ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The deal was sold to New Mexicans in classic Richard Branson fashion. If taxpayers would build the colorful British businessman a $209 million futuristic spaceport, he would make New Mexico the launching point for a space tourism business catering to the rich and famous.

Now, with Spaceport America nearly complete but still mostly empty, a Virgin Galactic official says the company will reassess its agreement if lawmakers don’t pass liability exemption laws for its suppliers, raising the possibility it could take its spacecraft elsewhere.