Space Force considers merging Cape Canaveral with Kennedy Space Center

Enlarge / In 1964, an overall aerial view of "Missile Row," Cape Kennedy Air Force Station. The view is looking north, with NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building under construction in the upper left-hand corner. (credit: NASA)

Last month, the Space Force had a traffic jam to manage at the Eastern Range for launches it manages in Florida. Three rockets were vying for opportunities to liftoff amid poor weather and a slew of issues with ground support equipment.

The largest of the rockets, a Delta IV Heavy booster, carried the most valuable payload-a classified satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office said to cost well north of $1 billion. SpaceX also had two rockets ready to go, one carrying a GPS satellite for the Space Force and another with a purely commercial mission to launch the company's Starlink satellites.

The first two missions were located on the Air Force side of the fence, which is managed by the US Space Force's 45th Space Wing. The second SpaceX rocket, carrying 60 Starlink satellites, stood on the NASA side of the fence, at Launch Complex-39A at Kennedy Space Center.

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