george whitesides virgin galactic's ceo. >> we've got a carrier aircraft that brings the spaceship up to 50,000 feet where it releases the spaceship. and the spaceship fires its rocket motor, makes a turn vertical, and you start heading up at mach 3. >> the construction began more than 6 years ago and the costs were more than 200-million dollars. no small fee, even for a billionaire. for sir richard branson, the founder of the company, the inauguration of the spaceport was an occasion for champagne, but that could be because he's not paying for it. >> he did not contribute a dime to the construction of this project. >> how much has he given to the local community? >> to my knowledge absolutely nothing. >> the spaceport was built here in dona ana county - one of the poorest counties in one of the poorest states in america. 25% of the people here live below the poverty line. residents will be paying a sales tax for the next 15 years to cover their contribution to the building of the spaceport. and almost no one here can afford to take a ride in space. >> the people that would be able to