Environmental impact documents that was filed to NASA in April by SpaceX shows that that eth space exploration company is planning construct a number of new facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida which includes a state of the art launch control center and a huge processing facility for its rockets.
A new security office, a 280,000 square foot yard for utilities, a "rocket garden" to show case the "historic space vehicles" of the company, a control tower that would be 300 feet tall to be used for launches and landings and a rocket processing and storage facility that would be 133,000 square foot in size are being proposed by Space X according to the documents filed. The total area that would be required is equivalent to a piece of land that is half a mile wide and a mile long.,
"As SpaceX's launch cadence and manifest for missions from Florida continues to grow, we are seeking to expand our capabilities and streamline operations to launch, land and re-fly our Falcon family of rockets," SpaceX spokesman James Gleeson said in a statement.
The company has recently launched the enhanced version of the Falcon 9 rocket which is called Block 5. It was on May 11 that the Falcon 9 Block 5 was launched and landed by SpaceX. It was around that time that company owner Elon Musk had announced plans about how this new rocket would be able to accomplish a range of new milestones for the company which includes a next year date for launching and landing the rocket twice within 24 hours.
In 2018, the company plans to surpass its own record of 18 successful flights for the rocket that it achieved in 2017 and plans to make at least 24 launches this year. So far this year, SpaceX has successfully completed 17 launches. That includes the debut making launch of Falcon Heavy – which is touted to be the heaviest and the most powerful rocket ever created. The company however expects lowering of demand for space flights in 2019 according to company President and COO Gwynne Shotwell. The company expects the same number of flights as in 2017.
There are multiple reasons that SpaceX wants to expand its facilities in Florida despite having a number of facilities throughout the U.S. Majority of SpaceX launches have bene conducted from here throughout its history. Additionally, the largest rocket processing facility of the company at Kennedy is just about one third of the proposed processing facility in the report.
"Commercial space is real; it's here and it's getting bigger," Dale Ketcham, vice president of government relations at economic development agency Space Florida, told the media. "The private sector is asserting itself in the space domain."
(Source:www.cnbc.com)
A new security office, a 280,000 square foot yard for utilities, a "rocket garden" to show case the "historic space vehicles" of the company, a control tower that would be 300 feet tall to be used for launches and landings and a rocket processing and storage facility that would be 133,000 square foot in size are being proposed by Space X according to the documents filed. The total area that would be required is equivalent to a piece of land that is half a mile wide and a mile long.,
"As SpaceX's launch cadence and manifest for missions from Florida continues to grow, we are seeking to expand our capabilities and streamline operations to launch, land and re-fly our Falcon family of rockets," SpaceX spokesman James Gleeson said in a statement.
The company has recently launched the enhanced version of the Falcon 9 rocket which is called Block 5. It was on May 11 that the Falcon 9 Block 5 was launched and landed by SpaceX. It was around that time that company owner Elon Musk had announced plans about how this new rocket would be able to accomplish a range of new milestones for the company which includes a next year date for launching and landing the rocket twice within 24 hours.
In 2018, the company plans to surpass its own record of 18 successful flights for the rocket that it achieved in 2017 and plans to make at least 24 launches this year. So far this year, SpaceX has successfully completed 17 launches. That includes the debut making launch of Falcon Heavy – which is touted to be the heaviest and the most powerful rocket ever created. The company however expects lowering of demand for space flights in 2019 according to company President and COO Gwynne Shotwell. The company expects the same number of flights as in 2017.
There are multiple reasons that SpaceX wants to expand its facilities in Florida despite having a number of facilities throughout the U.S. Majority of SpaceX launches have bene conducted from here throughout its history. Additionally, the largest rocket processing facility of the company at Kennedy is just about one third of the proposed processing facility in the report.
"Commercial space is real; it's here and it's getting bigger," Dale Ketcham, vice president of government relations at economic development agency Space Florida, told the media. "The private sector is asserting itself in the space domain."
(Source:www.cnbc.com)
