SpaceX Gets Greenlight for More Rocket Launches in Texas
Air-safety regulators said the company could launch its Starship rocket up to 25 times annually from Starbase
Key Points
- FAA is allowing SpaceX to launch Starship up to 25 times a year from its Starbase complex in Texas, up from a previous limit of five.
- SpaceX seeks to increase flight rates for Starship and Falcon 9 vehicles from sites in Florida and California.
- Growing launch rates driven by SpaceX have generated pushback from communities near launch sites due to noise and environmental concerns.
SpaceX won permission to launch its massive Starship rocket more often from Texas, part of its broader push to increase flying of that vehicle and its Falcon fleet around the country.
The company will be allowed to begin launching Starship up to 25 times a year from its Starbase complex outside of Brownsville, Texas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Previously, it could fly the still-experimental vehicle five times annually from the site. On Saturday, SpaceX employees and partners who live at Starbase voted to incorporate company properties into a municipality.
Led by Elon Musk, SpaceX is already the world’s busiest rocket operator, frequently lofting satellites for its Starlink internet network, rival satellite companies and government agencies.
At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, SpaceX has looked to fly Starship from one launchpad as many as 44 times a year, according to the FAA. At a nearby Space Force site, the company wants to remake another pad to support as many as 76 Starship flights annually.
The company also is seeking permission to fly its Falcon 9 vehicle as many as 120 times each year, up from 50, from yet another Florida pad. At a military base not far from Santa Barbara, Calif., it hopes to fly the Falcon 9 and Heavy vehicles 100 times annually, or double what is allowed now with just Falcon 9, according to the Air Force.
SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Other rocket operators, including United Launch Alliance and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, are also working to increase their own flight rates with new rockets, including from Florida.
Industry and government officials have talked about building up infrastructure to add capacity at Florida launch sites.
Growing launch rates, so far almost entirely driven by SpaceX, have generated pushback from some community members living near launch sites. People have made complaints about noise, environmental impacts from flights and beach closures.