Preparing for liftoff: A Business First interview with Spaceport America director Scott McLaughlin

Spaceport America stands alone. There is hardly anything that surrounds the aerospace launching and landing facility other than thousands of acres of federal- and state-managed land. With that, along with sunny weather, available facilities and skilled workers, the state government contends that the $218 million development will make New Mexico a hotspot for the nascent commercial space industry. In some ways, it already has. With Virgin Galactic rocketing its billionaire founder Richard Branson…