Will SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Launch From Florida This Year?

SpaceX’s Starship rocket is grabbing headlines for being one of the biggest rockets ever created. However, while most Starship launches are taking off from Texas, at SpaceX’s Starbase, it appears Musk’s space organisation will aim to accomplish a Florida Starship launch sometime this year. To do so, SpaceX is building Gigabay, an integration facility at Kennedy Space Centre, that will support the build of Starship rockets in Florida. 

In a statement, SpaceX outlined: “In addition to continued infrastructure development at Starbase, Texas, where SpaceX is headquartered, SpaceX is expanding its Starship operations in Florida, bringing Starship production and launch capabilities to the Space Coast… Access to space is a critical and growing need for U.S. national security, leadership in science, the country’s exploration goals, and for the growth of the economy.”

Why SpaceX Are Aiming For A Florida Launch By Years End

While SpaceX are continuing the development of their Starship rocket in Texas – the home of SpaceX – they’re also spreading their footprint to the US Space Coast: Florida. Why? SpaceX said: “expansion of Starship production and launch operations in Florida will enable SpaceX to significantly increase the build and flight rates for Starship, which will be the first rapidly and fully reusable launch vehicle in history.” 

Starship will be tasked with delivering tonne’s of payload to orbit, and under one of Musk’s aspirations, Mars. So, SpaceX have taken the proactive step of enhancing their launch facilities in Florida to meet client demands and their own goals. On the topic of Mars, SpaceX said: “Starship will ultimately be responsible for sending millions of tons of payload to Mars – building a self-sustaining city to make humanity multiplanetary.” In spite of these desires, SpaceX will need to overcome their most recent setback first after Starship flight 8 exploded during launch.

What is Gigabay & Why Are SpaceX Building This New Facility?

One of the interesting aspects of SpaceX’s update is Gigabay, a 380 feet tall integration facility. Prospected to be built in Florida beside HangerX, the facility will boast around 46.5 million cubic feet of “interior processing space” and 815,000 square feet of workshop space. However, the question remains: how will Gigabay underpin Starship development. 

To factor in the rocket’s gigantic size, SpaceX said Gigabay will “be able to support… Super Heavy vehicles up to 81 meters (266 feet) tall and will provide 24 work cells for integration and refurbishment work, along with cranes capable of lifting up to 400 US tons.” For perspective, Starship is approximately 400 feet tall. 

Gigabay’s sister facility, Megabay at Starbase, the largest integration building in SpaceX’s arsenal, pales in comparison. SpaceX said Gigabay will boast: “11 times the square-footage… and more than twice the crane lifting capacity.” Gigabay is set to be ready for use in late 2026 in Florida, while another Gigabay facility is poised to be constructed at Starbase. 

While these bases are being constructed, SpaceX faces a significant roadtrip. They will need to transport boosters and upper stages to Florida where they will assemble Starship like a jigsaw. Yet, when construction is complete at Gigabay, SpaceX said: “we will be in a position to quickly ramp Starship’s launch rate via rapid reusability.”

Starship’s Expanding Footprint On The Space Coast

Along with Gigabay, SpaceX are also building a launch pad capable of housing and launching SpaceX’s ginormous Starship. Located on Launch Complex 39A, at Kennedy Space Centre, SpaceX said the launch pad will soon begin construction. Simultaneously, Environmental Impact Statements at other Starship potential launch areas including Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 37 will continue. But in the not so distant future, SpaceX aspires to conduct a maiden Florida 39A Starship launch in late 2025. This is in addition to an in-orbit refueling test which is set to revolutionise space travel capabilities.