Officials announced Tuesday a British company engaged in the international race to build commercial space vehicles will open a New Mexico office.
Starchaster Industries, a contender for the $10 million Anasari X Prize, plans an office in Las Cruces, said Rick Homans, New Mexico’s economic development secretary. Launches in New Mexico could begin as early as 2006.
New Mexico will host a competition of privately developed space vehicles for the X Prize, an annual version of the current Ansari X Prize competition that ends Jan. 1, 2005.
Gov. Bill Richardson said the Starchaser announcement demonstrates New Mexico is becoming a worldwide leader in space commercialization.
Starchaser was founded by Steve Bennett, the director of Space Technology at Salford University. Fourteen of his company’s 16 unmanned launches have been successful.
Bennett was excited about conducting flights at the Southwest Regional Spaceport near Las Cruces.
The lack of air traffic in the area, coupled with the 4,000-foot elevation and it’s proximity to local amenities, make for an ideal launch site, he said.
