Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip Airport (KXMR), Florida
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip (KXMR) is a military airfield on Florida's Space Coast near Cocoa Beach, operated in support of Cape Canaveral launch activity. The field is towered but not open to public use, with prior permission required for any arrival, and operations are shaped directly by nearby space launch schedules. A single paved runway, 13/31, serves the strip, with construction that mixes concrete ends and a porous friction surface midsection. Traffic here is light and mission-driven, consistent with the field's role as a support facility rather than a general aviation destination.
Runways
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip Airport has one paved runway, 13/31, 9,999 ft long and 200 ft wide, with an asphalt surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
The airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Melbourne Orlando International (KMLB), 22 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip Airport recorded 10 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in February and May. Business aviation traffic at KXMR is concentrated in a handful of months, with activity recorded in February, April, May, and November and none in March, June, or July, according to FAA TFMSC data.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month February, 4 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Weather station is 5.2 NM from the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip Airport has published operating constraints in four categories: access, runway notes, environmental and other notes.
Prior permission required from Range Operations Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
Service lighting: Runway 31 approach lighting is a non-standard SALS system, 1,000 feet in length.
Restriction: all aircraft must contact approach control before proceeding to Cape Canaveral. Landing and takeoff are not authorized unless Cape Tower is operating.
Restriction: official business or high-priority mission aircraft should contact the Range Operations Squadron/DOS, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, for prior permission. PPR for operations 1230-2100Z Monday through Friday requires 24-hour prior notice; other times require 5 days prior notice. Skid Strip operating hours are determined by the PPR number for the specified operation.
Restriction: no arrivals or departures within one hour of Cape Canaveral launch operations. Landing and takeoff are not authorized unless Cape Tower is operating. All aircraft must contact approach control before proceeding to Cape Canaveral. Flight is restricted to below 1,000 feet and within a 2,000-foot horizontal radius of any space launch complex.
Customs available; prior notice required.
Restriction: prior permission required. PPR is valid plus or minus 30 minutes of ETA; changes must be coordinated. Tower is manned based on PPR. Contact the 45th Range Squadron/DOS, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, for PPR.
Transient alert: manned based on PPR. Service available 1100-0400Z Monday through Friday, closed Saturday, Sunday, and holidays. Off-hours service requires 10 days advance notice. Contact the applicable office with service requests.
Fluid: LOX available with 2 days prior notice.
For clearance delivery or to cancel IFR when the ATCT is closed, contact Orlando Approach.
Runway 13/31 does not have paved overruns.
Runway: the first 1,000 feet of Runway 13 and the first 1,000 feet of Runway 31 are concrete. The middle 7,999 feet of Runway 13/31 has a porous friction surface. Each end has a 300-by-300-foot stressed turnaround. The runway is grooved.
Caution: numerous obstacles in the vicinity of the runway. Bird hazard present. Use extreme caution due to extensive UAS operations in the vicinity.
Fuel: JP-8 available 1200-2200Z Monday through Friday; other times require 5 days advance notice. Due to limited manning, aircrew assistance is required with refueling operations.
Restriction: if operational necessity requires flight closer than these restrictions allow, coordination with the custodian of the affected complex must be completed no later than 24 hours prior to the flight.
Transient alert: chip detection inspection required for F-16s is not available.
Miscellaneous: weather observation is automated, with FMQ-19 observation equipment in use continuously. Weather observations and forecasts are available continuously by phone. Parking is limited. No storage available for classified materials.
Miscellaneous: morning operations, fax available.
Early or late arrivals and departures must be recoordinated.
Caution: night vision device operations may be in progress from sunset to sunrise. Check local NOTAMs for current operations.
Weather service: call Cape Metro; a terminal weather forecast is not issued for KXMR, see KCOF instead.
Restriction: crew transport and cargo onload/offload support is limited to 1400-2000Z Monday through Friday. Contact the applicable office with requested requirements.
Caution: USAF ARFF Set 3. Three ARFF vehicles with 5,000 gallons of agent.
A 50-foot wingtip clearance between large-frame aircraft is not available between parking spots 2 and 3. Minimum wingtip separation is reduced to 30 feet, per MAJCOM waiver on file.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip Airport has five airfields within 23 NM. The closest is Merritt Island (KCOI), 9.83 NM southwest.
Part of the Orlando area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KXMR
We arrange catering, fuel and trip support here. Supplier prices reach you unchanged; our coordination fee sits on its own line.
The same order, priced two ways.
$1,200.00 catering order at KXMR.
Unchanged.
What the kitchen invoices us is what your quote reads.
One line, fixed.
It does not move with the size of the order.
At cost.
Passed on at the exact amount the processor took.
Market practice figures are industry averages, not a specific competitor.
Frequently asked questions
What is KXMR and who can operate there?
KXMR, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip, is a military-use airport near Cocoa Beach, Florida. Access requires prior permission from the base operations squadron, and landing or takeoff is not authorized unless Cape Tower is operating. All aircraft must contact approach control before proceeding to Cape Canaveral. This is a restricted military field, not a public-use general aviation airport.
What restrictions apply to arrivals and departures at KXMR near launch operations?
Arrivals and departures at KXMR are prohibited within one hour of a Cape Canaveral launch operation. Flight is also restricted to below 1,000 feet and within a 2,000-foot horizontal radius of any space launch complex. Any operational need to fly closer than these limits requires coordination with the complex custodian at least 24 hours before the flight. These rules apply on top of the standard PPR requirement for the field.
Is fuel available at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip?
Fuel at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip is limited to JP-8, available 1200-2200Z Monday through Friday. Requests outside those hours require five days advance notice. Because of limited staffing, aircrew must assist with refueling operations. LOX is also available but requires two days prior notice.
How busy is KXMR and does traffic vary by season?
KXMR sees very light business aviation traffic, with 10 operations recorded across 2025 according to FAA TFMSC data out of 26 total annual operations. Monthly counts are uneven, with activity appearing in February, April, May, and November, and none recorded in March, June, or July. This pattern reflects the field's role supporting scheduled or mission-driven operations rather than steady traffic. The nearest customs facility is Melbourne International, about 22 nautical miles away.