US Space Force Targets Third Launch Range by 2030 to Meet Surge in Heavy Missions
Space Systems Command has established an operational planning team to evaluate options for a third U.S. spaceport by 2030. The initiative aims to alleviate severe capacity bottlenecks at existing ranges and support a projected fivefold increase in domestic launches.
The U.S. Space Force is officially exploring options to construct or acquire a third launch site capable of supporting medium, heavy, and super-heavy space vehicles by 2030. Speaking at AFCEA’s Space Industry Days, Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, commander of Space Systems Command (SSC), stated that an operational planning team is actively analyzing what establishing a new spaceport will require. While calling the 2030 deadline aspirational, Garrant stressed that physical, safety, and operational limitations at existing ranges necessitate aggressive expansion to maintain national security launch capacity and payload delivery schedules.
Currently, defense and commercial space missions rely almost entirely on Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Both coastal facilities are approaching maximum throughput due to relentless commercial launch schedules and expanding national security requirements. An updated National Space Transportation Policy released in August projects that U.S. launch cadence could grow fivefold to 1,000 annual launches by 2030. To mitigate range saturation and operational risk, the White House directed the Department of Defense to partner with NASA and the Department of Homeland Security to explore additional spaceport infrastructure.
SSC is evaluating multiple delivery models for the third site, including public-private partnerships, long-term commercial land leases, and traditional federal installation builds. In the interim, the service is deepening operational ties with commercial facilities—such as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia and the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Alaska—while executing major infrastructure modernizations at existing bases. Supported by $1.3 billion allocated by Congress through 2028 for "Spaceport of the Future" upgrades, the Space Force plans to request additional funding in FY2028 to expand pads, launch support facilities, harbor capacity, and access to essential commodities like propellants and water.
For defense leaders, securing a third heavy-launch range is a strategic necessity for orbital resilience, enabling uninterrupted launch capability and rapid force reconstitution during localized disruptions. For government and industry executives, this effort signals major capital investment shifts across national launch infrastructure. Industry partners must prepare for opportunities in co-investment, heavy infrastructure development, and expanded supply chain demands for specialized launch commodities and logistics. (Source: Air & Space Forces Magazine)
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