New Mexico, which has invested $218.5 million into the future of space tourism, is concerned about the viability of Spaceport America.

Lawmakers grilled New Mexico Spaceport Authority executive director Christine Anderson on Thursday about how it plans to deliver on the promise of the Spaceport, especially now since commercial flights by Virgin Galactic are postponed indefinitely following a deadly crash last month that killed one pilot.

Although the future of space tourism — the reason why the Spaceport was built — is uncertain, executives are asking taxpayers for additional funds to the tune of $4.5 million. Spaceport America is owned by the state of New Mexico.

The additional funds would be used for a new hangar, and to help address a $1.7 million budget deficit resulting from lost user fees due to the Virgin Galactic delays.

However, the New Mexico Finance Authority Oversight Committee was unimpressed by Anderson's presentation. Rep. Patricia Lundstrom said the meeting's purpose was to review numbers, and work on a plan.

"I'm disappointed. We need to have more than six pictures," Lundstrom said, referring to the presentation. "We want to see something. What's different? What makes us more competitive? This business plan we've seen the last six years in a row does not."

The launch of commercial space flights has been delayed repeatedly; before the Oct. 31 crash, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson previously said the first flight would be in early 2015. Test flights could potentially resume in six months, according to Virgin Galactic, but commercial flights could take much longer.

New Mexico officials want the authority to show moves toward generating revenue. But Anderson told the committee that the Spaceport's goal is not to make a profit, but to attract enough business and tourism to keep the facility afloat, and to create jobs in southern New Mexico.

Anderson said diversifying revenue is vital, which could mean throwing support behind other efforts besides Virgin Galactic.

"The plan has always stressed diversification in revenue streams," she said. "It's Spaceport America, not Virgin Galactic Spaceport. We were thrilled to have Virgin Galactic as an anchor tenant, but we've always sought other tenants, other customers."

That means encouraging SpaceX, Elon Musk's company, as it works to develop reusable rockets that can be launched from the Spaceport, as well as using the venue's futuristic backdrop as a concert venue, and for fashion and vehicle photo shoots.

It was recently featured in a Kawasaki ad for its newest motorcycle.

Earlier this fall, Land Rover teamed up with Virgin Galactic for another commercial.

New Mexico Spaceport Authority board chairman Richard Holdridge said the authority is in discussions with several prospective tenants, but could not disclose them for competitive reasons. He said the goal is to sign at least one new tenant in the next fiscal year.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press