Spaceport Florida Authority (SFA) is backing plans to allow Cape Canaveral to support major suborbital sounding rocket research missions with the addition of Terrier and Orion sounding rockets to its inventory. At present, SFA operates small Loki sounding rockets.
The research missions can be flown for individual experiments, to conduct research for the International Space Station and for the development of interplanetary spacecraft. The sounding rockets will reach a maximum altitude of 216km. The Terrier and Orion rockets would be used separately, or as two-stage combinations, with first launches next year from the SFA's complex 20.
The former US Air Force complex is being refurbished by SFA, at a cost of $2.5 million, to include three separate launch pads and support buildings.
The Terrier will also be used as a first stage for a new upper stage being developed by Thiokol, and flown under a $3 million contract from the USAF.
Spaceport Florida and NASA are studying a $30 million upgrade and enlargement of the space agency's microgravity and biotechnology facility, while a space operations control centre is being established to oversee launches from SFA's pads 20 and 46.
Source: Flight International
