World's 1st Commercial Spaceport Open for Business

a 2.5 hour ride to the outer reaches of the atmosphere will cost a measly $200,000 USD.

Congratulations America, you officially have your very first commercialized spaceport called... Spaceport America! And the name of the world’s first built-from-scratch spaceline terminal/hangar? It was officially christened as the "Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space" on Tuesday during the dedication ceremonies of Virgin Galactic’s new home in southern New Mexico.

"Today is another history-making day for Virgin Galactic," said British billionaire and owner of Virgin Group, Sir Richard Branson. "We are here with a group of incredible people who are helping us lead the way in creating one of the most important new industrial sectors of the 21st century. We’ve never wavered in our commitment to the monumental task of pioneering safe, affordable and clean access to space, or to demonstrate that we mean business at each step along the way."

Don't expect to be heading into near-orbit just yet however. Powered test flights are scheduled to take place next year, and possibly followed by commercial flights shortly thereafter. Actual paid trips for curious trekkers will last for 2.5 hours but will only produce five minutes worth of actual weightlessness. That doesn't seem to be a lot of star logging for a meaty $200,000 USD ticket to the heavens.

According to Virgin Galactic, Branson and his children, Sam and Holly, will be the first commercial passengers on SpaceShipTwo. After dedicating the new terminal to Sir Norman Foster, all three rappelled together from the roof although Sir Richard was swigging from a bottle of champagne in the process. "I trust that will be the first of many safe landings at Spaceport America! What an absolute joy to celebrate the naming of the Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space with Governor Martinez!" he said as the family touched the ground.

The new 120,000 square-foot terminal and spaceship hangar combo has enough room to store two WhiteKnightTwo jet-powered spaceship carriers and five SpaceShipTwo spacecrafts. It also plays host to all of the company’s astronaut preparation and celebration facilities, a mission control center, and a friends and family area. There is also space committed to public access via the planned New Mexico Spaceport Authority’s Visitor Experience.

In addition to commercial spaceflight, Virgin Galactic has also signed a contract with NASA's Flight Opportunity Program for research flights to a potential value of $4.5 million. New flight reservations have also been made by research and education institutions to support research initiatives and inspire students. These institutions include Purdue University, Space Florida, the Challenger Center for Space Science Education and Southwest Research Institute.

Virgin Galactic reports that Tuesday's ceremony included a crowd of approximately 800 guests, 150 of which have already bought tickets for the flights, which promise views of the Earth seen only by astronauts. "A total of over 450 future astronauts worldwide have signed on to join Virgin Galactic for a voyage into space," the company said in as pres release. Governor Susana Martinez and astronaut Buzz Aldrin also attended Tuesday's event.

“For me, my children and our ever growing community of future astronauts, many of whom are with us today, standing in front of the Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space as it glimmers majestically under the New Mexican sun brings our space adventure so close we can almost taste it,” said Sir Richard.

Will this New Mexico scene be the future Mos Eisley? Or the place where Vulcans will make First Contact (even though we haven't reached warp speed)?