# US Space Force accelerates plans for third domestic heavy-lift spaceport to relieve Florida and California ranges

Facing a forecast of 700 orbital launches annually by 2036, Space Systems Command evaluates federal and commercial land partnerships for a 2030 operational deadline.

- Canonical: https://reviewblip.com/news/us-space-force-accelerates-plans-for-third-domestic-heavy-lift-spaceport-to-relieve-florida-and-california-ranges/
- Published: 2026-10-24T14:19:59.331Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T14:19:59.331Z
- Author: ReviewBlip
- Category: Aerospace Engineering & Defense Technology
- Type: News

![Heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle ascending from launch pad complex during orbital mission](https://reviewblip.com/editorial-images/69c3ed603f122a320076a7abb669ab3263a6f7831823ab9cd76d3f34d86028d1)

Image credit: Ars Technica / Blue Origin / U.S. Space Force — orbital launch vehicle ascent photography

The United States Space Force has initiated an aggressive feasibility assessment to establish a third domestic heavy-lift spaceport by 2030, seeking to relieve unsustainable orbital congestion at legacy launch sites in Florida and California amid an unprecedented surge in commercial and national security rocket flights.

Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, commander of Space Systems Command, detailed the aspirational infrastructure roadmap during a defense space symposium on Friday, emphasizing that existing federal ranges at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Kennedy Space Center, and Vandenberg Space Force Base are rapidly approaching physical capacity limits. While US launch providers executed 175 orbital missions from Florida and California in 2025, Pentagon planners project total domestic launch demand will exceed 700 orbital missions annually by 2036.

The Pentagon is evaluating four distinct development pathways to achieve operational capability by 2030: public-private partnerships, expanding existing Department of Defense installations, utilizing state-owned aerospace land, or entering long-term lease agreements with commercial spaceports, including SpaceX’s planned orbital complex in southern Louisiana. In addition to raw pad capacity, military planners emphasize that a geographically distinct third spaceport provides critical operational resiliency, ensuring continued orbital access if severe hurricanes disable Florida facilities or seismic events impact California infrastructure.

The spaceport initiative follows the Trump administration’s updated national space transportation policy issued in August, which directed federal agencies to prioritize heavy-lift launch infrastructure to accommodate orbital data center constellations, lunar logistics missions, and national security surveillance satellites. Space Systems Command has formed a specialized operational planning team to finalize environmental assessments, trajectory safety corridors, and land acquisition proposals over the coming twelve months.

## Sources
- [\[src-spaceport-2030\] Inside the Pentagon, the pressure is on to find a home for a new spaceport](https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/10/senior-commander-says-space-force-needs-new-spaceport-by-2030/)