Spaceport America

Sierra County, New Mexico, United States

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AECOM, leading a team of local consultants, provided a range of services for the design and development of Spaceport America in New Mexico, the world’s first purpose-built spaceport. Working for the State of New Mexico, AECOM provided initial programming and site studies then continued through detailed design development including architectural, structural, MEP, and civil engineering services for all site infrastructure and facilities. Under a separate contract AECOM also provided engineering services for the Virgin Galactic “Gateway to Space” facility designed by Foster + Partners in collaboration with SMPC architects.

Leading a team of local subconsultants, AECOM initially worked with the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) in 2006 to provide programming work and conceptual design for the proposed development including demand forecasts, site layout, and criteria for the initial and long term development of all infrastructure facilities including airfield, aprons, roadways, utilities, fuel storage, launch pads, hangars, ARFF, and support buildings. The final Programming Report was issued in May 2007.

Following approval by the State, the AECOM team implemented the program for the initial operational Spaceport, developing detailed designs and construction documents for 11 separate construction contracts including airfield, roads, utility infrastructure, emergency response and operations facilities, and systems integration. Services provided during the design phase included program management, engineering support to the FAA’s EIS, Spaceport licensing support, and agency / stakeholder coordination. Design was completed and construction documents approved in June 2008.

Construction began in July 2009, following completion of the EIS and issuance of the Record of Decision by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  The AECOM team provided construction phase services in support of NMSA’s construction manager including provision of a full time representative on site. AECOM also provided sustainability commissioning services for the Gateway facility, from which Virgin Galactic operates. In 2013 the AECOM team provided additional design and construction phase services for a new vertical launch landing pad to accommodate SpaceX and their development testing program for returnable first stage booster rockets.

As the first major element completed, the 10,000 foot long, 200 foot wide runway was dedicated in October 2010. All but one of the remaining infrastructure projects were completed and closed out during 2012 and 2013. The Systems Integration and LEED commissioning, both dependent on the Gateway facility, were completed and closed in 2014.

For the Gateway facility, AECOM provided civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing design services, as well as overall project management services. This Foster + Partners’ designed building houses a 45,000-square-foot drive-through hangar and a 14,000-square-foot maintenance area. These facilities can house two Virgin Galactic mother ships and five rocket-powered space vehicles that will ferry passengers to suborbital space. In addition, the facility boasts more than 10,000 square feet of double-height glass, allowing natural light to enter the facility, and a 45-foot-high soil berm planted with native materials to insulate the structure and integrate it into the surrounding landscape.

The Gateway’s sinuous shape was designed to lessen the visual and physical impact on the nearby El Camino Real, a national historic trail. The unique roof structure resembles a pair of wings from the front and a stingray from above. To maintain the integrity of the design and meet the project’s $30 million construction budget, AECOM recommended breaking the roof system into straight segments instead of smooth curves. This innovative solution allowed the structure, while still geometrically complex and aesthetically pleasing, to be fabricated and erected more economically.

AECOM engineers incorporated an innovative underground heating and cooling system in the Gateway facility. The system, which features concrete pipes averaging approximately 200 feet in length, preheats the air in winter and precools the air in summer. This green solution was an economical way to lower the heating and cooling demand by 41 percent—and was one of the reasons the landmark facility met the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standard for environmental quality.