Spaceport Designs Revealed

A US-British team of URS Corporation and Foster & Partners have revealed plans for a 10,000 square-metre hangar that will be part of the world's first port built specifically for commercial space travel.

The world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport will be built in Las Cruces, New Mexico and should be finished in 2010. Work will start on the £15million terminal next year. It will be home to Virgin Galactic's fleet of spaceships, which start test flights in a few months.

There will also be training facilities for all the would-be orbiters, who have to spend three days getting ready for their trip. The structure will be dug into the New Mexico desert, so it is sheltered from the extreme climate and can harness wind for ventilation.A tunnel leads to a gallery, where passengers can gaze at the spaceships before going into the main terminal. Natural light shines through skylights, the roof is a rolling concrete shell and there is a glass platform with views of the runway.

Lord Norman Foster, the architect behind London's City Hall and the Gherkin, is one of the designers of the ambitious project.

He said: 'We are absolutely thrilled to be part of the team. This technically complex building will provide a dramatic experience for astronauts and visitors.'