The U.S. Space Force is preparing 87 launches from Florida’s Space Coast in 2023. This includes dozens more SpaceX missions and the expected debut of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket and Relativity’s Terran 1 rocket.
“We expect approximately 87 launches from the Cape in calendar year 2023,” said Lt. Col. Colin Mims, commander of the 1st Range Operations Squadron, which provides range safety support from the Eastern Range at Space Force Station Cape Canaveral. says. .
A busy 2023 follows a record-breaking 2022 at Cape Canaveral. Last year, there were 57 orbital-class rockets that left the launch pads at Space Force Station Cape Canaveral and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, significantly surpassing his previous record of 31 orbital launch attempts in 1966 and his 2021 record. is higher than
SpaceX launched 48 of its 57 missions last year from a Florida spaceport. The United Launch Alliance added to his six flights on the Atlas 5 rocket, and NASA’s giant Space Launch System Moon rocket made its first successful test flight on Nov. 16. In their bid to reach orbit.
The U.S. Space Force operates the Eastern Range, which oversees the public safety of launches from Florida’s Space Coast. Space Launch Delta 45, formerly the 45th Space Wing, encouraged rocket companies to switch to autonomous flight safety systems to upgrade infrastructure, streamline operations and reduce time to launch.
There were 16 space launches from the Eastern Mountains in 2019. The 2022 launch rate more than tripled his number.
“I think it just shows the pace at which commercials (demand) are growing,” says Mims. “I think it’s because of our geography here, away from the coast, that we can launch into polar or equatorial orbits, which is very advantageous. Our capabilities are indicative of our capabilities or highlight our ability to serve these launch service providers.”
While launches into polar orbit were previously the nearly exclusive domain of Vandenberg Space Force Station in California, the Eastern Range will launch from Cape Canaveral in 2020, the first polar mission from Florida since 1969. Approved SpaceX’s request to start the launch in the South Corridor.
“Three years ago … it was booming with every launch. That was a big challenge,” said Capt. I was. “Since then, we have changed our mindset and now operate like an airport. We call it a spaceport. We want to change the way of thinking to something closer to normal operations.”
On August 4, Eastern Range supported two launches by ULA’s Atlas 5 rocket and SpaceX’s Falcon 9, just 12 hours and 39 minutes apart. This is the shortest time between his two space launches from the Space Coast since 1967.
On Dec. 16, the military team that runs the range was ready for two launches by SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets from different pads just 33 minutes apart. But SpaceX delayed one of his missions to prioritize others.
There is a growing demand for launch services in the United States. SpaceX alone is aiming for 100 launches this year, including a flight from Florida, California, and a Starship Mega Rocket test flight from south Texas. SpaceX has not disclosed how many of these launches will be based out of Cape Canaveral, but the majority of missions in the company’s 2023 manifesto are expected to fly from Florida’s Space Coast.
“We are just starting to see increases,” King said in a recent interview. Satellites are being launched at an unprecedented rate, so we expect the launch rate to continue to increase.
“We really lost some fat,” said King. I did.”
“One of the biggest reasons we’ve been able to do multiple launches on the same day or within minutes of each other is[reducing]the amount of equipment needed for some of these launches. says Mims. “Contractors or launch service providers are now using what is called an automatic flight termination system, which means the vehicle itself has a series of sensors that can make sure the rocket is staying on course. If it doesn’t, it will self-destruct…The mission is all about public safety and making sure those rockets fly.
“Besides that, there’s a lot of other infrastructure that we’ve invested in,” said Lt. Col. David Schill, commander of Space Launch Squadron 5, which supports national security launches from Cape Canaveral. increase.
“Some of the infrastructure is as simple as roads and flood systems, but it’s also involved in a lot of partnerships with industry,” says Schill. “So they’re building additional hangar space and processing space so they can process rockets in multiple ways at the same time, so you’re not limited to just one hangar that can handle one rocket at a time. But , they could build multiple hangars, multiple processing facilities, multiple launch pads, and such structures will continue to increase.”
The 45th Meteorological Squadron monitors weather conditions throughout Cape Canaveral Spaceport to ensure that all parameters are within acceptable limits for a safe rocket launch. Lightning strikes are a major constraint for launches from Florida. Meteorologists track lightning from clouds to the ground, as well as lightning within clouds, and monitor potential electrical charges within clouds. This can cause lightning to hit a rocket rising in the atmosphere. This phenomenon is known as rocket-triggered lightning.
