Florida’s Space Coast has been awash with launch activity as of late, thanks largely to the ever-increasing cadence that SpaceX is fostering. Even with this, several facilities in and across the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) have seen a pulse of activity in recent days, with SpaceX and Blue Origin particularly taking steps to either bolster their existing infrastructure or prepare for future hardware testing.
Blue Origin — Exploration Park
At Blue Origin’s manufacturing complex at Exploration Park — where large elements of the corporate’s orbital-class Recent Glenn launcher will likely be produced — it has been somewhat quiet, though there was a continued buildup of hardware outside of the most important production constructing. While this is just not rocket hardware, it shows what’s obligatory for the design and construction of a giant vehicle.
Recent Glenn will likely be a considerable step up for Blue Origin in comparison with its Recent Shepard suborbital launch system, with a diameter of seven meters and a height of roughly 98 meters — much larger than other vehicles in its class, resembling SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy and United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur.
While the campus has not seen much growth currently, parts for a brand new tent have been spotted on site next to the warehouse. This could possibly be a fast method to add additional hardware storage, and even to assist in the development of newer facilities.
Space Commerce Way — the roadway which runs along Blue Origin’s property at KSC — can be being updated, with two more lanes being added with the intention to support the next flow of traffic. This is essential for the general infrastructure surrounding the space center, because it grows steadily busier 12 months on 12 months.
In September, Blue Origin submitted plans for a brand new facility based inside Cape Canaveral, covering nearly 60 acres of land and purposed for “the refurbishment of launch vehicles, and reuse of existing large and small components for rocket launches.” That is prone to be the brand new hub for Recent Glenn hardware refurbishment, resembling first stage boosters.
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An aerial view of Blue Origin’s manufacturing complex at Exploration Park, as seen during an NSF flyover. (Credit: Max Evans for NSF)
The corporate had originally planned to construct a refurbishment facility inside Launch Complex 36, which is able to begin playing host to Recent Glenn launches as soon as 2024. Nonetheless, these plans appear to have modified.
Interestingly, only roughly 25 acres of this recent property seem like allocated for the refurbishment facility, with the remaining 35 acres to be “developed in the long run” — possibly for an expansion of the refurbishment constructing, though it stays to be seen.
Blue Origin — Launch Complex 36
At LC-36, the primary stage simulator for Recent Glenn (also referred to as the GS-1 simulator) has been rolled out of the hangar and is currently situated next to the second stage (GS-2) simulator. These were built by Blue Origin for the aim of practicing operations using objects with similar sizes, shapes, and weights as flight-ready rocket stages.
While it’s unclear as to why these simulators have been placed outside, it is probably going they’ll not be rolled out to the launch pad for further practice, with Blue Origin as an alternative readying for actual Recent Glenn tankage.
Near the 2 stage simulators, the corporate’s self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT) system was spotted on the ramp with counterweights onboard. This will be an indication that Blue Origin are preparing to lower the transporter erector and roll it back to the hangar.
SpaceX — Roberts Road
Meanwhile, at SpaceX, the corporate has been launching apace throughout 2023, having flown 70 missions as of October 5. Nonetheless, this increased cadence has not slowed them in other features, resembling launch pad upgrades.
Three of the 4 sections of the brand new Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) crew access tower have been transported from SpaceX’s Roberts Road facility to the pad, with the ultimate section — fitted with a stairwell, elevator shaft, and associated hardware — left to be delivered. The addition of this tower will enable crewed flights of Dragon to happen from SLC-40, increasing flexibility and freeing up Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) for other missions, including Starship flights.
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An in depth-up view of the ultimate SLC-40 crew access tower section and its associated hardware, as seen during an NSF flyover. (Credit: Max Evans for NSF)
Recently, NASA released the Draft Environmental Assessment for SpaceX’s planned expansion of Roberts Road, having began the review process in June 2022. This document details a conceptual plan showing two structures, one with a significantly larger footprint. This bears some resemblance to the Starfactory and Mega Bays at SpaceX’s Starbase production facility in South Texas.
All signs point to SpaceX wanting a return of Starship operations to KSC inside the near future, and are taking steps to plan ahead before the completion of the environmental assessment — which should still be months away yet.
Other items of interest are present within the draft assessment, including the need to consolidate operations at Roberts Road and the potential of widening the NASA Causeway by a further 8 feet (2.4 meters) — likely for the transportation of Starship vehicles through KSC.
SpaceX — LC-39A and SLC-40
As mentioned previously, inside the last month, SpaceX has transported three of the 4 sections of the SLC-40 crew access tower from Roberts Road to their Cape Canaveral launch pad, and have since stacked them using a crane. The ultimate section will likely be delivered to the positioning and stacked inside the coming days or even weeks.
This has not slowed or stopped any flights coming out of SLC-40, with SpaceX planning mission operations and construction work around one another to forestall conflicts. This includes the scheduling of launches during nighttime, when construction could be paused, and resuming work while pad systems are being refurbished for the following mission.
Psyche is on the move!
Earlier this morning, @NASA’s #missiontopsyche spacecraft was transported to LC-39A from its clean room facility in Titusville, FL.
One step closer to liftoff!
📸 – @NASASpaceflight pic.twitter.com/L6XCxp4ppk
— Max Evans (@_mgde_) October 6, 2023
Meanwhile, at LC-39A, SpaceX is preparing its next Falcon Heavy rocket for the launch of NASA’s Psyche mission to the asteroid belt. The corporate successfully accomplished a static fire test on September 30, and have since rolled the vehicle back into the hangar for payload integration.
The launch is currently scheduled to occur no sooner than Thursday, October 12 at 10:16 AM Eastern (14:16 UTC), having been delayed from the previous goal of October 5 because of issues with the Psyche spacecraft’s thrusters.
KSC — Launch and Landing Facility, Artemis
The structure of Amazon’s payload processing facility continues to grow on the Launch and Landing Facility at KSC, where the corporate’s Kuiper web satellites will undergo final processing before being integrated with Vulcan Centaur and Recent Glenn rocket fairings for launch.
Amazon broke ground on the power earlier in the summertime, and is concurrently planning to start out satellite production at a producing facility in Kirkland, Washington by the tip of 2023.
Here come the Artemis II SRB segments that may provide a lot of the power to launch the following SLS rocket into space, this time with crew.https://t.co/tANS0dWyIH pic.twitter.com/8ta9djg2Jp
— Chris Bergin – NSF (@NASASpaceflight) September 25, 2023
On the northern end of the Launch and Landing Facility complex, a set of train cars carrying the Space Launch System solid rocket booster (SRB) segments for the Artemis II mission were seen parked on the suspect siding area.
Two of the cars, each housing an aft SRB segment, have since been transported to the Rotation, Processing, and Surge Facility (RPSF), where technicians will install the nozzles and skirts on each of the aft segments before taking them to the Vehicle Assembly Constructing (VAB) for stacking onto the Mobile Launcher.
ML-1 (Mobile Launcher-1) stays on the pad at Launch Complex 39B, undergoing systems checks and rehearsals in preparation for the launch of Artemis II. ML-2 — intended to support Artemis IV and beyond — remains to be under construction, with a platform structure becoming apparent.