Spaceport America

What Spaceport America does

Spaceport America, operated by the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA), is the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport, established in 2010 on 18,000 acres in southern New Mexico adjacent to the U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range. The FAA-licensed facility provides aerospace operators with launch and testing infrastructure, including a 12,000-foot by 200-foot runway (Spaceway 16/34), vertical launch complexes (notably LC4 with a configurable horizontal-to-vertical launch rail), a rocket motor static test stand, hangars, offices, and a fuel farm. The defining asset is access to 6,000 square miles of restricted airspace via the White Sands partnership, combined with approximately 340 favorable operating days per year, enabling an unusually high cadence of suborbital, spaceplane, and high-altitude test operations.

The facility operates a hybrid revenue model spanning recurring tenant leases (anchored by Virgin Galactic and including UP Aerospace, SpinLaunch, Swift Engineering, Hermeus, and HAPSMobile/AeroVironment), usage-based launch services conducted under NASA's Flight Opportunities program, one-time event venue rentals (the Spaceport America Cup, the Space Race running event, public viewing), and consumer tour revenue channeled through authorized operator Final Frontier Tours. Government customers include NASA, the European Space Agency, the Italian Space Agency, DARPA-funded test programs, USAF Thunderbirds (F-16 winter training), and Civil Air Patrol squadrons, while university partnerships (NMSU, NM Tech, University of Washington) support STEM pipeline development including capstone engineering projects.

Performance is tracked through economic impact studies rather than P&L disclosure: $138 million in 2022 New Mexico economic output (548 direct jobs, 811 total), declining to $240 million in 2024 (790 total jobs, down from 985 in 2023) after Virgin Galactic's commercial flight pause. Recent tenant diversification through Hermeus and Otto Aerospace, combined with new MOUs (Borderplex Alliance, AREA), indicates active repositioning to reduce anchor-tenant concentration.

Name

Spaceport America

Legal name

New Mexico Spaceport Authority

Website

https://spaceportamerica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Spaceport America, operated by the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, is the world's first purpose-built FAA-licensed commercial spaceport providing launch infrastructure, a 12,000-foot runway, and 6,000 square miles of restricted airspace to aerospace tenants, government agencies, and research institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Spaceport Infrastructure & Launch Services

NAICS

Space Research and Technology (927110), Space Research and Technology (927)

SIC

Airports, Flying Fields & Airport Terminal Services (4581)

akta.pro primary industry

Aviation Infrastructure Agencies (Public Airports, Airfield Ops, Ground Access) (BPAIALAE)

Keywords

• Commercial spaceport services
• Aerospace launch infrastructure
• Suborbital flight testing
• Spaceplane operations
• Tenant facility leasing

Headquarters

HQ city

Las Cruces

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tenant Leasing: Spaceport America leases facilities to aerospace companies as tenants, providing infrastructure for operations, testing, and manufacturing. Major tenants include Virgin Galactic, UP Aerospace, SpinLaunch, Swift Engineering, and Hermeus.
2. Launch Services: On-demand launch and flight test services for suborbital research missions, partnered with NASA's Flight Opportunities program and international space agencies.
3. Event Venue Rental: The facility serves as an event venue for public events including the Space Race, public viewing for Virgin Galactic spaceflights, and the Spaceport America Cup.
4. Tours and Public Access: Private tours arranged through Final Frontier Tours, public spaceflight viewing events, and STEM educational tours for schools.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Spaceport America operates the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport on 18,000 acres in southern New Mexico, providing FAA-licensed launch infrastructure including a 12,000-foot runway, vertical launch complexes, and access to 6,000 square miles of restricted airspace. The facility leases build-to-suit space to aerospace tenants and provides on-demand launch, flight testing, and event venue services to commercial space companies, government agencies, and educational institutions.

