Two-thousand fourteen was supposed to be the year. Then, Virgin Galactic got knocked down... but it didn't get knocked out.
Four years ago, a commercial spaceport was completed in New Mexico, but it has hardly been used. Last year, Virgin Galactic's spacecraft failed during a test flight in the Mojave Desert in California, during which one pilot was killed and the second pilot was injured. Many began to wonder if commercializing space travel and creating space tourism was such a bright idea.
Virgin Galactic says 2015 is the year... and it really means it this time.
"I really think we're turning the corner," Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides said, according to the Associated Press, via Yahoo. "We've gone through one of the toughest things a company can go through and we're still standing, and now we're really moving forward with pace."
"Our company has spent a lot of time and money to get to the point where we can carry out successful commercial operations at Spaceport America. We're still committed," Whitesides said.
That's good news for New Mexico taxpayers who have already spent almost $250 million on the spaceport, with state government asking for an additional $2 million to cover the losses the delay has caused.
Despite only 14,000 jobs created and the lingering recession, Spaceport America has been kept in shape - ready to go at a moment's notice. Whitesides remains optimistic.
"I really think we're on the edge of something truly incredible, which is enabling people and students to experience space, whether going themselves or sending their experiments," he said, according to AP.
The head of New Mexico's Spaceport Authority Christine Anderson cited the failed Apollo I launch, the 1986 Challenger explosion and the unwavering dedication of astronauts and scientists since. She put Virgin Galactic in the same light.
"We have invested $218 million, so there's absolutely no reason to stop now," she said, according to AP.
