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This answer to What does “That's how we drive to 48!” mean? begins

"drive to 48" refers to the 45th Space Wing's goal of being able to support 48 launches per year from Cape Canaveral.

Has the 45th Space Wing reached its goal of being able to support 48 launches per year from Cape Canaveral?

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The situation in 2020:

“Are we there yet?” (45th Space Wing's goal of being able to support 48 launches per year from Cape Canaveral)

We won't know for certain this year (2020) about the 48 launches, but since they are "on pace for 39" this year and could support three launches in three days, it seems likely that this is imminent.

Space News' 45th Space Wing to attempt three launches in three days, on pace for 39 in 2020

The article also notes:

Polar launch the first since 1969

SpaceX will launch Argentina’s SAOCOM 1B — an Earth observation satellite designed to provide radar imagery — to a polar orbit and will fly a southerly trajectory.

“It’s been decades since that’s been used,” said Schiess.

The last polar launch from the Cape was in February 1969 — the ESSA-9, also known as TOS-G, a meteorological satellite on a three-stage Delta rocket, a 45th Space Wing spokesman said.

Brig. Gen. Doug Schiess, commander of the 45th Space Wing that oversees the Florida space coast ranges.


For more on the history of polar orbits launched south from Florida:

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  • $\begingroup$ @JCRM it could certainly have looked that way, so I've made some adjustments. $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Commented Aug 26, 2020 at 13:07

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