Alaska Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC) Future State

摘要

KLC is in a remote location with unique transportation, environmental, and operational challenges. Using the concepts, planning, evolution, design and construction of the vision once known as the Alaska Orbital Launch Complex (AOLC), this paper will address the development of the initial Alaska orbital launch complex, from scratch, utilizing commercial practices. Since this initial development (circa 1993), the space launch business has undergone significant change in customers, composition, capacity, and key players several times. These changes have a resultant effect upon the spaceport industry. Some spaceports, in their current state, may not survive the probable future market and business environment. To stay in the game, spaceports are re-examining their target launch vehicles, services, and operations philosophy. As existing launch sites consider expansion and as totally new launch sites are anticipated, it is appropriate to examine the KLC evolution. This paper will examine those evolutionary changes and present the expected future of KLC as the site for medium to heavy launches into polar orbit. BRPH Architects - Engineers, Inc. was formed in 1964 by engineers working at Cape Canaveral in the early days of developing the United States Space Launch Capability Infrastructure. It has remained continuously active in all aspects of engineering design and construction at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) since then. It has also provided and continues to provide aerospace facilities design and construction services at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), California, Wallops Flight Facility / Virginia Space Flight Center, Virginia, and around the world. The company has been instrumental in the development of commercially owned and operated aerospace endeavors over the last 20 years. It was the designer/builder of Astrotech International's first commercial Payload Processing Facility near KSC and on VAFB. It also designed and provided construction support for Launch Pad Zero A (LP-OA) for EER Systems and Launch Pad Zero B (LP-OB) for the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (VCSFA) at Wallops Island, Virginia. All of these commercial projects used BRPH's years of experience and "Lessons Learned" to provide high quality, efficient, functional and innovative facilities at low first cost. It was only natural that in 1993 the Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation (AADC) selected BRPH as the Architect-Engineer and, later, the Construction Contract Administrator for the Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC).