads
—
Annual Launches
5-10
Max Payload (LEO)
—
Established
2011
Spaceport America is the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport, located in the Jornada del Muerto desert basin of southern New Mexico. It serves as the operational headquarters for Virgin Galactic's suborbital space tourism flights and has hosted numerous vertical and horizontal launch operations for commercial and research customers.
| Region | North America |
| Country | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Coordinates | 32.9903° N, -106.9747° E |
| Ownership | Public–Private |
| Parent Entity | New Mexico Spaceport Authority (state agency) |
| Regulatory Regime | FAA-AST Launch Site Operator License (vertical + horizontal) |
| Latitude Advantage | 33.0°N — desert basin altitude (~1,400m) and 6,000+ sq mi of restricted airspace (White Sands MOA) — orientation matters less than the protected test corridor for horizontal/suborbital ops. |
| Azimuth Range | Site-specific (horizontal runway 16/34 and vertical pad cleared 360° within restricted airspace) |
| Employees | ~80 (state authority + on-site tenants core staff) |
| Website | https://www.spaceportamerica.com/ |
Anchor Tenants
Active Users
Strategic Value
The original commercial spaceport experiment and the only U.S. site licensed for both vertical and horizontal commercial launches inland. Strategic value is tied closely to Virgin Galactic's flight cadence — a single-tenant risk for the state.
Recent Activity
Virgin Galactic in 2025–2026 paused commercial flights of VSS Unity pending Delta-class spaceship rollout; suborbital research tenants (UP Aerospace, SpinLaunch) continue.
2026
Virgin Galactic Delta-class spaceship integration and ground testing
2027
Virgin Galactic Delta-class commercial flights resume (target)