Spaceport America

Virgin recently broke ground on the site of their spaceport in New Mexico. In less than 20 months, the company hopes to construct a 3000 ft runway and facilities called Spaceport America to act as the launching pad for Virgin Galactic and other space-bound flights. The BBC has this report on the project that had been designed by Lord Foster:

A quick look at the stats and figures on the site provides some interesting reading about how the new site plans to use sustainable methods to offset some of its carbon footprint:

• Earth Tubes under the earth berm to cool the building
• Solar thermal panels
• Underfloor radiant cooling and heating
• Natural ventilation in mid season

Spaceport America

[image via Spaceport America]