Unmanned Aerial & Space Systems & Launch Industry Feasibility Study July 2013

Transcription

1 Unmanned Aerial & Space Systems & Launch Industry Feasibility Study July 2013 For the Tri County Council Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development Prepared by: LJT & Associates 9881 Broken Land Parkway, Suite 400 Columbia, Maryland Exceeding Expectations through Innovation and Quality

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3 1 Executive Summary Background Commercial Space Launch Provide Critical Context Identify Competing Commercial Spaceflight Activity Locations Identify Wallops Competitive Advantages Identify Planned Launches Specific ELV-Related Growth Opportunities Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Industry Provide Critical Context Identify Other UAV/UAS Competing Locations Prospective Test and Evaluation Clients and Opportunities Specific UAS Growth Opportunities Educational and Workforce Considerations Other Potential Activity not related to Launch or UAS Sounding Rocket Activity Navy Activity MDA Test Launch Activity Commercial Aircraft Testing Appendix A: Select UAS Company Profiles Appendix B: Select ELV Industry Company Profiles Appendix C: References Appendix D: Acronyms and Abbreviations P a g e

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5 1 Executive Summary National Aeronautics and Space Administration s (NASA) Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) is a unique aerospace installation that has significantly impacted the local Eastern Shore economy since its inception in the 1940 s. In recent years the underutilization of range resources coupled with strategic business development at Wallops has enabled growth of NASA and commercial utilization of the facility. Two business areas that have been the center of this growth are Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) launches and Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) test and development. Historically, launches from Wallops were in support of Science research utilizing the Sounding Rocket Program. In partnership with Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), Wallops has established the launch capabilities to support Minotaur and Antares ELVs in support of the Department of Defense (DOD) and the commercial launch industry. The UAS industry continues to grow through new and innovative applications for both military and commercial industry. WFF is an ideal location for the test and development of new systems and their applications through their controlled airspace and underutilized airport facilities. ELV and UAS business at Wallops is forecasted to continue to grow under Wallops current leadership and their strategic plan. This feasibility study identifies strategic areas of potential investment that could help enhance the growth of ELV and UAS business at Wallops, enable sustainment of this business, and significantly impact the economy of the Lower Eastern Shore. Launch Range Services/Research Range: To sustain continued growth, investment in infrastructure is needed to accommodate processing of multiple payloads. This could involve NASA construction funding, commercial investments, or a combination of both. Lower Shore Tourism: ELV launches will bring increased interest from the highly populated cities in the Northeast. Instead of traveling to Florida, interested viewers will be capable of day trips and overnight trips to the area to view the launch. Wallops as well as the local tourism industry will need to establish marketing plans to capture this increasing interest and potential tourism revenue. Workforce: The workforce required to support these missions are in high demand in an area where the local universities and community colleges do not have programs to supply the required skills. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Facilities: To attract new UAS business, additional infrastructure investment is required. The current UAS runaway is restricted due to the new MARS Launch complex. The north end runway has been planned but not yet funded. 5 P a g e

6 This study also recognizes and discusses the several challenges facing a significant expansion of commercial launch/uav at Wallops, such as: UAV Policies: Current federal and state policies being established are restrictive in nature for the development, testing and operation of UAS and could significantly impact growth of the UAS industry at Wallops (and elsewhere). Federal Discretionary Funding/NASA Budget Shortfalls: The federal government and NASA are living under the first of what could be many years of sequester budget cuts, mandated by the Budget Control Act of Unless this and other issues are resolved, overall NASA funding could be constrained in coming year, limiting funds needed for expanded launch and other facilities at Wallops. Launch Vehicle and UAV Company Locations: Few are currently near Wallops, and given the remoteness of the WFF, it will be difficult to attract already established industry players that have operational manufacturing facilities elsewhere. Table 1 Compliance Matrix and Table of Key Recommendations # Category Recommendation Page 3 Education Workforce Education in the fields of Radar, Telemetry, High Pressure Systems Operations, Safety, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering are areas to consider investing in and enhancing local educational programs. These jobs are paying between $50k to $100k per year. Many of these 34 positions have been filled with candidates from outside of the Eastern Shore. Local universities and colleges are not producing viable candidates so in the future we will continue to look beyond the Eastern Shore. 14 Education A growth opportunity exists to grow future Wallops-related aerospace industry by improving local student interest and awareness of NASA, Wallops, and the aerospace field by incorporating field trips and activities into the curriculum of 1 st through 12 th graders. Teacher In-Service Days could be used to take large groups of 51 Tri-County teachers (STEM and non-stem subjects) to Wallops to tour the facility, make contacts, and have a better understanding of space launch that could be worked into their curriculums. 15 Education A growth opportunity exists to reintroduce an aerospace training program similar to the UAS Maintenance Program that was developed to retrain dislocated workers, which was sponsored by the Lower Shore Workforce Alliance. As long as the 51 training program works closely with Wallops and related industry, the right number of staff could be trained and placed locally to meet growing demands. 16 Education Team with Embry Riddle Aeronautical University to bring an appropriate level of aerospace training and education to the Eastern Shore to lure aerospace industry Education A stronger relationship can still be forged between Salisbury University and Wallops with regard to science and engineer programs as well as management programs P a g e

7 # Category Recommendation Page 23 Education A strong growth potential exists by partnering local schools of higher education, particularly UMES or SU, with the University of North Dakota or Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). Both of these schools are recognized leaders in aviation, aerospace, and UAS fields, offering associates through doctorate degrees in the subjects. They are ideal to partner with since they have a very strong 67 distance learning program, ERAU having remote campuses all over the world. Joint programs would bring the research and development to the region, as well as educating the local workforce. 1 Infrastructure Wallops Island is running out of room there is no more room for launch pads, runways, instrumentation, processing facilities the range can sustain an increased ops tempo, there is just no room to do it. Growth potential for Wallops area is to 31 establish off-site private processing facilities and launch complexes 5 Infrastructure Under the law, the FAA can provide matching funds for specific projects being carried out by public entities involved in commercial space activities. With matching funding, MARS could take advantage of this grant program to improve 35 their launch pads at WFF causing a surge in construction. 12 Infrastructure Personnel support outside the Wallops gate is lacking. Restaurants, child care, coffee shops, and hotels are in high demand. Roughly 1600 personnel work at Wallops and on average there are 100 visiting workers. In addition, if the quantity and quality of personnel support services were increased in the urban areas of the 48 Tri County area, it would create growth opportunities for relocating businesses to be near Wallops. 13 Infrastructure A growth opportunity exists for business incubators by building specialized facilities designed for spaceport industries (hangers, processing facilities, cleanrooms, etc.) or by building a business park offering temporary agency services, printing/copying 49 services, shipping services, IT services, meeting space, rental office space, and restaurants/shops. 18 Law Congress passed into law a requirement for the FAA to implement UAS into the U.S. airspace. This legislation paves the way for commercial UAS activities to begin in the NAS by The key market segments are precision agriculture, law 53 enforcement, first responders, and NOAA or NASA science applications. 2 New Business A growth opportunity exists if new launch providers came to Wallops. SpaceX is a company with a medium class ELV whose processing needs are similar to the existing vehicles at Wallops. A growth opportunity may exist if SpaceX could be 32 convinced to establish a launch site at Wallops. 11 New Business The planned Wallops Research Park could host Orbital Sciences Pegasus or Virgin Galactic s SpaceShipTwo, both currently a missed opportunity New Business Wallops can team with Patuxent River NAS to support NAVY UAS operations. There is an opportunity for MD to assist with the relocation of the BAMSD program to WFF. The parties from the USN and NASA have met several times, and there is an opportunity for the state to be involved in assisting with this. This would be a great 59 national security asset at Wallops and deliver many economic drivers to the area, including driving the establishment of the Wallops Research Park. 20 New Business Wallops provides easy access to Special Use Airspace. This will allow for ease of operations of UAS in the Wallops restricted areas. A growth opportunity exists to 64 offer UAS organizations easy access to airspace from Wallops. 21 New Business Wallops can support Tier 1, 2, and 3 UAS operations. The facility has a proven capability to support up to class 4 (Global Hawk) operations. This is an incredible growth opportunity as Wallops can support any type of new UAS business, from major DOD programs down to university level test programs P a g e

8 # Category Recommendation Page 22 New Business Logistics supply chains are close to Wallops for UAS manufacturing. If you look at standard shipping times the area is an easy 1 day delivery area New Business Range Systems are unique with few providers in the market place. Many of these companies specialize in customized systems for NASA and the DOD to meet specific mission requirements. Many of these companies are located in the Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and along the West Coast. Companies are also emerging in France to 34 meet the European demand. See Table 11 for the list of companies that supply range instrumentation and systems. 6 Tourism The Tri-County region may find a growth opportunity by opening more museums (such as an Air/Space Museum), or by attracting a theme park to the area (also perhaps space-related). While the entertainment industry will not likely grow 39 based on Wallops growth, it is likely that an improved entertainment industry base will bring more business towards the Wallops region. 7 Tourism Increasing Recreation and Eco-Tourism opportunities may help bring in more Wallops-focused business by enticing the staff that would relocate. The Tri-County region may find a growth opportunity by enhancing the amenities of the NASA 40 Visitor Center, improving the launch observation viewing areas (or creating new ones). 8 Tourism We strongly recommend that the Tri County Council interface with Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts to begin looking at developing a visitor center on par 41 with that at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. 9 Tourism There is tremendous growth opportunity in the Tri-County region to take advantage of the increasing space activities with a robust space-tourism industry. Government 41 and commercial entities should examine and invest in this opportunity. 10 Tourism The space activities already taking place at Wallops may serve as an anchor for future orbital tourism, whether the flights depart from Wallops or the Salisbury Airport. This type of tourism, sustained by contract flights with NASA will have significant economic impact from the company and staff conducting the flights as well as the stimulus of funds from wealthy tourists P a g e

9 2 Background LJT s team prepared this study to support the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) and the Tri County Council s (TCC) objective of understanding what this business growth at Wallops means to the Lower Eastern Shore economy and how the TCC helps facilitate growth and increase the impact to the local economy. Our objective with this study is to make the potential commercial opportunities posed by Wallops more explicit in detail. Identifying how the Lower Eastern Shore can participate in housing, servicing or staffing the commercial activities that may flow from increased space flight, test and evaluation (T&E) activities and other related industry development. The scope of this study is inform the TCC about the ELV and UAS business at Wallops and aerospace industry, identify activities and concepts that the TCC can consider exploring and taking action to help facilitate the business growth at Wallops. 9 P a g e

10 Figure 1. Economic Growth Opportunities Map. Draws linkage between growth opportunities and new business. New business may present growth opportunities, and growth opportunities that are acted upon may bring new business.

11 3 Commercial Space Launch 3.1 Provide Critical Context This section describes commercial space launch facilities in an effort to help understand the industry, facilities, workforce, and infrastructure necessary to support launch activities. This section also identifies the potential space missions supported by commercial launch. Modern-day Commercial Space Launch activity can trace its roots back to the early days of longrange missile testing in the 1940 s. As the United States (U.S.), Soviet Union, Germany, and other countries began exploring the development of long range missiles, it became apparent to the agencies conducting the tests that they needed large dedicated areas in order to conduct their testing safely. In 1949, President Eisenhower signed Public Law 60, an act to authorize the establishment of a long-range proving ground for guided missiles, and for other purposes. The first proving ground in the U.S. was established in 1950 as what is now known as the Eastern Range (ER), operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from Patrick Air Force Base (AFB) and the east coast of Florida. Several years later another proving ground was established on the west coast at what is now known as the Western Range (WR), operated by the USAF from Vandenberg AFB, California. These two proving grounds were selected based on their remote locations, on their generally temperate climate, and on their coastal positioning allowing test flights over unpopulated areas. Other countries around the world used similar criteria for selecting sites, though they are not all coastal. In order to support the testing of long range ballistic missiles, intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBM), and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), the ranges deployed groundbased sensors around the launch head and down range along the trajectory (on islands, since the missiles were launched over the ocean). These sensors were used to track the missiles and collect data from on-board instruments to analyze the performance of the missiles. Many of the radars, telemetry antennas, and optical trackers deployed in the 1950 s and 1960 s are still in service today. As the space age matured, the missiles began morphing into orbital launch vehicles carrying satellites into orbit. The Titan ICBM became the Titan II Launch Vehicle and later grew into the heavy lift Titan IV. The Atlas ICBM became the Atlas-Centaur Launch Vehicle, later the Atlas IIIAS, and finally completely redesigned and reborn as the Atlas V ELV. The Thor IRBM became the Delta Launch Vehicle, transitioning into the Delta II, a workhorse of the U.S. space program, and similarly being redesigned and reborn as the Delta IV ELV. Early versions of the Atlas and Titan carried astronauts, then the Saturn V was developed to carry astronauts to the moon and the Space Shuttle was developed to transport astronauts into low-earth orbit. The launch ranges have served the same purpose throughout the years, watching the vehicles mature, but changing very little themselves. They continue to provide the infrastructure for processing, integrating, and preparing the rockets for flight, and for ensuring safe launch conditions and tracking the rockets into orbit. The ranges continue to support missile testing, but launching satellites is the primary mission of most launch ranges. Over the past 50 years, the majority of all spacecraft launched worldwide have been government-owned. In the U.S., the satellites belonged to the military, NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), or other government organizations. It did not take long for commercial organizations to realize the value of the high ground. First communications companies took advantage of

