The Pentagon is under pressure to establish a new military spaceport as launch demand surges. With 175 orbital launches in 2023 from Florida and California, Space Force projects a need for 700 annual launches by 2036. A third site would ease congestion at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg while adding geographic resiliency against disasters or attacks. Existing federal options include Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia and Alaska’s Pacific Spaceport Complex. Officials are also exploring public-private partnerships, state-owned land, or leasing from commercial providers like SpaceX’s planned Louisiana spaceport. “We’re considering all possibilities,” said Garrant, noting no decision has been made yet.
The lack of a firm timeline reflects the complexity of balancing federal control, local cooperation, and commercial innovation. Space Force leaders emphasize collaboration with state and local governments as critical to moving forward. Until a site is chosen, the U.S. relies on its current infrastructure, which faces growing strain from both national security and commercial launch demands.
Source: Ars Technica · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing