The voters of Sierra County, New Mexico gave a thumbs up on April 22 to increase a local gross receipts tax tied to construction of the state’s Spaceport America.

Voters turned out in record numbers to okay the 1/4 of 1 percent gross receipts tax increase - giving Spaceport America officials the funding and ability to form a tax district the state requires to construct the facility. Voter turnout for the special election was high.

Sierra County has now joined adjacent Dona Ana County in forming a Tax Development District.

In November, voters in adjacent Otero Country will head for the polls to decide on a similar tax in that county.

Meanwhile, the New Mexico Spaceport Authority continues to press ahead to acquire a site operator’s license from the FAA…along with a finalized agreement from Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic as the spaceport’s anchor tenant.

Virgin Galactic would fly passengers on suborbital jaunts at an initial pay-per-Earthview seat price of $200,000. Space travelers would buckle up aboard SpaceShipTwo now under construction at Scaled Composites in Mojave, California.

If all keeps on track, Spaceport America would be completed sometime in 2010.