The Haas 2c orbital rocket. Photo: ARCA Space Corporation

[Via Satellite 09-02-2015] ARCA Space Corporation, a company designing both drones and orbital and suborbital launch vehicles, has selected Spaceport America as the site for its space launch vehicle and high altitude autonomous aircraft testing.

ARCA Space Corporation is building the Haas 2B single stage suborbital manned rocket and the Haas 2C, an orbital rocket capable of launching 400 kg to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

ARCA was originally established in 1999 as a non-profit organization in Romania and launched its first rocket, the Demonstrator 2B in 2004, as part of the Ansari X Prize Competition. ARCA Space Corporation was founded in the United States in Las Cruces, N.M., in July 2014. Later this year, the company expects to begin operating autonomous aircraft testing activities at Spaceport America, with space launch activity following in 2016.

“Only in New Mexico did we find the perfect combination of aerospace assets, airspace and affordability,” said Dumitru Popescu, founder and CEO of ARCA Space Corporation. “Proximity to Spaceport America and the expansive access to airspace were crucial factors in our decision to locate our global headquarters to Las Cruces, New Mexico in the United States.”