Move NASA headquarters to Kennedy Space Center in Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would like to see NASA move its headquarters to Brevard County, the rocket launch capital of the world.
“There is an interest in moving the headquarters of NASA right here to Kennedy Space Center. And I’m supportive of that,” DeSantis said Wednesday, drawing applause during an afternoon press event at KSC.
“They have this massive building in Washington, D.C., and like nobody goes to it. So why not just shutter it and move everybody down here? I think they’re planning on spending like a half a billion to build a new building up in D.C. that no one will ever go to, either,” DeSantis said.
“So hopefully, with the new administration coming in, they’ll see a great opportunity to just headquarter NASA here on the Space Coast of Florida. I think that’d be very, very fitting,” he said.
NASA consortium:UF, UCF, Embry-Riddle launch Florida space research group with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
DeSantis spoke of his support for a NASA move during remarks spotlighting the launch of the Florida University Space Research Consortium, a partnership between KSC, the University of Florida, University of Central Florida and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
The presidents of the three universities and KSC Director Janet Petro signed a memorandum of understanding in ceremonial fashion during the press event at Operations Support Building II, near NASA’s massive Vehicle Assembly Building.
“The inception of the Florida University Space Research Consortium marks the first time a NASA center has been affiliated with a university consortium, providing Kennedy with the unique opportunity to enhance its research and technology capabilities to meet NASA needs — while also allowing students one-of-a-kind opportunities to expand their knowledge and experience prior to joining the workforce,” Petro told the crowd.
“This symbiotic partnership makes way for collaborative research opportunities and increased exposure to advanced technology, significantly enhancing NASA’s research output in fields such as aerospace engineering, material science, robotics and environmental science, all of which are necessary for long-term human exploration as we learn to live and work deeper into space than ever before,” she said.
Wednesday’s space-consortium press event started 3½ hours after SpaceX launched a rumbling Falcon 9 rocket from pad 39A at KSC. That Starlink 12-11 mission deployed 21 internet satellites into low-Earth orbit.
The NASA-university consortium remains in the formative stage. Space Florida’s board of directors formally designated the consortium in early November during a quarterly meeting at Orlando International Airport.
‘It makes a lot of sense:’ Space Florida leader
After Wednesday’s press event wrapped up, Space Florida President and CEO Rob Long said DeSantis’ statement about moving NASA headquarters to Florida’s Space Coast has “a lot of logic to it,” citing natural synergies.
“It makes a lot of sense, if you think about it. Every NASA program that goes into space — (except) probably a handful of exceptions — has to come through KSC anyway to get to orbit. And so, why not move the headquarters here?” Long said.
“There’s plenty of opportunities. Florida’s a great place to be. Just look at DoD, the number of unified headquarters that are here,” he said.
In one such example, the Space Force’s STARCOM — or Space Training and Readiness Command headquarters — is moving from Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Patrick Space Force Base. The move will bring hundreds of military and civilian jobs to Brevard County.
Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, who chairs the Space Florida board, said additional universities will join the Florida University Space Research Consortium.
“I can see, in the next couple of months and years, it’s going to be a very robust consortium that’s going to provide so many applications for research, technology and innovation,” Nuñez told the press event crowd.
In an email, Florida Institute of Technology President John Nicklow said, “we look forward to exploring opportunities to partner with this new consortium as it develops.”
On a related front, Florida Tech is teaming with UF, Embry-Riddle and Florida A&M University on C-STARS — the Center for Science, Research and Technology in Space — a space manufacturing research consortium launched last year. The National Science Foundation awarded that new consortium an $80,000 seed grant to launch the planning process and attract corporate sponsors and partners.
“The multisite center, including one site at Florida Tech, will lead workforce development programs to train the next generation of specialists in space technologies, sciences and exploration,” Nicklow said in the email.
For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and KSC, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at[email protected]. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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