Ceremony Marks New Mexico Spaceport Launch

The spaceport will operate like an airport where aerospace companies can lease building and hangar space, said Virgin Galactic president Will Whitehorn.

The company's system also will accommodate satellite launches, he said, and scientists can take off from the site to follow experiments they launch into space.

During the ceremony, about a dozen people dressed as Spanish conquistadors walked across the open plain, where construction of the runway is scheduled to begin next month.

They carried Spanish colonial flags, spears and muskets, evoking images of colonists who came through the area on the Camino Real in the 17th century.

One of the actors presented Richardson with a scroll, symbolizing the connection between the explorers of the past and those of the future.

The ceremony also featured the liftoff of model rockets by students attending a space camp.

The runway is slated for completion next summer. The terminal and hangar should be ready for tenants in December 2010.