FAA Seeks Public Comment on SpaceX Plan to Ramp Up Starship Launches

SpaceX Starship rocket Super Heavy booster launch pad Texas

SpaceX’s gargantuan Starship rocket and Super Heavy booster stand nearly 400 feet tall when stacked. [Courtesy: SpaceX]

SpaceX is coordinating with the FAA to launch Starship—the largest and most powerful rocket ever flown—as many as 25 times per year after completing only a handful of test flights in 2024.

The aviation regulator on Wednesday issued a revised draft environmental assessment (EA) for SpaceX’s proposal to exponentially increase the number of Starship launches at its Starbase launch pad in Texas. The company’s current license permits five annual launches of Starship and the Super Heavy booster, 10 Starship landings, and five Super Heavy landings.

Starship since April 2023 has made six orbital test flights, with four launching in the past eight months. Both stages of the spacecraft are designed to be fully reusable, and SpaceX is getting close to returning them from orbit back to Starbase. The company hopes to cut mission turnaround time from months to days—or even hours—by snaring Starship and Super Heavy from the air using a pair of “chopstick” arms and quickly refurbishing them.

Each launch has given SpaceX valuable data to improve Starship’s design and bring it one step closer to returning Americans to the moon. A human landing system (HLS) variant of the rocket will serve as the base of operations for NASA’s Artemis III lunar mission, scheduled for late 2026. Before then, however, Starship will need to demonstrate several key capabilities.

To do that, SpaceX must ramp up its launch cadence. The company is seeking 25 annual launches and 25 landings apiece for Starship and Super Heavy at Starbase. Its revised draft EA also addresses upgrades made to the rocket and booster. The proposal calls for both ground and water landings as well as a handful of operations at night.

Members of the public will be able to comment on the document until January 17 and can attend one of four public meetings, as well as a virtual meeting, during the first two weeks of the month. Once SpaceX completes the process, there is no guarantee it will receive a modified license—the company must also prove it follows FAA guidance around safety and risk.

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Jack DaleoAuthor

Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.