By ABC-7 Reporter Jill Galus

SIERRA COUNTY, NM -- Spaceport America is not quite ready for space aircraft just yet, but with plenty of construction underway, the project is headed for the stars. 

ABC-7 caught a glimpse of all the activity on the runway during the first-ever hard-hat tour of the area.

"I don't look at it as my runway,"  Steve Waid, Project Engineer, said.  "I look at it as New Mexico's runway." Runway 1634 is nearly two miles long and will be the world's first launch pad for commercial space travel.  

"It is kinda an honor to be part of this groundbreaking project," Waid said.  

A major project underway, machines stirred up dirt and dust in all directions.  Right now, it looks like little more than a construction site.  But with a closer look, it is slowly transforming into a runway.  

For an idea of just how thick this runway is, construction workers poured about 4 inches of asphalt Tuesday.  Another 14 inches of concrete will next be layered on top of that.

Right now, construction is in phase two of a layering process.  Project engineers say they're being environmentally friendly too, utilizing local resources. "To fire some of our plants we're using 100 percent recycled burner fuel," Waid said.

The runway may be completed as early as this summer. "It's something that's gonna be here that has a crown jewel for New Mexico for a long time to come," Waid said.  "I'm gonna be honored to be able to tell my children I was a small part of this."

 One of many small parts transforming an area once used for ranching, into a platform carrying people to the moon.

Find out more about Spaceport America at www.spaceportamerica.com.