12 Geosynchronous orbit (GSO), where the satellite stays in synch with the rotation of the earth, keeping it constrained to a particular area of the sky, as viewed from the ground (geostationary is a type of GSO that is directly over the equator, keeping it locked in the same exact place in the sky). This enables ground stations of any size all over the world to point an antenna to a particular point in the sky and receive non-stop communications. The commercial space age was born and the only safe place to launch these commercial payloads was from a government-operated launch range. Launch ranges all have the same basic features, commonly broken into two general classifications: port facilities and the launch range Port Facilities Launch Complex The most recognizable facility on any spaceport is the Launch Complex. This is the area including and immediately surrounding the launch pad. The launch pad structure is a reinforced platform where the rocket sits, standing vertically, before launching. The launch pad is most recognizable due to the tall structures next to it, including the Mobile Service Tower (MST), also known as gantry, and Fixed Umbilical Tower (FUT). The FUT stands next to the rocket and provides a lifeline to the rocket and its payload before it launches. The lifeline is an umbilical or group of umbilicals that provides rocket/satellite health data to ground controllers and commands in the other direction, environmentally controlled air to keep sensitive components safe, and propellant and other gas commodities to the rocket. The MST is a large structure that usually hides the rocket from view while it is built up and prepared for launch. Not all pads have an MST. This structure has floors that fit around the rocket to enable technicians to work on various levels of the rocket, and the whole structure can be rolled out of the way prior to launch. Propellant tanks are situated around the pad, providing a short distance to flow the special rocket propellants, and a water tower stands nearby to provide a water deluge for the launch. The deluge serves as a sound barrier, keeping the sound waves from bouncing off the pad and up against the rocket, potentially destroying it. The deluge also provides some evaporative cooling to the pad. Underneath the launch pad are flame ducts, which serve to guide the exhaust away from the rocket. The deluge water is usually heavily contaminated by the exhaust bi-products so it is collected and filtered. Vehicle Processing Facility The next most recognizable facilities on a space port are the vehicle processing facilities, due to their enormity required for holding an entire rocket, either horizontal or vertically. Horizontal facilities take up more area, but allow for easier processing, rolling the body sections on special trailers. Vertical facilities take up less area, but require larger doors and the vehicles must be processed by lifting stages atop one another with a crane. Transporting vertical rockets is also more challenging than rolling them horizontally. Horizontal facilities must have very level floors so the stages can be properly mated, but only need nominally sized doors, whereas vertical facilities have loose floor requirements but the doors are extremely tall. Spacecraft (Payload) Processing Facility Spacecraft processing facilities are more diminutive than vehicle processing facilities, but just as important. These buildings are used to process the satellite to be ready for its mission. Inspections, testing, fueling, and encapsulation into the fairing often take place in this facility. In some cases, the spacecraft may be transferred to a Hypergolic Fueling Facility for loading the 12 P a g e

13 propellant (this propellant is for on-orbit station keeping, a much smaller amount than necessary to get to orbit). Most processing facilities are also clean rooms, which means the air is filtered to remove almost all particles, up to 100,000 parts per million. This is to ensure nothing contaminates the surfaces or sensors of the spacecraft. Contamination can render instruments useless, reduce solar power generation, and even cause deterioration of the spacecraft body in the space environment. Transport Systems All space ports have two types of transportation systems: Intra-Port Systems and Inter-Port Systems. Intra-Port systems include various means of moving satellites and rockets around the port, most often by rail, road, or water. The Russian spaceport at Baikonur, Kazakhstan relies on rail transport from the processing facility to the pad. The new Antares rocket at WFF is moved over the road from the Horizontal Integration Facility to the pad. Wallops has also utilized barge transport for some special test rockets from the main base to the launch complexes on Wallops Island. Inter-Port Systems are those used to get the rocket and spacecraft to the spaceport. All modes of transportation are used for most facilities, but are usually dependent on the vehicle and satellite. Delta IV is transported by a special ship from Decatur Alabama to Vandenberg AFB, CA. Minotaur stages are transported by rail from the depot in Utah to Wallops 1 and Vandenberg AFB. The Cygnus spacecraft is flown into Wallops, while other spacecraft are trucked in. Receiving Areas Naturally, all transport systems terminate at some sort of receiving area for off-loading. Runways, docks, and truck facilities are all commonplace at space ports. Propellant Storage and Processing Chemical propulsion systems, or engines, use rocket propellants that are classified as solid, liquid, or hybrid. Solid propellants are cast directly into the rocket stages and require very little special attention. Liquid propellants, which are categorized as storables, cryogenics, or hypergols, require more attention. Storable rocket propellants, for example a kerosense-like fuel known as RP-1, are much like any other storable fuel, such as gasoline, and require much less sophisticated tankage and transfer systems. Cryogenics, such as oxidizer liquid oxygen (LOX), are extremely cold propellants which require more specialized tankage and transfer systems. Hypergols, such as the self-igniting fuel hydrazine and oxidizer nitrogen tetroxide, are the most hazardous, as they are extremely toxic and extremely reactive; they cannot come into contact with certain common materials or they will combust. Hypergols require very specialized tankage and transfer systems, as well as many associated safety systems. Due to the nature of the various types of propellants, locating the propellant tanks near the launch pad allows for quick loading and unloading of propellants. At some ports, propellants and pressurants are manufactured on site to reduce shipping hazards, complexities, and costs. 1 There is potential for improvement with rail transport to Wallops since the rail line does not go all the way to the processing facilities. The rocket must be offloaded near Wallops, then trucked on, which increases complexity of the transport. 13 P a g e

14 3.1.2 Launch Range Geography The Lead Range is also called the launch head. It is the site where the rocket is being launched from. Often times, due to the distances rockets cover during ascent, they enter into the visibility of other ranges. This often works to the Lead Range s advantage. The Lead Range is able to coordinate with the Support Range to provide continued tracking of the rocket after it has left their initial view. The Support Range is typically midrange (along the flight trajectory of the rocket), and provides minor to full support. When Wallops launches ELVs, the ER acts as a Support Range and provides telemetry data from one of their sites on Ascension Island. This effectively extends the coverage of a single range, providing increased safety and mission assurance. Uprange, midrange, and downrange are terms for general geographic areas within a single range. Uprange is the area around the launch space port, also called the launch head or rangehead. The majority of range instrumentation is located uprange. Midrange is used to loosely define assets that are located along the flight trajectory that extend the coverage. The new mobile tracking site in Bermuda serves as a midrange for Wallops. Downrange is generally reserved for an area where impacts occur. Many bomb and gun ranges have a downrange area, and some large launch ranges also have a downrange. For example, when an ICBM is test launched from Vandenberg at the WR, the inert warhead reenters downrange at Reagan Test Site (RTS) on the Kwajalein Atol. RTS is just as instrumental as the launch head, but is used to track the inbound target. Location As previously discussed, spaceports are located in remote areas where overflight is possible over unpopulated areas. Other factors, such as the inclination of orbit and the latitude of the launch site, are also considered when determining the location of a spaceport and launch range. The primary objective of an ELV launch is to deploy a spacecraft into a desired orbit. The physics laws of orbital mechanics dictate what orbits can be achieved directly from any given point on the ground. The launch azimuth (direction of flight angle measured from true north to launch direction) determines the orbit direction. A rocket launched due north or due south will enter a polar orbit, launching anywhere between 0 and 180 degrees azimuth will insert the spacecraft into a prograde orbit (with the direction of earth s rotation), and a launch between 180 and 360 degrees azimuth will result in a retro-grade orbit (against the rotation of the earth). All types of orbits have specific desirable qualities for different types of space missions. The latitude of the launch site determines the lowest inclination (or tilt) of the orbit. The orbit is a circle (or ellipse) and the center must be at the center of the earth. The launch point is automatically a point on the orbit, since that is where it starts. No matter how the orbit is rotated, we cannot decrease the inclination since the orbit must always pass over the launch site latitude (the earth will rotate, so it will not always pass over the launch site). It is possible to launch into any higher inclination, as long as the azimuth is permitted. The center is still the center of the earth, and a point is still the launch site, but we can rotate the orbit. 14 P a g e

15 Figure 2. The inclination or tilt of an orbit determines the ground trace of the spacecraft. Figure 3. The number of launch opportunities into a particular orbit depends on the latitude of the launch site. Northern launch sites are more restricted than southern sites. A launch site whose latitude is less than the orbit inclination has two opportunities per day (one ascending trajectory and one descending trajectory), which may present more options for launch if there are over flight restrictions. Since the earth is rotating but orbits are fixed in inertial space, there are only so many times a spacecraft can be launched directly into orbit. These times are the launch windows. The Launch Window Size is measured in time (seconds, minutes, hours), and the length is based on the accuracy of orbit required. If it has to be perfect, the window is 1 second; if it does not need to be perfect, it can be longer. Windows are usually determined based on other objects already in orbit, known as collision avoidance. The Launch Window Occurrence (sometimes referred to as launch opportunity) is the number of launch opportunities there are in one day. The opportunity is based on the latitude of launch site (L) and inclination of orbit (i). Airspace Most ranges have authority over the airspace directly above them, but not out over the oceans or land areas where the rocket trajectory crosses. The airspace over the spaceport is controlled due to safety and security reasons, primarily due to the number of hazardous operations taking place, plus most ranges have a runway. The rest of the airspace is controlled by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and military. The lead range coordinates with the FAA and military to 15 P a g e

16 reserve airspace for specific times associated with the launch window. For some missions, this can require diverting many airline flights around the reserved airspace, or force military operations to stand down. In some cases, international coordination is required. Safety In order to ensure public safety, launch ranges focus on three specific flight safety areas. The range first ensures area clearance, making sure there are no personnel in hazard areas, and verifying no boats, aircraft or other foulers are in the keep out areas along the trajectory. The range is verified clear with the use of surveillance cameras, spotter aircraft, and radars. Launch ranges also observe weather conditions to ensure that if the rocket fails or if the rocket must be terminated, the debris and toxic plume will not drift into populated areas. Ranges are peppered with various meteorological instruments and they get feeds from national weather systems to detect winds, lightening, precipitation, etc. Lastly, the range verifies that they always have the means to terminate the flight if the rocket does not perform properly. A flight termination system consists of command transmitters on the ground and a destruct package on the rocket. Based on tracking data, if the rocket is performing non-nominally, the range safety officer will send a command to the rocket and the destruct charge will end the flight in a safe manner, before the rocket poses a threat to the public. Tracking From the early days of ranges, the primary purpose has been to support testing of missiles, and the best way to collect data on them was to use ground-based sensors such as radar and optics, and to collect telemetered data. Ranges are comprised of approximately equal numbers of radar, telemetry, and optical trackers. The radars send a signal which is reflected by the rocket and received by the radar. The system calculates position and rate change based on where it is pointed, the time it takes for the signal to bounce back, and the rate at which both change. Telemetry antennas are tuned to the radio frequency that the rocket is transmitting data. The data stream is chock full of information, ranging from engine or motor performance, attitude of the rocket, health of on-board systems, and in some cases, science data. Radar and telemetry data is processed by various systems on the range and used to display performance in the control centers and to generate pointing data for other sensors to locate the rocket. Optics range from highspeed pad cameras which capture every detail of the launch event for later review, to long-range tracking cameras which provide real-time video to the control centers to confirm flight events (staging, fairing separation, etc.). Command and Control Facilities Range operations are very complicated and require careful coordination among many participants in many different locations. Command and control facilities are designed to provide workspace for range and mission personnel to orchestrate these operations. Each facility is equipped with the necessary communications systems, video displays, data systems, clocks, computers, network interfaces, and specialized consoles for operators to methodically step through countdown checklists and prepare the range for launch. The facilities are categorized loosely into Launch Control, Mission Control, and Range Control. Launch Control Facilities are focused on the launch vehicle. The operators monitor the health of the rocket and initiate the launch sequence. They are often located near the launch complex and are sometimes referred to as Blockhouses. 16 P a g e

