On May 31, the US Space Force signed a large-scale contract worth up to $ 4 billion with Jacobs Technology for the maintenance and modernization of two key launch complexes in the country — East (Florida) and West (California). The solution opens a new page in the history of American space infrastructure, transforming it into modern "multi-user spaceports" for private and public operators.
The ten-year contract covers a range of engineering and integration work, system upgrades, and infrastructure support at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
A key element of the program was a change in the funding model: now commercial companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and others will be able to directly invest in the modernization of launch sites for their needs, bypassing preliminary government funding. This approach, according to the military command, will increase the efficiency of resource use and reduce the bureaucratic burden.
"Previously, all costs were covered by the state. The new model meets the requirements of the Congress — to increase transparency of expenditures and speed up the pace of infrastructure renewal," commented Brigadier General Kristin Panzenhagen, director of the Eastern Range.
Experts emphasize that the need for reforms is long overdue: the aging infrastructure created during the Cold War era does not correspond to the volume and frequency of modern space launches. Without large-scale modernization, the United States risks losing its leadership in the fast-growing commercial space segment.
Jacobs Technology has been selected from four applicants and will develop flexible solutions for the maintenance and replacement of legacy systems that require high operating costs.
Under the contract, it is planned to implement major infrastructure projects with a horizon until 2035-including equipment replacement, capacity expansion, implementation of digital solutions and increasing the stability of launch platforms to the loads of a new generation of rockets.
This move strengthens the United States ' position as the global center of the space industry and reflects a strategic shift towards open public-private partnerships in space exploration.
