Inside the risky venture of Spaceport America

(serene music) - Deep in the New Mexico interior are two very different desert oases. One is this, a shiny alien complex called Spaceport America. It claims to be the world's first purpose-built commercial

spaceport

. And as early as next year, the port could welcome its first group of space tourists, wealthy thrill-seekers who will travel to the edge of space for $250,000 each. - We are not just building a spaceship, we are providing an experience, an experience that changes people's lives, we democratize space, we let everyone have the opportunity to experience it. - The other oasis has a different flavor.

Just a few miles up the road is the quiet, dusty town of Truth or Consequences. The biggest business here is tourism, with travelers staying at a local inn or buying gems and souvenirs at gift shops. It is a border town, with a slow metabolism. But if, say, a huge

spaceport

opens next door, there were promises that crazy amounts of people would come through here. - The commercial spaceflight industry was worth more than $400 billion in 2018. And New Mexico isn't the only place looking to invest. So what will happen when the industry of the future comes to town? (mysterious music) - When the state proposed the idea of ​​building a commercial spaceport, it's kind of a build it and we'll come, we'll come if you build it kind of story. - Spaceport America was funded and built by the state of New Mexico.

So far, this entire facility is home to just one major tenant, Virgin Galactic. The company, founded by billionaire Richard Branson, rents the property for its space travel. The state was looking for a new industry to defend and Virgin was looking for a good deal in clear airspace. - They've all been very supportive of us and we found some really great infrastructure that we can hang on to, and it's kind of a symbiotic relationship, right, as we grow, they can grow with us. - We basically just accelerate down the track. (reporter yelling) (reporter laughing) - We're shooting down the runway with Michael Masucci, or Sooch, one of the Virgin pilots.

He is showing us what the space tour really means. On the day of the flight, customers will travel here to board the spacecraft, strapped to the underside of a large transport plane. We spoke with astronaut trainer Beth Moses about what participants can expect. Is there some kind of pep talk you're going to give them? -Well, this is a tailor-made space flight, and each person who flies has their own experience. I could say something like congratulations, you're about to be the first astronaut from your home country. Or you know, your son will be very proud of you, he goes have fun.

I don't expect nerves, because we'll both have been through this before and it's an exciting day. But if there's any nerve, you know, I'll make stupid jokes or something, whatever it takes. (laughs) - I am sure that lightness will be very necessary. (laughs) I'm sure people will be a little nervous. The transport plane will climb to about 45,000 feet. The spaceship will then fall, fire its engine, and rocket to the edge of space. After a few minutes of microgravity, the spacecraft will descend again and glide toward the runway. Beth is one of the few people who has already taken this journey. - It is a wonderful experience, the sky is blacker than black and the earth is in super high definition, very bright.

After my flight I found myself telling a journalist that from above the Earth carried its diamonds. (serene music) - Right now, everything seems like a work in progress. The pilots are carrying out drills in a simulator. - And then, we'll upload it. - The engineers follow him in Mission Control. And designers are building a stylish lounge that looks a little out of place in the middle of the desert. - So we have this kind of natural connection from the track and the platform, and through the kind of. - Virgin's dream is that sometime next year the first of the 600 prepaid ticket holders will arrive, grab a cappuccino and take off.

Virgin won't comment on all of its clients, but the rumored list includes Brad Pitt, Ashton Kutcher and Justin Bieber. - And there are the typical people, you know, who have made a lot of wealth, great philanthropists, they are great capitalists, good in the community. And then there are people who, you know, are normal people who put a second mortgage on their house to buy a ticket. - This is the key to the entire promise of Virgin Galactic and Spaceport America. Big names and a lot of money coming in. - Some of our clients told us that they would bring two or three people to observe their flight.

Some told us that they would bring two or three hundred people to watch their flight. That will be fantastic for the local community and will have an impact far beyond us. - The big question is, will all those people stop here first? - Say hello, go ahead, say hello to everyone. Welcome to Rocket Inn. (soft music) - New Mexico broke ground on the spaceport in 2009, and in the decade since, the folks at Truth or Consequences have wondered if it will ever matter. - It's a little difficult when they tell you to hurry up and prepare, and you have to wait. - Val and Cydney Wilkes run the Rocket Inn, here in Truth or Consequences, called T or C.

They named the inn in honor of all the local aviation history, from the White Sands Missile Range to the space port. T or C is the closest city to the port and you can gain a lot from it. - It's not just people traveling down the road and stopping to grab a bite to eat and find a place to stay. This is a big, you know, leveling up. If they take out 100,000 people for something, you know, it's going to overwhelm the entire state of New Mexico. (laughs) - So far, Val and Cydney haven't seen much change in town since Virgin moved in next door.

