The military\u2019s space launch bases are halfway through what promises to be a busy year for orbital operations, as the coronavirus pandemic eases in the U.S. and the commercial space industry continues to rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Officials at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, and Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, are preparing for nearly 70 launches in 2021 if all goes to plan. In adjusting to a more constant launch pace, leaders are beginning to see the installations as a different kind of transportation hub: airports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m actually trying to change the thinking and nature of the base,\u201d said Brig. Gen. Stephen Purdy, commander of Space Launch Delta 45 \u2014 the former 45th Space Wing \u2014 at Patrick. The unit runs the nation\u2019s historic rocket launch range at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Commercial business, not national-security missions, now comprise more and more of the Space Force\u2019s workload. The Cape has about 53 launches slated for this year, Purdy said, but he doesn\u2019t like pegging expectations to a particular number.<\/p>\n\n\n\t