King, the weather squadron commander, said the Space Force is working with universities to develop a more scientific understanding of what causes lightning strikes. There is a possibility. King said the Cape Canaveral Weather Squadron is set to receive the new weather radar.
“This is state-of-the-art, just the newest and best radar specifically designed for launch operations,” King said.
SpaceX kicked off its 2023 schedule at Cape Canaveral with a Falcon 9 rocket launch scheduled for Tuesday at 9:56 a.m. ET (1456 GMT) and 114 small satellites and micropayloads in polar orbits around the world. carry it to the customer. The mission, called Transporter 6, is SpaceX’s sixth dedicated small satellite rideshare launch.
The Falcon 9 first stage booster returns to Space Force Station Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral for a propulsive vertical landing approximately 8 1/2 minutes after launch. Booster will make her 15th space flight, tying the record for SpaceX’s reusable rocket fleet.
SpaceX plans to launch six to seven missions from Florida in January alone, including the launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center on January 12th. Combining three Falcon 9 rocket cores, the Falcon Heavy launches two satellites into the Space Force’s high-altitude geostationary orbit.
Other Falcon 9 launches scheduled for January from Florida include the next launch of 40 internet satellites for OneWeb scheduled for January 8th, and a launch for the Space Force on January 18th. SpaceX also plans to launch more, including a batch of Starlink internet satellites, as well as the Spanish-owned Amazonas Nexus communications satellite, which will be completed by the end of the month.
A busy January will help SpaceX get off the ground as it aims for up to 100 launches in 2023.
SpaceX’s Falcon rocket flight from Florida this year includes multiple crew launches for NASA, Axiom Space, and the all-private Polaris Dawn mission aiming to achieve the first commercial spacewalk in Earth orbit . SpaceX has five of his Falcon Heavy missions scheduled for 2023, all from the Kennedy Space Center.
At least two new commercial launchers are expected to debut at Cape Canaveral this year.
United Launch Alliance’s new medium-to-heavy lift Vulcan rocket, which will replace the Atlas 5 and Delta 4 rocket families, may launch for the first time in the coming months. The rocket’s first launch was delayed last year as ULA was awaiting delivery of his flight-ready BE-4 main engine from Jeff Bezos’ space company, Blue Origin.
In October, Blue Origin delivered the two BE-4 engines required for Vulcan’s first launch to ULA’s Decatur, Alabama plant, where they were installed on Vulcan’s main stage. The Vulcan Core Stage and Centaur Upper Stage will soon be transported to Cape Canaveral for final integration and testing at the launch site.
Vulcan’s first launch will carry into space a commercial lunar lander built and owned by Astrobotic and two test platforms for Amazon’s planned Kuiper satellite internet network. His second launch of Vulcan could take place later this year on Sierra Space’s first Dream Chaser cargo ship for the International Space Station.
Relativity Space, a California-based startup founded in 2015, is also nearing its first orbital launch attempt. The company’s fully assembled Terran 1 rocket was deployed to Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 16 for the first time last month in preparation for final fueling and engine test launches.
The Terran 1 rocket is designed to carry small to medium payloads into space and has a lift capacity of nearly 1 ton to a polar synchronous orbit.
Blue Origin said in early 2022 that the first test launch of the New Glenn rocket, which will be the same height as NASA’s 322-foot (98-meter) SLS moon rocket, has been delayed until late 2022 or the fourth quarter of 2023. said. The company hasn’t updated its schedule since last March, but industry insiders now widely believe that Newglen’s debut flight from Space Force Station at Cape Canaveral won’t take place until 2024.
Besides SpaceX’s rapid launch rhythm and the maiden flights of the Vulcan and Terran 1 rockets, ULA plans about five flights from Cape Canaveral this year on Atlas 5 rockets, plus one Delta 4-Heavy rocket. We are planning to launch. National Reconnaissance Service.
ULA’s Atlas 5 mission includes the launch of astronauts on the company’s Boeing Starliner Crew Capsule. The Atlas 5 rocket shares the same launch pad as the Vulcan rocket.
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