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NASA seeking tenants for Florida launch facilities

BY STEPHEN CLARK

SPACEFLIGHT NOW

Posted: January 24, 2011



NASA released Monday a request for information from industry on potential future uses for the Kennedy Space Center's extensive space shuttle launch facilities once the spaceships are retired later this year.

File photo of pad 39B. Credit: NASA-KSC/Troy Cryder



The request for information and notice of availability formally begin the process of finding a future tenant for two launch pads, the 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building, three space shuttle hangars and the space center's 15,000-foot-long runway. The infrastructure may become available after the end of the space shuttle program. The Launch Complex 39 facilities are "well-suited for entities operating or directly supporting government or commercial launches or space user services," a NASA statement said. NASA will get first rights to retired shuttle facilities for government-run programs, such as the heavy-lift rocket the agency is being asked to develop by Congress and the White House. Leftover infrastructure could be shared with other private and public organizations in partnership agreements, according to Monday's announcement. "Kennedy has been working for some time to enable commercial space activities at the center that are in line with NASA's mission," said Bob Cabana, director of the Kennedy Space Center. "Partnering with the commercial space industry will help NASA meet its goals and help sustain facility assets to support our nation's space objectives." NASA has received previous commercial interest in KSC facilities. Private groups already use the center's shuttle landing strip and commercial operators have studied recycling the shuttle's cavernous assembly building and launch pad for manned rocket flights. United Launch Alliance has considered processing and launching potential crewed missions from retired and modified shuttle facilities instead of from existing Atlas and Delta pads at Cape Canaveral, Fla. But no company has committed to flying missions from Complex 39. The public release comes as contractors demolish towers at one of the spaceport's launch pads and as NASA turns over some of its spaceflight responsibilities to the private sector. The deconstruction started in September and was supposed to be finished this month, but a snag in the availability of heavy equipment has delayed the end of demolition until around April 1, according to Allard Beutel, a NASA spokesperson. Beutel said the schedule slip does not impact any future development at the pad and will not cost NASA any additional money. The space agency's demolition contract with LVI Environmental Services Inc. of New York is worth $1.3 million.

Demolition of pad 39B began in September 2010. Credit: NASA-KSC/Jack Pfaller



LVI workers are now removing non-structural metal from the pad's fixed and rotating service structures. The pad's payload changeout room and liquid hydrogen vent arm have already been taken from the structure, according to Beutel. NASA requires the pad be taken apart one piece at a time to avoid damaging the facility's concrete foundation and electrical, communications and propellant systems. Officials hope to reuse that infrastructure on a future program. The contractor will soon bring in a large crane to speed up removal of major chunks of the pad towers in February and March. Read our earlier story on the demolition of pad 39B. Once the structures are gone, NASA will continue upgrading the storied launch pad to be ready for more rocket flights by 2014. Engineers continue working with specifications to host the mobile launch tower for the now-cancelled Ares 1 rocket, but they say the new 390-foot-tall structure could be redesigned to help prepare other vehicles for blastoff. The mobile tower is under construction at a park site near the VAB. Nearby pad 39A remains in service for the final few space shuttle flights. Pad 39B's last launch was the Ares 1-X test flight in October 2009, so it is several years ahead of pad 39A in demolition and rework for future programs. The VAB and orbiter hangars will also be occupied by the shuttle program through at least the end of 2011. Although managers have not decided what rocket might next use pad 39B, the historic site could host manned commercial rocket launches or a heavy-lift booster taking explorers to asteroids or Mars. Monday's announcement is the first step in gauging commercial interest in NASA's Florida launch site.