SpaceX Pitches High-Frequency Starship Operations at Kennedy Space Center

The company proposes installing infrastructure that would support as many as 44 Starship launches annually but will first need to pass an environmental assessment.

Jack Daleo

Friday, May 10, 2024 at 01:20 PM ET

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SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, which has launched from Kennedy Space Center since 2018, lifts off from Launch Pad 39A on its maiden voyage on February 6, 2018. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

SpaceX has proposed launching its Starship rocket from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, requiring a commercial launch vehicle operator license from the FAA.
The FAA and NASA will mandate an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assess the potential environmental impacts of the proposal, with SpaceX preparing the assessment under FAA supervision.
The plan includes building new launch and landing infrastructure at KSC's Launch Complex-39A to support up to 44 Starship/Super Heavy launches annually, featuring reusable landing capabilities.
Public comments are currently being solicited for the EIS, highlighted by past Starship test flights from Texas causing significant environmental damage.

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The FAA on Friday revealed a proposal by SpaceX to operate Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, out of Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The agency says it plans to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the potential effects of awarding a commercial launch vehicle operator license for Starship operations at Kennedy’s Launch Complex-39A. To date, all Starship test flights have launched from SpaceX’s Starbase launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas, which serves as its primary research, development, and flight test facility for the gargantuan rocket.