Space Flight Symposium Underway in Las Cruces

The International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Space Flight is underway in Las Cruces at the Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum.

Hundreds gathered Wednesday to listen to some of the brightest minds in the space flight industry. Many wanted to know how the industry’s growth will affect the spaceport in southern New Mexico.

During a briefing, the airport director for Spaceport Colorado revealed they are expecting to get their FAA license by next year.

“There will be competition. Certainly, right now, I think we have more spaceports than we need,” said David Ruppel, Airport Director for Spaceport Colorado said. “But those kinds of developments don’t happen over night.”

Pat Hynes, the symposium curator , told ABC-7’s New Mexico Mobile Newsroom competition will be good for New Mexico’s spaceport. “Colorado will have its business. We have ours and there’s plenty of room for all of us,” Hynes said. “We just have to keep moving forward.”

Ruppel added that each spaceport has different advantages and disadvantages, such location and experimental type of work. He says he’s hoping there can be cooperation between both in the future.

The symposium continues Thursday, October 8th.