Santa Fe Democrats, Senators Joseph Cervantes of Dona Ana County and Daniel Ivey-Soto of Bernalillo County admitted in an Albuquerque Journal article that New Mexico has a problem—Spaceport America. Spaceport America was located, designed, and built specifically for Virgin Galactic, and they are not meeting their half-billion-dollar obligation to New Mexico.

Spaceport America Facility was designed and built only to store and maintain Virgin Galactic's fleet.

I knew it would not be easy for Santa Fe Democrats to come to this realization; that is why I have written multiple articles (Spaceport America: Fleecing of New Mexico, Spinlaunch Should be a Mythbuster Episode, Virgin Galactic is Earthbound in 2022, Virgin Galactic to Build Spaceplanes in Arizona, The Dark Cloud of the Governor Bill Richardson's Administration ) on the Spaceport. Santa Fe Democrats can ignore one name-calling article. Still, they cannot ignore my many fact-based articles over ten months about the robbing of half-billion dollars from the hard-working people of New Mexico.

In 2004, Burt Rutan of Scaled Composites won the Ansari X Prize for the first private spacecraft that completed two piloted flights into space within two weeks. Rutan achieved this feat with a carrier plane and space plane, thus capturing the attention of Richard Branson. By 2006 Burt Rutan, Richard Branson, and Bill Richardson put into motion a plan to launch the space tourism industry in the desert of New Mexico. Bill Richardson and his fellow Santa Fe Democrats bet a half billion dollars on an experimental carrier plane and associated spaceplane.

The NASA report, "Horizontal Launch: A Versatile Concept for Assured Space Access," highlighted eight uncertainties in horizontal launch systems. Virgin Galactic has failed to overcome at least three of the NASA listed challenges, "In-flight command and control of the launch vehicle. Efficient and low-cost design, development, mission, and ground and flight operations of a horizontal take-off space launch system. Launch altitude, velocity, and flight path angle. Launch vehicle transition from initial separated state to the optimum ascent trajectory."

The hardworking people of New Mexico met their obligation to Virgin Galactic a decade ago. It is time Virgin Galactic met its obligation to us. Write to those Santa Fe Democrats (Governor, Senate, House) and demand they immediately begin negotiations with Virgin Galactic on behalf of the hard-working people of New Mexico, Sierra, and Dona Ana Counties' to recover all the costs associated with building, maintaining and financing for Spaceport America.

Suppose the Santa Fe Democrats are unwilling to hold Virgin Galactic accountable. We will hold them responsible.

The Student Union Building at the University of New Mexico had its voting site for students and other visitors. Photo By Makayla Grijalva