Space Launch Delta 45 is exploring the potential creation of a new rocket launch complex about two miles north of the Port Canaveral channel entrance for Naval Ordnance Test Unit and U.S. Army missions.
Few details have been released, but here’s what we know. Located just southeast of Pier Road, the future Launch Complex 51 would encompass about a 50-acre area for construction of infrastructure, utilities and structures at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Today’s military launch operations from Launch Complex 46 would transfer to the new site about 2½ miles to the southwest. Launch Complex 46 has hosted Army-Navy hypersonic missile tests the past two years — but it geographically lies within the “explosive clear zone” of Blue Origin’s nearby Launch Complex 36. So both cannot operate simultaneously without disruption.
Blue Origin’s Launch Complex 36 is where a New Glenn rocket exploded on the pad during a May 28 prelaunch test, generating an enormous fireball and an underground shockwave that was detected on U.S. Geological Survey seismographic stations up to 135 miles away.
The military’s proposal to relocate operations to a future Launch Complex 51 predates the Blue Origin rocket explosion. Now, U.S. Air Force officials are preparing an environmental assessment to evaluate potential impacts.
‘Closest active launch facility’ to Port Canaveral
“It will be the closest active launch facility to the port. So we’re looking at launch-related safety and exclusion zones that could temporarily or intermittently restrict navigation,” Port Canaveral CEO John Murray said during the June 3 Canaveral Port Authority meeting.
“And our concerns include potential impact to port vessel traffic including commercial, cruise and military operations, and the Canaveral Sand Bypass project disruption,” Murray said.
“So, this is in process. And we’re just part of the overall process of the relocation,” he said.
No decision has been made at this time. An early public notice for potential impacts to wetlands and floodplains went out for public comment April 23 and closed 30 days later.
Now, the environmental assessment remains under development in accordance with the Air Force National Environmental Policy Act. Per a public notice, “wetland and floodplain impacts would be avoided and minimized to the greatest extent practicable through project design and implementation measures.”
Space Force also seeks tenants at Launch Complex 46
Last year, a record-breaking 109 orbital rockets launched from the Space Force installation and NASA’s neighboring Kennedy Space Center.
According to a Space Launch Delta 45 letter sent to stakeholders April 21, the military’s relocation to Launch Complex 51 “would ensure safe and efficient use of launch infrastructure, reduce scheduling conflicts, and support both military and commercial space activities while safeguarding national security missions and enhancing overall launch capacity.”
Constructed in 1985 by the Navy for the Trident missile program, Launch Complex 46 has remained in use as a Navy missile test site. Space Florida managed the complex in recent years, including during Astra’s twin 2022 unsuccessful attempts to launch its 45-foot-tall Rocket 3.3.
In December, the Department of Defense issued a request for information seeking rocket-company tenants at Launch Complex 46 — which is capable of supporting “super-heavy launch vehicles” that carry more than 50,000 kilograms to low-Earth orbit.
The military’s RFI noted that Launch Complex 46 “will need substantial modification to accommodate a new launch program,” and no lease can be granted until the Navy accepts a new missile test site.
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Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY, where he has covered news since 2004. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: U.S. military eyes new Cape Canaveral launch site near Port Canaveral
Reporting by Rick Neale, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Rick Neale, Florida Today | USA TODAY Network
