14 DAY TRIAL // Officials with the American space agency announce that they have recently signed an agreement with Hawthorne, California-based Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX), which transfers the rights to use a historic launch pad in Florida to the private company. The facility in question is Launch Complex 39A at the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC).
LC-39A has until now supported the launch of multiple space missions from the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs and has a very rich history in supporting American space exploration. However, with the retirement of the orbiters, back in 2011, the pad has remained unused, so NASA decided long ago to allow private companies to use it to support their own launches.
Under the terms of the new, 20-year agreement, the pad is now designated as a commercial launch site and SpaceX has permission to occupy and use the installation for its commercial launch activities involving the Falcon 9 medium-lift delivery system. The document was signed by representatives from the two organizations on Monday, April 14.
According to the agreement, operating and maintaining the facility is the sole responsibility of SpaceX, which will need to do so at its own expense. It is very likely that the company will have the necessary resources, since it is the fastest-growing corporation in the space industry. Now that the performances of its Falcon 9 rocket are proven, launch contract requests are flooding the company.
“SpaceX is the world’s fastest growing launch services provider. With nearly 50 missions on manifest, SpaceX will maximize the use of pad 39A to the benefit of both the commercial launch industry as well as the American taxpayer,” commented the President and CEO of SpaceX, Gwynne Shotwell.
“It's exciting that this storied NASA launch pad is opening a new chapter for space exploration and the commercial aerospace industry. While SpaceX will use pad 39A at Kennedy, about a mile away on pad 39B, we're preparing for our deep space missions to an asteroid and eventually Mars,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said on Monday.
“The parallel pads at Kennedy perfectly exemplify NASA's parallel path for human spaceflight exploration – U.S. commercial companies providing access to low-Earth orbit and NASA deep space exploration missions at the same time,” the top NASA official went on to say.
The second launch pad at the KSC is currently being readied to support operations of the Space Launch System (SLS), the massive rocket NASA is developing to fly the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV). The delivery system is being developed under a partnership with Lockheed Martin and is scheduled to take its maiden flight in 2018.
“Kennedy Space Center is excited to welcome SpaceX to our growing list of partners. As we continue to reconfigure and repurpose these tremendous facilities, it is gratifying to see our plan for a multi-user spaceport shared by government and commercial partners coming to fruition,” added the Director of the KSC, Bob Cabana.