Rocket Set To Launch Monday From Spaceport Site

UP Aerospace is set to launch a rocket from Upham, NM, future home of a planned state-built $225 million spaceport.

UP Aerospace, a Connecticut corporation, seeks to be the first privately-owned company to launch a craft into space since Scaled Composites' Space Ship One achieved sub-orbital flight in 2004.

If all goes as planned, the craft, called SpaceLoft XL, will make a 13-minute sub-orbital flight and return to earth 33 miles away at the White Sands Missile Range.

UP Aerospace CEO Eric Knight told the Associated Press this is the first time the public will have "direct access to space." He says payload space on his rockets will be a fraction of NASA's costs -- from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands depending on the size.

On its website, UP Aerospace claims SpaceLoft XL can carry a 110-pound payload with 10,500-cubic-inches volume.

Specific dimensions are up to 10 inches in diameter and 7 feet long. They offer space-flight profiles up to 140 miles.

The spaceport in Upham, NM is about 100 miles northwest of El Paso, TX. State Governor Bill Richardson signed a bill in March setting aside $225 million for construction of facilities at the site which the state hopes to get back in leasing fees from Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson's "space tourist" company.

UP Aerospace intends to launch several rockets from Upham before the year's end.

A highly advertised October 21 flight will carry aloft the ashes of several celebrities including James Doohan -- Star Trek's "Scotty" -- and Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper.

FMI: www.upaerospace.com