17 Mission Control Facilities are focused on the spacecraft or payload of the mission. The operators monitor the health of the spacecraft and ensure other sites and groups around the world are ready to support the mission. These centers are sometimes located at spaceports, but it is not required. Range Control Facilities are focused on the readiness of the range to safely launch and track the rocket. The operators are focused on tracking system readiness, area clearance, and safety. This center is usually the most prominent, and the operations are led out of this center Space Mission Types (Programs) Space provides the ultimate high ground location for providing high-value services across the public, commercial, government, and military sectors. The challenges of spaceflight and orbital mechanics are also the enablers of some fantastic capabilities. From a geostationary orbit, a spacecraft can maintain a constant view of the earth, good for earth observation missions like weather forecasting. Geostationary orbits also enable the spacecraft to stay in a fixed position with reference to a ground station, making it ideal for communications, such as satellite TV. The space environment provides a clear view, both looking at earth, and looking away (for performing astronomy missions like the Hubble). By launching multiple similar spacecraft into a constellation, ground sensors can view multiple satellites at the same time, enabling triangulation technology employed in navigation. Note 1: The United Nations Space Treaty bans deploying weapons in space. Note 2: Table adapted from Space Mission Analysis and Design illustrates some different examples of space missions; these types of missions are the industrial focus areas that Economic Development should seek to bring closer to Wallops. Table 2 Space Mission Categories and Examples Communications Remote Sensing Navigation Weapons* In-Situ Science Other Television Weather Navigation Signal (GPS) Kinetic Energy International Space Station Space Transportation Radio Mapping Ranging Directed Technology Space Tourism (beacons) Energy Development Long-Distance Phone Service Earth Observation (Science) Escorts Planetary Science Space Burial Satellite Phones Early Warning Sample Return Power Generation Internet/Data Military Intelligence Resource Utilization On-Orbit Relay Astronomy Note 1: The United Nations Space Treaty bans deploying weapons in space. Note 2: Table adapted from Space Mission Analysis and Design (Wertz & Larson, 1999) 17 P a g e

18 3.2 Identify Competing Commercial Spaceflight Activity Locations This section identifies locations that are also engaged in commercial space launch activities. There are two general categories of rocket launch and test sites within the U.S.: Federal launch sites and FAA licensed spaceports. Federal launch sites are operated by a federal agency, typically the DOD, and have been around since the 1940s. Spaceports are operated at a state level typically as a state government and corporate partnership. Figure 4 shows an overview of the current U.S. Federal Launch Sites and FAA Licensed Spaceports. Figure 4. U.S. Federal Launch Sites and FAA Licensed Spaceports (Federal Aviation Administration, 2010) The launch sites and spaceports land locked within the U.S. have clearly defined boundaries and are limited to sub-orbital launches with smaller rockets due to safety restrictions. Those launch sites and spaceports on ocean front property can support orbital launches given the availability of the bordering ocean area to mitigate safety concerns associated with launching larger rockets. WFF and the co-located MARS represent one of four sites within the U.S. capable of launching ELV class rockets. The term ELV denotes that these launch vehicles are not recovered from the ocean once their payloads are placed into orbit. There are separate classes of launch vehicles commonly used such as Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) denoting systems that are recovered after launch. An example of a RLV would be the Space Shuttle s two Solid Rocket Boosters which were recovered and reused after each mission. RLVs are not common due to the high cost of recovery and refurbishment of the hardware following launch. 18 P a g e

19 The NASA WFF launch site has the current infrastructure to support the ELV class rockets described in Table 3. Table 3 ELV Rocket Classes Lift Size Provider Vehicle Max Payload Small Orbital Science Corporation Pegasus (Air Launched) 890 lbs Minotaur I Minotaur IV Minotaur V Taurus XL 1,300 lbs 1,800 lbs No Estimate 2,900 lbs Medium Orbital Science Corporation Antares 11,000 lbs The other sites within the U.S. capable of ELV class rocket launches are the U.S. Air Force s ER, the U.S. Air Force s WR, and the State of Alaska s Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC). There are ELV launch capable facilities outside of the U.S. under the management of the Russian Federal Space Agency and the European Space Agency (ESA) that can be defined as competitors for the U.S. launch industry. Several other non-u.s. countries have active space industries working to develop an ELV capability, but at this time are not perceived competitors to the U.S. launch industry. 19 P a g e

20 3.2.1 Eastern Range The ER is operated by the U.S. Air Force s 45 th Space Wing headquartered at Patrick AFB located in Brevard County, Florida. The ER consists of multiple launch facilities and instrumentation sites working in concert. The launch sites under the ER umbrella include NASA s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Florida s Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The ER instrumentation sites consist of multiple locations in Florida, a site on the Island of Antigua in the West Indies, a site on Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean near the Equator, and an as needed site in Argentia in Newfoundland. The ER routinely supports both DOD and NASA missions focusing on medium to heavy lift ELV launches. Medium-lift ELVs are those capable of placing between 10,000 to 15,000 pounds of payload into low earth orbit. Heavy-lift ELVs are those capable of placing between 50,000 to 120,000 pounds into low earth orbit. The ER launch vehicles associated with these levels of access to space are described in Table 4 below. Table 4 ER Launch Vehicles Lift Size Provider Vehicle Max Payload Medium Lockheed Martin Corporation Athena III 13,000 lbs Inter-mediate Space Exploration Technologies Falcon 9 14,600 lbs United Launch Alliance (Lockheed & Boeing) Delta IV 17,900 lbs Atlas V 20,650 lbs Heavy United Launch Alliance (Lockheed & Boeing) Delta IV Heavy 50,800 lbs Atlas Heavy 64,820 lbs Space Exploration Technologies Falcon 9 Heavy 120,000 lbs ER s location on the East Coast somewhat limits the orbits in which payloads can be placed. Orbital mechanics dictates that given the rotation of the Earth that East Coast launch sites are better suited for low earth orbits and equatorial orbits like geostationary and geosynchronous. Most satellites and the International Space Station (ISS) are in these types of orbits around the Earth. WFF is called upon to support ER operations as an instrumentation site depending on the fly out trajectory of the rocket being launched. This type of WFF support for the ER is routine and has been ongoing for many years. 20 P a g e

21 3.2.2 Western Range The WR is operated by the U.S. Air Force s 30th Space Wing headquartered at Vandenberg AFB located near Lompoc, California. The California Spaceport operated by the Spaceport Systems International is co-located with the WR. The WR instrumentation sites span the west coast of California, mid-range sites in the Hawaiian Islands, and downrange sites in the Marshall Islands. The WR is the testing location for the U.S. fleet of ICBMs. ICBMs are randomly selected, dearmed, instrumented, and launched from the WR multiple times a year to ensure the fleet s viability through sample testing. The WR is also the primary launch site in the U.S. for all levels of ELV class rockets going into polar type orbits. The type of orbit is again dictated by the rotation of the Earth and orbital mechanics. Table 5 shows the launch vehicles that the WR can support. Table 5 Western Range Launch Vehicles Lift Size Provider Vehicle Max Payload Small Lift Orbital Sciences Corporation Pegasus (Air Launched) 890 lbs Minotaur I Minotaur IV Minotaur V Taurus XL 1,300 lbs 1,800 lbs No Estimate 2,900 lbs Inter-mediate Lift Space Exploration Technologies Falcon 9 14,600 lbs Heavy Lift United Launch Alliance (Lockheed & Boeing) United Launch Alliance (Lockheed & Boeing) Delta IV Atlas V Delta IV Heavy Atlas Heavy 17,900 lbs 20,650 lbs 50,800 lbs 64,820 lbs Space Exploration Technologies Falcon 9 Heavy 120,000 lbs Satellites and spacecraft launched from the WR typically enter into a polar type orbit. Polar orbits are often used for earth-mapping, earth observation, capturing the earth as time passes from one point and reconnaissance satellites, as well as for some weather satellites. 21 P a g e

22 3.2.3 Kodiak Launch Complex The KLC is owned and operated by the Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) which is a stateowned independent corporation established by the Alaska State Legislature to create aerospace related economic development in the state. AAC is administratively aligned under the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) and the Alaska National Guard. KLC is not co-located with another federal launch site and does not have a dedicated primary mission like other launch sites referenced in this document. AAC markets KLC as an alternative to the WR for small-lift ELVs and is trying to expand into medium-lift ELVs. KLC has the current infrastructure to support the launch vehicles in Table 6. Table 6 Kodiak Launch Vehicles Lift Size Provider Vehicle Max Payload Small Orbital Science Corporation Lockheed Martin Minotaur IV Minotaur V Athena I Athena II 1,800 lbs No Estimate 1,800 lbs 4,550 lbs AAC has partnership agreements in place with the Cape Canaveral Spaceport and the Lockheed Martin Corporation to serve as the dedicated West Coast launch site for the Athena family of rockets International Locations Russian Federal Space Agency The Russian Federal Space Agency is headquartered in Moscow and conducts launch operations out of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. A Russian aerospace company Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) Energia now owns Sea Launch which is a converted sea-based oil platform. The Russian Federal Space Agency is the number one provider of ELV rockets in the world. The Russian Federal Space Agency maintains the position of low cost leader on a global scale affording them a launch manifest ten times that of the next country on the list. Table 7 lists the launch vehicles that the Russian Federal Space Agency offers to its customers. Table 7 Russian Launch Vehicles Lift Size Vehicle Max Payload Small Dnepr 9,900 lbs Medium Soyuz 12,000 lbs Heavy Zenit (Sea Launch) 30,300 lbs Proton 46,000 lbs 22 P a g e

23 The lion share of the global commercial satellite industry goes to the Russian Federal Space Agency to put their satellite into space. The typical commercial satellite company does not begin drawing revenue until their satellite is in orbit and providing a service. The Russian launch sites have the launch tempo to minimize the on ground wait time for these commercial satellite companies. The launch tempo also affords the Russian Federal Space Agency an economy of scale driving down the individual unit cost of each launch. Russia passes this savings on to launch customers. For these two reasons, it will be very difficult for any other country, including the U.S., to pull away these commercial satellite customers from Russia. European Space Agency The ESA is an intergovernmental organization made up of 20 member states and headquartered in Paris, France. The ESA conducts operations at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. The primary purpose of the ESA is to facilitate the access to space needs of its own member states. When possible, the ESA offers service to other countries and organizations. The ESA expanded their capabilities into medium lift in 2001 by bringing the Russian Soyuz rocket into operation at the Guiana Space Centre. The ESA now offers the launch vehicles in Table 8 to their customers. Table 8 ESA Launch Vehicles Lift Size Vehicle Max Payload Small Vega 3,300 lbs Medium Soyuz 12,000 lbs Heavy Ariane 5 46,300 lbs Other International Launch Providers There are a small number of countries with a current ELV access to space capability or who are trying to develop an ELV access to space capability. These countries are Australia, Brazil, China, India, Israel, and Japan. These countries capabilities are not going to be described. The goal of said countries to develop ELV access to space capability is primarily to facilitate their own access to space needs. It is not perceived that these countries represent a significant competitor to the U.S. for capturing future ELV launches. Summary of Launch Sites The U.S. launch sites have begun to settle into four business lanes as described in Table 9 below. Table 9 US Launch Sites Orbit Direction Lift Category Launch Range Polar and Retrograde Small to Medium Lift KLC (West Coast) Intermediate to Heavy Lift WR Prograde Small to Medium Lift WFF (East Coast) Intermediate to Heavy Lift ER 23 P a g e

24 The small to medium lift market is not without competition. The co-located spaceports at the WR (California Spaceport) and ER (Cape Canaveral Spaceport) are focused on the same ELV lift capability as KLC and WFF. However, competition is not an issue as the launch vehicle providers have notionally selected dedicated launch sites. Orbital Sciences Corporation has selected WFF for their Minotaur family of rockets on the East Coast and Lockheed Martin Corporation has selected the Cape Canaveral Spaceport for their Athena family of rockets on the West Coast. The Athena family of rockets has not launched since 2001 and only recently has Lockheed Martin Corporation begun marketing it again. The International locations highlighted within this document focus almost solely on heavy-lift ELVs and therefore are not direct competitors with NASA WFF. Because NASA WFF supports ER launches and ER competes with those international launch providers, there is some degree of indirect competition. Unfortunately, there is little to nothing that can be done at the local government level to influence the launch site location decision of spacecraft providers looking at launch site providers on a global scale. 24 P a g e

25 3.3 Identify Wallops Competitive Advantages This section identifies the key components of Wallops that make it an attractive and competitive launch site, as well as identifies some limiting focal points Strengths Table 10 Wallops SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS Gateway to space for over 60 years Wallops a household name Established supply chain Full service space transportation infrastructure Experienced workforce Established business services Intermodal access by land, sea, air, rail, and space Established tourist industry and infrastructure Established launch management and operations Improved customer service focus Modeling and simulation capability Major aerospace contingent in place More than just launch services Best location for launch to ISS Rocket science and orbital mechanics Improved spaceport technology and capacity Political atmosphere supportive of change Federal commercialization of services Consolidated aerospace enterprise into single agency Improved ties to academia State focus on improving education Public support OPPORTUNITIES Vision for Space Exploration is the future COTS/Antares will establish manufacturing supply chain NASA Shuttle retirement in 2010 COTS to supply ISS and space missions Commercial use of Wallops Runway Development of a licensed commercial (horizontal) launch site New generation of aerospace entrepreneurs Emerging space tourism market Reuse of surplus facilities and resources Space technology commercial applications and hypersonic Creative incentives for aerospace economic development Aerospace economic development diversification Universal flight safety system for commercial use Aerospace enterprise partnerships Educational poised to partner as never before Work can be spread throughout Maryland/Virginia Much more than just launch WEAKNESSES Federal range regulatory and safety requirements International programs on a federal range Federal policy hinders commercial ventures Other federal range users Corrosive environment and aging infrastructure Difficult to fund reinvestment for facilities Need licensed commercial (horizontal) launch site Need licensed commercial (vertical) launch pad Business plan still evolving Aerospace R&D investment levels Marketing strategy and online presence Commercialization incentive options Launch focus can lead to missed opportunities Coordinated education programs to develop workforce Strong state and federal delegations for space Perception aerospace is Space Coast only issue THREATS Domestic spaceports International spaceports Federal range users Perception federal ranges not commercial customer-friendly The gap between Shuttle and SLS Severe weather impact on insurability Population growth and coastal expansion Adequate funding for aerospace programs National defense/security and homeland security National commercial space launch policy Federal range regulatory requirements Subsidies and incentives Operating in an environmentally sensitive area 25 P a g e

