WASHINGTON — Florida’s Space Coast capped off a record-breaking year with 93 launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, up from 74 launches in 2023.
Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, commander of the Eastern Range and Space Delta 45, credited the accelerated pace to innovations by both Space Launch Delta 45 and the private sector. “We’ve been able to reach these crazy numbers by leveraging automation, modernizing infrastructure, and streamlining processes,” Panzenhagen told SpaceNews.
Space Launch Delta 45, based at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, is a unit of the United States Space Force responsible for managing space launch operations on the East Coast.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX accounted for 88 of the 93 launches from the Eastern Range in 2024, with United Launch Alliance (ULA) performing five.
SpaceX experienced an unprecedented launch tempo, completing 134 commercial and government missions in 2024 — 62 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, 26 from Kennedy Space Center, and 46 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The company also conducted four test flights of its next-generation Starship vehicle from its Texas facility.
To handle the surge in activity, Space Launch Delta 45 implemented new processes to reduce the turnaround times between launches, Panzenhagen said. SpaceX’s automated flight safety technologies have been pivotal, she added, cutting the personnel and time required for pre-launch preparations.
The Space Force’s Space Systems Command recently introduced the “One Falcon” initiative to manage SpaceX’s rapid cadence. The program unifies personnel across the Eastern and Western Ranges, allowing teams to support launches from either coast. “This cross-training effort enables us to surge resources where needed and fully utilize the talent on that team,” Panzenhagen said.
Ripple effects on national security
While only four of the 93 missions that lifted off from the Eastern Range in 2024 were national security space launches, the high commercial launch volume has indirect benefits for military operations.
Innovations in commercial space — from infrastructure investments to rapid response capabilities — enhance resilience and responsiveness for national security missions, Panzenhagen said. She highlighted the recent “Rapid Response Trailblazer” RRT-1 mission where SpaceX launched a GPS satellite in a compressed timeline, as an example of this synergy.
While SpaceX missions continue to dominate the manifest, the Space Coast is preparing for increased competition in the national security launch sector. Blue Origin, backed by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, is poised to debut its New Glenn rocket in early 2025. The company became a national security space launch provider in 2024 and must complete a successful inaugural flight to compete for task orders under the contract. “Anytime we can get a new company and a new rocket design into the mix, it improves our resiliency,” Panzenhagen said.
Meanwhile, ULA’s Vulcan Centaur awaits certification to fly national security missions. The rocket completed two flights in 2024 but encountered an anomaly with one of its solid boosters. Panzenhagen emphasized the collaborative relationship between the Space Force and ULA, stating, “We’re working with them through the engineering process and look forward to seeing Vulcan fly.”
The rocket, designed to replace the company’s Atlas 5 and Delta 4 vehicles, represents a crucial component of the Space Force’s strategy to maintain multiple launch options.
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