Virgin Galactic To Start Spaceport Rent Payments

Virgin Galactic is expected to start paying rent on its futuristic terminal at Spaceport America near TorC, to the tune of about $85,000 per month, starting Jan. 15, the Spaceport Authority.

Meanwhile, the Authority is seeking $3 million from the Legislature to finance a southern access road to the spaceport, and hopeful that legislators finally approve an expanded informed consent law that would exempt manufacturers and suppliers from litigation filed by Virgin Galactic passengers in the event of accidents

The terminal at the $209 million Spaceport America is finished, and Virgin Galactic is set to move in, while a 2,000-foot extension to a 10,000-foot runway is expected to be completed in June.

Virgin Galactic’s two-stage flight system — a rocket-powered spaceplane launched at an altitude of 50,000 feet after being dropped by a double-hulled plane called White-KnightTwo — is still undergoing flight tests in California. Company executives have said the first passenger-bearing flight could occur by the end of this year.