Cocoa Beach, Florida
Patrick SFB Crashpad — TDY lodging that feels like home
Looking for a Patrick SFB crashpad? Patrick sits on a barrier island between Cocoa Beach and Satellite Beach, and the Cape's record launch tempo — 109 launches in 2025 — keeps range crews, launch customers, DEOMI students, and 920th Rescue Wing reservists rotating through all year. A furnished crashpad priced inside the government rate beats a beach-season hotel every time, and it comes with a kitchen, a washer, and a parking spot instead of a resort fee.
Mission
Space Launch Delta 45 — runs the Eastern Range and every launch off Cape Canaveral, the busiest spaceport on Earth
Host units
Space Launch Delta 45 (host; Eastern Range and Cape Canaveral SFS) · 920th Rescue Wing (AFRC combat search and rescue; HH-60W and HC-130J) · Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC; nuclear treaty monitoring) · Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI)
Commute
From Satellite Beach or Indian Harbour Beach it is 5-10 minutes up South Patrick Drive or A1A to the South Gate; from Cocoa Beach about 10 minutes down A1A to the East Gate; from Viera or Melbourne figure 20-30 minutes via the Pineda Causeway (SR 404) or Eau Gallie Causeway (SR 518).
Homes near the gate
Crashpads serving Patrick SFB
2 fully furnished properties positioned for the Patrick SFB commute.
Why stay in a crashpad near Patrick SFB?
Patrick Space Force Base is the home of Space Launch Delta 45, the unit that owns the Eastern Range and clears every rocket that leaves Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, 12 miles up A1A. About 13,600 people work here between active duty, Guard and Reserve, civilians, and contractors, and the launch calendar sets the rhythm: crews arrive for a campaign, stay two to six weeks, and scrub-and-reset cycles routinely stretch orders. Add DEOMI's course schedule, AFTAC's constant traffic, and the 920th Rescue Wing's drill weekends and you have a small base with a lot of people needing a bed. The Space Coast Inn fills fast, and off base you are competing with cruise passengers out of Port Canaveral, spring breakers, and launch tourists for hotel rooms. A Base Crashpads house gives you a real bedroom, a full kitchen, laundry, and DTS-ready receipts a few minutes from the South Gate — for less than the $166 Cocoa Beach lodging rate.
Who we host at Patrick SFB
- Launch-support crews, range engineers, and mission-assurance teams working a Cape Canaveral campaign
- DEOMI students in the Equal Opportunity Advisor and leadership courses
- 920th Rescue Wing reservists on annual tour, MPA days, or pre-deployment spin-up
- AFTAC and STARCOM staff on short-notice TDYs and inspections
- NASA, NOAA, and commercial launch customers plus their contractor teams
Per diem, DTS, and your wallet
Every Patrick SFB stay is priced at or below the Cocoa Beach government lodging rate. You'll receive itemized, DTS-ready receipts for your travel voucher — for a typical TDY that means zero out-of-pocket lodging cost. Read the full breakdown in our TDY per diem guide, or run your own numbers: the per diem calculator and the on-base lodging calculator use the same rates DTS does. PCSing here instead? Check BAH for Patrick SFB.
Local intel
Patrick SFB crashpad FAQs
Can I stay off base at Patrick SFB on TDY orders?
Yes, if the Space Coast Inn cannot take you. Call the inn first (321-494-5428 per the Air Force Inns listing; confirm on af.dodlodging.net). If it is full you get a non-availability number, and you can lodge commercially at the FY2026 Cocoa Beach/Brevard County rate of $166 lodging plus $74 M&IE. Our crashpads are priced under that rate with itemized receipts for DTS.
How far is a crashpad from the base?
Our Space Coast houses are in the beachside towns just south of the base — Satellite Beach and Indian Harbour Beach — so the drive to the 24-hour South Gate is typically 5-10 minutes with no causeway to cross. You can be at the DFAC or the fitness center before the coffee gets cold.
Which gate should I use, and do I need a pass?
With a CAC or DBIDS credential use the South Gate (Patrick Drive), which is open 24/7, or the East Gate on A1A from 0600-2200. Visitors without DoD ID go to the Visitor Control Center just outside the East Gate — Monday-Friday 0600-1800 and Saturday 0800-1200 — with a REAL ID and a sponsor. Confirm hours on the SLD 45 Visitor Control Center page before you fly in.
Mission-ready lodging
TDY to Patrick SFB? Lock in your lodging.
Send your dates and reason for stay — we'll match you with a furnished crashpad near Patrick Space Force Base at the government rate.