Starlink’s busy launch schedule is workable, says 45th Space Wingby Sandra Erwin — January 7, 2020The 45th Space Wing had forecast to support 48 launches by 2023 but the rapid growth in Starlink missions means the target could be attained in 2020.
45th Space Wing's Col. Brande Walton says the Eastern Range could see up to 53 launches this year, including three crewed missions and premieres of vehicles like Vulcan. The wing's estimates are usually higher than what we see by the end of the year, but 53 is significant.
Someone forgot to tell 45th media team ...twitter.com/45thspacewing/status/1357041906979639297Quote The 45th Space Wing has approved the launch of two SpaceX Falcon 9 missions carrying hundreds of Starlink satellites. Working extremely close with our FAA, USN, and international partners, Starlink L-17 and Starlink L-18 are approved to launch at 0536L and 0119L, respectively.https://twitter.com/45thspacewing/status/1357041908355395585Quote This is the first time since 11 November 1966 that two launches will lift off from the Eastern Range on the same day. Those previous missions were Gemini 12 and Atlas Agena which lifted off 99 minutes apart from each other. The two Falcons will lift off less than 5 hours apart.
The 45th Space Wing has approved the launch of two SpaceX Falcon 9 missions carrying hundreds of Starlink satellites. Working extremely close with our FAA, USN, and international partners, Starlink L-17 and Starlink L-18 are approved to launch at 0536L and 0119L, respectively.
This is the first time since 11 November 1966 that two launches will lift off from the Eastern Range on the same day. Those previous missions were Gemini 12 and Atlas Agena which lifted off 99 minutes apart from each other. The two Falcons will lift off less than 5 hours apart.
Eastern Range looks for ways to support additional launchesby Jeff Foust — March 3, 2021WASHINGTON — As launch activity grows on the Eastern Range in Florida, companies and government agencies are looking at ways to add capacity, largely through incremental improvements.In a panel discussion at the 47th Spaceport Summit Feb. 23, Brig. Gen. Stephen G. Purdy Jr., commander of the 45th Space Wing and director of the Eastern Range, said the range supported 32 launches in the last 12 months. Those launches came from 55 launch attempts that “went to countdown.”However, there were 297 requested launch opportunities over that period, of which the range approved 225.
QuoteEastern Range looks for ways to support additional launchesby Jeff Foust — March 3, 2021<snip>
Eastern Range looks for ways to support additional launchesby Jeff Foust — March 3, 2021<snip>
“We came very close” to two launches in one day, said Hans Koenigsmann, senior adviser for build and flight reliability at SpaceX, including an attempt in February where two launches were scheduled for less than four and a half hours apart. “This will happen in the near future, that we launch two vehicles from two pads on the same day. It will only increase from there.”
Koenigsmann was not concerned. “I just don’t see anybody else doing that level of launches right now” compared to SpaceX, he said, expressing optimism that SpaceX and others can find solutions to any future scheduling issues. “After all, we land on ships, right? How hard can that be.”
The ULA and SpaceX missions set for liftoff tomorrow will be the 33rd and 34th orbital launch attempts of the year from Cape Canaveral SFS or Kennedy Space Center -- and if successful, the 31st and 32nd to reach orbit.This chart shows orbital flights from the Cape since 2000.
As the chart shows, SpaceX is driving the surge in launches.Col. Mark Shoemaker from Space Launch Delta 45 at the Cape notes there have been 42 space launches in the last 365 days -- 32 so far in 2022.He says the schedule currently shows more than 60 launches for all of 2022.
It’s been a busy day for the team at @SLDelta45 & @USSF_SSC launching two rockets in less than 13 hours off the Eastern Range. The last time that was done was 1967! Congrats to the entire team for this incredible accomplishment! @SpaceX @ULA #SemperSupra
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/08/03/cape-canaveral-on-the-cusp-of-new-records-as-blistering-launch-rate-continues/[Aug 3]
Col. Mark Shoemaker, the vice commander of Space Launch Delta 45, said the range has booked launches on the same day on more than 20 occasions in the last two-and-a-half years. But the launches have been delayed by bad weather or technical issues with the rocket.“There’s been a ton of hard work across our operations, our infrastructure, our instrumentation, technical pieces, our safety team, just across the board, the entirety of our organization, to get to this point,” Shoemaker said in an interview with Spaceflight Now.“So the ability to make it happen on Thursday, knock on wood, will be … just a validation to everybody that the areas where we have spent time and effort to improve were the right places, and this just then becomes kind of a normal service capability that we provide to anybody that wants to launch off of Cape Canaveral.”With another launch doubleheader on the books Thursday, Shoemaker joked that the range team at Cape Canaveral is using a famous baseball superstition: “Nobody talk about the no-hitter until it’s over.”
