Image: SpaceX
SpaceX is preparing to expand Starship operations on Florida’s Space Coast by building new launch pads at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, including at Space Launch Complex 37 (SLC-37). To support Starship’s enormous propellant requirements, the company said it is also constructing on-site air separation and methane liquefaction facilities so launches won’t strain supplies used by other operators.
“For Starship and its larger propellant demands, we’re making substantial investments to generate our own propellant by building air separation units and methane liquefaction facilities directly on or adjacent to Starship launch sites. This will ensure that Starship launches do not impact the availability of commodities like propellant for other launch operators,” SpaceX explained in an update posted on Thursday.
Image: SpaceX
The announcement comes nearly four years after SpaceX first broke ground on a dedicated Starship pad in Florida. Since then, the company has continued scaling its infrastructure as it works to make life multiplanetary. SpaceX’s Falcon rockets are already on pace to launch more than 100 times from Florida in 2025 alone, while other providers continue to operate normally thanks to close coordination with regulators and industry partners.
Starship, however, represents an entirely different scale. Following the program’s successful 10th flight test in August, which achieved all of its operational goals, SpaceX is now turning its focus toward the next phase. The company is preparing for the debut of its next-generation Starship V3 spacecraft, which Elon Musk has said will begin heavy flight activity in 2026. That same year, SpaceX plans to attempt its first-ever “catch” of a Starship upper stage on re-entry.
SpaceX emphasized that new Starship clear areas in Florida are being designed using years of liquid oxygen (LOX)/methane rocket testing and real-world flight data. “With this new data and proposed methodology for evaluating blast danger areas for LOX/Methane rockets, SpaceX is confident that Starship operations will not disrupt other launch operators at Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station,” the company said.
With demand for access to orbit at an all-time high, SpaceX said it is pushing toward “airport-like operations” at U.S. launch sites, where multiple rockets from different providers can lift off daily with minimal impact to aviation, shipping, or other spaceflight activities.
