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Space Force general says U.S. needs a third heavy-lift spaceport by 2030
Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant told Ars Technica the Space Force wants a new heavy-lift launch site by 2030 but has not chosen a location or ownership model.
A senior U.S. Space Force officer said this week the service wants a third heavy-lift spaceport operating by 2030, while acknowledging officials have not picked a site or how to acquire land1.
Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, who leads Space Systems Command and procures military launch services, described the 2030 date as a need and as aspirational, telling Ars Technica he is also a pragmatist about building a spaceport1.
He said orbital regimes, safety, access to commodities and nearby residents all have to be factored in, comparing a spaceport to an airport that is even louder1.
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink first described a search for a third launch base in May, citing a congressionally mandated study of Space Force launch infrastructure that identified a need for another site capable of heavy and super-heavy launch1.
The Trump administration released a space transportation policy in August that endorsed more launch and reentry sites for commercial and military missions1.
There were 175 orbital launch attempts last year from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Kennedy Space Center in Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, Ars Technica reported1.
Space Force officials project those established spaceports will need to support 700 launches per year by 20361.
A third site would take some demand off limited real estate at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg and provide what leaders call geographic resiliency if a natural disaster or military attack took one of those bases offline1.
The federal government already owns NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia for suborbital tests and small- and medium-class satellite launches, and small rockets can fly from Alaska’s state-owned Pacific Spaceport Complex1.
Asked whether the Space Force might lease land at a privately owned base such as a SpaceX spaceport planned in southern Louisiana, Garrant said public-private partnership, a new federal installation, state land and commercial land are all possibilities, each with pros and cons1.
He said the service has not made that decision and is not discounting those options, and that as far as decision timelines, officials do not have anything yet1.
He said a strong partnership with local and state governments will be required1.