26 Strength: Low-Cost Access to Space and Range Responsiveness The combination of low-cost access to space and the ability to respond quickly to the demand for Range services is a valuable strength of the Research Range. This combination provides a great benefit to the developing and experimental launch vehicle industry. The low-cost, responsive nature of Wallops is critical for the support of testing for new exploration technologies. An on-site Range Safety Office (RSO) at Wallops develops and controls all Research Range Safety policies. The RSO ensures all safety measures are followed for all events. The RSO also ensures adherence to external Range policies including the ER. Having the RSO on site allows for planning of contingencies in advance and quick response to Range Safety issues. Strength: Integrated Spaceport, Range, and Research Airport WFF is the only NASA-operated integrated spaceport and Research Range co-located with a research airport. The WFF spaceport consists of the facilities, systems, and equipment necessary to support the safe and efficient receipt, inspection, storage, ground transfer, testing, assembly, checkout, propellant loading, ordnance installation, countdown, launch, flight, recovery, and post-flight disassembly and safeguarding of various types of launch vehicles and spacecraft. Some of the spaceport assets at WFF (including a processing facility and two launch pads) are leased to a state government operator, the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (VCSFA), now an element of MARS. Strength: Controlled Airspace The research airport at WFF is owned and operated by NASA to support various user programs. Key features include the Controlled Airspace (also used to support suborbital and orbital launches), FAA-certified runways, an experimental UAV runway, Crash, Fire, and Rescue Services, and FAA-qualified Air Traffic Controllers. The controlled airspace includes the following restricted areas: The WFF Airport Control Zone: Airspace vertically to 2,500 feet in a 5-statute mile radius of the airport. Restricted Area R-6604: Restricted airspace connecting WFF and offshore warning areas. Surface area and airspace extending from Restricted Area R-6604 into the offshore warning areas: The extended area varies with the particular mission/project activity and is limited to that area for which specific use has been cleared with the responsible agencies. Strength: Location The Range is based at WFF on Virginia s Eastern Shore. Range services are provided at locations around the world to achieve specific mission goals. The Wallops launch range is the only commercially accessible facility with access to the Mid-Atlantic Test Range warning area. Our local restricted area (R-6604) connects the launch range with the offshore warning area, making it possible to achieve virtually unrestricted airspace. Wallops personnel also can coordinate additional open airspace and surface area with the FAA and the U.S. Navy Fleet Air Control and Surveillance Facility to accommodate specific missions and projects. The Wallops Research Range is located on Virginia s Eastern Shore providing a mid-atlantic launch site for orbital and suborbital rockets. WFF consists of three separate parcels of real 26 P a g e

27 property: the Main Base, the Mainland, and the Wallops Island Launch Site. The Wallops Research Range is ideal for coastal carbon cycle studies and providing equatorial access for lowearth orbit insertion. WFF does not have any downrange boundaries; the ground based Range is only limited by land masses. The Research Range supports missions that exceed the capability and safety margins of other ranges and is a highly attractive location for meeting unique launch requirements. WFF offers a wide array of launch vehicle trajectory options. The coastline of Wallops Island is oriented such that a launch azimuth of 135 is perpendicular to the shoreline. In general, launch azimuths between 90 and 160 can be accommodated depending on impact ranges. For most orbital vehicles, this translates into orbital inclinations between 38 and approximately 60. Trajectory options outside of these launch azimuths, including polar and sunsynchronous orbits, can be achieved by in-flight azimuth maneuvers. Figure 5. Wallops can launch ELVs into orbital inclinations between 38 o and 60 o, providing access for remote sensing spacecraft as well as service to the International Space Station. Strength: Other Locations For ELV missions launched from Wallops, such as Antares or Minotaur, mobile downrange systems are needed for complete tracking, telemetry and command systems coverage. WFF maintains sites in both Coquina, North Carolina and on Bermuda to provide this coverage. Mobile radar, telemetry, command, and power systems are currently based in these locations and manned only when needed. Crews of 10 personnel are deployed to each of these locations to 27 P a g e

28 support launch operations and also to conduct periodic maintenance and testing. Deployments are typically conducted every other month and last from days depending on the purpose. To help maintain the sites, WFF contracts with local businesses in both locations to provide equipment transportation, site improvements and site services. Additionally, WFF contracts with local, national, and international communication services to provide inter-site voice and data, which include high-bandwidth circuits, for mission-critical data that needs to be transmitted to WFF in real-time for mission support. Figure 6. Mobile Range Instrumentation set up in Coopers Island, Bermuda to provide ELV support. Strengths: Advantages of Wallops for ELV and Other Aerospace Activities Wallops provides unique services to NASA and the nation with fixed and deployable mobile instrumentation valued at more than $231 million. The Range enables flexible, low-cost access to space, in-flight science, and technology research from the WFF spaceport, other launch ranges, and from remote locations around the world. A core capability is the provision of tracking, telemetry, and command services, along with optical coverage and weather measurements, all coordinated through its Range Control Center (RCC) to support various usersponsored missions, including: Astronomical and atmospheric science observations, in-space experiments, and various technology development activities using suborbital sounding rockets, high altitude balloons, and ELVs carrying spacecraft into orbit. Flight T&E activities involving research aircraft and UAVs. In cooperation with other ranges, and military development tests, training, and exercises involving surface ship combat systems, aircraft, and missile defense systems. 28 P a g e

29 Wallops offer customers a variety of unique features and benefits. These include: A geographic setting combined with adequate Range instrumentation to provide safe access to a variety of trajectories and orbits from an easy-to-reach launch location in the Continental U.S., offering an opportunity for programs to reduce their logistics costs compared to operating from multiple, remote locations. Outstanding Range availability and schedule flexibility, including access to week-long blocks of scheduled Range time, enabling users to resolve issues with new and/or complex flight systems, leading to improved mission assurance. Flexible Range support capabilities and streamlined processes to enable customer programs to be accommodated within weeks to a few months, as opposed to years of advance planning required at some other ranges, enabling responsive access to space. Test Range philosophy that enables support for development testing of new flight vehicles, systems, and Range technologies. Rapidly deployable and flexibly configured mobile Range assets to support operations at other ranges or from remote locations around the world where no other Range infrastructure exists. Compatibility with DOD Major Range and Test Facility Base ranges through participation in the Range Commanders Council and voluntary compliance with Inter- Range Instrumentation Group (IRIG) standards, enabling WFF to function in cooperative lead-range/support-range roles with DOD Ranges. Quality Services due to the experience level of the operations and engineering staff, a critical key to the quality of services. The Research Range staff has a reputation of always being prepared for each mission. There is a low-turnover ratio and many of the staff has been at Wallops working with the same equipment in excess of 10 years. The staff has an unparalleled ability to quickly fix problems, respond to instrumentation performance issues in real-time, and achieve high reliability in capturing metric data. Compared to Wallops, no other U.S. space launch and test Range can consistently offer a comparable density of Range instrumentation for tracking, telemetry, command and optical coverage. As a result, WFF has the capability to support users requiring: Concurrent operations with dedicated instrumentation for each flight vehicle. Redundant Range instrumentation coverage. Spatial diversity and information assurance. A variety of viewing angles for optical instruments. Flexibility and adaptability through use of deployable mobile assets. 29 P a g e

30 3.3.2 Weaknesses Historically, Wallops has received very little of the market share of global launch opportunities. Figure 7 illustrates the number of commercial space launches (non-military) that occurred or will occur world-wide from 1993 through This chart represents some of the opportunity given that Wallops was able to acquire more of the forecasted business (approximately 2 nongeosynchronous (NGSO) launches per year are currently manifested from Wallops to provide commercial resupply to the ISS). However, this chart also represents a tremendous amount of lost opportunity, as none of the historical NGSO or GSO launches came from Wallops; the only Wallops launches were DOD. Figure 8 shows a more detailed cross section of all spaceports over the past decade. Wallops only acquired 4 ELV launches in the past decade (NFIRE, TacSat- 2, TacSat-3, and ORS-1). This indicates a weakness at Wallops, which is most likely due to its limited infrastructure to support large numbers of launches. Figure 7. Global Launch Projections through 2021 (Federal Aviation Administration, 2012). GSO are geosynchronous orbits and NGSO are non-geosynchronous; total launches are arrived by summing the two categories. This chart does not include the launch of military spacecraft. 30 P a g e

31 Figure 8. Breakdown of all launches (military and commercial) from 2004 to Wallops launched only a fraction of a percent of the world s launches. Data comprised of multiple primary and secondary sources. Weakness: Limited Infrastructure to Support Additional Launches Wallops currently has a limited infrastructure to support large numbers of launches there are not enough launch pads, processing facilities and control centers to support an increased ELV mission set. Wallops Senior Management identified a new Control Center and new North Island Fueling Facilities as key infrastructure upgrades to improve range availability. They will increase the throughput of spacecraft and the number of concurrent operations. Plans are in work for a new Mission Launch Command Center illustrated in Figure 9, which presents a future growth opportunity for construction companies. There is also potential to build a new North Island Hypergolic Fueling Facility, which would bring immediate opportunity to the construction industry, and the two additions combined will enable Wallops to process more vehicles and operations. There are also plans in work to develop a north island UAV runway. The design is ready, but will cost roughly $4.5M. This will need to come from a dedicated customer, who would naturally get priority use, but the runway would increase overall UAV operations capabilities. 31 P a g e

32 Figure 9. Artists rendition of new Mission Launch Command Center, construction to begin in While these additional facilities will improve range availability and bring in more customers, there is still a challenge that additional processing facilities and launch complexes are necessary in order to really increase the quantity of launches. The Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority Strategic Plan identifies the lack of physical space to build new facilities as both a weakness and a threat. (Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, 2012) (33-34) There are only two buildings capable of processing large rockets and only two pads capable of launching them. Both pads are vehicle specific. Weakness: Necessary Land to Build Additional Launch Facilities The other problem is that Wallops does not have enough real estate to build all the facilities that are necessary. However, since Wallops was sited in a generally unpopulated area, there are large expanses of open (unpopulated/undeveloped) land surrounding the spaceport. This presents a significant opportunity to commercial enterprises to buy up parcels of land and establish processing facilities and even launch complexes off-property. There are no hard requirements for these facilities to be located within the gates of the government owned property, only that the actual range operations are coordinated with and supported/overseen by NASA from Wallops proper. While the facility locations do not have specific requirements, the specifications of the facilities are different than most common use office or manufacturing space. These are special purpose processing and launching structures that need to handle hazardous materials, explosives, and extremely sensitive equipment. Reference for a discussion of spaceport facilities Wallops Island is running out of room there is no more room for launch pads, runways, instrumentation, processing facilities the range can sustain an increased ops tempo, there is just no room to do it. Growth potential for Wallops area is to establish off-site private processing facilities and launch complexes. 32 P a g e

33 3.4 Identify Planned Launches The following graphic illustrates the expected launch activities over the next seven years. This is primary source data, and while the range schedule is constantly changing, this is reflective of what the range is actively planning for. Note that the baseline plan is roughly 6 local sounding rockets and up to 3 ELVs per year. The ELVs that are scheduled will not require additional infrastructure investment. The range schedule is very dynamic, and launches have a strong tendency to slip to the right, usually due to spacecraft or vehicle problems. Figure 10. Forecasted schedule of Wallops launches. Roughly 6 sounding rockets, 2 Antares, and 1 DOD ELV will be launched annually from Wallops. Wallops also supports ongoing UAV and aeronautical tests and deploys staff and equipment to remote locations to track sounding rockets. Source: Wallops Range Services Management Office This schedule sheds light on the reality that there are not any strong signs of growth, just sustainment of the current level of activity. Growth, therefore, will come largely in the form of indirect industry. Growth at Wallops is most likely to occur when mission needs dictate more launch capability, which will result in new launch vehicles coming to Wallops, most likely needing new processing facilities and launch pads. A growth opportunity exists if new launch providers came to Wallops. SpaceX is a company with a medium class ELV whose processing needs are similar to the existing vehicles at Wallops. A growth opportunity may exist if SpaceX could be convinced to establish a launch site at Wallops. 33 P a g e

