National Spaceport Testbed

K. Brown, Command and Control Technologies and C. McCleskey, NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center

FOR THE

37th Space Congress

Presented Cape Canaveral, Florida, May, 2000

DOWNLOAD >> WPNST050300.PDF (.pdf File - 551 KB)

Abstract

The U.S. space industry continues to struggle to turn space business into successful business. Sensing this, both NASA and the state of Florida are exploring ideas for engaging their technological and economic resources in solving this grand challenge. This paper proposes just such an idea: a revolutionary new facility called the National Spaceport Testbed that would be dedicated to testing, certifying, and licensing new space transportation technology. The one-of-a-kind testbed would allow space entrepreneurs to carry out ground and flight tests at reduced costs; allow NASA to apply federal resources to technical risk reduction; and allow Florida to attract and retain new space business.

The testbed notion is a key step in the evolution of the newly designated Cape Canaveral Spaceport. This world class facility operates only nine of its 37 Florida-based launch pads, so it is only natural to consider how some of the unused pads could be engaged to help the U.S. space industry realize its full economic potential.

The National Spaceport Testbed plan proposed in this paper calls for the U.S. government to join forces with the state of Florida to help bridge the gap between risky R&D and commercial space transportation operations. The plan allows NASA to invest in development of safer, more reliable, and cheaper launch vehicle technologies while helping boost the competitiveness of the U.S. space industry. The approach would provide a means for the U.S. Department of Transportation to conduct commercial space transportation licensing. The plan also allows Florida to retain and substantially expand its position as a world-class leader in the space industry. Most importantly, the concept gives the commercial space industry a process for moving their ideas from the lab to the launch pad and on to licensed operations more quickly and with greater confidence.

The National Spaceport Testbed would be per-haps the world’s largest laboratory extending all the way to low earth orbit. This paper describes how such a laboratory could be developed and utilized by government and private industry.

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Edgar Zapata, NASA Kennedy Space Center

Shuttle Process Engineering Directorate, Fluid Systems Division