Orbital Would Likely Launch Human Crews From Florida, Not Virginia

Artist's conception of Obital Sciences Corporation's Taurus II rocket set for launch at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia.

Orbital keeps eye on Cape Canaveral for NASA contract: If Obama’s commercial plan passes, firm would likely launch from here
Florida Today

The Space Coast could gain a new launch provider if President Barack Obama’s plan to develop commercial crew taxi services wins approval.

Orbital Sciences Corp. would likely launch from Florida if it won contracts to fly NASA crews, said Frank Culbertson, a former astronaut who oversees the Dulles, Va.-based company’s human spaceflight programs.

“Florida’s already got it, they know how to do it, they’ve got the people that know how to support it,” Culbertson told an audience of nearly 300 at the National Space Club Florida Committee’s monthly lunch meeting on Tuesday. “It just seems like, in the beginning at least, it would be a logical place to operate from.”

For now, Orbital is focused on executing a $1.9 billion NASA contract to deliver cargo to the International Space Station after the shuttle program ends, missions it plans to start flying from Wallops Island, Va., next fall.

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