34 3.5 Specific ELV-Related Growth Opportunities This section explains where growth can be expected if there was an increase in activity at Wallops, as well as what areas should be grown in order to increase activity at Wallops. We have taken special effort to identify specific growth focus areas by showcasing them in the green textboxes Direct Industry This section presents the major industries that directly support commercial space launch activities. These industries are dived into Operations Services, Institutional Services, and Vehicle/Spacecraft Services. Specifically at Wallops, the following companies provide direct support to the Commercial Launch Industry. The following listing breaks apart the types of support and identifies the contract information for them. Facilities Prime Contractor: VT Group, Subcontractors: URS Value: $413M (5 Years) Engineering Prime Contractor: CSC, Subcontractors: LJT Value: $30M (5 Years) Sounding Rockets Prime Contractor: Orbital Science, Subcontractors: LJT Value: $125 million to $310M (5 Years) Range Operations Prime Contractor: LJT, Subcontractors: Exelis, Orbital Science, CSC Value: $115M (5 Years) Safety Prime Contractor: Millennium Engineering, Value: $25M (5 Years) Launch Vehicle Processing Prime Contractor: Orbital Science Corporation Subcontractors: Yuzhnoye, ATK, Aerojet Value: Unknown 34 P a g e

35 Operations Services Operations services provides the day-to-day support to the actual mission of Wallops. This includes ground processing of spacecraft, air traffic and airport management, range instrumentation operations, etc. The Range and Launch Operation services industry has experienced significant direct growth through the recent launches of the Minotaur and Antares ELVs. To meet the new requirements of the ELV launches, the workforce has increased and upgrades and modifications to range instrumentation were implemented. The workforce increases include 30 civil servants and contractors. 50% Require some college or Associates degree in fields of mechanical and electrical technicians. 50% Require Bachelor s degree and higher in the fields of Program and Project Management, Purchasing, Financial Analysis, Business Management, and Engineering. Workforce Education in the fields of Radar, Telemetry, High Pressure Systems Operations, Safety, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering are areas to consider investing in and enhancing local educational programs. These jobs are paying between $50k to $100k per year. Many of these positions have been filled with candidates from outside of the Eastern Shore. Local universities and colleges are not producing viable candidates so in the future we will continue to look beyond the Eastern Shore. Upgrades and modifications to the range systems include modernization of the video distribution systems, telemetry tracking systems, precision timing systems, control center video and surveillance systems and new control centers. Most of these upgrades and investments into the range systems are non-recurring. Sustainment engineering efforts on range systems are also constantly taking place at Wallops and represent a significant portion of the maintenance budget. Some of the larger efforts include working with vendors to implement the latest configuration changes to the range communications system, replacing aging antenna control units with modern, interchangeable equipment, and implementing modern, sustainable telemetry receivers and processors in place of legacy equipment. Range Systems are unique with few providers in the market place. Many of these companies specialize in customized systems for NASA and the DOD to meet specific mission requirements. Many of these companies are located in the Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and along the West Coast. Companies are also emerging in France to meet the European demand. See Table 11 for the list of companies that supply range instrumentation and systems. 35 P a g e

36 Table 11 Title Mission Workforce Procurements Other Costs Antares Non-recurring One time growth of 29 FTE (Full Time Equivalent) Civil Servant and Contractor Increase to meet program requirements $5 Million in system upgrades and modifications to range systems $500k Travel Costs to implement down range sites in Bermuda and Coquina, NC Antares Launch (Recurring) No Increase $500k Surveillance Services and small system enhancements $200k Travel costs Minotaur Launch (Recurring) No Increase $300k Surveillance Services and small system enhancements $75k Travel costs Institutional Services Institutional services are those related to the general sustainment of the facilities of and support services at Wallops. This includes but is not limited to: building maintenance, power service, emergency services, and HVAC, plumbing service. There has been no significant increase to the institutional services including facility engineering, operations and maintenance; logistics; health; environmental; and emergency services and financial services related to the increase in ELV launches. New facilities including the Horizontal Integration Facility, Launch Pad, Liquid Fueling Facility and personnel safety systems such as early warning lightning detection have been implemented to meet the requirements of the Antares vehicle. There are no new significant infrastructure requirements for follow-on ELV launches. Starting September 2010, the FAA began issuing spaceport grants to strengthen commercial space activities. This grant program follows the precedence set for the FAA issuing grant for airport to improve their facilities and infrastructure. In 2010, the first matching grants included: $43,000 for the New Mexico Spaceport Authority Automated Weather Observing System $227,195 to the AAC for a Rocket Motor Storage Facility $125,000 to the East Kern Airport District in Mojave, Calif., for an emergency response vehicle $104,805 to the Jacksonville Airport Authority in Florida to develop a Spaceport Master Plan for Cecil Field. Under the law, the FAA can provide matching funds for specific projects being carried out by public entities involved in commercial space activities. With matching funding, MARS could take advantage of this grant program to improve their launch pads at WFF causing a surge in construction. 36 P a g e

37 Vehicle and Spacecraft Services Vehicle and Spacecraft processing services require a specialized trained workforce and safety staff. This staff has been trained and certified on site by NASA. The duties comprise hazardous operations including Self Contained Atmospheric Protective Ensemble (SCAPE) operations. Table 12 Wallops Vehicle and Spacecraft Services Mission Workforce Procurements Other Costs Antares Launch (Recurring) 20 Ukranian employees on TDY 20 Orbital Science employees Small amounts of commodities Crane, Forklifts Travel costs Minotaur Launch (Recurring) employees on TDY Nothing Significant Unique Crane Services Travel costs ELVs are only produced by a handful of companies worldwide. These companies are typically very large, with a dedicated division that focuses on the manufacturing of the rockets. The facilities involved in building rockets are generally very large with very specialized tooling, equipment, processing lines, etc, not unlike that found in the aircraft manufacturing industry. Once established, these facilities are unlikely to be relocated due to the disruption it would cause to the production as well as the enormous cost associated. The following list identifies some of the most prominent manufacturers of ELVs launched in the U.S., as well as some of the most prominent manufacturers of liquid and solid rocket propellant. Rocket Manufacturers Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) is one of the leading launch vehicle manufacturers with over 2,000 employees. Their headquarters is located in Hawthorne, California and their Rocket development facility is located in McGregor, Texas. They also have other offices in Houston, Texas, Chantilly, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. SpaceX is best known for their Falcon series of liquid fueled launch vehicles that utilize rocket grade kerosene (RP-1) and LOX. The Falcon 1 is a two stage rocket powered by a single SpaceX Merlin engine on the first stage and a single SpaceX Kestrel engine on the second. The Falcon 9 is a two stage rocket powered only by the Merlin engines. This configuration utilizes 9 engines on the first stage and a single engine on the second stage. The latest launch vehicle from SpaceX is the Falcon Heavy. The Falcon Heavy configuration is based on the Falcon 9 launch vehicle with two additional first stage Falcon 9 engines attached to the sides to act as boosters. Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC or Orbital) is a launch vehicle contractor with many different headquarters around the country. Their launch systems group is based out of Chandler, Arizona, and their advanced programs/space systems building is in Gilbert, Arizona. Orbital supports 5 major launch vehicles: Taurus, Antares, Minotaur I, Minotaur IV, and Minotaur V. The Taurus Rocket is a solid-fuel rocket powered by propellant by an Alliant Tech Systems (ATK) Castor 120 first stage, Orion-50 second and third stage and Orion-38 4 th stage. Antares is a two stage 37 P a g e

38 rocket, using a liquid fueled first stage (RP-1 and LOX) which powers two Aerojet AJ-26 engines. The second stage utilizes an ATK Castor 30B solid motor. The Minotaur family of rockets are powered by decommissioned military motors as the lower stages (Minuteman II and Peacekeeper), while the upper stages consist of either ATK Orion or STAR series of solid motors. Orbital also launches the air-launched Pegasus ELV. The Pegasus is carried aloft under the belly of a modified L-1011 carrier aircraft to approximately 40,000 feet. The extra altitude and velocity provided by the aircraft (considered stage 0 ), combined with the flexibility of being launched almost anywhere in the world makes this small ELV very attractive. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Lockheed Martin Space Systems is headquartered in Denver, Colorado with multiple facilities located throughout the U.S. Lockheed operates the Atlas V launch vehicle program. The Atlas V first stage uses a liquid (RP-1 and LOX) fueled Russian build RD-180 motor. The upper stage known as Centaur features a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RL10 engine fueled with liquid hydrogen and LOX. The Atlas V is built in a plant outside of Denver, Colorado. Boeing-Delta IV Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a multi-billion dollar business with over 59,000 employees. This division of Boeing is based out of Berkeley, Missouri. The company is best known for their launch vehicle known as the Delta IV. The Delta IV is a two stage rocket propelled by liquid hydrogen and LOX in the first stage and expanded fuel and oxidizer in the second stage. The first stage of the rocket has a Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne RS-68 engine, and the second stage has a Pratt and Whitney RL10B-2 Engine. The Delta IV is built in Alabama. Yuzhnoye Yuzhnoye is an aerospace technology company based out of the Ukraine. Their main headquarters is located in Dniepropetrovsk, Ukraine. They are known for their part in the production of the first stage of the Antares launch vehicle. This first stage is powered by two Russian-built engines named AJ26 after Aerojet Corporation. Propellant Manufacturers Haltermann Solutions Haltermann Solutions is a company that makes various fuels for many different corporations. They also take custom orders to create a new fuel for someone in order to suit their needs. The company is based out of Houston, Texas, and they are valuable to NASA because of their RP-1 rocket propellant. RP-1 Propellant is used with LOX as the oxidizer, and is more stable than other forms of propellant. It is safe to store at room temperature and is far less of an explosive hazard. It is also one of the less costly rocket propellant solutions. 38 P a g e

39 Alliant Techsystems (ATK) Alliant Tech Systems is a huge corporation with over 6,000 employees. Their headquarters is located in Hopkins, Minnesota. They are a well-known contractor and distributer of solid rocket fuels. The solid rocket boosters are made in their rocket motor production facility in Magna, Utah, which is not too far from their composite structures production facility in Clearfield, Utah. Aerojet Rocketdyne Aerojet Rocketdyne is a contractor who works for companies like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Missile Defense Agency (MDA), and the Air Force. They are headquartered in Sacramento, California, and they are known for their missile propulsion manufacturing. This company was formed in 2013 when Aerojet and Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne merged. Space Propulsion Group, Inc. Space Propulsion Group, Inc. (SPG) is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operates with a philosophy to reduce cost, reduce environmental impact, and increase safety of propulsion and power generation systems through the development of innovative technologies (green propulsion). SPG believes that propulsion drives the cost of access to space and that complexity generally drives propulsion system cost. They strive to lower the cost, failure rate, and barriers to entry by developing propulsion systems with reduced complexity and increased reliability. SPG systems are characterized by mechanical and chemical simplicity, fewer subsystems, ease of manufacture, and lower environmental impact. One of SPG s missions is to help enable the use of ammonia as a fuel by developing technologies to burn it efficiently and cleanly in the existing gas turbine power generation systems. 39 P a g e

40 3.5.2 Indirect Industry This section presents the major industries that are indirectly influenced by space port and launch range activity. Indirect industries consist primarily of services for the staff that provide the direct support, as well as services that enable the direct support staff. In other words, where direct industries are the services performing work within the gates of the spaceport, indirect industries are all the services outside the gates, ranging from schools and churches to entertainment and medical facilities. It also includes all the industries that exist based on the large population of technical and professional workers centered on spaceports. Indirect industries are grouped into the following categories: Entertainment, Tourism, Manufacturing and Construction, Personnel Support, Transportation Infrastructure, Business Support, Education, and Government. Entertainment The entertainment industry re-evolved out of the industrial revolution. As people were required to work less and enjoyed a little more disposable income, the entertainment industry arose to consume their extra time and money. Somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but the reality is that people nowadays are working many more hours, but expect to be entertained on a grander scale during their off time. It is considered by many workers a benefit of the long hours to have the money to feed their entertainment appetite. Between 2000 and 2008, the percentage of income spent on entertainment in the U.S. increased 15%, and the overall entertainment industry grew 66% from 1998 to 2010 (Masnick & Ho, 2012). Entertainment industry is divided into two groups based on the participation level. One group is spectator events, where the majority of participants only watch. The other group is special facilities, where the participants are more directly involved in the activity. Table 13 identifies types of entertainment events and facilities, and cites some examples in the region surrounding WFF. Table 13 Entertainment Events and Facilities Spectator Events Special Facilities Sports Shore Birds Stadium Zoos Salisbury Zoo Music/Concerts Wicomico Civic Center Museums Ward Wildlife Museum Movies Regal 16 Cinemas Theme Parks Theater Center for Performing Arts Amusement Parks Ocean City Rides Auto Racing U.S. 13 Dragway Casinos, Gambling Ocean Downs The Tri-County region may find a growth opportunity by opening more museums (such as an Air/Space Museum), or by attracting a theme park to the area (also perhaps spacerelated). While the entertainment industry will not likely grow based on Wallops growth, it is likely that an improved entertainment industry base will bring more business towards the Wallops region. 40 P a g e

