LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KRQE) – A six-year study on Spaceport America’s economic impact on New Mexico was released this month and found that the Spaceport showed growth from 2019 to 2024.
“The results are significant, showing that Spaceport America in 2024 supported 313 direct jobs and 790 total jobs in New Mexico, up from 242 direct jobs and 396 total jobs in 2019, while contributing nearly $240 million to economic output, up from $72 million in 2019,” Arrowhead Center program director and co-author of the report Dr. Kramer Winingham stated in a news release.
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The report was published by New Mexico State University (NMSU) Arrowhead Center and the Center for Border Economic Development (C-BED) and covers the spaceport’s tenant employment, privately funded construction, out-of-state visitor spending, spaceport revenues, tax revenue impact, and total economic impact.
“Most recently, our estimates indicate Spaceport America has totaled $110.8 million in value-added production and $73.1 million in labor income for our state in 2024,” Winingham added.
The study found the spaceport’s competitive advantages about restricted airspace access, weather, and elevation draw tenants to New Mexico and can continue to support growth in the future.
“We are excited to see these numbers and the growing contribution the spaceport is making to the region,” Scott McLaughlin, executive director of the NMSA, the state agency that designed, developed, and oversees operations of Spaceport America, stated in the release. “Besides bringing jobs and new money to New Mexico, Spaceport America is also helping Space Valley to grow and get noticed by the national aerospace community.”
Companies in the commercial space industry that are tenants at Spaceport America include Virgin Galactic, HAPSMobile/ AeroVironment, UP Aerospace, Prismatic Ltd., Swift Engineering, Isotropic, ISC/Sirius Technologies, and SpinLaunch. Additional customers Spaceport America partners with include the United States Air Force Thunderbirds, Venus Aerospace, and Precision AI.
The report is the second economic impact study released by the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) and the Arrowhead Center/C-BED team.
Click here to view the full report.
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