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<\/p>\nAt the 47th Spaceport Summit, formerly known as Space Congress, the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Kennedy Space Center\/45th Space Wing of the Space Force, and the FAA provided an overview and update on the Florida spaceport\u2019s status and how it is preparing for an even busier schedule than it\u2019s already looking at in 2021.<\/p>\n
Part of this discussion surrounded expansion possibilities and restrictions at the Florida launch site and how the spaceport would adopt a more airport-like approach to launch operations.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s Spaceport Summit, conducted virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, has and will feature leaders from numerous space agencies, private companies, and industry providers. <\/p>\n
In particular, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana was joined by Brig. Gen. Stephen Purdy, Director of the Eastern Range and Commander of the 45th Space Wing, as well as Wayne Monteith, FAA Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation and retired Brig. Gen. of the Air Force, where they discussed the Florida spaceport\u2019s current status and future.<\/p>\n
Overall, 2020 was an impressive year, even with the pandemic alternating numerous plans and delaying many projects in the need to keep workers safe.<\/p>\n
According to Brig. Gen. Purdy, last year saw 297 requests to use the Eastern Range, resulting in 225 approvals that led to the commencement of 55 countdowns that resulted in 32 launches.<\/p>\n
Two launches were human flights, representing the first crewed test flight (SpaceX Demo-2) off the Eastern Range of a new spacecraft since STS-1\/Columbia in April 1981 and the first operational flight carrying humans (SpaceX Crew-1) since the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011.<\/p>\n
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Brady Kenniston, self-portrait, documents the launch of SpaceX\u2019s Crew-2 mission with four astronauts onboard from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center in November 2020. (Credit: Brady Kenniston for NSF)<\/p>\n
Of the satellites orbited from Florida, the vast majority (833) were Starlinks, with a notable non-Starlink being SAOCOM-1B \u2014 which became the first satellite in nearly 51 years to be placed into a polar orbit from Florida after the U.S. Air Force, now Space Force, reopened the southern polar launch route.<\/p>\n
Over at the Kennedy Space Center, while a large amount of the visible work last year involved numerous launches of SpaceX Falcon 9s off LC-39A as well as arrival and buildup of flight hardware for the first SLS mission which will launch from neighboring LC-39B, the multi-user spaceport saw work with more than 200 partners across more than 150 multi-user agreements.<\/p>\n
Those figures underscore in large part the often non-visible work that opening the Kennedy Space Center to multiple users has enabled, as it is not just launch and stacking facilities that companies find useful.<\/p>\n
Moreover, last year\u2019s 32 launches off the Eastern Range advanced the 45th Space Wing\u2019s goal of supporting 48 missions per year \u2014 which they had planned to reach this year and might come close to achieving based on the currently understood launch manifest.<\/p>\n
But along with the spaceport\u2019s growth and increased launch cadence comes new challenges.<\/p>\n
The entire Eastern Range is looking at a projected cadence of 60 launches per year in the near future, with that number increasing to upwards of 96 launches a year by 2030, if not more.<\/p>\n
To this end, Mr. Cabana, Brig. Gen. Purdy, and Mr. Monteith discussed the \u201crange of the future,\u201d including a pivotal swing toward a more airport-like model of launch support that would routinely be capable of supporting one to two launches per day.<\/p>\n