Space Force Projects 700 Annual Launches by 2036 as Search for Third Spaceport Intensifies
As the Pentagon evaluates options for a new military spaceport to handle surging launch demands, the Space Force projects that established launch sites must support 700 missions per year by 2036. The pressure comes as existing facilities face mounting congestion and limited real estate.
Launch Congestion at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg
Last year saw 175 orbital launch attempts from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Kennedy Space Center in Florida, alongside Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The sheer volume of traffic highlights the straining capacity of America’s primary launch ranges. Establishing a third launch site would directly offload some of this heavy demand. It would also provide what Space Force leaders call geographic resiliency, mitigating the risk of a natural disaster or military attack knocking the Cape or Vandenberg offline.
Government and Commercial Options for Launch Sites
The federal government already owns a third spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, which handles suborbital rocket tests and small- and medium-class satellite launches. Small rockets can also launch from the Pacific Spaceport Complex, owned by the state of Alaska. Beyond government-owned installations, commercial options remain under active consideration.
When asked whether the Space Force might consider leasing property from a privately owned launch base—such as the expansive spaceport SpaceX plans to build in southern Louisiana—Brig. Gen. Luke Garrant addressed the complex decision-making process.
“We’ve discussed that we need to consider all of those opportunities: public-private partnership, new federal installation, state land, leveraging commercial land—all of those are possibilities. They all have pros and cons. We hadn’t made that decision yet, but we’re not discounting any of those options.”
Garrant noted that there is no firm plan yet for when the military might actually begin setting up a new base, emphasizing that the effort will require strong partnerships with local and state governments.
