United States Department of Transportation
i
An overview of the U.S. commercial space launch infrastructure : Quarterly Launch Report : special report
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1998-01-01
[PDF-145.91 KB]
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Abstract:The commercial space transportation industry has witnessed unparalleled growth in the number of commercial launches over the past few years. Last year witnessed the largest number yet, 35 commercial launches worldwide, nearly twice the 21 commercial launches of the previous year. The United States, in particular, has experienced
dramatic growth in commercial launch activity, with a record 17 commercial launches taking place in 1997 (up from 11 commercial launches in 1996). This growth trend is likely to continue, with a very ambitious 29 commercial launches planned for U.S. launch sites this year and at least another 25 such launches for 1999. The United States government has, since the 1950s, built, operated, and maintained a space launch infrastructure for launching satellites into
space. Most notably, Cape Canaveral Air Station and Vandenberg Air Force Base have been the backbone of the U.S. orbital launch infrastructure. Much of the demand for and use of these launch sites has traditionally come from U.S. military and civil government agencies. Beginning in the early 1980s, a number of the government-operated launch sites began providing support for commercial launch activities as well, with NASA acting as the primary intermediary for providing launch services to satellite operators.
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