Council on Foreign Relations visits Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to chart the future of space launch

The Council on Foreign Relations sent a delegation to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on June 26, meeting with Space Force Col. Brian Chatman, commander of Space Launch Delta 45, for briefings on operations along Florida’s Space Coast, spaceport logistics, and long-range planning as launch activity accelerates.

The visit by the New York–based, nonpartisan foreign-policy think tank centered on how Cape Canaveral’s Eastern Range will keep pace with a surge in commercial and national security missions. According to Space Force officials, the discussions included infrastructure priorities under the Spaceport of the Future initiative and measures to maintain readiness across the range while safeguarding personnel and facilities.

Safety featured prominently in light of Blue Origin’s May 28 hotfire test anomaly involving the New Glenn rocket, which the service has characterized as the largest explosion ever documented on the Space Coast. The incident has sharpened attention on keep-out areas and the operational implications of handling larger launch vehicles, a set of questions CFR members explored during the visit.

“I expect every Airman and Guardian operating on the Space Coast to embrace redundancy and embody resiliency,” said Chatman. “Our personnel have the tools and the skillsets necessary to address any conflict that threatens mission success.”

Beyond range operations, the delegation examined how national security policy intersects with capital markets, focusing on the health of the U.S. industrial base and the growing role of commercial partners. Officials outlined how acquisition strategies and private investment are being leveraged together to sustain long-term space capabilities and ensure resiliency by enabling U.S. Space Force payloads to fly on a variety of privatized launch vehicles.

“As global space competition increases, U.S. space-based assets must develop to outcompete foreign adversaries in this domain,” said Space Force Col. Corey Trusty, military fellow at the CFR. “It is important that Cape Canaveral SFS efficiently receives the necessary infrastructure upgrades to ensure it remains the most productive spaceport in the world.”

The visit also incorporated a regional security dimension. Over lunch, CFR delegates met with a group visiting under U.S. Southern Command: 10 military officers from nine South American nations, ranging in rank from colonel to major general. Their crosstalk focused on how Space Launch Delta 45 and the broader space domain support SOUTHCOM missions and partnerships across the Western Hemisphere. The visiting officers also toured Cape Canaveral to learn more about Space Force personnel, infrastructure, and systems.

In the afternoon, CFR members shifted from policy to practice with a tour of Cape Canaveral facilities, observing the scale of the Eastern Range and the coordination required to support simultaneous or back-to-back missions. The walkthrough underscored the logistical choreography behind today’s high-tempo launch environment, which now spans national security payloads, civil missions, and a growing slate of commercial flights.

Space Launch Delta 45 oversees range operations at Cape Canaveral and supports launches for government and commercial customers. With heavier vehicles coming online and cadence rising, leaders described infrastructure modernization, stringent safety protocols, and flexible integration with private industry as central to sustaining assured access to space.

Officials said the engagement helped bridge strategic aims—both for the United States and partner nations—with on-the-ground realities faced by range and launch teams. They framed the dialogue as a means to align policy, investment, and operations so that Cape Canaveral can continue meeting national requirements amid intensifying global competition and an expanding commercial ecosystem.