Editing Sierra County, New Mexico (section)

==Spaceport America==
[[Spaceport America]] is located in Sierra County, {{convert|45|mi|km|abbr=off|sp=us}} north of Las Cruces and {{convert|30|mi|km|abbr=off|sp=us}} east of Truth or Consequences. Sierra County voters approved the creation of a spaceport tax district in April 2008, freeing up funding for its construction.<ref name="WP200805">{{cite news | last = Kaufman| first = Marc| title = New Mexico Moves Ahead on Spaceport| newspaper = [[Washington Post]]| date = May 10, 2008| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/09/AR2008050902508.html| access-date=July 24, 2008}}</ref> The first launch from Spaceport America occurred on September 25, 2006, since which over 300 launches have occurred. On May 22, 2021, [[Virgin Galactic]]'s [[VSS Unity]] launched from the spaceport with three people aboard becoming the first crewed launch from both Spaceport America and New Mexico and making New Mexico the third U.S. state, after [[California]] and [[Florida]], to [[Human spaceflight|send humans into space]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=NM 'has finally reached the stars' - Albuquerque Journal|url=https://www.abqjournal.com/2393160/lift-off-virgin-galactic-spaceship-is-in-the-air.html|access-date=January 16, 2022|website=www.abqjournal.com|date=May 22, 2021 }}</ref>