New Mexico has a long tradition of pioneering innovation in aerospace and related technologies. Clear skies and mild weather, world-renowned research, a growing pool of investors, and an expanding aerospace industry make New Mexico an ideal location for the next generation of aerospace firms. World-class institutions such as Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories and White Sands Missile Range continue to power the State’s position as a research hub while New Mexico’s Air Force Bases and Laboratories offer the infrastructure required by aerospace and technology firms.

The impressive offering of facilities and expertise in advanced technologies is a hallmark of New Mexico.  In fact, the state boasts more PhDs scientists per capita than any other state in the country.  New Mexico's facilities include federal and state-funded laboratories as well as the largest U.S. instrumented land-based test range, all of which encompass every major discipline in space-systems engineering and development.  The universities in New Mexico provide expertise in diverse space-related specialties such as space and launch propulsion, telemetry, photonics, high-performance computing, micro-electronics, and large space optics.   New Mexico's private sector possesses expertise in every facet of space-related technologies. To better understand how New Mexico’s technology powerhouse supports the space sector, click on a topic below to explore the possibilities:

By Process:

• Research and Development (R&D)
• Test and Evaluation (T&E)
• Manufacturing
• Operations
• Business Opportunities

Columbia Scientific Balloon Facilities
http://www.csbf.nasa.gov/
Located in Fort Sumner, New Mexico and Palestine, Texas, this organization launches large, unmanned, high-altitude research balloons for NASA centers and universities from all over the world.

Holloman Air Force base
http://www.holloman.af.mil/
Named after Colonel George Holloman, a pioneer in early rocket and pilot-less aircraft research, Holloman Air Force base assists White Sands Missile Range personnel in supporting the White Sands Space Harbor as an alternate runway for NASA space shuttle missions. The space shuttle Columbia landed at WSSH on March 30, 1982 and 1,400 Holloman personnel supported that landing.  In addition, Holloman hosts some of the Air Force’s most sophisticated aircraft, including the new F-22 Raptor fighter jet.

Kirtland Air Force Base
http://www.kirtland.af.mil/
Kirtland Air Force Base, located in Southeast Albuquerque, is home to the Space Development and Test Wing of the United States Air Force. Kirtland plays a key role in the research and development of top-secret military technology.

Los Alamos National Laboratory
http://www.lanl.gov/
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a premier national security research institution, playing a leading role in conducting crucial experiments in space at their linear accelerator in Northern New Mexico.

National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Very Large Array
http://www.vla.nrao.edu/
The Very Large Array (VLA), one of the world's premier astronomical radio observatories, consists of 27 radio antennas in a Y-shaped configuration on the Plains of San Agustin fifty miles west of Socorro, New Mexico. Scientists there perform radio astronomy research, probing the furthest reaches of the universe.

New Mexico State University, Physical Science Laboratory
http://www.psl.nmsu.edu/
The Physical Science Laboratory at New Mexico State University provides support to numerous scientific and technical activities across the nation and around the globe, including sub-orbital platforms and advanced NASA scientific exploration and experimentation.

Sandia National Laboratories
http://www.sandia.gov/
Sandia National Laboratories provides innovative science-based solutions to our nation’s most challenging national security problems. The laboratories are located outside Albuquerque, New Mexico.

White Sands Missile Range (WSMR)
http://www.wsmr.army.mil/
WSMR performs quality and evaluation tests for a number of applications, including rockets and experimental aircraft.  WSMR assists NASA in testing and has been used an alternate NASA landing area for the space shuttle program.  One of only two locations in the United States with restricted air space expanding upward infinitely – the other being the White House – WSMR offers Spaceport America clients the unmatched advantage of utilizing shared restricted airspace.