Spaceport Authority taps group of firms for year-long master planning project

The New Mexico Spaceport Authority, the state-led body overseeing Spaceport America, has tapped three firms to help lead a year-long master planning process to evaluate current conditions and study future market opportunities at the Spaceport.

Francisco Pallares, Ph.D., the recently-appointed business development director for Spaceport America, told Albuquerque Business First the master planning process will outline the Spaceport's short-, medium- and long-term vision. It'll include different aspects of Spaceport operations, he said, from new business procurement to activities with the general public.

The three firms chosen to lead that effort are:

The Spaceport Authority chose those firms through a competitive selection process, Pallares said.

Brian Mirakian, a senior principal at Populous, told Business First that Spaceport America represents something that's "extremely exciting" for the company because of its place in a growing aerospace industry. Populous specializes in "complex building types," he said, and the firm has worked on some other projects in New Mexico including the Isotopes Park renovation, the University of New Mexico's University Stadium expansion and New Mexico State University's Pan American Center expansion.

RS&H has worked in some form of spaceport development since the 1950s, said Andrew Nelson, the company's vice president of aerospace. Some of the firm's other work in the area includes feasibility studies for spaceports in Alabama and Texas and a spaceport master plan for Space Florida.

Zia Engineering & Environmental Consultants was founded in 2000 and has worked with military clients including White Sands Missile Range and Fort Huachuca in Arizona, according to its website.

Part of those firms' work through the master planning project will be assessing new revenue streams and marketing opportunities for the Spaceport. Those could include integrating a nearby railroad with the approximately 18,000-acre Spaceport and expanding event options.

Pallares said the Spaceport is in the process of applying for a reentry license through the Federal Aviation Administration, which could create opportunities for different types of tenants and clients.

Nelson said the planning firms want to hold public meetings and conduct targeted interviews over the course of the 12-month planning process in order to engage relevant stakeholders. The firms plan to also help form an advisory committee that would hold several meetings open to the public, he added.

Both Pallares and Mirakian said highlighting tangible practices will be important to the planning project.

"Ultimately, what we want to create is something that is achievable and actionable that's driven by data," Mirakian said. "How will this affect the workforce? How will this be able to attract more demand for Spaceport America from a business opportunity perspective?"

Some of that new business activity at the Spaceport isn't that far out, however. It's close to executing leases with two new tenants, Pallares said, which would bring the total number of tenants at the Spaceport up to eight, including its anchor tenant, Virgin Galactic.

Virgin Galactic, which employs over 150 people in New Mexico, also plans to start commercial service out of the Spaceport in June. The company carried out a pair of test flights at the Spaceport recently, with another set for late May.

The master planning project could help pave the way for more flights, launches and other types of business opportunities in the aerospace sector that the state has targeted as one of its economic development focuses.

Scott McLaughlin, the executive director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, said in a statement, "The master plan will help sharpen the focus for this journey, concentrating on markets that best fit our substantial and unique competitive advantages — which someday will very likely include orbital launch and reentry."