EIS To Be Redone By Independent Contractor

A scrapped environmental impact statement has forced the groundbreaking for New Mexico's Spaceport America to be delayed to November 2008. But a spaceport official says the opening of the facility is still scheduled for early 2010, to coincide with anchor tenant Virgin Galactic's start of operations.

New Mexico Spaceport Authority Chairwoman Kelly O'Donnell told the Las Cruces (NM) Sun-News the FAA was concerned about a potential conflict of interest in the EIS, which was originally prepared by another state agency -- New Mexico State University's Physical Science Laboratory.

"In that transfer of data, there were some balls dropped, meaning that some of the work that had been done, had to be redone," O'Donnell said. California-based engineering firm Tetra Tech has since been contracted to perform the new EIS.

Groundbreaking was originally targeted for the first quarter of 2008. As ANN reported, designers unveiled sketches of the planned facility last year.

There have already been launches from the site by private companies, but most have not been announced in advance, to keep space buffs and competitors from learning and leaking trade secrets.

FMI: www.spaceportamerica.com, www.tetratech.com/portal/site/TetraTech/