But the motel's name has worked its magic, at least once. - There were four rocket scientists who were here to do something at the spaceport, and it was a very exciting event for them, and they were so lovely that they said, "Where else would we stay besides Rocket Inn?" - When Spaceport America was first announced, both the state and Virgin Galactic promised it would attract hundreds to thousands of jobs and even more tourists. Sierra County residents even voted for a new tax to fund the port, which is a big deal. Sierra County is one of the poorest areas of the state, and for years the city has seen opportunity after opportunity pass by. - They have always been looking for something to come and save them. - Linda Demarino runs Main Street Truth or Consequences, a nonprofit that supports small businesses in the city.

So she has a pretty good view of what's coming and going. - Because even though there was going to be a shutter factory, which was going to create all these jobs, and that failed, and then there was going to be this NASCAR facility, and that failed. So I think a lot of people have just lumped Spaceport America in with those things. - There are reasons for concern. After spending $220 million on the port, New Mexico has very little to show for it. And Virgin has dealt with its own delays and disasters. In 2014, his space plane broke up in mid-air during a test flight, killing one test pilot and seriously injuring another.

Has that kind of expectation lowered the expectations of people who might have been excited and now think this might not happen? - Oh, definitely, I mean, because it's been five years, so we had a lot of skepticism, you know, from some people anyway, and then because it's taken so long, that skepticism has really grown. - Among some residents, skepticism is insufficient. - Some Santa Fe politicians called it a dog and pony show, and they actually turned out to be right (laughs). It's a failure. -Robert Hanseck has run the Miner's Claim gift shop in town since 1981. And he thinks the spaceport was always an odd choice for T or C.

He sees a lot of tourists coming, but not because of the future of aviation. - I know what motivates a town like this. People come here and try all kinds of weird things, which are not even related to tourism. And it doesn't pass, it doesn't fly, they wonder why. Well, it's because they're here for (mumbles), they're here for the turquoise jewelry, they're here for, you know, tamales and Mexican food, that's what they're here for. - Obviously Virgin Galactic does not see the spaceport as a lost cause. - We are really committed to this, this is not a charade with PowerPoint.

We have real hardware, real rockets that go into space regularly. And if we keep doing that, I think everyone will come on board and support it. - Virgin Galactic has big plans for the coming months. Now listed on the New York Stock Exchange, they've hit the space twice, and after years of operating primarily in Mojave, California, they're finally moving here full-time. They appear to be on track to launch their first clients in summer 2020. Everything may finally be happening. - No, uh, I don't see that happening. - One, zero and takeoff. - It's not hard to guess what New Mexico is after with the spaceport.

Cape Canaveral has long been the de facto space capital of the United States. It is the success story of tourism, big contracts and futuristic cachet. And in the last decade, about a dozen new commercial spaceports have emerged to get in on the action. A small town in Georgia, for example, is building its own vertical launch site, hoping to attract a big tenant like SpaceX. - Will bring jobs and money to Southeast Georgia. - To that extent, Spaceport America is a success, they got Virgin Galactic. But Truth or Consequences is not Cape Canaveral. And it may never be.

For our last night in town, everyone at T or C told us to go to the local brewery and for a Wednesday night, it was packed. We chatted with some residents and they all had opinions about the spaceport. - I think they will almost have a metropolis out there, with a shopping center, and they will probably put apartments there. It will definitely be a tourist attraction at some point. When? I don't think anyone really knows. - Oh, I think until we have that Richard Branson necessary in this craft, you know, I think until then, I don't believe in anything. -Having been here for that period of time, I've seen a lot of things that say they're going to happen, and then they dissipate, you know, magically disappear. -Well, now that Branson got the spaceship out of him, you know, he's a little more positive. - We don't really care, you know what I mean?

I hate to say it like this, but I really don't like it, if it's built, it's built. If it's not built, it's just another thing that's out there. At the end of the day, we don't really care. - At the end of the evening, a curious thing became clear: perhaps one day the spaceport will give new life to Truth or Consequences. But today the brewery does much more for the city. Assuming Virgin Galactic gets going, some version of the spaceport will eventually come to life. Richard Branson will break a bottle of champagne over something, Justin Bieber will float over all of us, it will be a big deal for them.

Earlier, while we were sliding around in the simulator, we noticed Truth or Consequences on the map projection, far below. - Truth or Consequences off the nose out there. - That means that when Virgin starts its flights, T or C residents sometimes look up and see the company's spaceship engines turning on. You will see a bright and curious flare in the sky. And then they'll go back to whatever they were doing. If it wasn't $250,000, would you go? - Absolutely - I would think so. (laughs) I would probably go.