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United States Pilots Association |
Most USPA members are aware of the spaceport being developed in southern NM between the cities of Las Cruces and Truth or Consequences and to the east of the Rio Grande River and US Interstate 25. The FAA is holding two scoping sessions (see bottom paragraphs), one in each city, to collect info on what people think about more airspace restrictions for the spaceport.
Almost all of the southcentral New Mexico airspace is already the White Sands Missile Range Restricted airspace which essentially forces aircraft wanting to fly from either east or west in the opposite direction to have to fly way south into Texas or north of Socorro because they can't cross the restricted airspace which is about 160 miles long and 100 miles wide and is in multiple tiers going from the ground up to unlimited feet.
If the spaceport also takes more airspace, then it could severely limit both general and commercial aviation because just west of the Rio Grande River (which is now the aerial corridor between El Paso, TX, and Las Cruces, NM, to Albuquerque, NM, due to the WSMR Restricted areas) are several mountain peaks higher than 10,000’ MSL. During late spring through
early fall these mountains are typically covered in the afternoons by thunderstorms. This corridor up the Rio Grande River valley is also used quite frequently by medical evacuation airplanes and helicopters going from southern NM to the
more complex medical facilities in Albuquerque. The projected location of the spaceport would lie under part of the WSMR Restricted airspace, so perhaps something can be worked out with WSMR to share its airspace. Blocking off more airspace,
critical to general aviation traffic, does not seem like a good idea.
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The local Las Cruces newspapers have been publishing quite a few stories about the spaceport. But all the stories are mostly about two subjects: the cost to the state for the spaceport (about $225 million) or all the marketing hype about how the rockets are for races or commercial space travel and how everyone will get very rich. It appears that the more vocal rocket/space companies' spokespeople are all marketing types and display no knowledge of aviation or airspace usage. The stories all pitch the expensive commercial space ventures or how space/rocket races will be bigger than the NASCAR races.
Because this proposed launch site for commercial space/rocket operators could lead to future flight restrictions for general and commercial aviation, the FAA will be holding scoping meetings to solicit comments from the public as the agency prepares an environmental impact statement.
The meetings will take place on February 15 at the Truth or Consequences City Council Chambers and on February 16 at
New Mexico State University's Physical Sciences Laboratory Auditorium in Las Cruces. Both meetings start at 6:30 p.m.
Written comments can be mailed to Ms. Stacey M. Zee, FAA Environmental Specialist, Southwest Regional Spaceport EIS c/o ICF Consulting, 9300 Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA 22031. Comments also can be e-mailed ( mailto:SRSEIS@icfconsulting.com ) or faxed to 703/934-3951.
Bob Worthington, Regional VP
United States Pilots Association