Company Says Launch Manifest Is Outstripping Existing Facilities

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) says it is seeking a new launch site to meet increasing demand from commercial customers. SpaceX already has an active launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and is currently developing a new launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The company also operates a rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas.

"Our growing launch manifest has led us to look for additional sites. We're considering several states and territories," said SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. "I envision this site functioning like a commercial Cape Canaveral."

SpaceX says it has received 14 new orders for its Falcon 9 rocket within the last year alone. The company has over 3 billion dollars of revenue on the books through 2017, and has sold over 40 missions for the Falcon 9, over half of which are for commercial customers.

Four U.S. states - Virginia, California, Alaska, and Florida - have active launch sites. Given the complexity of developing a rocket launch site, SpaceX will be pursuing several options concurrently in order to fully understand the pros and cons of each location.

FMI: www.spacex.com