The busiest US spaceports are experiencing record demand, creating traffic jams. Last year, 2024 was a record year for American spaceflight: 145 launches reached orbit, which is five times more than in 2017.
This is reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Most space rockets were launched from three sites, the busiest of which was Cape Canaveral in Florida (67 launches), followed by Vandenberg Air Force Base (47 launches) and Kennedy Space Center (26 launches).
Billionaire Elon Muskʼs aerospace company SpaceX has carried out the most launches, with 134. SpaceX and other companies plan to increase the number of launches this year and in the future. This will create additional pressure on launch pads. In addition, bad weather conditions or an accident could put one of the main spaceports out of action for months or even years.
For decades, rocket launches were a rare occurrence, so Americans did not build new launch facilities. The most famous locations then and now are associated with military bases and the National Aeronautics and Space Administrationʼs Kennedy Space Center.
That’s where operators of small spaceports, particularly in landlocked states and in the ocean, come in. They’re creating new businesses, but they have trouble getting federal approval. Launches can’t happen just anywhere: rockets usually launch from coastal areas to avoid populated areas.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Space Force is developing a plan to increase the capacity of its launch sites at Cape Canaveral in Florida and Vandenberg Air Force Base near Santa Barbara, California. The plan includes increasing the amount of land available for development at those sites and reducing the environmental impact of large rocket launches.
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