Driving the Pace for SpaceBy Senior Airman Dakota Raub, Space Launch Delta 45 Public Affairs / Published September 15, 2022PATRICK SPACE FORCE BASE, Fla. --In 2017, the ‘Drive to 48’ campaign was a, 45th Space Wing, now known as Space Launch Delta 45, initiative to reach 48 launches in a 12 month time frame from the Eastern Range. In order to accomplish this, the challenge was to launch once a week in order to meet the goal.On Aug. 27, 2022, a Falcon 9 rocket soared into the sky carrying 54 Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., making it the 48th launch in a 12 month time period. “The ‘Drive to 48’ was a goal set in place in order to advance our space capabilities and inspire innovation to meet growing demand for space launch range capacity,” said U.S. Space Force Col. Mark Shoemaker, Vice Commander for Operations. “It is important to note we were striving for one launch a week and now, that is the new normal here on the Eastern Range.”While one launch a week was the goal just a few years ago, the range can support two launches in a single day. On Aug. 4, 2022, the Eastern Range supported two launches in a span of 13 hours, the fastest since 1967.While the ‘Drive to 48’ is in the rearview mirror, the Eastern Range is aiming for more ambitious goals.“Our goal is to continuously get better and increase our launch pace capacity while preserving public safety and protecting our critical infrastructure,” said Shoemaker. “We are not setting a specific number for this new goal, but getting to 100-200 launches a year is not far out of reach. Our new drive is to speed up, innovate at every level, and continue to show what it means to be the World’s Premier Gateway to Space.”
Over 50 launches on the year & counting! Yesterday's successful Eutelsat 10B launch is another tick on the board for a record breaking year on the Space Coast. 📸 : SpaceX
This week, SLD 45 made history once again! The SLD 45 Commander approved a first of its kind T-0 simultaneous orbital launches from the ER.On Friday, 12/16, the ER was scheduled to attempt the launch of two Earth-to-orbit missions with approximately 33 minutes between launches.
With the overlap in these launch windows, SLD 45 and the ER introduced a new capability of T-0 simultaneous orbital launches. Innovation and growth demonstrated through feats such as this showcase why we are the World's #PremierGatewayToSpace.
Range commander Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy (he's the commander of Space Launch Delta 45): the 2023 plan includes 92 Florida launches. Last year topped out at 57."Old strategies, old thoughts, old goals are just falling by the wayside ... which is great.""We still plan on multiple hundreds of launches in a few years."Space reporters everywhere scream-cry in unisonFor 57 launches in 2022, Purdy says, there were a whopping 330 total requests. So if the range does hit a cadence of 100+ launches, it's probably fair to say the requests number will be significantly higher.Purdy: "For the first time, space is actually talking about logistics ... logistics wins wars."Purdy, speaking directly to launch providers, says the range needs to start operating like an airport. Companies will need to pay fees so Space Force can maintain infrastructure.Without cooperation, "you're not going to get anywhere with your business plans."
Imagine what this will look like in 2030. I recently spent some time with Space Force officials who are preparing for when there are 200, 300 launches from the Eastern Range and recently visited Orlando International Airport to understand how they could support such a cadence.
FAA: Traveling to central Florida airports on commercial flights from the northeast will no longer experience delays or reroutes during a typical space launch."Based on risk analyses conducted for every launch and working with the U.S. Space Force and space launch operators, the FAA determined the existing airspace restrictions for most Florida launches were too large and could be safely reduced.More than 80 percent of the Florida launch trajectories are to the east and south. Sections of airspace to the north that had been traditionally closed for all launches can now remain open during most launches. Within this northern section is the busy overwater route from the northeast to central Florida airports in Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, among others."https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-safely-keeps-more-airspace-open-during-most-florida-space-launches
https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1669470605106659328QuoteFAA: Traveling to central Florida airports on commercial flights from the northeast will no longer experience delays or reroutes during a typical space launch."Based on risk analyses conducted for every launch and working with the U.S. Space Force and space launch operators, the FAA determined the existing airspace restrictions for most Florida launches were too large and could be safely reduced.More than 80 percent of the Florida launch trajectories are to the east and south. Sections of airspace to the north that had been traditionally closed for all launches can now remain open during most launches. Within this northern section is the busy overwater route from the northeast to central Florida airports in Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, among others."https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-safely-keeps-more-airspace-open-during-most-florida-space-launches
The closures run way too long. It's not rocket science to know when an airplane can safely fly thru launch zone. Many launches have an instantaneous window and at least for those make a small 5 minute restriction with flight plans timed so they pass thru either right before or right after the launch window.
Quote from: mn on 06/15/2023 11:59 pmThe closures run way too long. It's not rocket science to know when an airplane can safely fly thru launch zone. Many launches have an instantaneous window and at least for those make a small 5 minute restriction with flight plans timed so they pass thru either right before or right after the launch window.It's easy to say that when you're on the ground.Firstly, Since there's no practical way to know where a rocket is going to go until it actually lifts off the pad (that's what danger areas are for), no airline will want to flight plan their comparatively sluggishly slow-moving aircraft into harm's way mere minutes before a launch and secondly, unless they've a really good (demonstrated, reliable) way to model wake turbulence as the rocket passes through the different flight levels on its actual trajectory after launch, the easiest thing to do is to be very conservative and wait for it to dissipate. In either case, 5 minutes is nowhere near long enough.