James Dean

FLORIDA TODAY

Anticipating a future when rockets launch far more frequently, the state's top aerospace official on Tuesday said Cape Canaveral's spaceport within a decade should be managed more like a commercial airport or seaport.

Presenting his "Vision 2025" to the National Space Club Florida Committee, Space Florida President and CEO Frank DiBello recommended NASA, the Air Force and the state collaborate to establish an independent authority that he said would better attract and manage growing commercial spaceflight activity.

DiBello soon plans to establish a "commercial industry task force" to define the best operating model for the Cape, which for more than a half-century has been managed by federal defense and exploration agencies.

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"The Cape Canaveral spaceport in 2025 will require an evolved governance and management structure that is tailored to nurture commerce," said DiBello. "And we must have an operating environment to match."

DiBello credited Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with taking steps to make the Cape friendlier to commercial operations.

That has helped the Space Coast score two big wins recently, with Blue Origin and and OneWeb Satellites announcing plans to build rockets and spacecraft here, thanks also in part to state incentives. SpaceX also has taken over a KSC launch pad, while Space Florida now manages the former shuttle runway.

“I believe we need to go further in defining what the spaceport of 2025 should be and must be from the commercial industry perspective,” DiBello said.

Under the vision promoted by Space Florida, which has invested more than $1 billion in spaceport infrastructure, an independent authority would manage most of the property and facilities now making up KSC and Air Force Station.

"Whether that authority is a state or quasi-federal authority does not matter," said DiBello.

NASA and the Air Force would retain certain facilities needed for unique national security or exploration missions, but most cargo, crews and spacecraft would be launched commercially.

With federal budgets projected to remain flat for years, DiBello said an authority would be better able to manage and modernize infrastructure, tap outside investment and respond to market forces.

NASA and the Air Force could focus on core missions and benefit from lower operating costs.

Launch rates already are increasing, as evidenced by a current two-week period in which the Cape could host three launches.

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“In the future, activities going on at the Cape will be, instead of three launches in two weeks, three launches a week or perhaps simultaneous launches,” DiBello said. “And we need to get ready for that.”

It’s not immediately clear how eager NASA or the Air Force are to embrace the proposed spaceport authority, an idea that has been discussed for years.

KSC’s recently adopted 20-year master plan anticipates the potential for moving in that direction, but not until sometime after 2032.

“Similar to other transportation hubs, such as airports and harbors that are operated by a third-party entity, the KSC spaceport could be operated by a Spaceport Authority,” the master plan states.

Contact Dean at 321-242-3668 orjdean@floridatoday.com.And follow on Twitter at@flatoday_jdeanand on Facebook atfacebook.com/jamesdeanspace.