The United States Space Force is targeting the construction of a third heavy‑lift launch site by 2030, a move that would ease the strain on the long‑used Florida and California bases that have launched rockets for nearly seven decades.
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink first raised the issue in May, noting that a congressionally mandated study of the Service’s launch infrastructure has identified a clear need for “another site that’s capable of heavy and super‑heavy launch capability.”
Despite the urgency, Pentagon officials have yet to decide where the new spaceport will be built or how the required land will be acquired. The project remains in the planning stages, with no site selected and no acquisition strategy in place.
Meink’s remarks came during a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee, where the Space Force’s expansion plans were discussed in the context of growing commercial and national space ambitions.
As the Service pushes toward a 2030 deadline, the lack of a defined location underscores the challenges of balancing rapid development with the logistical and regulatory hurdles of establishing a new launch facility.
<small>Source: Ars Technica — read the original story there.</small>
