Space Florida eyes merging of US operations at Cape Canaveral

Yahoo

01-06-2025

As Florida leaders call for moving the nation's space-agency headquarters to Brevard County, Space Florida is launching a study about how NASA and U.S. Space Force operations could be merged at Cape Canaveral.
Space Florida President and CEO Robert Long on Wednesday told board members of the state aerospace agency that a 'unified model' would support the ongoing growth of commercial space operations and ensure government missions can be more efficient and sustainable.
'We think that it's time that we ask ourselves as a nation, what is the optimal model to carry the world's most active and capable spaceport into the future and enable America to continue to lead in space,' Long said.
How that looks will be up to a 'new Cape Canaveral Spaceport master plan,' which Long said will include participation from NASA and the Space Force.
Under Acting Administrator Janet Petro, NASA is looking to consolidate or relocate operations to streamline the organization.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has supported moving NASA's headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Florida, with backers saying it would put leaders closer to the agency's operations. The idea has drawn support from most members of Florida's congressional delegation, including through proposed legislation, the Consolidating Aerospace Programs Efficiently at Canaveral (CAPE Canaveral) Act, which calls for placing the headquarters in Brevard County.
Meanwhile, members of the Texas congressional delegation have asked President Donald Trump to move the headquarters to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Long said that 'at this stage, there is no predetermined outcome' for the master plan, with a goal to recommend 'a governance model that will maximize spaceport capacity for the nation and minimize inefficiencies.'
The military and NASA have operated separate portions of the spaceport since the 1950s.
The model enabled America to win the first space race, land people on the Moon, launch 135 space-shuttle missions, construct the International Space Station and begin to explore the solar system, Long said. But Long added the model has changed as the spaceport has 'rapidly evolved into a commercially driven economic engine that supports both government missions and commercial business cases alike.'
This year, there have been 31 successful launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and 13 from the John F. Kennedy Space Center.
Last year, there were 67 successful launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and 26 at Kennedy Space Center, up from 58 at Cape Canaveral and 13 at Kennedy in 2023.
Space Florida, which is working on upgrading wastewater facilities at the cape and expanding wharf space for the industry at Port Canaveral, manages certain operations at the spaceport through property leased from the federal government, including launch and landing facilities through an agreement with NASA.
Long said infrastructure at the cape --- such as utility systems, roads and bridges --- is 'becoming strained' as commercial activity at the spaceport has increased. He estimated $2 billion to $3 billion in unfunded infrastructure improvements will need to be addressed over the next decade at the spaceport.
A consultant is expected to be named for the master plan study in June, and the first two phases are expected to be completed in eight months to a year, Long said.
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