41 Tourism Tourism answers humankind s constant drive to explore, even if it has already been discovered. Tourism is a special industry that grows based on what already exists so long as there is something interesting that people want to come see. For the purposes of this study, Table 14 shows the tourism industry broken into three categories that are directly applicable to the Tri- County Region. Recreational tourism brings in tourists interested in taking advantage of activities specific to the area, such as golfing or beach/waterfront activities. Eco-Tourism caters to individuals interested in learning about or taking advantage of the local ecosystem, such as hunting and fishing, camping, boating, and general exploring of regional rivers, wetlands, forests, etc. Space-tourism reaches out to those interested in learning about space-related activities, to include sending tourists into space. While most of the tourism industry is lowpaying, it still generates large cash-flow into regions. The U.S. Space Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama brings in 500k visitors a year, each paying a $25 admission, plus souvenirs and associated meals, fuel and lodging. In addition, a real opportunity does exist for them to pursue the go to space type of tourism that can bring high-tech jobs (such as with Virgin Galactic, etc.). Table 14 Tri-County Tourism Category and Example Recreation Golf Beach Activities Eco-Tourism Hunting/Fishing Nature Observing Camping, Boating Space-Tourism NASA Visitor Center Launch Observation Space Camp Orbital Tourism Regional Examples Nutters Crossing, Great Hope, 15 others Ocean City (8 million visitors/year), Assateague Marlin Fishing Tournaments, Deer hunting (~$1.5B) Assateague, etc. Numerous Bare-bones, free-of-charge facility Bare-bones viewing areas for launches (Antares, LADEE) Virginia Space Flight Academy N/A Increasing Recreation and Eco-Tourism opportunities may help bring in more Wallopsfocused business by enticing the staff that would relocate. The Tri-County region may find a growth opportunity by enhancing the amenities of the NASA Visitor Center, improving the launch observation viewing areas (or creating new ones). 41 P a g e

42 We strongly recommend that the Tri County Council interface with Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts to begin looking at developing a visitor center on par with that at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. According to the Maryland DBED, with larger rockets being launched from Wallops/MARS, there is growing interest cultivating tourists to view launches. Tourism officials from Maryland and Virginia are jointly working on strategies to attract tourists to the area (Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, 2011), (page 29). However, the Space- Tourism industry surrounding Wallops has not reached its full potential. There is plenty of opportunity for companies to establish a large space-tourism base in the Tri-County region. Business models may include building a robust visitor center with rocket park and simulator rides (similar to the KSC Visitor Center), provide guided tours of the facilities of Wallops, establish a full-scale Space Camp (similar to the program in Huntsville), or establish rocket camps for rocketry enthusiasts to build and launch small rockets. Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts attractions management team operates the KSC Visitor Complex in Florida. From the Apollo/Saturn V Center to the authentic Shuttle Launch Experience and the Astronaut Training Experience (ATX ), this one-of-a-kind North American vacation destination immerses guests in the exciting world of space exploration, travel, technology, science and the heroes who got us there. Coming in July 2013: A $100 million exhibit showcasing Space Shuttle Atlantis. (Delaware North Companies, Inc., 2012) This multi-million dollar expansion is an immediate surge of funds into the local economy during the construction, and will drive an increase in tourism, keeping KSC the premier space launch site, despite the fact that no rockets have launched since This is a lost opportunity for Wallops and the local economy. To expand the tourism reach, companies could establish satellite locations in Ocean City and even across the bay comprised of a small visitor center/ticket booth for tour-bus trips to the Wallops Visitor Center and back. Tourist-focused advertising of the space-based industry on the Eastern Shore is also lacking. Signs in the Salisbury Airport should showcase Wallops. Signs touting Welcome to Space Country should line the highways, as they do along Florida s space coast (this is akin to the viticulture sign on U.S. 13 on the Virginia side of the border). As the space tourism industry grows, it would increase the demands of other support industries, such as lodging and restaurants. There is tremendous growth opportunity in the Tri-County region to take advantage of the increasing space activities with a robust space-tourism industry. Government and commercial entities should examine and invest in this opportunity. 42 P a g e

43 In addition to bringing in the tourist industry and the tourists that come with it, there is also potential to grow the orbital tourism industry. This is a little different than the bus tours and museum type of industry in that it actually sends the tourists into space. Companies such as Virgin Galactic, XCOR Aerospace, and Space Adventures are preparing to begin sending tourists into space on suborbital flights on single-stage-to-orbit spacecraft that take off from runways. These flights are very expensive, in the $100k-$200k region, and only last a couple hours. Current locations being proposed for these adventures are Spaceport America in Upham, New Mexico, Spaceport Sweden, and Spaceport Curaçao. The challenge with these flights is that aside from the time in space, there are very few space-related amenities at the launch site. While a trip to Sweden or Curaçao is enticing, a trip to New Mexico may not be. An opportunity exists in the Wallops area that offers an advantage over these other sites; before and after the suborbital flight, the orbital tourists could take advantage of other to-be-built space amenities such as a new visitor center, rocket park, tours, observe a rocket launch, etc. Improving the space-tourism base for the general population may bring a whole new fleet of commercial space launch vehicles to Wallops and a steady stream of tourists with a lot of money. Along these lines, there may be additional growth potential to examine the relationship between Wallops and the Salisbury Airport. The airport may be better suited to serve as the launch site for these suborbital flights, but partnerships with NASA and the future tourist industry will grow the overall region into more of a spacefaring region. Additionally, these sub-orbital flights may be ideal for some NASA science, so there may be potential for a partnership to contract with the flight companies to provide dedicated flights, anchoring the business. The space activities already taking place at Wallops may serve as an anchor for future orbital tourism, whether the flights depart from Wallops or the Salisbury Airport. This type of tourism, sustained by contract flights with NASA will have significant economic impact from the company and staff conducting the flights as well as the stimulus of funds from wealthy tourists. Accomack County voted in late 2012 to spend $8 million (borrowing $4 million and obtaining the remainder through grants) to improve the site infrastructure (water, sewer, roads, and a taxiway) of the future Wallops Research Park (Messier, 2012). The intent is to provide a staging area for commercial entities to establish themselves just outside of Wallops gates, but with direct access to the range resources. The main selling point of this research park is the direct access to Wallops runways. Aircraft manufacturing and development companies could take advantage of this (both manned and UAS), and commercial space launch could also use this space to their advantage. Orbital Sciences Corporation could expand their local capabilities by building a facility to stage their Pegasus ELV and the modified L-1011 carrier aircraft, as well as a spacecraft processing facility. Manned spaceflights could also originate from this research park if innovators such as Virgin Galactic open up a facility for their aircraft/spacecraft and a passenger terminal. Virgin Galactic is already dedicated to launching out of New Mexico s Spaceport America, but a second location on Maryland s Space Coast could be attractive to the company; New Mexico most likely offered some great incentives to win Virgin s business. Virgin Galactic is also developing an unmanned air-launched ELV. 43 P a g e

44 The planned Wallops Research Park could host Orbital Sciences Pegasus or Virgin Galactic s SpaceShipTwo, both currently a missed opportunity. Figure 11. Virgin Galactic s Spaceport America and SpaceShipTwo. Image courtesy Virgin Galactic. Other space related business may be enticed to a local business park, but the nearby cities of Pocomoke and Princess Anne could also be lucrative locations to establish business parks geared towards the aerospace industry. These locations could be ideal for electronics companies to establish a regional shop that could be both a point of sale and local repair site. Manufacturing and Construction As indirect industry grows, it will create opportunities in the manufacturing, construction, and maintenance fields (direct industry also creates similar opportunities). These fields include small-scale manufacturing such as boats, electronics, and hardware, all types of construction businesses including ground work, plumbing, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, electric, and architect firms, and building/grounds maintenance businesses including landscaping, property management, etc. Small increases in indirect industry will not likely create a high demand for additional construction, manufacturing or maintenance companies, but the right amount of continued growth will maintain their stability. Major spurs in the indirect industry like relocating new businesses to the region, improving transportation infrastructure, establishing new tourism venues, etc. will drive the need for increased construction and maintenance. For instance, a new business relocating 150 employees may drive construction of several new housing developments. Once established, local demand will stress existing services and drive new medical facilities, retail facilities, even schools. For example, 150 employees could bring in up to 150 more working spouses and potentially 300+ school-age kids. The new construction presents opportunities, and the businesses involved in construction and maintenance would benefit by collaborating with economic development teams to bring in more indirect industry. Products manufactured for use in the aerospace industry, particularly those used in commercial space launch, fall into three categories: the spacecraft, the launch vehicle, and the range systems. The spacecraft are all built at specially designed facilities that produce spacecraft for various customers that will launch them from any of the different U.S. or foreign launch ranges. Smaller spacecraft, such as CubeSats, nano-sats and pico-sats are often built at 44 P a g e

45 universities as experiments or technology demonstrators. Spacecraft manufacturing does not need to be located near the launch site. Launch vehicles are produced in assembly lines in large specially designed manufacturing facilities. These facilities are often centrally located between the various customers and launch sites. Yuzhnoye has a facility in Ukraine that produces the Zenit rocket, Antares rocket, Cyclone and Cosmos rockets, and various missiles for customers and launch sites all over the world. Boeing has a plant in Alabama that builds the Delta IV that gets barged to either the WR or ER. Lockheed has a plant in Colorado that builds the Atlas V which is flown to the ER or WR. Range Systems, which consist of items ranging from antennas to computers and highspeed cameras to large capacity data processors/recorders, are built by a wide array of vendors all over the U.S. Civil servant and contractors at Wallops procure these systems following government regulations and weighing factors such as lead time, cost, quality, track record, compatibility with existing systems, commonality with other ranges, etc. Of these systems, here is a list of vendors and their current location. Wallops organizations do a large amount of business with these firms, and it may be advantageous for them to either relocate to the Eastern Shore or establish an office. Table 15 identifies the Range Systems companies that Wallops tends to do a large amount of business with. Other companies offering these systems may find an opportunity to establish local offices to work with Wallops future system s needs. There is also strong growth opportunity to relocate or establish regional offices for these existing suppliers to provide pointof-sales service, consulting, engineering, testing, and other related services. Table 15 Range Systems companies frequented by Wallops Company Name Business Type Current Location Sypris Data Systems DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEMS Littleton, CA Ulyssix Technologies, Inc. BIT SYNCS Frederick, MD Wideband Systems, Inc. TELEMETRY EQUIPMENT Silver Spring, MD WV Communications, Inc. COMMAND EQUIPMENT Newbury Park, CA Zodiac Data Systems, Inc DATA RECORDING SYSTEMS Alpharetta, GA L-3 Communications Telemetry - TELEMETRY EQUIPMENT San Diego, CA West GDP Space Systems TELEMETRY EQUIPMENT Horsham, PA NetAquire Corporation DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEMS Kirkland, WA Telemetry & Communications Systems TELEMETRY EQUIPMENT Chatsworth, CA Table 16 is a consolidated listing of all the major business types that Wallops does business with. Companies in these areas may be able to establish a local foothold. 45 P a g e

46 Table 16 Selected Range Systems Companies 3D PRINTING AC DC POWER SUPPLIES AIRCRAFT CABLE AUTOMOTIVE PARTS/EQUIPMEN T BUSINESS ANALYTIC SOFTWARE CASE MANUFACTURING CLEAN ROOM SUPPLIES CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM DATA MANAGEMENT SERVICES ELECTROMAGNET IC COMPONENTS ESD EQUIPMENT GLOBAL POSITIONING SURVEYS AMPS SYNTHESIZERS AV SYSTEMS BUSINESS COMMUNICATI ON EQUIPMENT CATV BROADBAND EQUIPMENT COLD WEATHER GEAR CRANE SAFETY TRAINING DATA RECORDING SYSTEMS ELECTRONIC CALIBRATION SERVICES FACILITY EQUIPMENT/SU PPLIES GRAPHIC DESIGNS AERIAL MAPPING GIS SERVICES ANTENNA EQUIPMENT AVIATION PARTS DISTRIBUTOR CABLE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM/SUPPLIES AIR FILTRATION SERVICES AUDIO EQUIPMENT BANNER DISPLAYS CALIBRATION SERVICES AIR PRESSURIZATION SYSTEMS AUTOMATION SYSTEMS BIT SYNCS CAMERA/AUDIO/ VIDEO DISTRIBUTORS CHART RECORDERS CHEMICAL COUNTERS CIRCUIT BOARDS ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES COMMERCIAL WORK SUPPLIES COMMUNICATION CABLING INSTALLATION/EQUIP MENT COMPUTER HARDWARE/SOFTW ARE CRANE SLINGS CRYOGENIC SERVICES DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEMS DATA VOICE SECURITY ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS DIGITAL MEDIA DISTRIBUTOR SERVICES/ SUPPLIES ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTOR ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES QUIPMENT RENTAL FIRE PREVENTION FORKLIFT SERVICES GEOGRAPHICAL MAPPING SOFTWARE GROUND STATION NETWORK SERVICES HEALTH-SAFETY EQUIPMENT HEATING AIR SERVICES HEATSHRINK SUPPLIES MARINE RADAR MICROWAVE COMPONENTS OFFICE SUPPLIES PRINTING DESIGN SERVICES HIGH SPEED CAMERAS MASS FLOW MEASURMENT MICROWAVE RADIO EQUIPMENT OFFSITE CRANE RENTAL RF COMMUNICATI ON EQUIPMENT INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES MEASUREMENT EQUIPMENT NETWORK TELECOMMUNICATI ONS SUPPLIES OFFSITE POWER SOLUTIONS TELECOMMUNICATI ON PRODUCTS LABORATORY EQUIPMENT METAL FABRICATORS NITROGEN/ INERT COMMODITIES OXYGEN MONITORS TIME MANAGEMENT EQUIPMENT LAMINATING SUPPLIES MICROWAVE CALIBRATION OFFICE COPY HARDWARE AND SUPPLIES PELICAN CASES TOOLS HARDWARE TOUCH SCREEN CONSOLES TOWER CLIMBING REPAIR SERVICES WEATHER BALLONS WIRELESS COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT 46 P a g e

