Aerospace company Virgin Galactic has announced plans to build an astronaut campus and training facility near Spaceport America, though, many of the details surrounding the project have yet to be released.
Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) said in an Aug. 2 press release that it had “secured land” for the campus in Sierra County near Spaceport America, where the company’s commercial operations headquarters are located. When asked if the land had been purchased or leased, Aleanna Crane, VP of communications for Virgin Galactic, told Albuquerque Business First via email that the land had been purchased.
The training facility will be built on a mesa and will include an observatory, wellness center, recreation activities and other accommodations. “Virgin Galactic Future Astronauts” — individuals who purchase tickets for commercial spaceflights — and up to three of their guests will be able to utilize the campus. The company announced in February that tickets would cost $450,000.
“At Virgin Galactic, the road to space begins in New Mexico, and we are proud to showcase the state as the launch point for our unique and unparalleled experience,” Blair Rich, Virgin Galactic president and chief business officer of commercial and consumer operations, said in the release. “… Customers who buy a ticket today will stay and train here, along with their guests, for five nights. While our Future Astronauts are completing spaceflight training, their guests will live out a tailored itinerary of discovery and educational experiences on the campus and throughout southern New Mexico.”
News of the astronaut campus comes just two days before the company is scheduled to report its second-quarter earnings after the U.S. financial markets close.
Conceptual designs are underway. As for the timeframe, the company simply said it plans to complete the project in conjunction with the expansion of its next-generation fleet of spaceships. Virgin Galactic announced last month that it will build its next-generation spaceships in Mesa, Arizona. That facility will manufacture its Delta-class spaceships that are intended to reach space by 2025 with private astronaut flights starting in 2026.
In Virgin Galactic’s first quarter 2022 fiscal report, the company said the launch of its commercial services was expected to occur in Q1 2023. At the time of the call, the company said it had 800 astronaut ticket reservations.
When asked about the price tag for the development and if Virgin Galactic would fund the entire facility or if incentives would be utilized, Crane said they were not sharing specifics surrounding the agreement.
“We are working closely with Governor [Michelle] Lujan Grisham and the State of New Mexico and appreciate their cooperation as we complete this process and further our partnership with the state,” Crane said via email.
Virgin Galactic stated that it currently employs 200 people who are based in New Mexico, and it expects that number will grow with the new campus.
The company’s stock price closed at $7.40 on Aug. 1, 2022. That figure was $31.87 on Aug. 2, 2021.
