Kennedy Space Center (KSC) 

Center Assets: Located in Brevard County, FL, KSC employs over 2,100 civil servants, 

consisting mainly of professional engineers, project managers, technicians and scientists. Center 

capabilities that will be tapped in the President’s new program include their unique ability to 

integrate highly complex spacecraft and ground technologies as well as their capabilities in 

launch vehicle and spacecraft processing, launch execution, and spacecraft recovery operations. 

Specific new activities include the following. 

Commercial Crew Development Program (CCDP) Program Office: CCDP will facilitate U.S. 

private industry development of commercial crew transportation services to-and-from low Earth 

orbit, for use by the U.S. Government and other customers. The Program Office, in partnership 

with a Deputy Program Manger at JSC, will enable the development, testing and demonstration 

of flight systems and will develop and compile program requirements, flight readiness processes 

and a NASA oversight/insight approach for commercial crew systems. 

21st Century Launch Complex: The President’s FY 2011 Budget seeks to modernize the 

Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), transforming them to 

provide the capabilities this Nation’s 21st century space programs will need. The effort is 

intended to augment NASA’s current and future operations to achieve safe, increased operational 

efficiency and reduced launch costs for all customers (industry, NASA, national security, etc). 

Highlights*:

 Commercial Crew Development:  New Program Office at KSC, in partnership with a Deputy

Program Manager at JSC, will manage $500 million in FY 2011 and $5.8 billion over five

years, to foster private‐sector transportation services to Earth orbit.   

 21st Century Launch Complex:  New Program Office to manage $429 million in FY 2011 and

$1.9 billion over five years to modernize KSC ‘s facilities to reduce launch costs not only for

NASA, but for other users.   

 Flagship Technology Demonstrations:  New Deputy Program Manager to manage, with

JSC’s Program Office, $424 million in FY 2011 and $6 billion over five years to demonstrate

transformational technologies for next‐generation space flight capabilities.

 Additional Three Months of Shuttle Funding:  The funding will be provided to the Shuttle

program.  A portion of the $600 million augmentation will be used at KSC to ensure flight

and processing of all remaining Shuttle payloads and vehicles to outfit the International

Space Station.  

* Proposals regarding Program Office assignments will be implemented following Congressional approval of the FY

2011 budget; and funding amounts include the cost of civil service labor.
The goal of the enhanced complex is to facilitate multiple launches of different vehicle types 

from different companies carrying both humans and cargo to space in a cost-effective and timely 

manner. Other important projects include enhancements to the range, payload processing 

capabilities and environmental clean up activities. 

Flagship Technology Demonstration Program (FTDP) Deputy Program Manager: This new 

program will demonstrate critical space exploration technologies primarily through flight tests in 

space. At least three demonstrations will be initiated in FY 2011 in areas such as in-orbit 

propellant transfer and storage, lightweight/inflatable modules, and automated/ autonomous 

rendezvous and docking. KSC will help to coordinate programmatic activities with JSC and the 

Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, and provide management oversight and integration 

across the technology demonstration flight missions. Most of these flight projects will involve 

collaborations between Centers, with industry, and/or with academia; and management of these 

programs will utilize KSC’s operations integration capabilities. 

Shuttle Operations: The President’s FY 2011 Budget provides an additional $600 million to fund 

the Shuttle to fly out its remaining three flights, even if those flights slip into the first quarter of 

FY 2011. A portion of these funds will support Shuttle processing at KSC.