47 All indirect vendors may be located outside the 1 hour circle of Wallops since the products can be shipped. Under the current concept of operations, all launch vehicle direct industry may also be located outside the 1 hour circle since their plants are centrally located for their operations. All prime contractors providing Direct Industry need to be within the Wallops gates, or just outside the gate. Indirect support services are in the best position if within 30 minutes of Wallops All indirect support that works at Wallops should reside within an hour of Wallops. Figure 12. This graphic illustrates the proximity of the local supply chain. Traditionally, there is very little aerospace manufacturing centered near launch ranges. Manufacturing and launching activities require a different environment which is generally exclusive. Manufacturing typically requires an industrial complex usually centered on transportation nodes, whereas launching is typically located away from populated areas for safety purposes. In fact, the VCSFA Strategic Plan specifically identifies MARS distance from populated areas as a strength (Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, 2012). This is the case for all four U.S. launch sites at the ER, WR, Kodiak, and Wallops. This is also true for international launching activities; the busiest spaceport in the world is located hundreds of miles for manufacturing centers in the Kazakh desert. There is a general misperception that an increased launch operations tempo equates to growth. The reality of the situation is that Wallops is already established to conduct commercial space launches, additional launches does not directly equate to growth, unless new customers have requirements that the existing structure does not meet (such as Antares need for downrange tracking at Bermuda). According to the Greater Salisbury Committee, creating MARS was a major stepping-stone in bringing in more space launch business and related firms (Stopping the 'Brain Drain'). While the construction of new facilities constituted short-term growth, the reality is that no new space launch business or related firms have relocated or sprung up in the local area. The primary customer of MARS is the Antares Program, but the vehicle is built elsewhere and the launch team deploys to Wallops for launch activities. As explained in section 3.5.1, the existing 47 P a g e

48 operations staff did grow slightly to support some of the extra support required for Antares such as downrange tracking and spacecraft fueling. This growth was primarily new-hire staff for existing companies. Figure 13. Sample economic contributions of launch range to local economy. Aerospace and high-tech manufacturing is absent from the landscape of all launch range local economies. (Alaska Aerospace Corporation, 2011) Personnel Support Personnel support is a driving force in bringing staff to the Wallops area, either to fill openings or to relocate entire organizations. WFF faces a major challenge with employee retention of relocated new-hires. The challenge is not with retaining the employee; retaining the employee s family is more challenging. This is for two reasons: spousal employment and personnel support. Since Wallops is in such a rural area, there are not a lot of job opportunities for the spouses of relocated new-hires. This can put a lot of family stress on the Wallops employee and often results in the employee leaving Wallops in search of employment in metro areas. In addition to limited spousal employment opportunities, families are often frustrated with the decreased quality and quantity of services, especially if relocating from a metropolitan area. The quality of the services available is not bad, but the overall level of service is mid-range. There appears to be a large number of small local businesses, but a very small number of large, high end, or chain businesses. 48 P a g e

49 Case study As a prime example of attracting new staff, one of the authors of this report relocated to Wallops from California. The first thing that came to his spouse s mind when notified of the job opportunity was, What shopping will I have? Like it or not, many Americans base the quality of future hometowns on whether or not there is a Whole Foods Market, Starbucks Coffee, and IKEA furniture. In order to retain high tech employees, their off-duty needs must be met locally. As the local population increases, even in small numbers, due to growth of direct or indirect industry related to Wallops ELV and UAS activities, there will be an increased demand for service industries, including health care (hospitals, clinics, doctors, dentists, and specialized care), child care, food (grocery and restaurants), retail (fuel, vehicles, household items, clothing, specialty), financial (banks), religious (churches), and temporary lodging (hotels/motels, bed & breakfast, rentals). Personnel support outside the Wallops gate is lacking. Restaurants, child care, coffee shops, and hotels are in high demand. Roughly 1600 personnel work at Wallops and on average there are 100 visiting workers. In addition, if the quantity and quality of personnel support services were increased in the urban areas of the Tri County area, it would create growth opportunities for relocating businesses to be near Wallops. Transportation Infrastructure Direct and indirect industries need to be able to get people and materials to the local area. This is currently done via the road, rail, air, and water transportation systems. Any large increase in industry of the local area will strain the local transportation infrastructure. This could be a roadblock in bringing in new business, or could reduce the effectiveness of established business through side effects such as traffic congestion or roadway damage. While growth will spur the need for improved infrastructure, there is a great opportunity that by improving it first will draw more businesses to the local area. Widening local roadways and highways and increasing the number of lanes, eliminating overhead wires along and across streets, extending rail service into industrial areas, extending airport runways and expanding the airport terminal, and increasing the number of river terminals would benefit the local economy three ways. The improvements will provide work to local companies, the finished improvements will increase the quality of life of local residents and businesses, and marketing the improvements will bring in business to take advantage of the increased capacity. 49 P a g e

50 Business Support As businesses grow and as industries expand, there will be an ever-increasing demand for business support. Services such as vehicle sales, fleet management, special vehicles, administrative support, office supplies, print services, temporary agency staff, and office space rental will continue to grow. A growth opportunity exists for business incubators by building specialized facilities designed for spaceport industries (hangers, processing facilities, cleanrooms, etc.) or by building a business park offering temporary agency services, printing/copying services, shipping services, IT services, meeting space, rental office space, and restaurants/shops. VCSFA Strategic Plan identifies Wallops Research Park as an opportunity for commercial space companies to conduct operations at MARS (Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, 2012). These commercial space companies may establish offices at the Business Park or may take advantage of other ancillary businesses located in the park. The park could especially serve as a business incubator for up-and-coming rocket companies, such as Ventions, LLC. Ventions, LLC is a research, development and services company that was founded in 2004 to commercialize innovative technologies in the aerospace sector. They have successfully built and tested a brand new liquid-fueled rocket. They have an office in Washington, DC and San Francisco, California but conducted their latest tests at Wallops. This type of company could take advantage of an office space co-located with Wallops. Table 17 lists some of the companies that serve Wallops and could be persuaded to open a regional office. Table 17 Range Systems companies frequented by Wallops Company Name Business Type Current Location Sypris Data Systems DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEMS Littleton, CA Ulyssix Technologies, Inc. BIT SYNCS Frederick, MD Wideband Systems, Inc. TELEMETRY EQUIPMENT Silver Spring, MD WV Communications, Inc. COMMAND EQUIPMENT Newbury Park, CA Zodiac Data Systems, Inc DATA RECORDING SYSTEMS Alpharetta, GA L-3 Communications Telemetry - TELEMETRY EQUIPMENT San Diego, CA West GDP Space Systems TELEMETRY EQUIPMENT Horsham, PA NetAquire Corporation DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEMS Kirkland, WA Telemetry & Communications Systems TELEMETRY EQUIPMENT Chatsworth, CA P a g e

51 Education This section explains the education needs of Wallops and some opportunities that may lead to growth. Current Situation in Education The workforce of Wallops is almost evenly split between degreed engineering, science, and management professionals and highly-skilled trade professionals. Approximately 50% of the contractor and civil servant workforce employed at Wallops (~800/1600) requires 4-year technical degrees (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) related, but primarily engineering), as well as some management and financial degrees. Our team estimates that the workforce supporting Wallops from outside the gates is also representative of the 50/50 split between degreed and skilled trade professionals. The Greater Salisbury Committee recognized that there is a brain drain drawing local bright and educated students and professionals away from the Eastern Shore (Stopping the 'Brain Drain'). Part of this drain was the lack of a local accredited engineering program that would produce degreed engineers and turn them out into the local economy. The other part of this drain is due to the low number of engineering positions within the local economy. Of the degreed positions at Wallops, the majority of them require Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering degrees. Not many local applicants meet these requirements, making these positions challenging to fill. University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) provides a general engineering program currently working towards ABET accreditation. Salisbury University (SU) provides a Physics Degree which is applicable to the electronics work that is completed at Wallops and a Math degree which is applicable to the Software Engineering work. SU also provides a Decision Information Systems degree useful at Wallops for information technology focused jobs. While SU and UMES provide some STEM coursework that is applicable, they do not directly fulfill the requirements for many of Wallops engineering positions, so many of the engineers are relocated from outside the local area, or companies are forced to put people who do not have the best qualifications into engineer positions. The non-degreed positions are primarily technical, and require previous experience and training on radar, telemetry and communications systems. Many require a two-year associates degree in STEM subjects, including Engineering Technology, Electronics, and Information Technology. In the absence of highly educated or trained local workforce, Wallops employers tend to focus on hiring staff that have previous aerospace experience or related military experience, typically relocating them to the area. 51 P a g e

52 Growth Opportunities in Education: Primary Education The focus on STEM is strong in the Tri-County school districts; however there is an overwhelming lack of student participation with Wallops. NASA supports and conducts hundreds of tours each year, but over the last year, not a single Wicomico, Somerset or Worcester county school visited Wallops. Instead, many schools took expensive and long-distance science-related field trips to national museums and Six-Flags. The tri counties should increase student awareness and interest of opportunities at Wallops, beginning with summer internships available to high school students, and continued employment opportunities. A growth opportunity exists to grow future Wallops-related aerospace industry by improving local student interest and awareness of NASA, Wallops, and the aerospace field by incorporating field trips and activities into the curriculum of 1 st through 12 th graders. Teacher In-Service Days could be used to take large groups of Tri-County teachers (STEM and non-stem subjects) to Wallops to tour the facility, make contacts, and have a better understanding of space launch that could be worked into their curriculums. Vocational / Trade School These schools provide pertinent technician skills to the local workforce. Eastern Shore Community College provides some of the key electronics training to Wallops staff, but there is an opportunity for the Tri-County region to develop an aerospace technician program at WorWic Community College that would produce technical staff trained in fields of aviation, electronics, mechanics, antennas, high-pressure systems, and maintenance, all with a primary aerospace focus. Graduates would have skills applicable to airport operations, as well as launch range operations, and could apply them directly to those locations or to the support industries that serve them. Creating a program like this would reduce the brain drain. A growth opportunity exists to reintroduce an aerospace training program similar to the UAS Maintenance Program that was developed to retrain dislocated workers, which was sponsored by the Lower Shore Workforce Alliance. As long as the training program works closely with Wallops and related industry, the right number of staff could be trained and placed locally to meet growing demands. 52 P a g e

53 Secondary Education Continue to work with SU and UMES to establish a robust Engineering Program. There is an opportunity to grow aerospace business on the Eastern Shore by bringing Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) to the area. The nearest locations of its worldwide campus are at Oceana Naval Air Station near Norfolk and at Andrews AFB near Washington, DC. SU, UMES, or even WorWic Community College could team with Wallops and ERAU to establish a program at one of the campuses to produce small batches of aerospace-degreed workers (Associates, Bachelors, and Masters degrees), that could go straight into the local workforce. Team with Embry Riddle Aeronautical University to bring an appropriate level of aerospace training and education to the Eastern Shore to lure aerospace industry. Post-Grad Education SU offers a Master s in Business Administration, but Wallops and the related space launch industry manages its work as projects; degreed project managers are constantly being sought. Many schools offer the degree, but not to the local workforce. If SU established a Project Management Program with a Masters of Project Management degree, in conjunction with improved engineering programs at the regional schools, it would create upward mobility for employees as they completed coursework in residence. A stronger relationship can still be forged between SU and Wallops with regard to science and engineering programs as well as management programs. A stronger relationship can still be forged between Salisbury University and Wallops with regard to science and engineer programs as well as management programs. 53 P a g e

