January 4, 2020

SpaceX Drawing Up Plans for Mobile Gantry at Launch Pad 39A (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
With construction already underway at Kennedy Space Center’s launch pad 39A on facilities for SpaceX’s next-generation Starship vehicle, another new fixture could soon rise at the seaside launch complex to satisfy U.S. military requirements to vertically integrate sensitive top secret spy satellites with Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. SpaceX is finalizing plans to build the new moveable tower at pad 39A, company officials said. Its function will be similar to mobile gantries in use at other launch pads, such as service towers used by ULA.

The tower will surround Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets at pad 39A, shielding the vehicles from storms and high winds and providing a controlled environment for ground crews to hoist heavy satellites and mount them on top of the launch vehicles in a vertical configuration. SpaceX currently installs satellites, already cocooned inside their payload shrouds, onto Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets horizontally inside hangars near the company’s launch pads. But some of the U.S. government’s most sensitive intelligence-gathering satellites, some of which come with billion-dollar or higher price tags, are designed to be mounted on their launch vehicles vertically.

SpaceX officials said the vertical integration capability is required for participants in the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 Launch Service Procurement. The U.S. Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center — now part of the U.S. Space Force — released a request for proposals for the Phase 2 Launch Service Procurement last May. (1/3)

China and the United States Will Compete for Launch Supremacy in 2020 (Source: Ars Technica)
For the second year in a row, China dominated the global rankings in terms of orbital launches. The communist country finished 2019 with 34 orbital launch attempts and 32 successes. Russia ranked second, with 25 attempts and successes, followed by the United States with 21 out of 21 successful launches. New Zealand, Europe, and India all tied for fourth place overall, with six successful launches. (These rankings are determined by where the rocket's primary stage is manufactured.)

The coming year should see this global competition tighten. China has declared its intention to launch 40 or more orbital missions in 2020. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation will conduct the majority of missions with its Long March fleet of rockets, including notable missions such as China's first Mars spacecraft as well as the Chang'e-5 lunar probe, which is intended to bring Moon samples back to Earth. China also has a burgeoning commercial launch sector, which leverages private investments to develop rocket technology spun off by the government. We should see several more launch attempts by Chinese companies in 2020, including a handful of missions that make it to orbit. (1/3)

Long March, Soyuz and Falcon Rockets Topped 2019’s Launch Leaderboard (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
China led the world with 34 orbital launch attempts in 2019 — including two failures — followed by 22 flights from Russian-operated launch pads and 21 satellite delivery missions originating from U.S. spaceports, all of which were successful. There were 102 orbital launch attempts worldwide in 2019, 97 of which reached orbit. That’s down from 114 orbital launch attempts in 2018, of which 112 achieved orbit, but 2019’s final launch tally was above the annual average from the last five years. The number of U.S. and Chinese launches was down in 2019 compared with 2018, but Russian rockets flew more often last year than the year before. (1/2)

Cape Canaveral Spaceport Leads World in 2019 Launches (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
The Cape Canaveral Spaceport in Florida was the starting point for 16 orbital-class missions in 2019, more than any other location. Launch pads at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and the Xichang launch base in China each accommodated 13 orbital launches last year. The most-used fixed launch pad in the world was Cape Canaveral’s LC-40 facility, which saw eight Falcon 9 launches in 2019.

Editor's Note: With new launch pads, an eased FAA regulatory environment, and upgrades to flight safety systems on individual rockets and at the Eastern Range, the Cape Canaveral Spaceport can support more than 50 launches per year. (1/2)

How Big is NASA’s Space Launch System? Check These New Images (Source: AL.com)
NASA has been telling us how big the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket will be when finally assembled on the launch pad. “It’s the biggest rocket the agency has built since the Saturn V moon rocket,” the space agency says frequently. New pictures taken over the holidays give the clearest understanding of just how large that is. NASA recently completed assembling the SLS core stage including its four space shuttle main engines and the liquid hydrogen and oxygen tanks that will feed them. Click here. (1/3)