WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force awarded a $77.5 million contract to Astrotech Space Operations to increase satellite processing capacity at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, an investment in ground infrastructure intended to prevent processing constraints from limiting access to space.
The three-year contract, announced April 25, was secured by Astrotech through a “Commercial Solutions Opening” competition.
“This $77.5 million CSO award is a public-private partnership for cost sharing of much-needed launch infrastructure to support the increased demands of both military and commercial launch activities,” said Col. Dan Highlander, director of operations integration at the Space Systems Command’s Assured Access to Space Program Executive Office.
Astrotech, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary based in Titusville, Florida, is the primary provider of payload storage and satellite-processing services for spacecraft arriving at both Eastern and Western launch ranges before liftoff.
The company maintains facilities outside Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with 110,000 square feet of processing space, while its Vandenberg operations currently encompass approximately 40,000 square feet.
Space Force officials have identified satellite processing facilities — where spacecraft are prepared, tested and fueled before being integrated with launch vehicles — as a significant bottleneck in recent years. While launch providers have increased their capacity to conduct more rocket launches, the limited availability of secure facilities to prepare satellites has constrained the overall launch tempo.
The situation has become more acute with the growing popularity of rideshare missions like those conducted by SpaceX, where multiple satellites from different organizations share a single rocket. Each satellite requires specific handling procedures and security protocols, further straining existing infrastructure resources.
