Commercial space flight is booming as many private companies try their luck in launching spacecraft into space. As of now, only a few have succeeded, but it is expected that more will come. In response to that, NASA has just opened its newest launchpad in Kennedy Space Center in Florida to support smaller launch vehicles for commercial space flights.
The Launch Complex 48 (LC-48) is NASA's most recent launchpad that will cater to its commercial launch customers, like SpaceX. The absence of permanent structures in the launchpad allows for flexible configuration depending on who will be using it.
Launch Complex-48 Is Now Open
According to KSC senior project manager Keith Britton, the purpose of LC-48 is to fill "a need for new, low-cost launch systems with very fast turnaround cycles." Yahoo! reported that the LC-48 looks like it was designed similarly to the forthcoming launch models developed and tested by private companies, like Astra.
Moreover, the report stated that Astra and other private companies, like Firefly, Orbex, and Vector Launch, focus on small rockets that can be launched with scaled-down requirements required on-site for flexibility mobility of the models.
Like Virgin Orbit, other companies aim to create responsive and mobile launch capabilities that do not need a specialized pad to launch their spacecraft.
As of now, the LC-48 does not have any confirmed customers yet that booked its services. On the other hand, NASA said they are in discussion with multiple companies, but there are no confirmed bookings yet. The space agency is optimistic that some launches will potentially take place in LC-48 as early as next year.
Commercial Space Flights
The last decade was considered the pioneering decade for commercial space flights after private companies' continuous success in launching commercial spacecraft into space. The crowning moment happened in 2012 when a Dragon cargo capsule of SpaceX successfully delivered supplies to the International Space Station (ISS), The Verge reported.
Newer players are looking to capitalize on different markets and ambitious projects in the field of commercial space flight during the past decade. It resulted in explosive growth within the commercial space industry that allowed for easier access to space than ever before, but with both positive and negative results.
This decade, it is expected that more commercial flights will be conducted despite the pandemic in 2020 that has delayed several space missions during the lockdowns.
Indeed, capitalism has invaded spaceflight during the 2010s, which means that the competition is in full swing with launch pads looking at lowering their costs and pursuing rockets' reusability. Some new players in the race of commercial space flight aside from SpaceX also include Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, Virgin Orbit, and many more. With launch costs getting cheaper than ever before, it is expected that space will soon become more accessible.
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