CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — It's called "the Drive to 48" — a goal by the 45th Space Wing to support 48 launches a year by 2020.
- 45th Space Wing is on a "Drive to 48"
- They want to support 48 launches from Space Coast by 2020
- Get more space coverage
It's an ambitious goal the team says it can achieve, as just last week, two commercial rockets lifted off within hours of one another.
On August 6, a Space X Falcon 9 blasted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, sending a communications satellite to orbit.
Thirty-five hours later, from a nearby pad, a ULA Atlas V soared to space with another one.
"What we are focusing on is how we can be adaptable, flexible, and responsive to the launch service providers," said Col. Mark Shoemaker, 45th Operations Group Commander.
With more and more commercial missions on the way in the coming years, the 45th Space Wing is on a Drive to 48: Forty-eight launches within 12 months on the Eastern Range, the massive area where rockets launch, and land.
There were 24 launches last year — the goal is to double that.
"Can we even turn the range in less than 12 hours, to support a launch on one day, night before, then one the next morning," Col. Shoemaker told Spectrum News.
One mandate is the use of autonomous flight-safety systems.
Rockets equipped with this feature cut costs by reducing required staff and range turnaround time by 50 percent — meaning opportunity for more frequent launches from the five operational launch sites at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center.
"We are fairly well postured right now to be there. I think we are showing that now," said Col. Shoemaker.
Down the street, the lunchtime rush is on at Cape Canaveral's Southern Charm Cafe.
Owner Betty Sirmans is ready to set the table for hungry regulars, but it's launch days where busy isn't a strong enough word.
"We expect it about a half hour after launch," Sirmans said. "The line is out the door."
With more launches, there will be more business for the diner — postured for more profits.
The next scheduled Space Coast launch is set for August 22, with the launch window from 9 a.m. to 9:27 a.m.
A United Launch Alliance Delta IV will send up a GPS satellite for the U.S. Air Force.