The US Space Force has officially been allocated 250 million dollars to All Points Logistics for the design and construction of a new commercial Spacecraft Processing Center (Spacecraft Processing Center) at the Vandenberg Space Force base in California. The signing of this contract was announced 29 July 2026 year.
The project is financed through the Commercial Solutions Opening program (CSO) in order to eliminate infrastructural "bottlenecks" on the West Coast of the USA. Thanks to the commercial model of ownership and management, the state avoids long-term military budgetary financing of construction, attracting private capital.
Purpose of the object: Satellites will undergo final inspection at the new center, testing, refueling and integration with launch vehicles prior to launch.
Technical equipment: The complex will include processing areas with high and low spans (high- and low-bay), double encapsulation chambers, explosion-proof premises for hazardous work with fuel, climate controlled areas and secure communication systems.
Operator: The work will be carried out by the Space Prep division, owned by All Points Logistics. They will act as an independent service provider, which guarantees the Space Forces priority access, and commercial companies – equal conditions.
The modern launch market has evolved towards the regular launch of dozens of small satellites instead of single launches of heavy and expensive vehicles. Vandenberg Air Force Base is the main US military intelligence base, meteorological and commercial satellites into polar and sun-synchronous orbits. A sharp increase in the frequency of flights (in particular, SpaceX) created a shortage of land areas for payload preparation.
This contract became the third within the scope of the large-scale modernization program. The previous two agreements the Space Force concluded in 2025 year with Astrotech companies (for the Vandenberg facility) та Blue Origin (for Cape Canaveral in the interests of the East Coast). Expected, that all these new capacities will work before 2028 year.
Source: https://spacenews.com