U.S. House Approves New Facility For Cape Canaveral AFS
By Space Coast Daily // April 30, 2015
WASHINGTON, DC – Today the House of Representatives approved funding for construction of a new Range Communications Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to replace one that was built almost 60 years ago.
Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) has led a bipartisan effort in the House to replace the facility, which is critical both to our national security and our nation’s space program.
“The existing Range Communications Facility was built in 1957 and is now structurally deficient and technologically outdated,” said Congressman Posey. “A new state-of-the- art facility is a necessary component to defending America in the 21st Century, supporting our war fighters and advancing both NASA and commercial U.S. space launch capabilities.”
At Congressman Posey’s request, and with strong support from the Florida delegation,funding for the new Range Communications Facility (RCF) was included in the FY 2016 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
A new facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station has been a top priority for the U.S. Air Force Space Command for several years. The RCF serves as the hub for command, telemetry, and radar for the Eastern Range.
The current building is dilapidated, prone to flooding, uses decades old technology and has become generally unsafe for personnel.