---
title: "Virgin Galactic Unveils Luxurious Spaceport Lounge"
description: "Virgin Galactic revealed on Thursday what its spaceport at its new New Mexico home looks like — and it’s a beautiful vision of the airport lounge’s space successor. The company moved to the Spaceport America facility in May, “the world’s first purpose built commercial spaceport,” according to an official website. “Completion of this […]"
date: "2019-08-16"
modified: "2019-08-16"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/virgin-galactic-beautiful-spaceport"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
tags:
  - "spaceport"
  - "the digest"
  - "virgin"
  - "virgin galactic"
---

# Virgin Galactic Unveils Luxurious Spaceport Lounge

![Virgin Galactic revealed on Thursday what its spaceport at its new New Mexico home looks like — a beautiful vision of the airport's space successor.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/virgin-galactic-beautiful-spaceport.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Virgin Galactic\</em\>*

## Spaceport Lounge

Virgin Galactic revealed on Thursday what its spaceport at its new New Mexico home looks like — and it's a beautiful vision of the airport lounge's cosmic successor.

The company [moved](<https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/10/virgin-galactic-is-coming-home-to-spaceport-america-in-new-mexico/>) to the Spaceport America facility in May, which [it calls](<https://www.spaceportamerica.com/>) "the world’s first purpose built commercial spaceport." It's purpose, according to the company, is to "provide a fitting welcome to those newly-graduated astronauts returning from space with a new appreciation and understanding of our home planet."

"Completion of this interior work means the spaceport facility is now operationally functional and able to support Virgin Galactic’s flight requirements," reads a [press release](<https://www.virgingalactic.com/articles/virgin-galactic-opens-the-doors-to-the-gateway-to-space/>).

## Ticket to Ride

But something is still missing: a boarding ticket to space. While the space company has been working hard to get its space tourism operations up and running, furnishing its flashy new spaceport is a much easier hurdle to clear.

In February, Virgin Galactic's supersonic space plane, the VSS Unity, took off on its [fifth test flight](<https://futurism.com/virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-vss-unity-fifth-test-flight>), soaring to a new record altitude of 51.4 miles — and close to commercial weight with two pilots and a third crew member.

“Although we passed a major milestone in December, we still have a way to go in testing the many factors that can affect a flight,” read a [statement](<https://www.virgingalactic.com/articles/vss-unity-prepares-for-fifth-supersonicpowered-test-flight>) at the time.

**READ MORE:** [Virgin Galactic unveils luxury lounge at its airport for space tourism](<https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/15/tech/virgin-galactic-spaceport-interior/index.html>) \[*CNN*\]

**More on Virgin Galactic:** *[Virgin Galactic’s Space Plane Soars to New Heights](<https://futurism.com/virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-vss-unity-fifth-test-flight>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)