New Mexico Governor Signs Space Travel Liability Bill

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has signed into law liability-waiving legislation aimed at saving the state’s nearly quarter-billion-dollar investment in a spaceport and retaining anchor tenant British billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic.

The law exempts spacecraft parts suppliers from liability lawsuits by passengers. Lawmakers previously exempted spacecraft operators from liability, but some space companies passed up New Mexico in favor of states that had extended those protections to suppliers.

Officials have been fighting for years to get the legislation enacted, saying companies passed over New Mexico in favor of states with more lenient liability exemptions.