Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, program executive officer for assured access to space at the U.S. Space Force, said the service branch has performed an analysis of spaceport requirements amid the rising pace of commercial space launches and one of identified priorities for modernizing spaceports is increasing the capacity for processing and preparing satellites for launch, SpaceNews reported Monday.
“We know it takes a long time to build a satellite. And it takes a while to get a booster out to the pad. But that integration timeline can be pretty extensive as well,” Panzenhagen, who is also director of launch and range operations of Space Systems Command, said Thursday at a conference.
“We need to put collective thought into how we decrease that time,” she added.
Panzenhagen said the service identified immediate priorities such as infrastructure upgrades, improved port access, power infrastructure and physical security upgrades.
She noted that commercial information technology professionals suggested upgrades to Space Force’s IT infrastructure and highlighted the need for an integrated data platform that could support launch missions.
