NMSU grads integral in U.S. manned spaceflights

LAS CRUCES — New Mexico took center stage Thursday at the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight. The 11th two-day gathering of aerospace industry leaders started Wednesday at the Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum.

Among Thursday's ISPCS keynote speakers were two New Mexico State University graduates who, along with a representative of SpaceX, are tasked with returning American astronauts to the International Space Station, launching from and returning to U.S. soil.

Kathryn Lueders, manager of NASA's commercial crew program, and John Mulholland, vice president and program manager for commercial programs and space exploration with Boeing, are both Aggies. They joined Garrett Reisman, director of crew operations for SpaceX in addressing the push to return U.S. manned spaceflight by 2017.

The possibilities look good, the panel agreed.

Since the United States ended manned spaceflights with the closing of the space shuttle program in 2011, American astronauts and goods have relied on the Russian Soyuz capsule to get astronauts and cargo to the ISS. That comes at a cost of roughly $76 million per flight versus an anticipated cost of $58 million per flight after Boeing and SpaceX come into service, Lueders said.

And it demonstrates how the government and private industry can partner to return U.S. manned spaceflight.

"It's really developing an industrial base we can use," Lueders said. "What NASA has learned over 50 years we can share with industry."

It will also allow for more crew members, between four and seven, and additional cargo to be launched to the ISS and create opportunities for more research.

"To be able to do what we want to accomplish in the next 20 years is going to take all of us to further our goals of going into space," Lueders said.

"We are right on the cusp of putting BNASA astronauts on commercial vehicles to launch from U.S. soil," said SpaceX's Reisman.

SpaceX is developing the Falcon 9, a two-stage rocket to launch the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. Boeing is developing similar vehicles to launch astronauts to the ISS and possibly beyond.

Reisman said they expect to have unmanned tests in 2016 and have manned missions ready to launch in 2017.

"It's going to be an unbelievable couple of years," Reisman said. "That's what we have in store."

Mulholland said Boeing stands ready to deliver on 2017 manned flights after a testing period similar to SpaceX. He also took a moment to recognize the role NMSU, the ISPCS and the Spacegrant Consortium have played in developing the state's aerospace industry.

"New Mexico State (University) has been very good to us," Mulholland said.

He noted his son, who is expected to graduate with a degree in engineering this semester, will be the fourth generation of his family to graduate from NMSU.

"This is really a transformational year for us," he said of Boeing's development project. "We are in the middle of construction. It's a very exciting time for us."

Later in the day, another Las Crucen took the stage to discuss how the state is restructuring regulations and tax codes to foster development of the aerospace industry in the state.

Jon Barela, the state's economic development secretary, said the state is poised to compete with neighbors such as Texas and Colorado as well big-hitter states like Florida and California.

Pointing to New Mexico's rich history in the aviation and aerospace industry, Barela said the state must do everything possible to attract new businesses in the field and to support existing businesses.

"We were pioneers and we need to continue that tradition through a variety of public initiatives," Barela said during an interview with the Sun-News prior to speaking at the ISPCS. "We live in a very competitive environment in which to attract these types of businesses in particular."

New Mexico has distinct advantages, including roughly 6,000 square miles of available airspace at Spaceport America, thanks to nearby White Sands Missile Range. In addition, the region's altitude and latitude make for prime launching territory, he said. NMSU, WSMR, NASA and the state's national labs offer an unmatched resource for aerospace growth, he said.

And with bipartisan support in the state Legislature and the backing of Gov. Susana Martinez, the state has dropped corporate income tax rates, adopted a single sales factor which eliminates multiple taxation on manufacturers and gross receipts tax reductions for aircraft maintenance as well as a corporate headquarters bill which allows companies to relocate divisions or entire company headquarters to the state without being subject to certain taxes, Barela said.

"New Mexico is a national leader in infrastructure already," he said. "We have our national labs we need to support, our military facilities and our assets in southern New Mexico — Spaceport America, WSMR, ideal climate and finally, we need to develop a workforce now to supply employees to the businesses."

Jason Gibbs may be reached at 575-541-5451 or jgibbs@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @fjgwriter.