The world's first commercial Spaceport has a 12,000-foot runway called a "spaceway", that handles takeoffs and landings of its first tenant space airline, Virgin Galactic.

This galactic airport is over 18,000 acres and it's getting ready to open. It's already filled up 1,000 new jobs in New Mexico, and just last May a new tenant signed a 3-year agreement - SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation), and they've already begun testing their reusable rocket program. The "vertical takeoff and landing project [that] aims to enable a multi-legged booster to return to the launch pad intact, rather than being wastefully tossed away."





There are currently fire trucks and other emergency vehicles on site, as well as field maintenance crews.

People who have bought their tickets to space on the Virgin Galactic can now enjoy a personal tour of the Spaceport complex. Its on-site and off-site welcome centers are projected to be completed next year.

Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo/SpaceShipTwo are still undergoing launch system testing at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California, and Virgin promises it's going to be more than a "thrill ride".

"We do also have the scientific side," Butler said. "That's going to be a really important part of our business. We're going to be taking experiments on board [the] spaceship and flying from Spaceport America. We are developing quite a versatile system to support this new industry. Keep an eye on the next 18 months or so, and watch one of our launches out of Spaceport America," he added. [Space.com]

Unfortunately, if you're not a mega-millionaire, it might be best you remain in your seat and wait for pictures to hit the web.