NextRangeTM

Creating the Next Generation Space Launch Range

Overview Presentation

Today’s launch ranges rely on a vast network of manual activities to plan missions, schedule launches, configure instrumentation, preserve safety, and support mission analysis. Efforts are underway to replace currently-used 1960’s technology with 1980’s-era systems at the major U.S. launch ranges, but these efforts are insufficient to support the high flight rates and dramatic cost reductions needed to enable revolutionary long-term missions such as space solar power and public space access. This paper describes a plan to evolve the existing U.S. launch ranges toward spaceports that accommodate frequent and routine flights by a variety of vehicle types and mission profiles. Known as NextRange,™ the plan is a comprehensive approach to solving key technical, business, and regulatory challenges associated with creating commercial launch ranges in the U.S. These challenges are a major obstacle to the emerging commercial spaceport industry, so economical solutions are urgently needed.

NextRange White Paper (presented at the Space Technology and Applications International Forum, February 15, 2001)