Spaceport America, the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport located in southern New Mexico in the USA announced today the introduction of five annual Spaceport America branded signature events.
“We are pleased to open up our beautiful commercial spaceport to the public through our annual Spaceport America signature event series. Â With something for everyone – people who might not ever have engaged with a commercial spaceport can now visit, share and leave inspired. Â These recurring annual events will bring thousands of visitors to New Mexico and benefit our tourism and local economies.” said Christine Anderson, Spaceport America CEO.Â
The Spaceport America signature event series will begin with the annual Spaceport America Open House on October 1, 2016. Â The Spaceport America Crew along with Virgin Galactic and other Spaceport customers are scheduled to be there to interact with visitors and share their knowledge of what it takes to run a commercial spaceport and commercial space. Â Free to the public, registration opens September 1, 2016. spaceportamerica.com/openhouse
The Spaceport America Drone Summit, November 11-13, 2016 will welcome drone pilots, speakers, vendors and spectators to three action-packed days of drone racing, drone workshops, fixed-wing demonstrations, drone cinematography and more.  Sanctioned by the AMA – Academy of Model Aeronautics and supported by the New Mexico Filmmakers Give Back, the Spaceport America Drone Summit, will be a can’t-miss event for drone enthusiasts and spectators alike. Sign up on the splash page for the latest updates.
Spaceport America’s two mile long spaceway is a racer’s dream. MKM Racing Promotions LLC and the Spaceport America Crew will host and support the Spaceport America Mile, a standing one mile vehicle racing event to be held from March 10-12, 2017. Â Racers, volunteers, sponsors and spectators will want to sign up on the splash page for the latest developments.
Next Spring will bring the Spaceport America Relay Race along the historic El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro trail from April 8-9, 2017.  Starting at the Bridge of the Americas (El Paso-Ciudad JuĂ¡rez) with the finish line at Spaceport America, MH Enterprises LLC and the Spaceport America Crew will host and support this two-day 200 mile event. Runners, sponsors, volunteers and spectators can sign up on the splash page for updates.
The annual Spaceport America signature event series will culminate with the Spaceport America Cup to be held June 13-18, 2017. Â The Experimental Sounding Rocket Association and the Spaceport America Crew will host and support the world’s largest University rocket engineering competition on the vertical and horizontal launch campuses at Spaceport America. Teams, judges, sponsors, and spectators are encouraged to sign up on the splash page to stay informed.
About Spaceport America
Spaceport America is the first purpose-built commercial spaceport in the world.  The FAA-licensed launch complex, situated on 18,000 acres adjacent to the U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico, boasts 6,000 square miles of restricted airspace, low population density, a 12,000-foot spaceway, and 340+ days of sunshine and low humidity.  Some of the most respected companies in the commercial space industry are customers at Spaceport America: Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, UP Aerospace and EXOS.  Visit http://spaceportamerica.com and http://gatewaytospace.com for more information.