WASHINGTON — Repairs to an Alaska launch site damaged in a launch last August are underway and should be completed by the end of this year, Alaska Aerospace Corp. said March 31.
The state-owned corporation said that workers have cleared all the debris from Launch Pad 1 at the Kodiak Launch Complex, allowing reconstruction of the site to begin in the spring. The majority of the buildings at the launch site are structurally sound, although some siding, structural steel and other items will need to be replaced.
The pad was damaged when a missile launched from the pad Aug. 25 exploded seconds after liftoff during a test for the U.S. Army’s Advanced Hypersonic Weapon program. The repairs are being funded through a state insurance policy.
The Kodiak repairs are planned for completion by December, although Alaska Aerospace currently has no launches scheduled from that pad. “We are maintaining schedule and our budget in order to be ready to launch as soon as possible,” Barry King, director of launch operations for Alaska Aerospace, said in a March 31 statement.
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