SpaceX plans to construct three new rocket landing zones on Florida’s Space Coast, upping the number of missions the company can launch in the coming years — and presumably able to accommodate Starship-Super Heavy mega-rocket systems.
Thursday morning, the Space Florida board of directors briefly discussed the $27 million SpaceX undertaking, which was listed on the agenda as Project Liftoff. Construction will occur at the company’s two rocket sites: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
“The project will enable higher cadence of flights, reduce pad down time, and enable job growth. Without these improvements, flight cadence at launch complex 39A and 40 would remain capped at current rates,” Howard Haug, Space Florida executive vice president, treasurer and chief investment officer, told board members.
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Haug said the project is estimated to create 300 jobs with average annual wages of $89,000. The project also includes “resiliency enhancement” such as corrosion protection, structural improvement, fire protection upgrades and environmental mitigation, he said.
The project is slated to be completed by the end of 2026, and the Florida Department of Transportation and SpaceX will each contribute more than $13.3 million, Space Florida spokesperson Alayna Curry said in an email.
SpaceX lands boosters at land, sea
Today, SpaceX operates Landing Zones 1 and 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. That’s where Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy boosters descend for landings after some missions — generating sonic booms across Central Florida.
SpaceX boosters also land atop the drone ships Just Read the Instructions and A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean, most frequently during the company’s numerous Starlink missions.
SpaceX has sent up 51 of the 55 rockets launched thus far this year from the Space Coast, with United Launch Alliance accounting for the other four. That pace should surpass the short-lived annual record of 72 launches, which was just set last year.
To that end, back-to-back SpaceX launches are scheduled for Friday and Saturday mornings, an Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory shows. The 4½-hour launch window for Friday’s Starlink 8-3 mission from KSC extends from 8:13 a.m. to 12:43 p.m., while Saturday’s Starlink 10-7 mission window from Launch Complex 40 lasts from 7:21-11:51 a.m.
Starship-Super Heavy coming to Space Coast
In an email, Curry said the uses for SpaceX’s three future rocket landing zones have not been specified. However, SpaceX has altered and enlarged its Starship operational plans at KSC since NASA released an environmental assessment five years ago.
“SpaceX now proposes to construct additional launch infrastructure not previously contemplated in the 2019 EA; launch an advanced design of the Starship and Super Heavy vehicle; operate at a projected higher launch tempo; and land the Super Heavy booster at LC-39A in support of the reusability concept. Starship landings are no longer proposed to occur at Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station,” an FAA website said.
Now, the FAA and other agencies are conducting an environmental assessment of SpaceX’s plan to launch Starship-Super Heavy missions up to 44 times per year from pad 39A. SpaceX officials want to build a Super Heavy catch tower at the pad, along with onsite facilities for propellant generation and storage, a cooling tower, air separation unit and deluge system, an FAA fact sheet shows.
In tandem, SpaceX officials hope a Starship-Super Heavy launch complex becomes operational by 2026 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The U.S. Air Force is preparing a Starship environmental impact statement in conjunction with the FAA, NASA and U.S. Coast Guard.
SpaceX competitors, Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance, raised concerns as part of the FAA review, warning the rocket is too untested, too potentially dangerous and too disruptive. Brevard residents have also expressed concerns ranging from the environmental impact to the impact on local communities, fishing families and tourism.
For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale atRneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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