SpaceX is proposing to increase the number of Starship launches and landings it conducts out of its Starbase facility in South Texas to hundreds of flights each year, a plan currently being reviewed by the US government.
The US Federal Aviation Administration said it intends to prepare an environmental impact statement and hold public meetings on SpaceX’s plans, according to a notice released Tuesday.
SpaceX is proposing to perform as many as 456 launches and 912 landings at its Texas facility each year, according to the FAA. Landings would occur after a launch or a mission, when the two primary pieces of the vehicle — the Starship spacecraft and its Super Heavy booster — return intact to the facility in an upright position in order to be flown again.
SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has been open about the company’s intent to launch Starship as rapidly as possible in the future, saying that in less than a decade, the vehicle will be able to launch more than once every hour. The company also recently announced its intent to invest as much as $100 billion to build a massive launch site in southern Louisiana to support rapid Starship launches.
While increased launches would help further SpaceX’s broader space exploration goals, there are also risks, including possible environmental effects and disruptions to air travel as airlines adjust flight paths to avoid launches or falling debris when rockets explode.
The FAA’s analysis of SpaceX’s plans for its Starbase facility in Texas will evaluate potential risks to air quality, wildlife and coastal resources, among other things. A draft will be released at a later date and open for public comment.
The FAA said that the company’s plan would occur in two phases. During the first phase, SpaceX would perform as many as 100 launches of Starship each year out of the site, along with 200 landings. These operations could happen at any day or time.
“As the vehicle continues to mature and reliability improves, launch and landing rates are expected to increase,” the FAA said.
SpaceX would reach the 456 launch mark in the second phase, which could be implemented “within several years.” During this phase, launches could still occur at any time of day but only Monday through Friday.
The FAA also notes that the 912 landing threshold represents the maximum number of landings that could occur at SpaceX’s Texas facility, regardless of where Starship launched from. SpaceX could also choose to land the vehicle’s sections back on land or opt to splash them down in the nearby Gulf of Mexico or the open ocean.
Starship has flown five times per year at most out of Starbase, and the company has only performed three launches of the vehicle so far in 2026. However, Starship is designed to be fully and rapidly reusable, capable of flying again quickly with minimal refurbishment. SpaceX has yet to unlock this capability, but Musk said the company is hoping to land both major pieces of the vehicle back at Starbase before the end of the year.
The FAA said SpaceX is currently authorized to conduct as many as 25 launches per year out of the Starbase facility in Texas and 50 annual landings.
Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.
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