54 4 Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Industry 4.1 Provide Critical Context This section describes Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) in an effort to help understand the industry, facilities, workforce, and infrastructure necessary to support UAS activities. This section also identifies the potential missions supported by UAS platforms UAS comprise a rapidly growing portion of the military, civil and commercial marketspace. At times, Congress has encouraged the development of such systems; in other instances, it has attempted to rein in or better organize these efforts. Unmanned aircraft are commonly called UAVs, and when combined with ground control stations and data links, these are considered UAS. In 2012, the federal government tasked the FAA to determine how to integrate UAS into the National Air Space (NAS). In this research, the team showed the Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International estimates of the economic impact of this integration into the national airspace. In the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (FMRA), Congress tasked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with integrating unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), sometimes referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles or drones, into the National Airspace System by September As part of that effort, Congress directed the FAA to establish six test ranges to serve as integration pilot projects. On February 22, 2013, the FAA issued a notice in the Federal Register announcing the process for selection of the sites and a request for public comment on its proposed approach for addressing the privacy questions raised by the public and Congress with regard to the operation of unmanned aircraft systems within the test site program. In the event that these regulations are delayed or not enacted, this study also estimates the jobs and financial opportunity lost to the economy because of this inaction. Congress passed into law a requirement for the FAA to implement UAS into the U.S. airspace. This legislation paves the way for commercial UAS activities to begin in the NAS by The key market segments are precision agriculture, law enforcement, first responders, and NOAA or NASA science applications. While there are multiple uses for UAS in the NAS, this research concludes that precision agriculture, scientific testing, and public safety are the most promising commercial and civil markets. These markets are thought to comprise approximately 90% of the known potential markets for UAS. The LJT team researched various primary and secondary sources from prominent UAS experts. In March 2013, the AUVSI published The Economic Impact of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the United States. Highlights from this report are summarized below. These numbers are for the entire United States, but if Maryland postures itself strategically with Wallops (and other local airports), then the Tri-County region could expect to capture a percentage of this growth. The economic impact of the integration of UAS into the NAS will total more than $13.6 billion in the first three years of integration and will grow sustainably for the foreseeable 54 P a g e

55 future, cumulating to more than $82.1 billion between 2015 and 2025 (Jenkins & Dr. Bijan Vasigh, 2013); Integration into the NAS will create more than 34,000 manufacturing jobs and more than 70,000 new jobs in the first three years (Jenkins & Dr. Bijan Vasigh, 2013); By 2025, total job creation is estimated at 103,776 (Jenkins & Dr. Bijan Vasigh, 2013); The manufacturing jobs created will be high paying (greater than $40,000 annual salary) and a majority require technical 4-year degrees (Jenkins & Dr. Bijan Vasigh, 2013); Much of the UAS T&E is being conducted in the government and commercial sector. The vast majority of commercial UAS T&E has the U.S. government as the end user or client. Because of this relationship, most of commercial T&E is conducted on federal property but overseen by the contractor/developer. Table 18 Areas of UAS Industry Opportunity UAS Radar NextGen Incorporation of UAS into the National Airspace Research Small UAS Detection Radar, Sense-and-Avoid Radar Low-Power Passive Radar (stealth) Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Weather Radar Airport Surveillance Radar UAS Communications UAS Aeronautics UAS Propulsion UAS Acoustics UAS Structures UAS Payloads Free-Space Optics for UAS Communication RF, Including Bandwidth Satellite Communications Aerodynamics, Including vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAS Flight Dynamics and Aeroelasticity Design/Fabrication/Flight Testing Semi- and Fully Autonomous Flight Payload Delivery Systems Long-Endurance Hybrid UAV Propulsion systems Battery-Powered Helicopters Fuel efficient turbo jet and reciprocating engines High Transmission Loss Structures Acoustic Liner Technology Internal Combustion Engine Noise Control Propeller Noise Control Vehicle Noise Control Morphing Aircraft Unconventional Configurations, Including Biologically Inspired Micro Aerial Vehicles Chemical Nano Electromechanical Infrared, Electro Optical SAR, LIDAR/LADAR Acoustic 55 P a g e

56 Cyber Security Training Research System Security and Validation Physical Systems Security, RF/Wireless Communication Security Data Encryption Crew Engineering Maintenance Aqua Wildlife Wave science/ electric Agriculture Air testing 56 P a g e

57 Figure 14.Economic growth potential for Maryland UAS. (Jenkins & Dr. Bijan Vasigh, 2013) 57 P a g e

58 Figure 15. Comparison between states of economic impact potential. Maryland is highlighted; it is not one of the top ten states to gain the most; these projections are based on current UAS activity and infrastructure, indicating Maryland is behind. (Jenkins & Dr. Bijan Vasigh, 2013) 58 P a g e

59 4.2 Identify Other UAV/UAS Competing Locations This section presents Wallops competition in the UAS field. Many privately held UAS ranges exist throughout the nation; however, most do not have robust enough Special Use Airspace (SUA) for UAS distance and extended range T&E. Flight from these facilities are accommodated through use of a Certificate of Authorization. The vast majority of these facilities operations are FAA limited to just a few miles from launch/recovery area and at low altitudes. Many privately held facilities or commercially run UAS T&E is in support of not only military applications for system or payload, but also in establishing technology for advancement in non-dod applications. Non DOD uses for UAS include, but are not limited to: Geo-mapping, agriculture & conservation, wild fire detection, real estate, construction, utility/railroads, maritime and shipping, media, etc. The most in-depth T&E is facilitated through the DOD or other federal organizations where associated warning areas and restricted airspace is available to accommodate UAS without an established and formal airworthiness certificate. Some of these presently existing facilities include Webster Field Navy Annex, Maryland; Patuxent River NAS, Maryland; China Lake NAWS, California; Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona; Creech AFB, Nevada; Edwards AFB, California; Cannon AFB, New Mexico; Holloman AFB, New Mexico; and Fargo, North Dakota. There are more than sixty UAS bases in the country; however, the vast majority of them only host small to mid-sized UAS systems. Patuxent Naval Air Station Test & Evaluation Activities Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NAS Pax River) will continue to utilize its Restricted Airspace to test numerous current, and future, aircraft. It is believed that the work at NAS Pax River will continue at its present pace, and in fact will likely increase as the U.S. government develops new systems and looks for ways to extend the life of its current systems. Major manned fixed wing work in the immediate future includes FA-18E/F/G systems development and envelope expansion. Especially noteworthy is the development of the Next Generation Jammer which will be awarded sometime early this year and will be carried on the FA-18G. Other developments include E-2 modernization efforts, P-8 development and envelope expansion, and Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) work. The JSF will make up the bulk of the manned fixed wing fighter work for the next five to ten years, as the U.S. government builds, develops and produces three distinct versions of the aircraft. All are intended for domestic U.S. use, and a considerable world-wide market is expected. The F-35A is a land-based aircraft and is intended to fill U.S. Air Force Strike Fighter requirements and other domestic runway-launched aircraft needs. The F-35B is the U.S. Marine Corps version, and will have a short take-off and landing capability, useful off smaller ships (non-aircraft carrier) and land bases with restricted runway length. The F-35C will be the U.S. Navy version, and will be capable of carrier catapult launches and arrested landings. All three versions will carry weapons, both conventional bombs (smart and dumb) and propelled weapons (missiles, rockets, guns, etc.). NAS Pax River will fly and test the aircraft and associated 59 P a g e

60 systems, and will test weapons carriage - testing of actual weapons deployment (dropping/firing the weapons) will be conducted at NAS China Lake, California and NAS Point Mugu, California. Helicopter work will continue on H-60, H-53 and other U.S. Navy/Marine Corps rotary aircraft as it is being done today, and as systems improvements and enhancements are introduced they will be tested in NAS Pax River restricted airspace. Work on the V-22 Tilt Rotor aircraft will continue, both in envelope expansion and systems modernization. In the unmanned world, NAS Pax River anticipates increased testing as the use of these vehicles grows. Major work is planned for the testing of Broad Area Maritime System (BAMS), which includes the air vehicle (Triton) and its associated Ground Control Station. The Triton is a seaspecific derivative of the Global Hawk which is being tested now under the Global Hawk Demonstration Program. This aircraft will fly at high altitude (operations will normally occur at 40,000 feet and above) and will be used for information gathering to ensure the safe operation of our sea forces. Wallops can team with Patuxent River NAS to support NAVY UAS operations. There is an opportunity for MD to assist with the relocation of the BAMSD program to WFF. The parties from the USN and NASA have met several times, and there is an opportunity for the state to be involved in assisting with this. This would be a great national security asset at Wallops and deliver many economic drivers to the area, including driving the establishment of the Wallops Research Park. Also undergoing increased testing will be the Fire Scout, a rotor craft to be used by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, both from ship and from land. This vehicle will be weaponized, and like the manned aircraft, NAS Pax River will test weapons carriage while actual weapons work will be mainly done at NAS China Lake and NAS Point Mugu, California. Fire X, a derivative of the Fire Scout which is intended to be larger with greater range and weapons/sensors carriage capabilities, will begin testing in earnest in 2013 and will continue for several years. Scan Eagle and Integrator, both small Unmanned Systems which are designed to operate from ship and shore will continue testing. Integrator will be primarily used by the U.S. Marine Corps and will be weaponized. These vehicles are small, and have endurance expectations of 16 plus hours. It is anticipated that the non-weaponized Scan Eagle systems will see widespread use both in the international market and domestic law-enforcement areas as well. In 2013 the U.S. Navy intends to award a contract for the development and production of an FA- 18 size unmanned vehicle to be operated from Aircraft Carriers, the Unmanned Carrier- Launched Airborne Sensor and Strike system (UCLASS). It is anticipated these aircraft will be a major development effort and will begin flying in the NAS Pax River airspace within five or six years. The test program will involve aircraft envelope expansion, systems development and test, and weaponization development and test. This system is planned to enter into the U.S. Navy Combat forces in the 2020 timeframe. 60 P a g e

61 NAS Pax River is currently operating at over 100% capacity for its buildings and infrastructure and has actually had to lease space off the government property to house its employees. A new arrangement involving Public-Private partnerships is being carefully looked at to assist in building new facilities and updating current ones in order to bring all government employees within the secure confines of the existing property. These efforts are in the late stages of investigation and a decision is expected soon on the way forward. Currently, U.S. Navy Patuxent River Air Station is home to several UAS units providing integrated warfare systems and lifecycle support through research, development, testing and evaluation, acquisition, engineering and fleet support for manned and unmanned aircraft, engines, avionics, aircraft support systems and ship/shore/air operations. Current programs include: X-47 Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D), MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned helicopter is undergoing developmental and operational testing, MQ-4C Broad area Maritime Surveillance Demonstrator (BAMS-D) and BAMS; Tier 2 UAS also play an important role with platforms such as Shadow and Scan Eagle. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems Operations Validation Program (USOVP) Air Force Lead, the USOVP project will provide the DOD and its federal agency partners with the ability to conduct testing for lower-priority UAS programs in DOD restricted airspace and the NAS. In addition, USOVP will develop and validate T&E processes and procedures for a variety of on-board flight systems that support UAS-enabling technologies. 61 P a g e

62 INTERNAL WFF Strengths WFF Weakness POSITIVE Culture of Safety High SME population Successful record of accomplishing highly difficult technical projects. Access to vast Special Use Airspace Extensive infrastructure and network Tier I, II, and III UAS range experience WFF Opportunity High cost structure Multi-level UAS Safety Process Lack of local UAS higher education Local NASA culture accepting UAS as a core discipline. Lack of restricted airspace corridor to PAX River. WFF Threat NEGATIVE FAA Test Site NAVY hosting for BAMS, BAMSD, UCAS, fire scout (PAX satellite) Commercial and DOD hosting for training UAS, all categories. UAS payload testing and development UAS platform R&D, T&E Other Gov. organizations with robust pre-existing UAS facilities & programs Funding Outside political pressure EXTERNAL Figure 16. WFF Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) Analysis for UAS T&E 62 P a g e

63 INTERNAL W41 Strengths W41 Weakness POSITIVE Centrally located to Restricted Airspace (R-4006) 50% of airport traffic area is located over water. Ideal proximity to support NASA WFF and Navy Patuxent River. Minimal encroachment Runways are suitable for multi-level UAS. W41 Opportunity Lack of local public support. Remote location Lack of local UAS higher education Minimal existing structures. W41 Threat NEGATIVE FAA Test Site satellite NAVY hosting for fire scout and UAS 55lbs or less. (PAX/NASA satellite) Commercial and DOD hosting for training UAS, all categories. UAS payload testing & development UAS platform R&D, T&E Other Gov. Organizations with robust pre-existing UAS facilities and programs Funding Outside political pressure Possibility of local residents fighting the inception of UAS operations. EXTERNAL Figure 17. Crisfield, Maryland Airport (W41) Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) Analysis for UAS T&E 63 P a g e

64 INTERNAL 2W6 Strengths 2W6 Weakness POSITIVE Centrally located to Restricted Airspace (R-4007) Located 8 miles from NHK Patuxent Naval Air station. Ideal proximity to support NASA WFF (with corridor) and Navy Patuxent River. Large volume of UAS experts locally 2W6 Opportunity High volume of population encroachment Possible air traffic encroachment with PAX. UAS would have to fly 10 miles prior to operations over water. Proximity to Wash DC no fly area. 2W6 Threat NEGATIVE FAA Test Site satellite NAVY hosting for fire scout and UAS 55lbs or less. (PAX/NASA satellite) Commercial and DOD hosting for training UAS, all categories. UAS payload testing & development UAS platform R&D, T&E Other Gov. Organizations with robust pre-existing UAS facilities and programs Funding Outside political pressure Possibility of local residents fighting the inception of UAS operations. EXTERNAL Figure 18. Saint Mary s Airport, Maryland (2W6) Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) Analysis for UAS T&E 64 P a g e