El Paso Positioned Between Two U.S. Commercial Spaceports

Spaceport America, located north of Las Cruces, New Mexico, began operations in 2006 and traces its origins to a 1992 Southwest Space Task Force study. Approximately 100 miles north of El Paso, it is one of the United States' first commercial launch sites.

Blue Origin’s commercial spaceport lies about 150 miles east of El Paso, placing the city roughly between the two facilities. The proximity offers a potential tourism corridor, with both sites providing public tours, special events and photo‑shoot opportunities. The article notes that traditional NASA launches from Houston are far farther away, highlighting a shift toward private‑sector space travel.

The piece also references the U.S. Air Force definition of space as 50 miles above Earth and mentions the International Space Station’s orbit at roughly 250 miles.