Product overview

Spaceport America is the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport, offering a comprehensive suite of aerospace launch and testing services. The facility provides vertical launch complexes, a 12,000-foot runway for horizontal operations, and 6,000 square miles of restricted airspace. Spaceport America supports tenants through build-to-suit facilities and on-demand flight test campaigns, while also engaging the public through educational programs, the annual Spaceport America Cup rocketry competition, and visitor tours. The spaceport serves as operational headquarters for Virgin Galactic and hosts multiple aerospace tenants including UP Aerospace, SpinLaunch, Swift Engineering, Prismatic Ltd./BAE Systems, Hermeus, and Otto Aerospace.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Launch Facilities FAA-licensed launch infrastructure including a 12,000-foot x 200-foot runway (Spaceway 16/34), vertical launch complexes such as LC4 with a mobile launch rail, rocket motor static test stand, hangars, fuel farm, warehouse, and telemetry/communications systems, plus 6,000 square miles of restricted airspace through White Sands Missile Range partnership. Available to aerospace companies, government agencies, and research institutions for suborbital and spaceplane launch operations.
• Tenant/Lease Facilities Build-to-suit tenant facilities and on-demand flight test campaign support for aerospace companies conducting manufacturing, testing, and operations. Major tenants include Virgin Galactic, UP Aerospace, SpinLaunch, Swift Engineering, Hermeus, HAPSMobile/AeroVironment, and Prismatic Ltd. (BAE Systems).
• Spaceport America Visitor Experience Tours Guided private tours of Spaceport America facilities provided through Final Frontier Tours, offering general public access to the commercial spaceport grounds and infrastructure.
• Event Venue Spaceport America serves as an event venue for community events, public viewing of Virgin Galactic spaceflights, and private/corporate gatherings. Includes the annual Space Race run on the runway and open house events.
• STEM Education Programs Educational programs delivered in partnership with New Mexico K-12 schools and universities, including student rocketry competitions, NAR certifications, university capstone engineering projects, and STEM workforce development.
• Spaceport America Cup World's largest intercollegiate rocket engineering competition, hosted annually in partnership with the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA), attracting over 100 university teams from around the globe to launch high-power rockets from Spaceport America.
• Suborbital Research Launch Services On-demand suborbital launch and flight test services for research missions, partnered with NASA's Flight Opportunities program and international space agencies (ESA, Italian Space Agency). Supports payload demonstrations, satellite interoperability testing, and spacecraft health monitoring experiments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports 548 direct jobs and 811 total jobs in New Mexico with $138M economic output
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• Great American Flag Preservation GroupminorOthers · 18 March 2026Non-profit brought world's second-largest American flag to Spaceport America for cleaning in March 2026, demonstrating community engagement capabilities.
• AREAmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2025Collaborative MOU signed in June 2025 to strengthen partnership and joint initiatives.
• Borderplex AlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 January 2024MOU signed January 2024 to collaborate on marketing, business development, and policies enabling commercial space industry growth in the Borderplex region.
• Virgin GalacticcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnchor tenant and primary commercial spaceflight operator at Spaceport America. Virgin Galactic serves as the spaceline conducting commercial spaceplane flights from the facility, having moved operations from Mojave to Spaceport America in 2019 and beginning monthly commercial flights in June 2023.
• NASA Flight Opportunities ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal partnership enabling research missions from Spaceport America through NASA's Flight Opportunities program, supporting demonstrations of satellite interoperability, spacecraft health monitoring, and other payloads.
• U.S. Army White Sands Missile RangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCritical partnership providing access to 6,000 square miles of restricted airspace adjacent to Spaceport America, enabling efficient aerospace operations without commercial air traffic conflicts.
• UP AerospacecoreTechnology or IntegrationSpace launch and flight test service provider with facilities at Spaceport America, having conducted 21 suborbital space flights from the facility as of October 2024.
• HermeusmajorTechnology or IntegrationHigh-speed aircraft manufacturer conducting supersonic aircraft testing at Spaceport America. Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 successfully completed first flight from Spaceport America in February 2026.
• Otto AerospacemajorTechnology or IntegrationTexas-based advanced aeronautics company completing DARPA-funded laminar-flow UAV test flights at Spaceport America in collaboration with Swift Engineering.
• Prismatic Ltd. (BAE Systems)majorTechnology or IntegrationBAE Systems subsidiary completed successful stratospheric flight of PHASA-35 HAPS system from Spaceport America in June 2023, achieving 66,000+ feet altitude.
• Swift EngineeringcoreTechnology or IntegrationAerospace company conducting high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) aircraft test flights at Spaceport America since 2020. Supported Otto Aerospace's DARPA-funded test campaign.
• National Association of Rocketry (NAR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to host NAR-sanctioned rocketry events at Spaceport America, allowing students to earn NAR certifications and participate in official events.
• HAPSMobile/AeroVironmentcoreTechnology or IntegrationTenant conducting high-altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS) testing missions at Spaceport America.
• SpinLaunchcoreTechnology or IntegrationTenant developing kinetic energy-based small satellite launch system. Broke ground on $7M test facility at Spaceport America in May 2019 with plans for 20 new jobs.
• New Mexico State University (NMSU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerComprehensive STEM partnership including Arrowhead Center collaboration for economic impact studies, student capstone projects, Atomic Aggies rocketry team, and co-op/internship opportunities.
• Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit partner co-hosting the annual Spaceport America Cup, the world's largest intercollegiate rocketry competition with 100+ teams from around the globe.
• Final Frontier TourscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized tour operator providing private facility tours of Spaceport America; bookings via Curtis Rosemond (915) 355-9702 or [email protected].
• USAF ThunderbirdsmajorTechnology or IntegrationU.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron conducts annual winter training sessions at Spaceport America, utilizing restricted airspace for F-16 training flights.
• New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NM Tech)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering students completing capstone projects at Spaceport America, including rocket motor static test stand retrofit for launch rail system.
• Civil Air PatrolmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlbuquerque Heights Composite Squadron (Spirit Squadron) conducted rocket launches at Spaceport America for American Rocketry Challenge preparation.
• Wanderlust RunningminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNew Mexico-based event company partnering to host the annual Space Race event at Spaceport America, featuring 5K, 10K, and 15K races on the runway.
• European Space AgencymajorTechnology or IntegrationResearch mission experiments conducted via UP Aerospace flights from Spaceport America as part of NASA's Flight Opportunities program.
• Italian Space AgencymajorTechnology or IntegrationResearch mission experiments conducted via UP Aerospace flights from Spaceport America.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SpaceX Starbase (Boca Chica): SpaceX's privately owned and operated launch site in Boca Chica, Texas. Direct competitor for commercial launch activity; vertically integrated with SpaceX's launch vehicles, giving it commercial agility and capital advantages that Spaceport America, as a state agency, cannot match. Represents the new model of operator-owned spaceports.
• Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS): Virginia-based FAA-licensed commercial spaceport at Wallops Island operated by the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority. Directly comparable mid-size U.S. commercial spaceport serving orbital and suborbital launch customers (Northrop Grumman, Rocket Lab), competing for similar commercial and government tenants.
• Mojave Air and Space Port: California spaceport that previously hosted Virgin Galactic before its 2019 move to Spaceport America. Comparable horizontal-launch spaceport for spaceplane testing and small-class aerospace companies; serves as a direct substitute for emerging commercial spaceflight and test tenants evaluating multiple U.S. spaceport options.

