Launch Providers Anticipating Growing Launch Site Congestion

The growing pace of launches in the U.S. is stressing launch site capabilities, particularly Florida's Cape Canaveral, launch operators said Wednesday at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce aerospace conference in Washington. Meanwhile, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said SpaceX could pose a monopolistic threat in commercial space and that more competition is needed. In addition, the FAA was criticized for its launch regulatory regime.

In coming years, the U.S. must devote more resources toward cooperation with international allies on space sustainability and orbital debris issues, as well as on forestalling anti-satellite technology from becoming a greater threat, Rosenworcel said. She said SpaceX, having more than two-thirds of the satellites in orbit and account for the majority of satellite broadband traffic, illustrates a need for greater space operator competition. "Our economy doesn't benefit from monopolies," she said. The U.S., Rosenworcel added, should embrace lots of actors, including foreign ones, in low earth orbit, as that will bring innovation. The FCC is fostering closer relationships with other federal agencies in the space sector, including numerous conversations with NASA about lunar communications issues.

Firefly Aerospace Chief Revenue Officer Brett Alexander said it will conduct launches at Wallops Island in Virginia, and said Sweden is building infrastructure compatible to its Alpha rocket that will be available in 2026. He said congestion at Florida’s Atlantic coast is driving Firefly to consider those other sites.

Lars Hoffman, Blue Origin vice president-government sales, said while New Shepherd is launched from Amazon's West Texas launch range, its New Glenn will use a repurposed launch site at Cape Canaveral. The congestion “is a good problem to have,” as it points to a thriving launch industry, he said. At the same time, launchers are “bumping up against the limits of available space.”

The low earth orbit satellite boom is driving demand for additional launch capacity, Alexander said. Current rockets “are fully booked,” as are rockets coming online. He said development of Firefly’s medium launch vehicle -- designed to compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9 -- “is going great” and should be available as soon as early 2026. Hoffman said the New Glenn rocket “is ready to go,” with its inaugural launch slated for November. Demand is heavy, he said, with New Glenn capacity booked for a couple of years, not just with Amazon’s Kuiper satellites but with other commercial and government launches. Kuiper is also hoping to participate in national security launches, Hoffman said.

Asked about FAA capabilities to keep up with launch application volumes, Daniel Murray, associate administrator-commercial space transportation, said the agency is "keeping pace" so far. Launch operators have been slow to adopt its Part 450 licensing regime, he noted, which allows for blanket licensing of an entire launch program and thus enables more launch volume. Asked about launch industry criticisms that the Part 450 process is complex, Murray admitted “it’s not a perfect rule” and the FAA is creating a committee that will gather industry input. “That said, it’s not broken either,” and there are industry underestimations of how long it takes to get through the process.

Despite criticism SpaceX leveled this week about the licensing process and progress for its Starship rocket, Murray said the FAA “work[s] very well with SpaceX.” The company absorbs the majority of the agency’s resources, including most of its staff's overtime, since SpaceX is its most-active launch operator.

Sierra Space Chief Strategy Officer Tim Keating said FAA regulation is so unduly complex and difficult to navigate it could drive businesses elsewhere. "Everyone in this business knows safety is first," he said. Rather than leading to greater safety, the FAA is "making us less competitive" globally.

Aerospace Notebook

Multiple lawmakers said it's vital to avoid a government shutdown but criticized the reliance on continuing resolutions. A CR seems likely with the Sept. 30 end of the current fiscal year, but relying on CRs will slow the country's space and DOD investments, said House Aerospace Caucus co-chairman Salud Carbajal, D-Calif. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committee member Jerry Moran, R-Kan. decried federal agencies’ red tape hindering private-sector space. There's “too much bureaucracy in the world of space and science,” but he didn’t elaborate.

Astroscale U.S. President Ron Lopez said the U.S. faces a big challenge from bad actors, particularly Russia and China, in developing space capabilities. The U.S. must counter threats, which requires greater funding to foster on-orbit servicing and other niche capabilities. True Anomaly Chief Revenue Officer Christina Cook said Russia and China have advanced their space capabilities more quickly than expected, and responding rapidly is a challenge. Lopez said the country's mission authorization regulatory regime needs more clarity. There's often confusion about which federal agency a space operator must approach for approval of a particular mission.

The number of active payloads in orbit has grown from 900 in 2019 to 9,000 today, said LeoLabs CEO Tony Frazier. Araz Feyzi, Kayhan Space chief technology officer, said the number of orbiting satellites without maneuverability capabilities is concerning. “It’s like building a car without brakes,” he said.