WASHINGTON – The Florida Space Coast passed a major milestone last week. The Starlink mission flown Nov. 20 was the 100th orbital launch of the year, marking the first time Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center have seen triple-digit activity in the same calendar year.
Colonel Brian Chatman, commander of Space Launch Delta 45, said this is the new normal. “Next year, we’re hearing and planning about 100 to 115-ish launches,” he said. This momentum now forces the Space Force and launch companies to confront the reality that the Eastern Ranges remains, as Chatman said, “a collection of assets that we have continued to pursue and deal with since the Apollo era.” To keep up, the range requires an extensive modernization effort.
Preparing for the Starship Age
Chatman took command of Space Launch Delta 45 in June. Speaking to reporters on November 21, he said next year will focus on infrastructure upgrades and operational changes needed to handle more launches and more providers.
SpaceX’s steady stream of Starlink flights remains the key driver of volume, but the picture could change going forward. United Launch Alliance is expected to increase the speed of its Vulcan rocket. Blue Origin is increasing New Glenn flights. SpaceX is also planning to bring its next generation Starship to Florida. All this increases launch speed while adding complexity, Chatman said.
Congress supported border reforms by approving $1.3 billion through 2028 for an initiative called Spaceport of the Future, the largest investment in Cape infrastructure in 30 years. Next month, Space Delta 45 and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center will sit down with launch providers to work out what changes need to be made and, as Chatman said, “As far as choke points are concerned, what do we need to remove to be able to support tomorrow?”
evacuating people from the blast zone
A practical change is already underway that is simple but impactful. The Space Force is moving offices and workplaces out of active launch complexes and into a separate industrial area. Today, safety often requires personnel to evacuate the pad and nearby buildings, slowing down day-to-day operations. Relocating these functions allows operations to continue even when the rocket rolls onto the pad, refuels, or begins a countdown.
Security posts are also being upgraded. Chatman said Base Speed is adding digital scanners for vehicle inspection. Trucks carry everything from propellant to cryogenic fluids to telecommunications gear. Faster screening means a smoother flow of “goods” – a catch-all term for supplies needed to prepare a rocket.
Now, all providers except ULA’s Atlas 5 fly with the Automatic Flight Termination System (AFTS), which can detect an anomaly and self-terminate without waiting for ground command. This reduces the time between missions, as the ground section no longer needs to set up and coordinate hours for each flight. This results in a shorter “deconfliction” period, limiting the buffer time required to reset and verify security systems.
Chatman said it’s difficult to minimize conflicts when launches are from different providers. Each rocket type uses different radio frequencies, meaning the range must schedule spectrum deconfrontation so that the flights do not interfere with each other. Different rockets also require different items, such as unique propellants or special ground support equipment. SpaceX can fly two Falcon missions hours apart because its operations are highly standardized. Blue Origin and ULA use different infrastructure, slowing down the plan and pad turnaround.
New support contract to modernize the range
To help manage range improvements, the Space Force selected Amentum for the Space Force Range Contract, a 10-year deal worth up to $4 billion. This includes maintenance, upkeep, engineering and integration work at both the Eastern Range in Florida and the Western Range at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Chatman said he could not share details about the contract because it is still in the early transition phase. He said that there is a need to review the range from top to bottom. Right now, the facilities “remain a collection of assets since the Apollo era that we have continued to work on and make sure we have the right telemetry, the right security, the right termination systems … so maintaining and maintaining that is a very big approach.”
Space Launch Delta 45 is working with Space Systems Command to define what “tomorrow’s frontier” should look like.
SpaceX’s plan to launch Starship from Florida is an imminent change. The huge vehicle requires its own pad, ground system, commodity lines and safety analysis.
“We are working in partnership with Kennedy Space Center to build a launch complex for Starship operations,” Chatman said. “KSC is moving forward with a partnership with SpaceX to conduct development work to be able to support Space Launch Complex 39A and Starship.”
Range expects Starship operations to begin in early or mid-2026. “And we will have the range ready to support it at that time,” he said.
