Las Cruces, N.M.
Voters in a southern New Mexico county have approved a tax to raise an estimated $49 million toward a $198 million tourism spaceport, according to unofficial returns Thursday.Residents of Dona Ana County voted on the sales tax Tuesday in what backers said was a make-or-break election for the state-supported Spaceport America.
“This positive vote for the spaceport ballot initiative means America’s new frontier begins in southern New Mexico,” Gov. Bill Richardson said Thursday. “I’m proud that the people of Dona Ana County chose a high-tech and high-wage future, with better math and science education, and expanded opportunities for young men and women right here in New Mexico.”
The complex would cover 27 square miles (70 square kilometers) of desert near White Sands Missile Range, where the U.S. launched its first rocket after World War II. Its anchor tenant would be British millionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic.
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