A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the CRS-35 mission launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on Oct. 13, 2026. Credit: U.S. Space Force photo by Gwendolyn Kurzen

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force wants its busiest launch ranges to eventually handle surges of five to eight major operations a day under a modernization plan aimed at keeping aging infrastructure from becoming a constraint on space activity.

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Sandra Erwin writes about military space programs, policy, technology and the industry that supports this sector. She has covered the military, the Pentagon, Congress and the defense industry for nearly two decades as editor of NDIA’s National Defense...