Broad incumbents

• Kennedy Space Center / Cape Canaveral Space Force Station: Operated by NASA and the U.S. Space Force, KSC and Cape Canaveral are the most established U.S. spaceports supporting both government and commercial launches (SpaceX, ULA, Blue Origin). Direct competitor for orbital-class launches and the most relevant comparable to Spaceport America's commercial spaceport mission, though at vastly greater scale and federal backing.
• Guiana Space Centre (Centre Spatial Guyanais): European Space Agency's primary launch facility in French Guiana, operated by CNES and Arianespace. International peer for orbital launches serving government and commercial customers; offers a comparable multi-purpose spaceport model with government backing, though on a much larger orbital-launch scale than Spaceport America's suborbital focus.
• Blue Origin Launch Site (Van Horn, Texas): Blue Origin's private launch complex in West Texas supporting New Shepard and New Glenn operations. Comparable suborbital and orbital launch infrastructure; like SpaceX Starbase, vertically integrated with operator capital — competing for commercial suborbital and emerging orbital tenants in the same Southwest region.

Regional players

• Esrange Space Center: Sweden's state-operated space center and suborbital launch facility operated by Swedish Space Corporation. Comparable state-owned suborbital and sounding rocket launch facility serving European scientific customers; geographic peer in the suborbital research market where Spaceport America also serves NASA, ESA, and other international agencies.
• Wenchang Space Launch Site: China's newest and largest spaceport in Hainan Province, purpose-built for next-generation Chinese launch vehicles. International peer demonstrating the purpose-built commercial spaceport model; serves as a reference point for Spaceport America's first-mover design philosophy and indicates global competitive pressure in spaceport infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Spaceport Cornwall: UK-based commercial horizontal-launch spaceport serving Virgin Orbit (now defunct) and other small satellite launch customers. Closely comparable horizontally-launched spaceport model; demonstrates how small regional spaceports are attempting to compete in the same emerging commercial launch niche as Spaceport America.

Others

• Space Florida / Cape Canaveral Spaceport Office: Florida's state aerospace finance and development authority supporting Cape Canaveral operations and infrastructure investment. Adjacent enabling organization rather than direct competitor; comparable state-level economic development entity that markets and funds spaceport infrastructure, sharing the same state-agency economic development mission as New Mexico Spaceport Authority.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/spaceport_nm
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UClnMQv70YOag2KV-tSBwqFQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/spaceportNM
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spaceport-america
• Instagraminstagram.com/spaceport.america

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Spaceport America