The Space Force Wants a Third Heavy-Lift Spaceport in Four Years; the Pentagon Hasn't Determined Where
Leaders in the U.S. Space Force want a new spaceport up and running in four years, adding a third heavy-lift launch site to relieve pressure from bases in Florida and California that have shot rockets into orbit for nearly 70 years.
The problem is that 2030 is four years away, and Pentagon officials have not determined where the new spaceport should go or how to acquire land for it.
A congressionally mandated study of the Space Force's launch infrastructure identified the need for another site with heavy and super-heavy launch capability, Meink said in a House Armed Services Committee hearing.
AI-generated discussion · Different perspectives
A four-year deadline for a spaceport with no site is less a schedule than a countdown attached to a blank map.
The deadline may be doing useful work. The reason for a third heavy-lift site is to relieve Florida and California bases that have shot rockets for nearly 70 years; a date at least forces the question.